Chapter 69: Discovering the Lock
Xiao Luohan was engrossed in watching the video when she was startled by Jiang Xue’s voice. She quickly took off her earphones and nodded slightly. “I’ll eat.”
Jiang Xue fed her sweet osmanthus fermented rice balls made by Sister Cheng. The flavor of the fermented rice and the fragrance of osmanthus blended well together. The small red goji berries added color and sweetness, and even the glutinous rice flour used for the rice balls was carefully chosen, not sticky at all.
Jiang Xue went out and brought a bowl of steaming rice balls for herself, then asked after Xiao Luohan had eaten for a while, “Did you have a nightmare? Or are you feeling unwell? You can tell me if you don’t want to bother Sister Cheng. I have my phone with me!”
Not only did she have her phone, but she also checked it from time to time, but Xiao Luohan hadn’t sent any messages all night.
“Neither,” Xiao Luohan put down her bowl and spoon, shaking her head. “I fell asleep, but then I woke up quickly, and it kept happening.”
Jiang Xue felt that this symptom sounded familiar. Thinking carefully, she seemed to have experienced the same thing the night Xiao Luohan transformed into a cat to repay her kindness.
But she had been unable to sleep because she cared too much about Xiao Luo and was constantly worried, preoccupied with her thoughts. Could Xiao Luo also have something on her mind?
Asking directly probably wouldn’t get her an answer. If Xiao Luo really wanted to talk, she would have already told her.
Jiang Xue could only try to guide her indirectly. “Usually, it’s because you have something on your mind. For example, I can’t sleep well the night before a major exam or a long trip, and even my dreams are filled with related content, usually negative scenarios.”
“Like not being able to find the exam room, missing the exam because I had to go to the bathroom, realizing I filled in the answer sheet incorrectly right before handing it in… I always wake up in a panic after dreaming of such unexpected events.”
Seeing Xiao Luohan still shake her head in confusion, she continued guessing, “If you don’t have anything on your mind, it might be that you’re not used to the bed? It’s normal not to sleep well in a new environment. But it’s usually better if you have someone familiar with you.”
At this point, she suddenly realized.
Xiao Luo had always slept with her since crossing over! Even during lunch breaks.
From Uncle Seuss’s house to her home, to the classroom, and then here, the sleeping environment had changed repeatedly, but only tonight had Xiao Luo had trouble sleeping. She had slept soundly the previous times, all night long.
If this was the correct answer, for Xiao Luo’s sleep quality, should she apply to be exempt from evening self-study?
Studying wouldn’t be a problem. Besides her, there were many students in her grade who felt that studying at home was more efficient. They could apply to go home early, and most of the homework was collected by the class representatives the next morning during self-study and handed to the teachers for grading.
Even for the weekly English quizzes that took up two evening self-study periods, she could just get the test paper from the English teacher beforehand, time herself, and check the answers the next day in class.
In an instant, Jiang Xue had made up her mind and was even a little excited.
She hadn’t experienced skipping evening self-study since starting high school!
“Your problem isn’t difficult to solve. Just observe for a while with someone you’re familiar with,” she said to Xiao Luohan. “If you still can’t sleep well, ask Dr. Qi to prescribe some calming medicine. Just take it one step at a time, don’t worry!”
Come to think of it, Dr. Qi had said she would take Xiao Luo for a full body check-up before returning home. It seemed to be this week? They could take this opportunity to rule out other possible causes of insomnia.
Hearing “someone you’re familiar with,” Xiao Luohan vaguely guessed what Jiang Xue was planning to do, but she immediately dismissed the thought.
Impossible! Jiang Xue had already taken four days off from school for her, which was already an exception. She couldn’t possibly skip evening self-study too, could she?
But the next day, during the long break, she saw Jiang Xue show her the application for exemption from evening self-study with a bright smile.
“After all, you slept very soundly after I came back last night!” Jiang Xue explained, facing Xiao Luohan’s surprised look. “I don’t know about others, but in our family, health always comes first. If my company can help you sleep well and not have insomnia, in a way, it’s also saving us trouble.”
Xiao Luohan understood this. Even if they asked the family doctor for help, they still had to pay for the consultation and medicine, just with a lifelong discount.
“And, I don’t like evening self-study, especially in winter,” Jiang Xue continued, taking advantage of the empty classroom. “I don’t know if you noticed when you came to find me that day, but there’s always a certain smell in the classroom. It’s not because anyone is unhygienic, but because so many people are crammed into a small space for so long.”
“Besides that, there’s also the smell of coffee and even menthol balm mixed in, since everyone is trying to stay awake and study! In the past two years, A-Xi and I would even go to the hallway to study during winter. It was quiet and well-ventilated, just a little cold. If we weren’t careful, we would catch a cold the next day!”
After this explanation, Xiao Luohan was finally convinced.
So that day, after dinner at Old Cat Noodle Shop, on their way back, they heard Xie Xitong say sourly, “It’s so nice to be able to go home for evening self-study. I’m not jealous at all.”
