Chapter 60: I’ll Teach You Anything You Want to Learn
At 9:55 the next morning, Xiao Luohan sat in the first-class cabin, curiously looking around.
When Uncle Seuss drove them to the airport, she had seen the massive aircraft taking off.
Understanding something from Jiang Xue’s descriptions, books, and videos was different from experiencing it firsthand. She had thought she would remain calm, but now, having gone through the boarding process and sitting inside the plane, she couldn’t wait to examine everything.
Seeing her thoughts, Jiang Xue smiled. “No rush, we’ll be taking off soon. You sit down first and look around after we’ve stabilized.”
The flight attendants were already checking seatbelts. During takeoff and landing, which would take about twenty minutes, the entire aircraft would be unstable. Walking around was prohibited during this time, and even the overhead compartments had to be closed.
Xiao Luohan replied with an “Mm” and sat down next to her, imitating her actions and fastening her seatbelt.
Their first-class seats were next to each other. By turning their seats, they could face each other. There were four windows in their “small compartment,” offering a wide view.
“I have to look at the notes A-Xi sent later. There are also TV series and movies on the PTV, and I think there are even some games. If you’re interested, I can show you,” Jiang Xue said before takeoff.
There wasn’t much vacation time left, and she had to catch up on the four days of missed studies while she couldn’t use the internet on the plane.
Xiao Luohan hurriedly said, “No need to trouble yourself. Just tell me how to open the PTV, and I’ll explore on my own. That’s also quite enjoyable.”
While Jiang Xue’s introductions were convenient, she wanted to develop the habit of exploring on her own.
After all, some principles were universal, and she needed plenty of practice to turn the various principles of the new world into common sense.
Jiang Xue thought this was fine too. It was a five-hour flight, and she had to catch up on her studies. It was best if Xiao Luo could find something to do herself.
Soon after they made their decision, the plane was ready for takeoff.
It was Xiao Luohan’s first time on a plane. As the aircraft started to bump during taxiing, and then the feeling of weightlessness and tinnitus during takeoff, she panicked slightly.
She remembered that when she was still in the ancient world, her mother had shown her travelogues and asked her a question: “Xiao Luo, if you could travel, would you prefer to travel by land or by water?”
She also remembered answering “by land” without hesitation.
Traveling by water meant sailing on large rivers, and if a wave capsized the boat, or if the boat hit a reef and sank, everyone on board would fall into the water, their lives uncertain.
Even though the imperial physician had predicted that she wouldn’t live long, she still wanted to live, so she naturally feared this life-threatening mode of transportation.
But compared to water travel, air travel was even more terrifying.
Xiao Luohan couldn’t explain why she was so afraid of flying, even though the Jiang sisters and Dr. Qi were nearby, and no matter what happened, she could see familiar and reliable people.
“Xiao Luo.”
Through the invisible barrier created by the tinnitus, she heard Jiang Xue call her name. “Don’t be afraid, we’re all here.”
Then the hand resting by her side was held, and Jiang Xue gently patted the back of her hand, giving her a reassuring look.
Xiao Luohan paused, and at that moment, she understood where her unease came from.
There was a saying in both worlds, “extreme joy begets sorrow.”
She had just escaped the mire and was finally going to stay with the person she liked, start a new life. At this moment of great joy, she was naturally afraid of losing it all.
She was terrified of accidents, even more afraid that an accident would take away these kind people, leaving her with nothing, making her elder sister’s efforts in vain.
Her elder sister had sent her to this world, not for her to lose everything again.
Just as her unease and fear were about to reach their peak, Xiao Luohan saw something flash before her eyes.
Jiang Xue, as if performing a magic trick, took out a notebook and a pen and waved them frantically in front of her. There seemed to be writing in the notebook.
That’s right, they were both experiencing tinnitus. Compared to speaking loudly, it was indeed more convenient to communicate in writing.
Composing herself, Xiao Luohan took the notebook and pen and looked down at the content.
【Do you want to hear the story of my first plane ride?】
Out of respect for her current intention, the sentence was written entirely in simplified characters.
After reading it, she smiled, wrote an “Okay,” and returned the notebook and pen to Jiang Xue.
Jiang Xue started writing immediately and quickly finished the story.
【When I was little, I cried on my first plane ride.】
【I cried during taxiing, I cried during takeoff, and I cried when I saw the houses, mountains, fields, and rivers below getting smaller and smaller.】
【It wasn’t until we flew above the clouds and I saw the sea of clouds that I gradually stopped crying.】
【It was truly a scene like the ocean! The descriptions in books weren’t exaggerated at all. The blue sky was the sea, and each cloud was an island, some connected, some solitary, and some scattered.】
【Look, look out the window!】
She had timed it perfectly, and when Xiao Luohan looked up, she saw the islands in the sky through the window.
Even though it was winter, the clear sky was still azure blue.
Her fingers twitched, but she didn’t have time to write to Jiang Xue. Instead, she took out her phone from her pocket, unlocked it, opened the camera, and took a few pictures of the clouds outside the window. Feeling that this wasn’t enough, she switched to video recording.
Her fear vanished, and now she only wanted to record the sea of clouds outside the window, etching it into the memory of her first plane ride.
Jiang Xue smiled as she watched Xiao Luohan immersed in the scenery, secretly relieved.
On the other side of the first-class cabin, Dr. Qi, who was sitting with Jiang Mei, peeked over at them and started typing in the notes app on her phone.
