Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

After the meal, Su Xiao took Wu Mengmeng back to the shop and opened the storage room filled with cardboard boxes.

He spent half an hour moving the cardboard boxes out and then bought a few pieces of furniture from a nearby secondhand market.

A single bed, a plastic wardrobe, a small desk, and a table lamp.

There weren't many items, but once they were all put in, the cramped storage room actually became somewhat presentable.

Wu Mengmeng stood at the door.

Looking at the warm yellow light cast by the desk lamp on the desk, looking at the single bed with brand-new sheets, looking at the small mirror that Su Xiao had casually stuck on the plastic wardrobe, she remained silent for several seconds.

Then she suddenly jumped up, her pigtails almost hitting the ceiling.

She circled around the small room several times, touching the lamp and the headboard, before finally collapsing backward and sinking into the soft bedding, rolling around in her arms.

At the same time, he let out a series of meaningless, excited screams: "Ah, I have a room! Su Xiao, look, look! This table lamp can be adjusted! Did you put this mirror up? It's crooked! But it's okay, I don't mind!"

Su Xiao leaned against the door frame, her hands in her pockets.

Watching her bounce up and down from the bed several times before finally settling down, she stood in the center of the room, her hands clasped in front of her, and unusually politely said to him, "Thank you."

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow.

This girl used to hate him so much she wanted to eat him alive, but now she's so touched by this little bit of help.

She's so simple-minded, her emotions come and go quickly, just like a little child.

His lips twitched, and he deliberately said, "No need to thank me. Actually, I've been wanting to buy a dog to tie up outside the shop, but now that you're here, I don't need to buy one."

The emotion on Wu Mengmeng's face froze instantly.

She grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him, then a slipper, then the lamp, but she didn't manage to throw it.

Because Su Xiao had just bought it, she couldn't bear to part with it.

Su Xiao dodged and laughed at the same time, until Wu Mengmeng finally pushed him out the door and slammed it shut.

Two seconds later, the door opened a crack again, half a head peeked out, yelled "Bastard!" at him, and then closed the door again.

Su Xiao stood outside the door, listening to the sound of her throwing herself back onto the bed, the spring mattress creaking, followed by a smug humming sound from under the covers.

"I have a home now! I have a home!"

Su Xiao leaned against the door and couldn't help but laugh.

He added through the door, in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "You can stay here, but the rent will still be deducted. The water and electricity will be charged commercial rates, and it will be deducted from your salary this month."

The room was silent for a fraction of a second.

Then, the sound of Wu Mengmeng sitting up abruptly from her deathbed came through the crack in the door, followed by the dull thud of slippers hitting the door and her furious roar: "Su Xiao, you bastard!"

……

Su Wan Ning sat blankly at her desk in her room, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken.

She barely moved all day.

When I woke up in the morning, Su Xiao's door was wide open, the blankets were folded crookedly, and she had already left.

She stood in the kitchen, originally intending to excitedly fry two soft-boiled eggs and cook a small pot of white porridge.

But looking at the empty living room and the pair of slippers sitting alone next to the shoe cabinet, I suddenly lost interest.

She didn't cook the porridge or fry the eggs; she ate two bites of noodles and went back to her room.

I didn't eat lunch.

She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, and fell asleep without realizing it.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was already setting outside the window, and the orange-red afterglow leaked in through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin line of light on the ceiling.

The whole house was quiet, so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the old clock on the living room wall.

There was no sound of spatula being used in the kitchen, nor the sound of the door opening in the entryway; Su Xiao still hadn't returned.

Su Wan Ning sat up in bed, feeling the tranquility wash over her like a tide, enveloping her completely.

She quickly reached out and turned on the table lamp.

After sitting at her desk for a while, she opened the drawer, took out the diary, turned to a new page, pouted slightly, and gripped the pen with more force than usual.

2006 1 Month 7 Day.

(My brother has been away from home all day again. Has he forgotten that he has a younger sister at home?)

After writing these words, I felt a little less angry.

She closed the diary, put it back in the drawer, stood up, and patted her face.

It's getting dark, I need to hurry out and buy groceries, otherwise my brother won't have anything to eat when he gets back.

Su Wanning actually doesn't like grocery shopping.

In other words, she doesn't like to be in any crowded places.

The smell of fish and rotten vegetables in the market, the vendors shouting their wares, and the elderly people jostling around with plastic bags always made her feel uncomfortable.

But she endured it in order to cook for Su Xiao.

She has an unwritten rule when she buys groceries.

That means she never buys anything from male vendors, only from stalls run by older women.

She probably doesn't want to have contact with any men other than her brother.

Choosing vegetables, weighing them, paying, and getting change—throughout the entire process, Su Wanning didn't say a word more than announcing the names of the dishes and saying thank you.

She wandered around the market, squatted down in front of an older woman's stall and picked out two eggplants, then went to the next stall and bought half a pound of green beans, muttering to herself.

This brother likes to eat, so I'll buy some of this too.

When she passed by the meat stall, she hesitated for a moment, but in the end she still asked for half a pound of pork ribs and asked the lady to chop them into small pieces for her.

When I walked out of the market with a bag full of groceries, it was already completely dark. The streetlights came on, casting an orange glow on the sidewalk.

Su Wan Ning walked back with her head down. When she passed the women's clothing store on the street corner, her pace suddenly slowed down.

A large red promotional banner hung at the store entrance, and a female owner with curly hair stood on the steps holding a megaphone, her voice already somewhat hoarse from shouting.

"Don't miss out! Everything is 50% off, buy one get one free! Wear our clothes and your boyfriend's eyes will be glued to you, leaving no chance for any other woman or vixen!"

Su Wan Ning stopped in her tracks.

She stood at the edge of the crowd, her hand holding the shopping bag tightening slightly.

She herself didn't know why she stopped, why she turned around, or why she inexplicably pushed open that glass door.

When the female boss saw someone come in, she first put on her usual smile, and then she saw the girl's face clearly.

She had an oval face, skin so white it was almost translucent, a high and straight nose, and a pair of quiet eyes, like thin ice floating on the Xiangjiang River in winter.

She was wearing a plain, slightly faded coat, and her hair was casually tied in a ponytail, but her face...

The female shop owner gasped inwardly. If that face were to wear clothes from her shop and stand on the street, it would be a living advertisement.

"Little girl, what kind of clothes do you want to buy? A dress, a tank top, or a base layer? You have such a great figure, you look good in anything!"

The female shop owner greeted us warmly and introduced several new styles hanging in the window.

Su Wan Ning's gaze swept around the store.

The clothes rack was filled with sundresses, mini skirts, and off-the-shoulder knitwear, which were quite revealing for someone who usually only wore school uniforms and shirts.

Her fingers curled slightly beneath her sleeve, and her voice tightened: "I...I just wanted to take a look."

The female shop owner looked her up and down, then at the bag of groceries she was carrying, and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

She walked over, her voice softening, carrying the knowing quality of someone with experience: "Don't worry, I'll help you put together the outfit. You want to wear it for your boyfriend?"

Su Wan Ning paused for a moment, then immediately shook her head.

The female boss's smile deepened, and she moved closer to her, lowering her voice: "So... you want him to look at you more?"

Su Wan Ning was stunned again.

This time, he didn't shake his head.

After several seconds, she nodded slightly.