I turned reality into a romantic comedy

"Pretty much. Actually, time flies by. After finishing my homework and reading some books, it's almost time to pack up and go home with Grandma."

"I've already finished reading the books you lent me before National Day, 'The Big Bad Wolf Rock and the Eight-Character Essay' and 'Pipilu and the Invisible Man in the Classroom'."

Faced with Zhu Wenyun's explanation, Chen Junqian simply stroked his chin and expressed his opinion:

"But what special purpose do you serve here? If it's just for doing homework and reading, as you say, the atmosphere of the market can't possibly be described as quiet."

"...I help Grandma run the stall."

"It is still a bit strange, so please wait a moment."

He lifted his bottom slightly, moved his small stool a couple of times toward Zhu Wenyun's grandmother, and started chatting with her.

"Grandma! Does Zhu Wenyun come with you every morning and stay until evening before leaving?"

"Yes, but I told her a long time ago that she didn't need to sit here and keep me company, but she always comes over. But when she comes, she doesn't say anything and doesn't seem happy. Sometimes I don't know what this girl is thinking."

Fortunately, Chen Junqian is a local; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to understand him with his heavy dialect.

Actually, he had already noticed it before.

First of all, no matter how you look at it, Zhu Wenyun's grandmother is the kind of healthy, energetic, loud-voiced middle-aged woman who is a big shot in the village and the head of the street intelligence committee. Theoretically speaking, there is absolutely no reason for her to bring her elementary school granddaughter, Zhu Wenyun, to help out at the market.

Secondly, it's different from when he just thought it was fun and was willing to help his grandparents with their sales pitch without any psychological pressure. Whether it was Zhu Wenyun, whom he and Lin Mu met on the two occasions they came, or her today, she actually just sat there most of the time.

The first time he was intercepted by her was probably just because of the fact that she was wearing the same school uniform as him. At that moment, Zhu Wenyun was gripped by some subtle emotion and made a subconscious move. Her sales pitch that time was also unfamiliar in every sense of the word, and it didn't seem like she had planned it in advance.

Is it true that children who love reading all have a particularly awkward side to their personality?

If Chen Junqian had to summarize it, it would probably be a kind of compromise and awkwardness where he knows he doesn't like something, but has already gotten used to it.

Children this age can't think about self-pity, especially since Zhu Wenjun does live with her grandmother. Her grandmother's side is her natural comfort zone, but obviously, the market is not, which is why she feels lost and has nowhere to go.

"Grandma, can I take Zhu Wenjun out to play?"

"No problem. I've been telling her for a long time that she should go out and play with her friends more often. What's the point of her always staying here with me? A girl her age should be playing and looking beautiful."

Zhu Wenyun's grandmother has a very loud voice, and since the three of them were sitting close together, Zhu Wenyun could hear their conversation from the very beginning.

"So, that's the situation. Let's not worry about what you thought before. I'm planning to go to the library later. Do you want to come with me?"

After finishing, without giving the other party any time to think, Chen Junqian turned back to Zhu Wenyun and asked her the same question.

"I……"

Zhu Wenyun subconsciously shrank back a little. Although she was taller than Chen Junqian, she looked smaller than him when they were both sitting.

"Okay! I heard you."

The next second, Chen Junqian seemed to have actually heard the answer she hadn't said aloud, nodding seriously, then turned to Zhu Wenyun's grandmother and said:

"Then we're going out to play! Goodbye, Grandma!"

She was pulled up like that, and when she came to her senses, the view reflected in her eyes was already a blue sky.

Zhu Wenyun suddenly remembered a sentence from the book she had just read, "Pipilu and the Invisible Man in the Classroom":

Remember those who helped you, and forget those you helped.

There is no one she needs to forget right now.

However, it seems there are some people I absolutely must remember.

Chapter 37: Wild Fangs and the Call of the Wilderness (Seeking First Subscription)

"So... I didn't do anything or say anything just now, right?"

It wasn't until the two had walked quite a distance that Chen Junqian heard Zhu Wenyun's rather weak question.

"Well, but I think if I hadn't said that just now, you would never have been willing to come out with me, and in the future, you would naturally blame everything on other people."

To her complete surprise, Chen Junqian responded with a series of words, some of which could even be described as aggressive.

"Even though the problem lies with me, I keep thinking about just getting by, turning a blind eye, and then continuing to immerse myself in the world of books. When I try to write, I find that there are no stories to write. I never even thought about taking the initiative to step out of my little world."

Facing Zhu Wenyun, who stood there motionless, Chen Junqian simply pointed to himself:

"Right now, right here, I'm here."

“We have exchanged thirteen books in the past month.”

"Instead, if you're still feeling uncomfortable, I'll take you back and leave immediately."

Chen Junqian does not deny that he holds a special attitude towards Zhu Wenyun, whose personality is almost identical to his in his previous life, or that he is playing a role that he hoped to meet in his previous life.

