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

Thanks to Sun Yi's phone call, all the documents were processed the very next day.

Su Xiao stuffed a stack of certificates stamped with red seals into the file bag, finally feeling relieved.

The renovation team was efficient; they painted the walls, installed wiring, and set up light boxes, finishing the job in less than a week.

The newly purchased testing equipment and shelves gradually arrived, and the store slowly began to take shape.

Su Xiao was mentally planning the final step.

Hiring employees.

This can't be rushed; we have to take it one step at a time.

He was just wondering whether to invite Su Wan Ning out for a meal to celebrate when his aunt called.

"Su Xiao, bring Wan Ning over for dinner tonight. Your uncle caught some crucian carp yesterday, they're very fresh."

Su Xiao hung up the phone and turned to Su Wan Ning to tell her that she was going to her aunt's house that evening.

Su Wan Ning was packing her schoolbag, and without looking up, she simply said "Oh".

Unlike her last visit, Su Xiao and Su Wan Ning did not come empty-handed this time.

Su Xiao was carrying a carton of milk and a gift for her little cousin in her left hand, and a bag of fruit in her right hand, while Su Wan Ning was holding two boxes of pastries.

Su Xiao gently touched the door with her foot, and the door opened. Her aunt stood in the doorway wearing an apron and holding a spatula.

Seeing the two people's hands full of things, the aunt frowned.

"You're already here, why bring anything! Why be so polite among family?"

As she spoke, she took the fruit from Su Xiao's hand, then glared at him, "Next time you bring anything, I won't even open the door for you."

These words from my aunt might have been polite remarks from someone else, but coming from her, they were a genuine complaint.

Su Wan Ning placed the pastries on the shoe cabinet and said with a smile, "They're not expensive."

My aunt was stunned for a moment.

She looked at the faint smile that hadn't completely faded from Su Wan Ning's face, as if she had seen something rare.

After my sister passed away, the last time this child came to our house for dinner, he always kept his head down, answered questions briefly, and had a blank expression on his face, showing neither joy nor sadness.

But now she's smiling.

The aunt looked at Su Xiao with a meaningful gaze, but Su Xiao didn't notice her gaze at all.

His attention was stolen by his younger cousin, who stumbled out of the living room.

"cousin."

My little cousin, wearing a cotton sweater with cartoon characters printed on it, ran very fast on his short legs. He bumped into Su Xiao's leg and hugged her tightly.

Su Xiao remembered that he was just starting first grade, an age when people disliked him and dogs didn't like him.

He raised the bag he was carrying in his left hand, took something out of it, and waved it in front of his little cousin.

"Look what your cousin brought you! A math test paper! Do you like it?"

My little cousin glanced down and saw the brand-new "First Grade Elementary School Math Achievement Test Paper" gleaming under the light.

His little face scrunched up, his mouth pursed, and he burst into tears. He turned and ran into the living room, calling "Daddy" as he ran.

Su Xiao stood there holding the test paper, touching her nose.

Is it necessary to get so worked up?

The aunt was both amused and exasperated, and took the milk from his hand, placing it on the coffee table.

"Your own grades aren't good, yet you're buying test papers for your cousin."

Su Xiao put the test paper on the coffee table and puffed out her chest triumphantly.

"Auntie, you're underestimating me! I've improved a lot in this midterm exam; I went from the bottom of the grade to over 500th."

The aunt paused for a moment, then turned to look at Su Wanning in disbelief.

Su Wan Ning nodded, her tone calm, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly upwards.

"His grades have indeed improved."

The aunt stared blankly for a long while, looking at the faint smile on Su Wan Ning's face and then at Su Xiao's smug look that was practically strutting around.

Then she laughed and nudged Su Xiao with her elbow as she passed by.

"Well done, kid, you've finally figured it out."

At that moment, my uncle came out of the bedroom carrying my little cousin who was still sobbing.

Uncle-in-law remained as taciturn as ever. He nodded to Su Xiao and Su Wan Ning as a greeting.

He put his little cousin on the sofa, and Su Xiao immediately grabbed the test paper and went over to him.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Your cousin is doing this for your own good. Look at this problem: Xiaoming had 100 apples, ate 10, and then his sister gave him one more. How many apples are left?"

My little cousin cried even louder.

My aunt brought the last dish to the table and invited everyone to sit down and eat.

Su Xiao certainly couldn't treat his little brother unfairly, so he put a big chicken leg on his plate.

