Love Dependency Disease - Volume 1 - Chapter 3

Volume 1, Chapter 3: Neighbors with a Loli

TL: flarewk

I should be considered as being really amazing for trying my utmost to make a beautiful girl hate me!

While walking on the way home, the aching in my chest felt that as if it was being shot at by an arrow, is this what they meant by conscience rebukement?

A timid girl, had finally managed to gather her courage to confess to me, yet I've done something like this, I really do feel like using a knife to chop myself up!

"Haishh...!"

I sighed, I'd might as well apologize to Ma Qing Xue some other day, she's way better than that other person, as long as I tell her that I doesn't like her, as well as I have no intentions of having a relationship while schooling, she'll most probably give up by then. 
I returned home, when suddenly my mobile phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, it was mom.

"Weeiii, Xiao Jian~? How's the new school, are you getting used to it? Did you go along well with your new classmates? If you have anything to say just remember to tell your mummy, alright!"
(TL: Think of "wei" as "moshimoshi", or "helloooo") 
"Mom, I'm doing fine right now! The school is excellent! And my friends are very friendly."

"Is it? Well that's great! If you have anything you want to tell me, just don't forget to give me a call!"

Although I phrased it sooo nicely, I'm actually facing a very serious problem right now.

I hung up the call, and laid on the sofa while looking at my almost-readied instant noodles.

This kind of life is sure rather exciting and enjoyable.......

Perhaps I was in too much of a hurry when I left the school, for I had dropped my wallet; inside not only contained money, but also my identification card as well as bank card.

The money left in my house is still able to last me for quite a while to eat instant noodles, hopefully it could help me tide over this period until I've re-obtained a new identification card. 

When out of a sudden, "Hua~ la~"

When we humans are unlucky, we'll even get debris in our teeth when drinking plain water*, for the instant noodles....... they actually got spilt onto the floor...........

(TL: get debris in our teeth when drinking plain water is an innuendo; basically you sometimes get food debris stuck onto your teeth when you eat food, right? It happens because food is an solid object. But for it to happen when your drinking plain water? The chances of it happening would really mean your unlucky to the max)

"Don't tell me that this right now is the punishment for playing with a maiden's heart?"

I mumbled a sentence incoherently, and prepared to boil another cup of instant noodles when I realized that it had ran out of gas.

(TL: he probably boiled a kettle using a gas stove)

"Not to fear, I still have an induction stove."

But, after plugging into the switch there was no response from the induction stove at all.

The power supply had been cut........

"I still have my lighter!!"

Although I don't smoke, one tiny hobby of mine is to collect lighters.

I went to the kitchen to grab a teapot, and when I wanted to pour water inside the teapot there actually wasn't any water coming out from the tap at all, which could only prove one thing.

"The water supply had been cut...."

This is heaven purposely wanting to exterminate me, isn't it!?

Aimlessly walking towards the living room, I gazed at the instant noodles that were split onto the floor; it made me lick my lips unconsciously.

That's right, I had already fallen.

"Even if I was to have a stomachache, I'll need to fill myself up first, don't I?"

I mumbled a sentence to myself, and was just about to start feasting onto the split noodles on the floor when sounds of the door knocking could be heard.

"Coming!"

Who is it, I thought to myself, I didn't have anyone that I knew in this city, don't tell me it's the property management? They've come to solve my current problems?

I opened the door, and saw a young girl in front of me, looks like she's probably still only went to primary school; she wore a thinly veiled ladies' under vest, and didn't had any pants on underneath, but directly wore a pair of long socks on her legs. Due to her vest being slightly large, it looked like as if she's wearing a connected dress at a glance.

"Umm.... nin hao.... I live beside here...... My clothes got blown by the wind into your house here, can you allow me to take it back?

(TL: ni hao = hello there; nin hao = "hello there" but in a more formally, respectful tone. In point, she was speaking rather formally.)

Fidgeting her body in a seemingly nervous manner, even when she greeted me she used the term "nin", looks like she's a good child who knows her manners well.

"Of course there's no problem with that, I'll bring it here for you!"

Saying that, I prepared to turn about to help her take her clothes.

"No...no need for you to help that, it's fine if I'll pick it up on my own!"

Looks like she was rather embarrassed, this child.

"Don't worry, don't worry! Being neighbors, we should help each other out!"

"B-.....but...."

"It's fine, I love to help people out!"

Ignoring her sensibility, I ran towards the balcony, and on the floor is indeed a piece of clothing that doesn't belong to me.

(TL: the sensibility here refers to being sensible and polite)

No, specifically speaking it is panties!

There's even a strawberry patterned shape on it too.

This is indeed rather not convenient for me to help her pick it up, but since I'm a person who is rather mature at heart, I suppressed my inner embarrassment, and returned the clothing to her.

"Thank you very much, if it's not too much of a trouble, please come to my house to have a meal!"

Looks like she saw the split instant noodles that were lying on the floor, what a really sensible good child! She's exactly like an angel!

"Um....well, that's rather inconvenient....."

I tried to politely reject a little, as I can't really accept the notion of eating at other's for free after helping out for such a simple task.

"It's nothing, really, tonight there will be maintenance reparations at the management's, gege you still don't know about it, right?

(TL: gege = elder brother said cutely)

She glanced towards the split instant noodles onto the floor once more, as my disobedient stomach made a grumbling noise at the same time.

"I've just made finish dinner, but I've accidentally overcooked too much, if gege doesn't mind then come over and help me eat some of the food, it's such a waste if I would pour it away instead...."

She held my hands, and smiled as she looked at me, but what she didn't knew was, at that moment my heart practically melted from being too grateful as I nearly teared up.

For the sake of not making it too awkward, she specially lied that she've made more portions.

"Well.... then, rather than being polite I'll just go with my fate then!"