He didn't know what Zhu Wenyun's life was like before his rebirth, but Chen Junqian was very clear about his own life experiences.

When he was a child, he could make up stories and daydream when he couldn't sleep in bed. But one day, when he started lying in bed, he would only count the seemingly avoidable mistakes he had made in his life from today to yesterday and up to the present, and apologize and regret it over and over again, but no one could hear him except himself.

Even though nothing major has happened since my parents passed away, and it's all been trivial, mundane daily life, when I come to my senses I realize that I've lost all enthusiasm for anything, and my passion has been completely worn away.

I've never been cared for or recognized, so I've become quiet and reserved. I even feel uncomfortable when I see others talking a lot and getting along well with everyone. But when I see others making a fool of themselves, I don't find it funny; I just feel embarrassed for them.

Later, Chen Junqian realized that he was just about to become a boring adult.

Looking back now, it was precisely because he realized this that he chose to be reborn in the first place.

However, he still doesn't think that children should become like that, just like what Pipilu said: "If the adults in this country speak like children and do like children, then the children can only learn to speak like adults and do like adults."

He was reborn so that he wouldn't become a boring adult again, so how could he just watch another child who resembles him repeat the same process?

However, none of these words were necessary to say to Zhu Wenjun now, so he simply expressed his attitude in the most concise language and then quietly waited for the other party's choice.

For Zhu Wenjun, this was probably even more hurtful than being told in front of the whole class that she was selling vegetables on a tricycle at the market.

Because at least she had genuinely considered this possibility.

To be honest, Zhu Wenyun didn't really understand much of the information Chen Junqian was trying to convey to her. Her almost completely malfunctioning brain only managed to extract a conclusion from those few sentences that she absolutely did not want to hear.

That is, if she doesn't give any answer now, and continues to sit with her head down, ignoring the world around her, just like she used to do on the tricycle, then the boy in front of her, whom she's known for a month and has exchanged thirteen books with—a 'book friend', a 'pen pal'—whose relationship she doesn't know but is definitely a friend, will break off their friendship.

"I'd also like to ask you to hang out together, maybe even go to the library together."

This was probably the first girl Chen Junqian had almost made cry since his rebirth, and she was even taller than him. Fortunately, he managed to suppress the tears with a loud nasal sound.

Almost simultaneously, the previously silent system finally popped up a report on Zhu Wenyun's adaptability to romantic comedies:

Zhu Wenyun's adaptability is A in appearance, A in basic ability, D in personality, A in action, D in speech, and B in current romantic comedy.

However, at this point in time, Chen Junqian couldn't afford to take a closer look. After all, this wasn't some achievement trigger; it was merely a hindsight issue from the system. And Zhu Wenyun was already using her actions to control him there.

More precisely, he was pinned against the wall by Zhu Wenyun, with both hands.

“I’m so happy, no, I’m incredibly happy that you came to me and asked me out.”

Seemingly trying to reinforce the persuasiveness of her statement, she attempted a smile, but her eyes remained red. After a while, she released her hands from the wall and casually changed the subject:

"I brought my library card from the city library. Do you have one?"

"No, because I didn't borrow books from the library much before."

"Oh, okay. Then you can use mine. Just give it back to me when you're at school. I go to the library every weekend."

"Ah."

As if none of the previous words and events had ever happened, the two walked together to the library, which was actually not far from here, in this casual conversation atmosphere.

Compared to the crowds outside, the library was much quieter during the National Day holiday. This was partly due to the signs hanging everywhere that said "Please keep quiet in the library," and partly because there were indeed very few people inside, with only a handful of students who seemed to be doing their homework.

Chen Junqian's impression of this place was indeed quite faint, after all, it had been renovated several times when he came here before his rebirth. However, Zhu Wenyun seemed to be a regular here, and soon led him to the area where he could read for free.

Unfortunately, not all books in the library are offered to readers free of charge, but even those few books are enough to keep anyone occupied for a long time.

Following Zhu Wenyun to the children's bookshelf, Chen Junqian instinctively reached out his hand, as he always had the habit of touching the neatly arranged spines of the books on the shelf.

For a reader, this process alone is enough to bring them a sense of satisfaction.

"There used to be two copies of 'Unsolved Mysteries of the World' and 'Unsolved Mysteries of China' here, but they must have been borrowed by someone."

"There are very few books by Zheng Yuanjie in the library, probably because they're always being checked out. Yang Hongying's Laughing Cat Diary is still available, would you like to read it?"

Following the direction Zhu Wenyun pointed, Chen Junqian also randomly picked out a book, which was his favorite in the whole series, "That Black Afternoon," which was set against the backdrop of the Wenchuan earthquake.

"I've read them all, and I really like this one."

"Yes, I like this book too. I even donated one yuan when the school made a donation last year."

"I also donated one yuan of my own breakfast money."

