The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

"It's been so long, Xiaoxi, I was about to go inside to find you."

Outside the cemetery, Xu Nian sat on a bench and touched Xu Xi's hair, who was leaning against him.

"Brother, I ran into Linlin. She was also visiting our parents' graves, so I went to help her out."

Xu Xi shook her little head and explained.

"I see..."

Xu Nian nodded slightly and sighed softly.

In his memory, Zhao Lin was also a rather pitiful person.

Born into a wealthy family, she was stripped of everything overnight and now lives alone in this world.

"Should we go home?"

"Sit with me for a while, brother."

Xu Xi leaned against Xu Nian and looked up at the azure sky.

The book says that there are stars during the day, but they are blocked by sunlight.

If it's nighttime, you should be able to see a sky full of stars.

But which one is your mother?

Whether it was her imagination or not, a bright spot seemed to flash in the sky at that moment.

"Mom, is that you?"

Xu Xi murmured softly.

"Huh? Is this little Xu Xi?"

A melodious and ethereal voice drifted over, tinged with surprise.

Xu Nian frowned and instinctively pulled Xu Xi into her arms.

He turned his head and saw a tall, beautiful girl wearing high heels.

"Teacher Jiang!"

Upon hearing this voice, Xu Xi exclaimed in surprise.

This is her music teacher, Jiang Xuening.

Since her outstanding performance in the first music class, Teacher Jiang has taken great care of her, even though she did not agree to become an art student.

"Hmph~ How many times have I told you, you have to call me 'older sister' when get out of class is over~"

Teacher Jiang pouted, making a displeased expression.

Xu Xi chuckled and nodded somewhat shyly.

"Xu Xi, who is this?"

Teacher Jiang's gaze fell on Xu Nian.

"Oh, Elder Jiang... Sister, this is my brother."

Xu Xi held onto Xu Nian's clothes and introduced her to Teacher Jiang.

"Hello, Teacher Jiang, thank you for taking care of Xiaoxi at school."

Upon learning that she was Xu Xi's teacher, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly greeted her.

"Hehe, I can't accept that. Xu Xi often mentions you to me, saying you're considerate, reliable, and a very gentle boy."

Xu Nian scratched her head, feeling a little shy.

Xu Xi's face flushed instantly, and she quickly gestured to Teacher Jiang with her eyes for her to take some medicine before continuing.

If Teacher Jiang tells her brother all the secrets she's shared with him, then everything is doomed.

Teacher Jiang stuck out her tongue, making a smug expression.

Hmph~ Serves you right for not calling me "sister" (￣y▽￣)~*

"Okay, little Xu Xi, I'll talk to you now. There's a little girl who loves to cry waiting for me to comfort her."

"Okay, see you next week, Sister Jiang~"

See you at school!

Teacher Jiang waved goodbye to Xu Xi.

A salty sea breeze swept past me, seagulls flew overhead, and the sound of a ship's horn drifted from afar.

Teacher Jiang stopped in front of a tombstone piled with dolls.

She took off the pendant from her chest and hung it on the stone tablet.

"Yuting, it's been a month, have you missed your sister?"

"Hehe, you still say you don't want to? I could hear you crying."

She took the snacks out of the bag and placed them one by one in front of the tombstone.

"Mom and Dad miss you too. They specially asked your sister to bring you these snacks that you love the most."

"The scenery in Yunnan Province that your sister took you to during winter break was beautiful, wasn't it? Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Erhai Lake, Stone Forest..."

"Do you remember? Before you got sick, you told your sister that you wanted to see the karst caves on TV."

"Now that your sister has taken you to see it, you should be able to see it from over there too..."

......

After the Qingming Festival, Xu Xi smiled more often.

Xu Nian heard her say that she saw her mother again in her dream.

As the weather gets hotter, spring in this city south of the Yangtze River is as fleeting as the blooming season of the night-blooming cereus.

As May arrives, Yuncheng officially enters the height of summer with its incessant cicada chirping.

Xu Xi changed into a white shirt and skirt again; this was the first outfit Xu Nian had bought for her.

"Brother, hurry up! You're so slow!"

Taking advantage of the May Day holiday, as a reward for Xu Xi once again winning first place in the grade in the April monthly exam, Xu Nian promised to take her on a trip.

As for the travel destination, it was Shoushan, which Wen Yao had recommended to Xuxi for a long time.

As the highest mountain in Yuncheng, it boasts the best sunrise views.

During holidays, countless tourists come here in the early morning to climb the mountain and watch the sunrise.

Xu Xi and Xu Nian were among them.

"No need to rush...there are still two hours until sunrise."

Xu Nian wiped his sweat and looked at the little guy running ahead of him with a helpless expression.

This little girl fell asleep on the way here, I don't know if she was faking it or not, we couldn't wake her up when we got there.

There was no other way, so he carried her all the way up the mountain. When they were halfway up and could barely walk anymore, Xu Xi jumped off his back and ran up the mountain with great energy, making faces at him as she urged him to hurry up.

"Hehe, is your brother out of energy?"

Xu Xi smiled and turned back, placing Xu Nian's hand on her small shoulder.

"I don't know who it was that slept like a little pig halfway up the mountain before getting off my back."

Xu Nian pinched Xu Xi's cheek helplessly.

Xu Xi smiled gently.

"Would you like to rest for a while? There's a pavilion up ahead."

Xu Nian thought for a moment and nodded.

The two walked to the pavilion and sat down, where it was almost full of tourists taking a break.

If we had arrived any later, we probably would have had to sit on the ground.

Xu Xi took out a tissue and carefully wiped the sweat from her brother's neck and forehead.

"Xiaoxi, could you help me get the water bottle from my bag?"

Xu Nian turned around and turned her backpack toward Xu Xi.

"Uh-huh!"

Xu Xi tiptoed, took out a water bottle from her bag, opened the lid and took a sip before handing it to her brother.

Xu Nian took it and drank from the spot where Xu Xi had drunk.

"Little Creek, what are you laughing at?"

He noticed that Xu Xi's eyes were curved at the corners, and a sweet smile was on her lips.

"It's nothing, I just remembered something happy." (Seriously)

"You're obviously lying."

Xu Nian put the lid on the kettle and rubbed Xu Xi's head.

"Hehe~ No way, Xiaoxi never lies to her brother."

Xu Xi moved a little closer to Xu Nian and leaned on his arm.

"Xiaoxi, I'm so hot. Don't lean on me, let me cool off."

Xu Nian gently nudged her.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xi's smile vanished instantly. She looked at Xu Nian in disbelief, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, her lips twitching slightly, and her eyes seemed to be brimming with tears.

"Waaah... My brother doesn't want me anymore... Xiaoxi is an unwanted child... Waaah..."

Her pitiful look drew the attention of the surrounding tourists.

Xu Nian couldn't stand Xu Xi acting cute, and with the piercing gazes of the surrounding tourists, he quickly pulled Xu Xi into his arms and gently rocked her body, coaxing her like a child.

"Okay, okay, Xiaoxi, don't cry. Your brother hasn't abandoned you. Be good, don't cry, don't cry."

Xu Xi buried her head in Xu Nian's arms, wiped away the tears she had been trying to hold back on his clothes, and instantly returned to her cheerful self.