(TL: The above italicized word, it was an original idiom that means literally on what it meant)

I thick-skinnedly laugh with dry tones, as filling up my stomach takes precedence over anything else.

After I'd entered her house, I realized that her house is rather spacious, which suddenly dawned onto me that why did they let such a small girl that's currently in primary school to cook dinner for herself?

"Um.....where's your parents?"

"They are very busy with their work, normally they come back home once every week.."

She gave off an expression of loneliness, although it was masked rather well, but I still managed to see through it since she's still a child after all.

"You're so sensible, to be honest you're even better than some of the people the same age as me!"

I stroked her head gently, since she's a child, so she should be rather happy if I praise her sometimes.

"Hehehehehee...."

She comfortably chuckled a few times, before suddenly slapping my hands off like a cat exploding in fury.

"Don't treat meee like a small child! Humphh~~"

Suddenly she became angry, but it's rather obvious that it's acted out; her pouting face and her angry expression combined together made her extremely cute.

Such a good child, I really want to hug her within my arms and rub her, pinch her, snuggle on her~~

............Wait, wait wait, if it's like that then doesn't that make me a criminal!!

Wiping the cold sweat off my forehead, I quickly changed the conversation.

"Oh right, what's your name?"

"I'mmm called Xia Ling, Xia from the word Summer, and Ling from the word Bells ~"

(TL: note, she's speaking in a really cute tone here, it's hard for me to express it in english ~.~. Anyway, Xia means summer in chinese, and Ling is part of a 2-word for bells in chinese)

"Oh~ it's a very cute name, isn't it~ Summer bells isn't it? Just by hearing it gives people a rather soothing feeling~"

"Of course~ also doesn't my looks would make you soothing as well?"

At that moment I seriously appraised her body from head to feet, although I do feel that she's rather mature at the inside, she still had a body of a child's.

Luckily, I'm not that type of people who would have special interest in a child's body.

The feeling Xia Ling gave me wasn't like a child at all, what she gave off was more like a, a playful, childish girl.

"Oh that's right, my name's Zhang Jian, Zhang from the word Open, and Jian from the word Simple."

(TL: again, Zhang means open in chinese, and Jian is part of a two-word that means simple.)

"Mm, this name is really suitable for gege~, especially with gege's head~"

I gave a deep thought to the meaning of what she had said, does she meant that my head is rather simple-minded, meaning that i'm stupid?

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, I'm a human trafficker! I love to abduct young girls the most, especially girls like you!"

"Sure! Sure! Well then gege where are you going to sell me off to? I won't agree to it unless I'm being sold for 1 billion!"

(TL: 1 billion yuan = $145.5 million USD)

"Ai~yoh~ you're really a little money grubber."

After doing a simple self introduction, my stomach disobediently rumbled once more, can't you learn how to give me some face here?

"The rice are about to be cold, let's eat, Jian ge~"

(TL: ge is short form for gege in this context, it also can mean that someone is treating you reaally closely as it is used to call someone very close to you informally)

This child is really a quick warmer, just like that calling my name so directly, but I really didn't mind it that much, having such an active child around sure makes my mood improve for the better.

"Mm..? It's delicious! It's even more way delicious than the cooking of the restaurants outside, next time whoever marries you is sure to have a feastful time!!"

I sincerely praised a sentence from the bottom of my heart, for such a small child to have such good culinary skills, she must have placed unimaginable efforts into it.

"Then how about Jian ge marrying me next time~?"

"Sure! I would really welcome that!"

"Tch~ wait longg for that~"

"Can't you respect your gege slightly a bit more~?"

This child actually started to make fun of me, is all the children nowadays like that?

No, I have to make fun of her as well!

"Do you believe that I'll eat you up right now!"

"Hello, 110? There's a pervert in my home!"

(TL: police number)

She took out her mobile phone, and what shocked me is that she actually dialled out the number!

"Xia Ling xiaojie, I've gone too presumptuous on this, I'm sorry."

(TL: IK that there's alot of words in this chapt that can confuse you, but that's chinese for ya. xiaojie means "miss" in english)

When a man is under a roof, he'd got to lower his head at times, which is saying the current me right now, since I've eaten a free meal here, so it's not much of a big deal if I was to be teased around by her.

(TL: Another idiom. This practically means, when your powerless without any authority or money, being unable to survive by lonesome independently, you'll be needing to work under someone wealthier than you, thus you'll need to obey and listen to his every orders)

Although I really do feel like an idiot for being played around in a circle by her.....

After finishing dinner, under my intense strong request I went on to wash the dishes; which really described myself on an idiom right now: <To satisfy my current pathetic conceitedness within me>.

(TL: i don't know the meaning of this idiom)

"Jian ge, you're really a model example for men!"

She actually still made a 'thumbs up' posture towards me.

But! Being praised by a small child is a completely unpleasant thing! That's right, com-plete-ly-un-plea-sant-thi-ng!

Although my heart kinda disagree slightly with what I've said....

All right, I'd admit just now was just a small act of being tsun, being praised by her actually made me rather happy.

The weather outside had already darkened, it should be about time to return home.

"Xiao Ling, I'll head on home now~"

After washing the dishes, I prepared to head for home, but she still looked very much unwilling to let me go.

"Don't be such in a hurryyyy~ tonight there's an electricity outage, it's so daaarkk and gloooomy..... I'm scaaared....."

While saying in a pitiful tone, she had an extremely sorrowful and teary expression as she gazed onto me.

It can't be helped then, I couldn't handle little children the most.

"I'll head back home after you've fallen asleep, all right?"

"Can't you head back home tomorrow...?"

A smile appeared onto her face, but I dared not stay here overnight, for what if tomorrow her parents returned, then I'll have to spend my time in prison.........

 

-ch 3 end-