Chapter 68: Restless Without Xue
The trio had dinner at Old Cat Noodle Shop again. This time, as soon as Xiao Luohan finished ordering, she went to compliment the owner’s cat.
The owner had seen plenty of “cat-obsessed people.” She knew what Xiao Luohan wanted just from the first few words, chuckled, and stepped aside, watching as Xiao Luohan walked towards the still-pretending-to-be-asleep dairy cow cat.
Xiao Luohan hadn’t expected that the first cat she petted in the new world wouldn’t be Xie Xitong’s Xixi.
She cautiously extended her hand towards the dairy cow cat, slowly lowering it until it rested on the cat’s gently rising and falling back.
A warm, fluffy sensation immediately spread through her palm. The dairy cow cat didn’t even open its eyes, just rolled over, turning its back to her, but its tail twitched.
Xiao Luohan became bolder, spreading her fingers and stroking the cat from head to tail.
The cat purred contentedly, but it still wasn’t as clingy as Xixi. It simply stood up, turned, and climbed to a higher level on the cat tree.
Clearly enjoying it, yet still avoiding the kindness…
This made Xiao Luohan want to touch it even more.
She wanted to pull it down, hold it in her arms, and pet it until it meowed in protest, yet continued to snuggle against her contentedly.
But just as she raised her hand, the dairy cow cat suddenly opened its eyes, its pale yellow eyes glaring at her warningly.
Xiao Luohan hesitated, then wiggled her finger towards it and, as expected, saw the dairy cow cat hiss, its gaze turning fierce.
“It’s not familiar with you yet. Come more often, and it’ll change its mind,” the owner said with a smile. “It’s always like this, but it doesn’t bite. If you get any closer, it’ll just run away.”
Xiao Luohan withdrew her hand, looked at the slightly bristling dairy cow cat, and fell into thought.
Should she bring some “cat treats” next time? She remembered seeing many cat treats in the videos she had watched: treat sticks, freeze-dried snacks, canned food…
She mentally added this to her shopping list and continued thinking about it while eating her noodles.
Seeing this, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Luo, if you have any problems, you can tell us, and we’ll help you find a solution. You…”
She had wanted to say, “You’re not alone anymore,” but felt it was presumptuous, so she stopped there, putting down her chopsticks and looking at Xiao Luohan intently.
“It’s not a problem, it’s just that I don’t know much about this,” Xiao Luohan finally looked at them. “It’s strange, that dairy cow cat clearly doesn’t like being close to people, but I want to gain its trust, hoping that one day it will come and rub against me.”
Jiang Xue: …
This was beyond her knowledge, so she looked at Xie Xitong for help.
“So, I was thinking, should I bring some ‘cat treats’ next time?” Xiao Luohan continued. “But what kind of cat treats should I buy?”
“Just ask me!” Xie Xitong said generously. “I have a cat, so I always have various treats at home, brands that Xixi has been eating for years. I probably have whatever you want to try.”
“But the ‘lure’ of treats varies from cat to cat. Some cats can’t resist the smell of treat sticks, but some cats ignore even the most expensive canned food.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xue whispered, “Then I’ll ask the owner what Mian Mian likes. It would be a waste to open the treats and have no cat eat them.”
It wasn’t like they were trying to lure a stray cat. Mian Mian had been raised by the owner for many years, so it shouldn’t be difficult to cater to its tastes.
The dairy cow cat, continuing to pretend to be asleep on the high perch of the cat tree, was completely unaware of the plans being made for it.
After dinner, Xiao Luohan returned to the classroom to pack her bag and prepare to leave.
Her health wasn’t good, and Jiang Xue didn’t want her to stay for evening self-study. At least for the next few months, Xiao Luohan would go home and rest at this time.
Jiang Xue walked her to the school gate, familiarizing her with the route to and from school once again.
“I’ve memorized it,” Xiao Luohan suddenly turned around before leaving the school gate. “There’s no need to see me off like this tomorrow.”
Jiang Xue wasn’t surprised. After observing her for a day, she found that Xiao Luo was adapting to the new world much faster than she had expected.
“So fast? That’s great!” she praised with a bright smile, then explained, “But I’m seeing you off because I want to, not just to show you the way.”
She waved to Xiao Luo, watching as she walked towards Sister Cheng, who was standing tall and straight as always, and got into the silver car, slowly driving away.
Xiao Luohan also watched her through the window, not turning away until she was out of sight. She then sat up straight, replaying Jiang Xue’s words in her mind.
—”I’m seeing you off because I want to.”
How could she say such things? Where did she learn them?
“Third Miss, I’ve moved the plum blossoms to the rented apartment. You can see if you want to adjust their position later,” Sister Cheng said apologetically as they approached the apartment. “Madam Wei always says that plants should be placed where people can see them, and I agree, so I took the liberty.”
“Not at all! I also think it’s a good idea!” Xiao Luohan quickly agreed. “Being able to see the buds bloom is truly a delight.”
She and Jiang Xue hadn’t told Sister Cheng about Elder Sister’s soul being attached to the plum blossoms yet. Firstly, the buds hadn’t bloomed yet, and secondly… if these plum blossoms withered like ordinary flowers, it would only add to the sadness.
