After being reborn, I have seven older sisters.

In the evening, Chunmiao and Chunzao stayed in Chunsheng's room. One sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed) embroidering insoles, while the other lay on the cabinet copying notes.

Every now and then, you can hear the sound of sandbags being hit coming from the backyard.

Chunzao glanced up at her younger sister Chunmiao and said softly, "Chunsheng has probably been hitting that sandbag for over half an hour now!"

Chunmiao couldn't help but laugh: "It's been half an hour already! He started hitting the sandbag as soon as I started copying this first-year junior high geography notebook."

"I've been copying notes here for half an hour, and he's still not finished..."

Just as the two were talking, the sound of hitting the sandbag suddenly stopped.

Chunsheng walked in from outside, wiping his sweat with a towel as he said, "When I was practicing my martial arts outside, I heard some noise coming from the bushes on the back wall of our house."

Chunmiao immediately asked with a curious look, "What kind of noise could there be? It's not a weasel again, is it?"

Chunsheng shook his head, raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment before saying, "It shouldn't be. It sounds like some kind of animal fighting."

Chunzao immediately asked, "Are the mice fighting?"

Chunsheng smiled and said, "I don't know either, but it sounded pretty loud. If it really is a bunch of rats, then it must be a brawl!"

Chunsheng's words immediately made his two older sisters burst into laughter.

At this moment, Sixth Sister Chunzao asked Chunsheng with some curiosity, "You trained with Song Guangliang in the backyard right after school this afternoon, and then practiced with the sandbag for more than half an hour after evening self-study. You have to get up early tomorrow morning to practice at the threshing ground. Can your body really handle it?"

"Of course, no problem!"

As Chunsheng spoke, he clenched his fist and pounded his chest several times, saying with a smug look, "How could my physique not withstand this!"

"Also, after only a few days of training, I feel like I've gotten a lot stronger."

Chunzao and Chunmiao exchanged a smile. Chunzao said, "It seems a bit, but don't overdo it. After all, you still have to go to school during the day. A person's energy is always limited. Don't let training affect your studies."

Chunmiao quickly added, "Sixth Sister is right. Everything should be done in moderation. Besides, you just choked on water a couple of days ago. Why don't you skip your boxing practice tomorrow morning and rest at home for a day? We can talk about it the day after tomorrow!"

Chunsheng smiled and nodded. He knew that his two older sisters were worried about the aftereffects of choking on water.

He listened carefully to the door and heard no voices from his mother and father, which meant they must have already turned off the lights and gone to sleep.

Chunsheng immediately lowered his voice and said, "Sister, actually I'm perfectly fine. There's absolutely no way I'll experience the kind of aftereffects that Mom and Third Sister mentioned!"

Chunzao frowned slightly, looking puzzled, and said, "You haven't even gone to the hospital for a checkup yet, how do you know you're fine?"

Chunsheng said earnestly, "Even without going to the hospital for a checkup, I know I'm fine. If you don't believe me, let's see the results of the hospital's tests tomorrow!"

Chunzao shook her head and smiled, "You're making it sound so real! Of course, it would be best if the check-up tomorrow was all right."

Chunsheng winked at Chunmiao, hoping she could help him persuade Chunzao not to go to the hospital tomorrow.

Once they can convince Chunzao, the three of them can work together to persuade their mother to stop him from going to the hospital for checkups and wasting money.

But Chunmiao glanced at him briefly, completely ignoring him, and then lowered her head to continue copying her notes.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade his two older sisters, Chunsheng had no choice but to turn around and fetch hot water to wash up.

Without their help, it would be very difficult for me to persuade my mother. It seems that I can't avoid this trip to the hospital tomorrow.

The next morning, when Chunsheng returned from his training at the threshing ground, he saw that Chunmiao had already tidied up and was sitting in the yard waiting for him.

Seventh Sister Chunmiao's clothes today are completely different from usual. She no longer wears the same outfit she wears when working in the fields, but instead wears a navy blue top and pants that she used to wear when she went to school.

This outfit was made for her by her third sister. When it was first made, even girls in the city were very fond of wearing this navy blue suit.

Surprisingly, three years later, this kind of clothing is still popular in the city.

Looking at his seventh sister, Chunsheng immediately recalled how she looked when she was in high school—energetic and radiant.

Suddenly, he felt a little dizzy, as if he had the feeling that his seventh sister, Chunmiao, had been admitted to university, and today was the day she was going to take the train to university in another city.

The thought of her getting into university and changing her destiny made Chunsheng smile involuntarily.

When Chunmiao saw Chunsheng suddenly grinning at her, she immediately laughed too.

Just then, Mother came out of the house. "Why aren't you two getting out of here? What are you grinning about!"

"Mom, Chunsheng just got back. We'll go out after he's finished getting ready."

"Has all the money been loaded?"

Liu Yan'e saw Chunmiao sitting on the stool with her hands in her pockets, showing no sign of going out.

Chunmiao immediately pulled out a wad of money wrapped in a gray handkerchief from her pocket. "Look, I've already packed it all up. Even if I forget Chunsheng at home, I won't forget the money."

Liu Yan'e glared at Chunmiao. "Are you planning to just stuff that money in your pocket and leave?"

Chunmiao was curious about her mother's words and immediately asked, "If not in your pocket, then where do you think you should put it?"

Liu Yan'e frowned, looking at her with exasperation, and said, "My goodness! You're just going to take it out like that? Aren't you afraid some thief will steal it?"

When Chunmiao was reminded by her mother, she was startled and realized that there was such a thing as a thief.

"What should we do then? If we don't put it in our pants pockets, we can only put it in our shirt pockets, which makes it easier for thieves to steal it."

Liu Yan'e sighed, gritted her teeth, and said, "Come inside with me!"

Chunmiao stared at her mother with feigned surprise. "What are you doing coming inside?"

Liu Yan'e stopped arguing with her and forcefully pulled Chunmiao into her east room.

When Chunsheng finished tidying up and went to the front yard, he found that no one was there.

Just as he was about to knock on his mother's door, Chunmiao pushed the door open and came out, her face flushed and looking unwilling.

"What's wrong, Seventh Sister?"

Before Chunmiao could speak, Liu Yan'e came out of the house with a smile and said, "I just sewed a pocket inside your sister's long johns. With the money close to her body, no thief could possibly steal it!"

Chunsheng almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

Chunmiao blushed and asked her mother, "What am I going to do when I need money? I can't just shove my hand into my pants and take out money in front of a bunch of people, can I?"

Liu Yan'e once again showed a look of disappointment, and scolded, "Just by looking at you, I can tell you've never been far from home. Didn't you even bother to find a women's restroom when you were paying?"

Chunmiao and her younger brother Chunsheng exchanged a wry smile, both speechless at their mother's words.