Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

Yang Fan's eyes welled up with tears, and his heart felt heavy with sorrow.

The family renovated the house for him, and his sister needed a computer for her studies and future. His parents would rather live frugally themselves than complain to him.

The fact that they're asking now shows they're genuinely stumped, and it also indicates that their sister really needs it urgently.

"Mom! What did you say!" Yang Fan's voice rose slightly, filled with heartache and determination:

"What do you mean by 'spinning'? I'm Xiaoya's brother, isn't it only right that I buy her a computer?"

"I'll pay for this; please, you and Dad, don't mention paying it back!"

"You guys get the house ready and live comfortably; that's more important than anything else! Leave your sister's affairs to me, don't worry!"

"That won't do..." Mom wanted to say something more.

"Why not?" Yang Fan interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Mom, I'm the older brother. Now that I'm capable, it's my responsibility to take care of my younger sister. Don't worry about it, I'll get the computer sorted out for her in the next couple of days."

"Xiaoya is still in the city, right? I'm looking for her."

Looking at her son's resolute and reliable expression on the screen, the mother's eyes reddened slightly. She finally nodded, a smile of relief mixed with a touch of heartache on her face.

"Sigh... our Fanfan has really grown up and become more sensible."

"She rented a short-term apartment near the school, saying it was cheap and convenient for finding part-time jobs and going to the library."

"This child is too competitive..."

She wiped her eyes and asked, "When are you coming back? Mom has cured your favorite bacon, and the sheets and blankets are all aired out."

"I'll be back around the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. As for the tickets... I'll let you know once I've arranged them," Yang Fan said.

"Good, good! It's good that you're back!" Mom nodded repeatedly, then suddenly remembered something, and her tone became more lively:

"By the way, when you come back, Mom has arranged a few blind dates for you. They are all from nearby villages and towns, with good conditions and honest people."

"You're not getting any younger, it's time to think about settling down. Why don't you come back and visit us?"

Yang Fan was at his wit's end and quickly replied evasively, "Mom, well... let's talk about it when we get back."

"I have some things to take care of, so I'll hang up now. Take care of yourself and Dad!"

After hastily ending the video call, Yang Fan sat on the edge of the hotel bed, unable to calm down for a long time.

My mother spoke cautiously, recounting the difficulties of renovating the house, and how my younger sister didn't come home for winter break and worked hard to study on her own...

All of this felt like tiny needles pricking his heart, which had become somewhat detached due to his sudden wealth, bringing him back to reality.

Money is not just for personal enjoyment, but also for making life better for family members and solving their problems.

He thought of his younger sister, Yang Ya. She was four years younger than him and was a junior studying visual communication design at a good university in the city.

When they were little, their parents went out to work, and he, as the older brother, took care of his younger sister, cooked for her, and took her to school. The two siblings would squeeze onto one bed and whisper secrets to each other, their bond so deep they could share a pair of pants.

When did the contact start to decrease?

It probably started when he didn't go home for the Spring Festival last year.

His sister called to ask him why he wasn't coming back, and he stammered and couldn't give a decent reason.

Later, he started replying to his sister's WeChat messages more slowly and making fewer phone calls.

It wasn't that their feelings had faded, but rather that he was down on his luck, living in an urban village, delivering food, and even struggling to afford a decent gift for his sister. That sense of embarrassment and inferiority made him subconsciously want to hide his pathetic state from his dearest sister.

His sister was definitely angry, angry that he didn't care about the family and that he was immature, but Yang Fan knew that her anger was mostly due to worry and heartache.

Now is the time to make amends.

The urge to buy a car has been temporarily suppressed.

I can buy the car tomorrow. I'll go see my sister first, sort out the computer issue, and apologize to her properly.

He found his sister's WeChat account, hesitated for a moment, and then made a voice call.

It rang four or five times before being answered.

"Feed? Brother?" Yang Ya's voice came from the background, which was a bit noisy, as if she were by the roadside. Her voice was obviously tired, and there was also a hint of... surprise, as well as the little bit of awkwardness that she was trying to hide but couldn't.

"Xiaoya, it's me." Yang Fan's heart softened the moment he heard his sister's voice. "Where are you? Are you busy?"

"I just...just finished working near the east gate of the school." Yang Ya's voice was muffled, without specifying what she had been working on. "Is something wrong?"

"Can't I talk to my sister if there's nothing wrong?" Yang Fan asked in a deliberately relaxed tone.

"I just talked to Mom on the phone. You're in Dongmen, right? Don't move, I'm coming to find you now and take you out to eat!"

"Oh? No, no!" Yang Ya immediately refused. "I...I've already eaten. Brother, you go ahead with your work."

"Come on, it's so late, you definitely haven't eaten yet." Yang Fan said without giving him a chance to argue.

"Wait for me next to that bookstore near the East Gate. I'll be right there! Try running if you dare!"

The last sentence carried the threatening tone I used when I was a child.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a barely audible hum from Yang Ya, but she didn't refuse again.

"...Then hurry up, it's freezing here."

"Just wait!"

Yang Fan grabbed his coat and phone and rushed out of the hotel.

He took a taxi straight to the university town, and on the way he kept thinking about his sister.

The last time I saw her was more than half a year ago. She was wearing faded jeans and an old T-shirt, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she had a smile on her clean face. She insisted on giving him the living expenses she had saved, saying, "Brother, don't be too frugal when you're out there."

A dozen minutes later, the car stopped near the East Gate.

Yang Fan spotted the slender figure under the eaves of the bookstore at a glance.

Yang Ya stood in a sheltered corner, stamping her feet incessantly.

She was wearing a thin, faded off-white down jacket with worn cuffs, which was barely enough to keep her warm in the cold wind.

She wore ordinary black leggings on her lower body, which didn't look warm at all.

On his feet were a pair of cheap snow boots, the uppers of which were covered in mud and the uppers were collapsed.

She wasn't wearing a scarf, and her neck was tucked into her collar from the cold. Her nose and cheeks were red, and she was breathing on her hands to warm them up.

Her long hair was simply tied into a low ponytail, slightly disheveled by the wind. Her face was clean, but her lips were a little chapped.

When she saw Yang Fan get out of the car, her eyes lit up for a moment, but she immediately put on a serious face and turned her head away, only showing him her profile.

Yang Fan's heart clenched, and he strode over.

"Xiaoya!"

Yang Ya then slowly turned her head, pouted, and muttered softly:

"They came so slowly, I'm freezing..."

But her eyes couldn't help but sized Yang Fan up and down. Seeing that he was wearing a nice-looking down jacket and his complexion was rosier than before, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Come on, let's go eat." Yang Fan tried to pull her along, but Yang Ya pulled her hand back into her pocket.

"Where should we eat? There's a noodle shop over here. A bowl of beef noodles is only ten yuan, and the portion is huge. Let's go there," Yang Ya said, pointing in a direction.

"Why do we need to eat at a noodle shop?" Yang Fan asked without waiting for a reply, pushing her to the other side. "I'll take you to eat something good and warm up."

"Oh, brother!" Yang Ya struggled for a moment but couldn't break free, and said anxiously:

"Don't go to those expensive restaurants! Just grab something simple to eat and save some money! You don't earn money easily..."

She spoke the last sentence very softly, but Yang Fan heard it.