The Sister Cheng of this world was similar to the Shizhu she knew in many ways. She seemed serious on the surface, but was easily moved and sentimental about such small, everyday things.
When the car stopped near the rented apartment, it was already completely dark.
Xiao Luohan followed Sister Cheng, watching as she turned on the lights on each floor, stomping her foot on a certain floor.
“This is an old building. Some of the lights were installed later and are voice-activated. Clapping or shouting can also turn them on,” Sister Cheng explained as they walked. “This is the emergency exit. In case of a power outage or fire, use this, don’t take the elevator. Look, this black and green sign is for the emergency exit.”
Xiao Luohan obediently agreed, but her mind started to wander.
She remembered Jiang Xue saying that she usually took the elevator to and from the apartment, but as soon as she arrived, Sister Cheng had taken her through the emergency exit, and Sister Cheng had also mentioned “fire”… Could it be that the Sister Cheng of this world had also experienced a similar accident?
Since Sister Cheng wasn’t the real Shizhu, she decided to wait until Jiang Xue returned to ask.
Arriving at the rented apartment, and especially after entering Jiang Xue’s bedroom, Xiao Luohan felt a sense of familiarity.
Last time, she had slept here, not very soundly, but fortunately, Jiang Xue had been with her. Returning here again, she felt like she was “returning to a familiar place.”
Although it was dark, it wasn’t bedtime yet, so Xiao Luohan went to look at the plum blossom branches Sister Cheng had moved.
Including the one Shizhu had initially given her, there were now four branches in total, all placed in a beautiful, transparent glass vase.
She didn’t know if it was because it was the right season, or because it was warm here, but the buds seemed to be about to bloom, perhaps in the next few days.
Thinking of this, Xiao Luohan’s already good mood brightened even more.
After looking at the plum blossoms, she thought of the succulents she had liked today.
She would arrange them on the sunny windowsill, or perhaps buy a shelf and arrange them like in the gardening club’s glass room.
At the thought of “buying,” Xiao Luohan took out her phone, turned it on, opened the shopping app, and searched for shelves, then recorded the budget price in the notes app.
She kept track of every expense since arriving in the new world, planning to repay them all after she had the ability to earn money.
She also remembered Jiang Xue’s words today, knowing that she wasn’t doing this out of “obsession,” but setting main goals for each stage of her future.
Both to integrate into the new world and to improve herself day by day, to reach a higher place and see the scenery of this new world.
At 7:00 PM, feeling sleepy, Xiao Luohan said goodnight to Sister Cheng, washed up, and got into bed.
After learning that she also wanted to sleep in the rented apartment, Sister Cheng had thoughtfully prepared a set of bedding, with her favorite pillowcases and duvet cover, placing them next to Jiang Xue’s.
Xiao Luohan’s quilt was placed on the outside, but she moved it to the inside, closer to the wall, so that when Jiang Xue came back at night, she could lie down directly without having to climb over her.
After doing all this, she turned off the lights and closed her eyes.
She was surrounded by the familiar, comforting fragrance. In this peaceful atmosphere, she tried to fall asleep.
But for some reason, when she woke up groggily and checked the time, she found that only half an hour had passed.
Puzzled, she turned off her phone screen and tried to sleep again, but soon woke up again.
After this happened three or four times, Xiao Luohan simply turned on the light, sat up in bed, and grabbed her phone.
She first opened WeChat, skillfully navigating to her chat with Jiang Xue, but after typing a few words, she felt it was inappropriate, deleted them, and opened the notes app, creating a new, unnamed category.
She recorded her situation tonight and added a preliminary guess:
【Restless sleep in the new world, waking up repeatedly, feeling a sense of loss. Compared to the past, tonight, without Xue by my side… This conclusion needs further observation and confirmation.】
Because she mentioned Jiang Xue, she password-protected this category and its contents.
Since she couldn’t sleep, she needed to find something to do. Xiao Luohan hesitated between “reading textbooks” and “watching anime,” then chose anime.
Textbooks could be read anytime during the day, but anime could only be enjoyed during free time.
Since both her elder sister and Jiang Xue wanted her to learn to relax, she should do more relaxing things.
So when Jiang Xue returned home from school, she found the bedroom light on as soon as she entered.
“…Xiao Luo, you’re not asleep yet?” she asked in surprise, sitting down at the dining table and addressing Sister Cheng, who brought her a late-night snack.
“She said goodnight to me around 7:00 PM,” Sister Cheng said, looking at the bedroom worriedly. “But for some reason, the light in her room turned on again around 9:00 PM and has been on since.”
Jiang Xue was even more puzzled. After taking a couple of bites of her snack, still feeling uneasy, she carried the bowl and knocked on the bedroom door.
“Xiao Luo? I’m back. Is it okay if I come in?”
After waiting for a full ten seconds and receiving no response, Jiang Xue panicked, put the bowl on the cabinet beside her, and opened the door.
Fortunately, Xiao Luohan was sitting on the bed, wearing earphones and staring intently at the screen. She must have turned up the volume and hadn’t heard the knocking.
Jiang Xue breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, picked up the late-night snack, walked to the bedside, sat down, and handed her the bowl. “Do you want some? It’s sweet osmanthus fermented rice balls.”
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