Chapter 4: A Dream of Another World
Xiao Luohan had learned from the book that the spirit’s world contained many wondrous objects she had never heard of.
But when those objects materialized, held in her own hands, she felt a dreamlike disorientation.
【Thank you for the rainbow. I am very pleased with it.】
Stroking the smooth surface of the sticker, Xiao Luohan carefully placed it back inside the dictionary, then carried the dictionary to the bookshelf.
She pulled out book after book, comparing them to the dictionary. Finally, she selected the thickest volume of Lessons for Women, returned to her desk, and began carefully hollowing it out.
She burned the scraps of paper. Once she’d created a cavity the same size as the dictionary, she placed it inside.
This way, if anyone suddenly entered, she could quickly conceal the dictionary.
Jiang Xue soon realized she’d chosen a terrible way to distract herself.
Probably engrossed in the vast contents of the English newspaper and dictionary, the Third Princess hadn’t contacted her again for the remaining three evening self-study periods.
Even just copying another sentence and asking for the translation would have been nice!!
She thought it, but didn’t interrupt her pen pal’s exploration of a new language.
As long as the curiosity was there, as long as the conduit between their worlds remained, they would have plenty to talk about.
Convincing herself of this, she pulled out her supplementary study materials and began working on practice problems, as usual.
Finally, the evening self-study period ended. Jiang Xue organized her homework by subject, stacked it neatly on the empty desk beside her, and picked up her backpack, ready to head home.
After a moment’s hesitation, she tucked the diary into her bag.
Although people in ancient times went to bed early, what if…?
The saying “My friend Huai Min is still awake” had been passed down for generations; it wasn’t baseless.
“How did your chat go?”
Xie Xitong had appeared beside her at some point, glancing at her backpack with a knowing smile.
“Don’t even ask!” Jiang Xue sighed. “I sent her an English newspaper and dictionary, and she hasn’t said a word to me all evening!”
Xie Xitong froze, then burst out laughing, doubling over.
“Stop laughing! I know I dug myself into a hole!” Jiang Xue grabbed Xie Xitong’s low ponytail and ruffled it playfully, causing strands of hair to cling to her sleeve due to static. “But she was interested in English! I just… I wanted to cater to her interests…”
In her view, friendships deepened through small gestures of catering to each other’s interests, even hers and Xie Xitong’s.
“Alright, alright, I understand that even shared interests can’t steal her attention away from you.” Xie Xitong finally stopped laughing, half-joking, half-serious. “That explains why you suddenly ran out and bought a dictionary.”
“Forget about that! By the way, the Third Princess listed a bunch of poetic-sounding dishes, and I still haven’t figured out what they are!”
“Tell me about it~”
Chatting and laughing, they left the teaching building and headed towards the school gate.
Their homes were in the same direction. However, Xie Xitong was actually going home, while Jiang Xue, not wanting to leave so early in the morning, had rented an apartment near the school since her first year of high school. Even ten extra minutes of sleep was precious.
For safety reasons, her mothers had assigned their longtime driver and housekeeper, Sister Cheng, to look after her. As soon as Jiang Xue stepped out of the school gate, she saw Sister Cheng’s imposing figure.
After exchanging “See you tomorrow morning” with her friend, Jiang Xue climbed into the car.
Sister Cheng had always been quiet and a very steady driver. Jiang Xue was prone to carsickness, so a quiet but attentive driver was perfect. She fell asleep clutching her backpack before they even reached her apartment.
In the hazy realm of dreams, she saw a fiery sky and a long procession of carriages below, stretching along the lakeshore westward as far as the eye could see.
The ancient-style carriages were drawn by horses, both adorned with red silk. The carriage in the middle of the procession was especially ornate, its curtains studded with glittering jewels, its body carved with lifelike phoenix reliefs. Even the driver was dressed in exceptionally fine clothes.
—This must be what a grand “ten-mile red makeup” wedding procession looked like.
The scene shifted abruptly, and she watched the procession enter a magnificent city.
Then, it shifted again, and only the most ornate carriage remained, stopped before a quiet palace gate.
—Wangmei Pavilion.
She seemed to hear the driver sigh. Even so, he respectfully stepped forward and opened the carriage door.
A young woman emerged, slowly, hunched over. She clutched a red, fur-trimmed cloak with one hand and a white handkerchief with the other, covering her mouth as she coughed.
But when the young woman raised her head, revealing a trace of blood on her pale lips, her clear eyes sweeping over her surroundings with a detached gaze, her frail frame straight as a pine tree, Jiang Xue felt a sudden jolt in her heart.
“We’re home, Second Miss.”
Sister Cheng’s voice broke through the dream, and Jiang Xue’s eyes snapped open.
A biting cold wind blew in through the open car door. Sister Cheng had already gotten out and was opening her door.
Jiang Xue shook her head, bundled up in her winter uniform, and got out of the car, walking towards her apartment building. The lingering images of the brief dream replayed in her mind.