“A-Xi’s study efficiency actually decreases when she’s at home.” Afraid that Xiao Luohan would misunderstand the joke, Jiang Xue quickly explained, “You remember that she always comes to my house to study on weekends, right? If she were at home…”
“Oh, oh, weren’t you also happily petting Xixi when I brought it over?” Xie Xitong interrupted. “It’s all the little kitty’s fault that I can’t focus on my studies!”
“See, you admitted it yourself.” After seriously explaining to Xiao Luohan, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but cover her mouth, her body shaking with laughter.
Xiao Luohan understood. They truly didn’t like evening self-study.
Knowing this, she felt completely at ease. After packing her things in the classroom, she went downstairs with Jiang Xue.
Although her feet hadn’t been bound, due to her frail health, Xiao Luohan always walked slowly, slightly behind Jiang Xue.
Looking up, she could see the setting sun casting a faint glow on Jiang Xue’s black hair, her high ponytail swaying gently with each step.
For some reason, she enjoyed looking at Jiang Xue from this angle.
But she didn’t want to always follow behind Jiang Xue. After admiring her for a while, she quickened her pace to catch up, keeping her shoulders level with Jiang Xue’s.
Jiang Xue was still thinking about the check-up this weekend and didn’t notice her small actions. After leaving the school gate and getting into the car, she couldn’t help but take out her phone to confirm the details with Dr. Qi.
Dr. Qi quickly replied: 【Yes, the appointment with the hospital is for this Saturday at 8:30 AM. After the check-up and lunch, you can go get your hair done.】
After reading the message, Jiang Xue instinctively looked at Xiao Luohan’s hair.
She was definitely getting a haircut—this was Xiao Luo’s request. She felt her hair was too long, inconvenient, and troublesome to wash.
According to Xiao Luo’s idea, after the haircut, her hair would probably be about the same length as Jiang Xue’s. As for the style, they could discuss it with Dr. Qi’s “old friend” later.
But… it was still a little pity. She quite liked Xiao Luo’s long hair.
Silently adding “buy Xiao Luo a super long wig” to her future plans, Jiang Xue said, “The check-up is the day after tomorrow. If you’re worried, you can search for the procedure online these two days. I have last year’s check-up list saved. I can show you when we get home.”
She was carsick, so replying to messages was already her limit. She couldn’t focus on finding the file.
After arriving at the rented apartment, Xiao Luohan went to wash up and change. After getting her consent, Jiang Xue took both their phones, using one to send the check-up list and the other to receive it.
She also searched for various check-up vlogs for Xiao Luohan, thoughtfully saving them in the same folder for easy browsing and organization.
But her movements were too fast, and the themes and wallpapers of the two phones were similar. When she intended to open an app on her own phone, she accidentally opened Xiao Luohan’s notes app.
The notes app on the new phone was practically empty. Jiang Xue was about to exit when she noticed a gray lock icon next to the pinned note.
She thought for a long time, then tried her usual passwords a few times, confirming that this wasn’t a note she had accidentally left on the spare phone.
…This lock could only have been added by Xiao Luo herself.
Realizing this, Jiang Xue felt a mix of emotions.
She was happy that Xiao Luo could lock her notes—this was a function she hadn’t taught her, and she hadn’t expected Xiao Luo to figure it out so quickly. But she was also worried that Xiao Luo already had locked notes so early on.
Xiao Luo’s restless sleep, it must be because she had something on her mind, right?
Was she worried about the future of the other world and Elder Sister Red Fox?
Or was it that she was uncomfortable with certain aspects of life in the new world, but for various reasons, couldn’t talk about them, so she wrote them down to vent?
Certainly, everyone had secrets they didn’t want to share, and Jiang Xue was willing to respect Xiao Luohan’s choice, but she was worried that her worries would accumulate.
The problems would pile up, visible every time she opened the notes app, but remain unresolved…
This kind of situation could be devastating. She had learned this the hard way during her “rebellious phase” and never dared to keep things bottled up for too long again.
Jiang Xue made a series of assumptions, but when Xiao Luohan emerged from the bathroom, her steps light and cheerful, took the phone, got into bed, and curiously started browsing the information about the check-up, she suddenly felt that she might have been overthinking.
What if Xiao Luo had simply wanted to try the new function, and then forgot to unlock it, or simply couldn’t find a way to unlock it?
After all, she wouldn’t have entered anything important when trying out a new function. Besides, a gray lock icon wasn’t a big deal. It only bothered people with OCD, nothing more.
Xiao Luohan had no idea that the lock she had set out of habit had caused Jiang Xue’s mind to wander and overthink.
She first read the check-up list, then watched the videos one by one, and finally, blushing, asked Jiang Xue, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, “That… there’s a detail about one of the examinations that I don’t quite understand…”
Too embarrassed to say it aloud, she simply opened the check-up list and pointed it out to Jiang Xue.
Jiang Xue also fell silent when she saw the examination item.
It was a routine gynecological check-up. Their whole family had it every year, and they also had it during the school’s annual physical examination. With women’s health issues becoming increasingly important in society, this kind of check-up wasn’t unusual.
But Xiao Luo was a girl from ancient times, from a feudal society.
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