【Is it really okay to let their feelings deepen like this? Shouldn’t we tell that child?】
Jiang Mei replied in her own notes app: 【Xiao Luo knows what kind of society we live in.】
But Xiao Luo still did this—didn’t resist Jiang Xue’s approach or touch, even seemed to enjoy it, only choosing not to address it for various reasons.
It wasn’t difficult to see or guess a young person’s feelings, but she didn’t know to what extent Jiang Xue had realized it.
【There’s a natural attraction between them. Perhaps that’s why Xiao Linghan chose A-Xue,】 Jiang Mei continued typing.
【…I think you should just believe Mr. Seuss’s theory. They’re the same soul in parallel worlds, and it’s this mutual attraction between the two souls. The entire process of establishing this bond is actually A-Xue saving herself.】
After reading Dr. Qi’s message, Jiang Mei tapped her fingernails on the small table, not replying immediately.
She believed in “love at first sight,” but for her sister and Xiao Luo, it might not be that simple.
However, probably only Princess Zhemei, who had established the “connection” between the two worlds, knew the truth.
【Both girls are almost adults. Let them decide for themselves. If it’s just dating, I don’t think we need to interfere.】
【But if they really want to get married and have children, you might have to ask an institution to do a DNA test to determine the degree of genetic similarity.】
Dr. Qi: …
Why was she thinking so far ahead?!
For the sake of her salary and their long-standing friendship, she twitched the corner of her eye and still replied seriously:
【Don’t worry, they’re from two different worlds and eras. There’s no way they’re actually related by blood.】
【If they really reach that stage, of course, I’ll take care of it. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this.】
The two silently finalized their follow-up plan.
As the tinnitus gradually subsided, and the plane stabilized, Xiao Luohan unbuckled her seatbelt and began exploring the area around her seat.
She opened all the compartments, large and small, carefully closing them after looking inside, and soon found a menu.
“We’ll have lunch on the plane. You can think about what you want to order.” Jiang Xue had already started reading the notes A-Xi had taken, not looking up. “By the way, this airline’s braised rice and desserts are quite good. I had them once many years ago and never forgot them. I wonder if the taste has changed.”
Xiao Luohan opened the menu, looked at it for a moment, and chose braised pork rice and a strawberry mille-feuille.
It was 10:30 AM now, and there was still more than an hour until lunch. After asking Jiang Xue where the PTV was, she started exploring its contents.
But there were too many movies and TV series stored in the PTV, making her dizzy. She exited and checked the games, and soon, she was engrossed in a game of chess.
Jiang Xue would occasionally glance at Xiao Luohan while studying and found that she truly loved playing chess, even creating custom games and playing against herself. It must be a skill she developed during the ten-plus years of confinement in the cold palace.
Feeling a little envious, she couldn’t help but say, “Want to play a game with me?”
Then she was almost defeated so badly that she wanted to push Xiao Luohan towards her older sister—her older sister was very good at chess, and Go as well.
“My mother and elder sister taught me how to play chess,” Xiao Luohan explained, closing the PTV, seeing her dejected expression. “But Elder Sister couldn’t come every day, so it was usually Mother who played with me.”
“Later, after Mother taught me how to play against myself, I got used to it.” She reminisced. “But I’m very competitive. When playing with my left hand against my right, I would try my best to let my left hand win, and vice versa.”
“So when you play against others, you don’t show any mercy.” Jiang Xue rested her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with envy. “Although I lost badly, I still have to say you’re amazing! Can I learn this?”
“Of course,” Xiao Luohan nodded with a smile. “I’ll teach you anything you want to learn, as long as I know how.”
“Then I’ll also ‘vice versa’,” Jiang Xue blinked, taking the opportunity to say, “Although I’ve given you so many books, I rarely ask how much you’ve actually understood, or how many questions you have.”
Xiao Luohan thought for a moment. “The ones I understand best are popular novels. Then history textbooks, then English.”
“Although the politics textbook is also interesting, it’s closely related to the rules of this world, so I haven’t understood much.”
“…It’s cute that you find the politics textbook interesting,” Jiang Xue chuckled. “I’ll find my first-year textbooks for you later, and you can see which subjects you’re most interested in, and then work towards that in the future.”
“Is this considered initial ‘career planning’?” Xiao Luohan asked.
“I guess? I feel that ‘you can’t force a melon to be sweet.’ For subjects I really can’t understand, even if I know the related majors have good job prospects, I won’t get far if I choose them.” Jiang Xue shrugged. “It’s better to choose something I like and am good at, and strive for excellence.”
“You can think about what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about.”
Xiao Luohan fell into thought.
Seeing this, Jiang Xue didn’t disturb her, letting her think quietly.
Unexpectedly, she continued thinking until the plane was about to land.
Jiang Xue had almost finished catching up on her studies. Looking up and seeing Xiao Luohan still writing and drawing in her notebook, she knew she had made another mistake.
She hurriedly said, “Don’t worry too much! This kind of thing does take a lot of time and effort to consider and experiment…”
“What if I’m not good at anything and not passionate about anything?”
Xiao Luohan interrupted, her eyes filled with confusion.
If she had to say what her obsession was, it was simply to live.
To live longer, to live better. Now, this obsession had mostly been fulfilled.
But in Jiang Xue’s world, just wanting to live didn’t seem to be enough.
Jiang Xue paused, then reached out and took away the paper and pen. “Then don’t overthink it. Let things take their natural course, follow your heart.”
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