It was the first time she’d dreamt of such a scene. For some reason, the young woman’s face seemed imprinted in her memory. She could clearly recall her features, especially the indifferent glance just before she’d woken up.
…Would she dream of her again?
Lost in thought, Jiang Xue returned to her apartment, ate the sandwich Sister Cheng had prepared, quickly finished her nightly routine, and padded into her bedroom, already warmed by the heater.
Passing her backpack, she grabbed the diary, settled comfortably on her bed, and pulled her phone from the nightstand.
She opened the diary to the page where Xiao Luohan had mentioned her illness. Once the camera app loaded, she quickly took a picture.
Using an app, she first scanned the traditional characters, then converted them to simplified characters with a single tap, and finally proofread the text.
Once she’d confirmed everything was correct, she opened her family doctor’s WeChat and pasted the description of the illness and the prescriptions into a single document, sending it off.
【Yu Xue: This is about a very dear online friend of mine. I really want to help her!!】
【Yu Xue: Please don’t tell my moms, but you can tell my sister. Pretty please! [Cat bowing emoji]】
【Yu Xue: Just send any medicine to me! My friend is super shy and gets really anxious about receiving packages from strangers.】
At this hour, her health-conscious family doctor was already asleep. Worried that calling her now would result in a tired and potentially inaccurate diagnosis, Jiang Xue turned off her phone after sending the message. She tapped her finger on the diary and flipped through it without much hope.
…Huh?
New English words, written in brushstrokes, were appearing. Half a page was already filled. The Third Princess must have started writing recently.
Perhaps because she was just starting to learn the alphabet, the princess’s writing was a bit shaky. The thick brushstrokes revealed the disconnected parts of the letters.
But further down the page, the strokes became smoother, almost cursive.
Jiang Xue enjoyed watching people learn, so she grabbed a pen from her nightstand.
【Your Highness’s handwriting is getting better and better!!】
【Do you need translations? I mean, do you want me to translate what you’ve copied into characters you can understand?】
【Yes.】
Just as Jiang Xue was about to start translating from the beginning, her phone blared – her “last possible moment to sleep” alarm was going off!
As she turned off the alarm, she suddenly realized something and quickly wrote: 【Why aren’t you asleep yet, Your Highness?】
This was important!
Not only did people in ancient times typically go to bed early, but the Third Princess was also sick!
【Sleepless nights. Just passing the time.】
Jiang Xue: …
Oh no, this was her fault! She shouldn’t have shown someone from ancient times new and exciting things late at night!
She quickly opened the simplified/traditional character converter on her phone, her thumbs flying across the screen. Then, she rapidly copied the converted traditional characters into the diary.
【My family doctor has told me many times that if you’re not well, you should rest even more.】
【I want to be pen pals with Your Highness for many years to come! Even if you just close your eyes and rest, please go to sleep soon!】
Due to her congenital weakness and frail health, Xiao Luohan usually retired before the “Dog” hour (7-9 pm).
Even though she’d enjoyed conversing with the spirit, and was intrigued by the English newspaper and dictionary, she wouldn’t easily change her routine.
Seeing the spirit’s earnest words, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but feel a sense of gentle exasperation.
She had already rested.
As usual, she had taken a sleep-inducing fragrant lozenge, but tonight, she tossed and turned, her mind filled with the contents of the book.
It truly was a… beautiful and illusory world, like a fleeting dream.
Somewhere she had never heard of, perhaps such a “paradise” truly existed, but she feared she would only ever experience it through the spirit’s book, forever out of reach.
Unable to sleep despite the late hour, after two hours of resting with her eyes closed, Xiao Luohan sat up, put on her robe, lit a candle, and opened the dictionary the spirit had given her, reading it word by word.
Copying sentences into the spirit’s book had been a whim. She was indeed curious about the spirit’s reaction, but she hadn’t expected them to be awake so late, let alone urging her to sleep.
【I shall retire now. You should also sleep soon.】
Writing down her promise with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, Xiao Luohan carefully put away the dictionary hidden inside Lessons for Women. She blew out the candle and, clutching the book, tried to coax herself to sleep.
For some reason, this time, she drifted off soon after closing her eyes.
“Vehicles and pedestrians, please pay attention to safety!”
“Hurry up! The light here is really short!”
“One sticky rice ball, please! With a fried cruller and pork tenderloin, no seaweed!”
“…”
Xiao Luohan stood still in the middle of a dark street. Noises assaulted her ears from all directions. Towering dark blue buildings, taller than even Beiliao’s Stargazing Tower, surrounded her on all sides.
Was this… a dream?
But dreams were born from the things one saw and heard in daily life. How could she dream of scenes she had never witnessed before?
Confused, she lowered her gaze. Just then, a flash of silver caught her eye.
Xiao Luohan instinctively raised her hand. Through her fingers, she saw a young woman in white, with a high ponytail, emerge from the silver. The young woman stretched languidly, her hands clasped above her head.
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