The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a man and a woman ran in from outside.

"Mom, what delicious food did you make today? It smells so good!" Li Kai, the younger brother, shouted happily towards the kitchen as he put down his schoolbag.

After putting down her schoolbag, Li Xiaoxiao, the younger sister, also stared intently at the kitchen, her nose twitching slightly.

Mother Qin Xiuli came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of seafood, a smile on her face:

"Xiaoxiao, Xiaokai, you're in for a treat today! This is some seafood your older brother brought back from Haicheng!"

As she spoke, she handed the plate to the two children.

When Li Kai, the younger brother, heard that his older brother might be back, he completely ignored the fish that his mother handed him.

As she walked towards the kitchen, she asked anxiously, "Mom, has my older brother come back? I can't see him."

"Hey, what a surprise! Our little glutton is asking about our older brother first."

Qin Xiuli, the mother, couldn't help but tease him, and casually placed two plates of fish on the table.

Li Kai, the younger brother, didn't see his older brother in the kitchen and ignored his mother's joke. He turned around and asked again:

"Mother, please tell me, has my eldest brother come back or not?"

Seeing her second son's anxious expression, Qin Xiuli, the mother, stopped teasing him.

"You're back. He's resting in his room. Dinner's about to be served. Go call your older brother!"

Upon hearing this, younger brother Li Kai immediately turned around and ran towards his older brother's room.

Li Xiaoxiao, the younger sister, smiled and quickly followed.

As the mother, Qin Xiuli, watched her two children's retreating figures, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

After her parents went to the kitchen, Li Kaixin returned to her room but did not rest.

He leaned against the headboard, recalling the events of the day.

Li Kaixin felt that Aunt Zhu's outburst today wasn't just because she was jealous of what he brought back; there must be other reasons behind it.

If it were just jealousy, at most one would go to the neighborhood committee or police station behind their backs and leave a message; they would never openly break off relations and make enemies like this.

Who would do something so foolish without some real benefit?

As the old saying goes, it's not the thief you should fear, but the one who has his eye on you.

The thought that he still had many secrets gave him a headache.

Just then, the side door of the room was gently pushed open, and two figures slipped in one after the other.

"Big brother! Big brother! You're finally back!" Li Kai, the younger brother, shouted excitedly as he ran towards the bedside.

Li Kaixin snapped out of her thoughts, turned around, and saw her younger brother and sister running towards her. A smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

"Xiao Kai, Xiao Xiao, school's out!"

Following behind, her younger sister, Li Xiaoxiao, nodded obediently, then a worried look appeared on her face:

"Big brother, did something happen to you? Why are you only getting home today?"

"What could possibly be wrong with my brother!"

Li Kaixin smiled and ruffled his sister's hair, somewhat curious:

"But Xiaoxiao, why would you think that?"

The younger sister, Li Xiaoxiao, pointed at her younger brother, Li Kai: "Big brother, he's the one who told me."

"No, no, brother,"

Li Kai, the younger brother, quickly waved his hand, eager to explain:

"I heard it from my classmates. They said... that if a transport driver doesn't come back on time, it's most likely because he had an accident on the road."

Li Kaixin felt a warmth in her heart knowing that her younger siblings were concerned about her.

So he patiently explained:

"Don't listen to your classmates' wild guesses. It's common for long-distance drivers to be a day or two late, maybe because their vehicles need repairs or they're delayed by other tasks on the road."

"Oh," the younger brother and sister responded in unison.

Bowls and chopsticks were already set on the table in the main room, with Father Li Mingde and Mother Qin Xiuli sitting in the main seats.

As soon as Li Kaixin led her younger siblings to sit down, her mother, Qin Xiuli, said with a smile:

"Kaixin, you just didn't see it!"

"As soon as Xiao Kai came home and heard that you were back, he didn't even look at the fish I brought out, and he was in a hurry to ask me where you were."

"Mom, please stop talking." Li Kai, the younger brother, lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.

His appearance made the whole family laugh.

After the meal was served, Li Kaixin first placed a fish in her younger brother's bowl and said gently:

"Xiao Kai, this fish is a reward for thinking of your big brother like this."

Upon seeing this, Li Xiaoxiao, the younger sister standing nearby, immediately looked longingly at her older brother without saying a word.

After Li Kaixin finished serving her younger brother, she turned around and saw her younger sister's expression, and couldn't help but laugh: "Our Xiaoxiao got one too."

As he spoke, he picked up another fish from the plate and gave it to his younger sister.

"Thank you, big brother!" Li Xiaoxiao's face immediately lit up with a smile.

Seeing this scene, Qin Xiuli, the mother seated at the head of the table, beamed with delight.

"Happy, I'm here too! I'm here too!"

Li Kaixin was deeply touched by the warm family atmosphere and repeatedly replied, "Yes, yes, I have everything."

Then, without stopping, he put one more piece in the bowl for his mother Qin Xiuli, his father Li Mingde, and himself.

When the family's eyes met on the table, they couldn't help but smile happily.

After dinner, Li Mingde and Li Kaixin sat in the yard to digest their food.

Li Kaixin thought for a moment and then said, "Dad, I'm going to Grandpa and Grandma's house for the day tomorrow. Is there anything we should bring with us?"

"Kaixin, take some dried fish back with you! Let your parents have some too," Father Li Mingde replied, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Okay." Li Kaixin nodded in agreement.

After resting for a while on the bamboo chair in the courtyard, Li Kaixin got up and went back to his room.

The next day, Li Kaixin was left alone at home as her parents and younger siblings went to work or school.

It was almost eight o'clock when Li Kaixin finally went out.

As he walked down the street, he had already made up his mind to go to the nearest department store and buy a bicycle first.

As soon as Li Kaixin stepped into the bicycle shop, he saw the salesperson he had clashed with before.

The sales clerk, who had been acting casually, immediately put on a polite smile when she saw him.

"Sir, are you here to buy a bicycle again?"

After what happened last time, he was genuinely afraid of this man, and his temper was much more restrained than before.

"Give me a Forever brand bicycle."

Li got straight to the point, without wasting any words, and immediately took out the money and tickets.

He couldn't bring himself to give this person a friendly look. Although the other party had apologized last time, it was only because of pressure from their superiors.

Seeing how decisive he was, the sales clerk was eager to get rid of him as soon as possible and worked exceptionally quickly.

Counting money, checking tickets, issuing receipts, and pushing the cart—all done in one smooth motion.

In no time at all, all the formalities were completed.