After being tormented by Su Xiao, my little cousin finally quieted down, tears welling in his eyes as he gnawed on the chicken leg Su Xiao had given him as compensation.

Halfway through the meal, Auntie suddenly put down her chopsticks and looked at Su Xiao.

"Su Xiao, Wan Ning told me you're planning to open a shop recently? Where did you get the money?"

Su Xiao swallowed the fish in her mouth and straightened her expression.

He briefly recounted his experiences: earning money by writing articles, debugging local area networks for people at internet cafes, dealing in secondhand mobile phones, and hoarding USB drives to triple his profit before reselling them.

He didn't say exactly how much he earned, only that he had saved up some start-up capital, and then explained the market conditions for second-hand recycling to his uncle.

In closing, he shoved a chicken leg into his younger cousin's bowl and concluded, "Anyway, it's all about getting something for nothing, oh no, it's about starting from scratch."

"You know so much?" The aunt was quite surprised after hearing this, as if she was meeting her nephew for the first time.

In my memory, Su Xiao was an ignorant and incompetent person, but now...

Then my aunt's brows furrowed and relaxed and furrowed again, and in the end she still felt uneasy.

"You're a student, your studies should be your priority. Isn't it better to save your money? What if you lose it?"

My uncle-in-law spoke up, which was unusual for him.

He put down his chopsticks, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

"In this day and age, money in the bank will only depreciate. It's better to use money to make more money. I think Su Xiao's idea is good. It requires little investment, has low risk, and you can get your money back as long as you're willing to spend the time."

Su Xiao turned to look at her uncle.

In his memory, this taciturn man usually spoke no more than three sentences during a meal, but today he actually said so much in one go.

He couldn't help but nod, thinking to himself that he had underestimated this civil servant before.

It's impossible for someone who can hold their position in the bureau to be without some insight.

"My uncle is right, that's what I think too."

Looking at the smug Su Xiao, the aunt glared at the uncle and said, "You just keep spoiling him."

She then turned to Su Xiao, her tone softening, "Anyway, be careful not to get scammed. Where is the shop? I'll go check it out sometime."

Su Xiao wrote the address on a piece of paper and handed it over.

The aunt took it, glanced at it, and then asked Su Wan Ning, "Your brother is opening a shop, don't you have any objections?"

Before Su Wan Ning could speak, Su Xiao answered for her.

"No, no, my sister and aunt both support me, right, Little Lemon?"

Su Wan Ning paused with her chopsticks, her face slightly flushed, picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly, and mumbled a soft "Mmm".

Seeing Su Wan Ning's blushing face and then looking at Su Xiao's shameless smile, the aunt shook her head, both amused and exasperated.

After dinner, Su Xiao and Su Wan Ning helped their aunt clear the dishes.

After tidying up, the two sat at their aunt's house for a while.

Su Xiao, that devil, forced her little cousin to do the math test she bought for him. The little cousin was so scared that he couldn't even hold the pen properly, and his handwriting was crooked and messy.

Aunt and Su Wanning sat next to each other chatting. Although it was mostly Aunt who did the talking, Su Wanning would occasionally say "hmm".

"You brat, how did you figure out that Xiaoming is older than his grandfather?!"

Su Xiao also felt the headache of teaching others to study. She reached out and pinched her little cousin's chubby cheeks, making him cry out in anger.

Watching Su Xiao's retreating figure, his aunt couldn't help but ask, "Has he been quite obedient lately?"

Su Wan Ning paused for a moment, then looked up at her brother and younger cousin playing around, and suddenly a chord in her heart was touched.

Su Wanning spoke in a soft but extremely gentle voice.

"obedient."

……

As they were leaving, my aunt stood at the door, watching the two of them walk down the stairs side by side.

"Auntie, we're leaving!"

Su Xiao walked along the side near the stair railing, and Su Wan Ning walked beside him. The two were about a fist's distance apart, but their steps were surprisingly in sync.

My little cousin, clutching his toys, squeezed to the doorway and called out in his childish voice, "Cousin, don't bring your test papers next time!"

"Next time your cousin will bring you calligraphy practice books; your handwriting is terrible!"

Su Xiao waved her hand without turning her head.

The aunt leaned against the door frame, watching the two siblings disappear around the corner of the stairs.

She sighed softly.

Sister, perhaps you made the right decision to adopt Wan Ning in the first place.

At least the two children now have a companion.

Moreover, Su Xiao has done a great job as an older brother; both children are doing very well...