"What about Cao Wenxuan's 'The Grass House' and 'Bronze Sunflower'?"

“I have the first book at home, and I’ve read the second one before.”

It wasn't just Zhu Wenyun who asked; Chen Junqian himself would also carefully look at the bookshelf while lowering his voice and quietly asking her:

Do you usually read works by foreign authors? For example, "The Little Prince" or "Heidi".

"I've read The Little Prince, but I didn't really understand it. I haven't read Heidi, though. As for foreign authors, I really like Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window."

Upon hearing the other person mention "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window," Chen Junqian, who had also read this classic work by Japanese author Tetsuko Kuroyanagi and which was listed as a recommended children's extracurricular reading book, casually quoted the line that Principal Kobayashi most often said to the protagonist, Totto-chan:

"You are such a good child."

"...You're the first person to say that to me."

"Where's grandma?"

"She'll say you're such a good girl."

Perhaps realizing that what she said was a bit amusing, Zhu Wenyun used the book in her hand to slightly cover the lower half of her face.

After so much time has passed, she has actually recovered a bit, because in some ways it is indeed as the other party said, she was just making herself miserable. For example, even if she and Chen Junqian go out to play together now, there won't be any problems with her grandmother.

It's more accurate to say that her presence there made her grandmother wonder if it was her fault that her granddaughter didn't act like a child her age, even during holidays she would have to accompany her to the market with a long face.

This kind of relationship isn't good for either of them, because although they are both thinking they are making sacrifices for each other, neither of them is getting the positive feedback they want.

If Chen Junqian hadn't suddenly come over today and forcibly broken the atmosphere, she and her grandmother would probably have continued to torment each other there until the end of the holiday.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wenyun pursed her lips again, and then saw Chen Junqian reach out as if he was interested in a book on the upper bookshelf.

"I'll get it for you."

At this moment, Zhu Wenyun, who had the height advantage, also took the initiative to stand on tiptoe and stretch out her fingers as well.

Their fingertips touched on the spine of the same book.

Once, twice, three times...

Then, they took down the books that were placed there.

The cover of this book also features a howling wolf.

However, it is not Shen Shixi's "Wolf King's Dream".

It is Jack London's "The Call of the Wild".

Chapter 38: Literary Girls Always Easily Get Heavy

In fact, Chen Junqian generally does not consider the collections of short stories by writers of the caliber of Chekhov, Jack London, Mark Twain, or Maupassant to fall within the scope of children's literature, since even learning about them in textbooks is something that happens in junior high or even high school.

However, from the perspective of readability and interest alone, even without analyzing the social background of the scene description like a language teacher, and without understanding the many metaphors, the works of these masters are still quite interesting.

For example, the book Jack London's "The Call of the Wild" that he had asked Zhu Wenyun to get for him was actually not much different from Shen Shixi's animal novels. It had the same animal protagonists and focused on the relationship between humans, animals, and nature. So after thinking about it for a moment, Chen Junqian took the initiative to recommend it to Zhu Wenyun.

Zhu Wenyun ultimately recommended Yang Hongying's "Girl's Diary" to him. She probably thought that Chen Junqian, as a boy, wouldn't usually read this type of book. But in fact, Chen Junqian has always been inclusive and open to all kinds of children's literature and even animation.

After all, he was sometimes curious about what girls were thinking, and this diary-style work, which describes how the sixth-grade girl Ran Dongyang grew from a little girl into a young woman and the subtle changes in her physiology and psychology as well as her daily life at school and at home, was indeed a pretty good stepping stone.

Seeing that Chen Junqian had accepted her recommendation, Zhu Wenyun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, because this was also one of her favorite works, to the point that she had once thought of writing a diary about it, but she had never been able to put it into practice due to her frustratingly slow writing speed.

After registering with the librarian using Zhu Wenyun's library card, the two found an empty seat and sat down. After all, the sun was shining brightly outside, and the library had tables and chairs for readers. However, the people sitting near them were mostly students doing their homework.

If the safety education they receive during elementary school at least includes daily reminders from teachers and drowning prevention checklists during summer vacation, then sex education is actually quite lacking.

When Chen Junqian revisited the girl's diary in his hand, this was the first thought that came to his mind. Then he probably understood why Zhu Wenyun's expression was a little subtle when she handed him the book.

Perhaps because the target audience is girls, Yang Hongying made no attempt to avoid describing girls' secondary development, menarche, and menstruation in this book. In particular, the book begins with the description of the female protagonist feeling that her school uniform suddenly became too tight after the summer vacation. It was hard not to think of Zhu Wenyun, who was sitting next to him right now and was also significantly taller than her peers.

However, considering the other person's family situation, the scenario of being carefully explained to her by her mother beforehand, and then receiving roses and a note saying "Welcome to become a real girl" on the day of the event, as depicted in the book, probably only exists in stories.