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

For the next few days, Xu Nian had almost no free time.

Clean the house, remove the grease, pack the luggage, and take down the dusty electric fan from the wall to clean it.

During this time, Wen Yao and others offered to help several times, but Xu Nian refused each time.

The round trip takes nearly four hours, which is really too much of a hassle.

Since my sister and I can manage, there's no need to trouble them.

Fortunately, Xu Nian completed the restaurant renovation on the eve of the start of the school term.

Now, everything is ready, and we're just waiting to open tomorrow and welcome our first customers.

September 1st, 9 AM.

The phone alarm, set to vibrate mode, buzzed. Xu Nian's eyelids twitched slightly, and she quickly turned it off with one hand.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned softly.

Seeing his little sister burying her face in his chest, still snoring softly and undisturbed by the alarm clock, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

The delicate fragrance of the girl's hair wafted into my nose along with the gentle breeze from the air conditioner.

The faint scent of white roses made Xu Nian feel refreshed and relaxed.

Xu Nian slowly turned over, gently picked up the girl's fragrant and soft body, placed her on the bed, and gently covered her with the quilt.

He glanced back at the girl's sleeping profile, quietly closed the door, and tiptoed downstairs.

Xu Nian turned on all the lights on the first floor and took out various ingredients she had bought yesterday from the refrigerator.

Chives, eggs, shrimp, pork, celery, carrots, shiitake mushrooms...

Usually, we prepare one type of filling, enough to feed a few people.

If she were to open a shop, she would need to prepare the fillings for all the dumplings on the menu in advance, which would be a rather large undertaking for Xu Nian.

Xu Nian felt a little nervous, wondering how many customers would dine at the restaurant today.

He was worried that if there were too few customers, he wouldn't be able to cover the costs of running the shop.

He was also worried that with too many diners, he wouldn't be able to entertain them all by himself.

Xu Xi said that they need to prepare extra of each type of filling in advance to avoid running out of ingredients during business hours.

After chopping all the ingredients into small pieces, Xu Nian combined each different ingredient into a separate mixing bowl.

Pour in all the seasonings, put on gloves, and carefully knead the filling to ensure it is evenly mixed.

......

This busy period lasted for nearly three hours.

The sun had already risen above the clouds. Xu Nian took off her gloves and rubbed her slightly sore wrists.

The kitchen was filled with a variety of rich aromas, and all the dumpling fillings on the menu had been prepared.

Next, it's time to knead the dough.

Pour the flour into a mixing bowl and add an appropriate amount of water.

Xu Nian bent down and kneaded the white dough vigorously.

"Good morning, brother."

Xu Xi yawned, her slender, fair legs stepping into white cat slippers as she slowly walked down the stairs.

Her jet-black hair fell across her sleepy little face. One small hand rubbed her drowsy eyes, while the other held a shark plush toy. She looked drowsy.

She slowly walked behind her brother, wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her head in his back, and made soft breathing sounds, as if she were drawing energy from him.

"You're awake! What kind of dumplings do you want to eat later?"

Xu Nian turned around and habitually tucked her stray hairs behind her ears.

My flour-covered fingers gently brushed across my little sister's face, leaving a faint white mark on her cheek.

"Waaah..."

Xu Xi sniffed the aroma that filled the air, her gaze wandering between the bowls of fillings.

She frowned slightly, suffering from decision paralysis again.

She usually eats whatever filling her brother makes.

Now that she has to make the choice, Xu Xi doesn't know how to choose.

Every kind of dumpling my brother makes is delicious.

Seeing this, Xu Nian's eyes darted around: "How about this, brother, you wrap a few of each kind of filling and cook them together to make a 'family reunion' dumpling, okay?"

"Yay!"

Xu Xi clapped her hands, and the tuft of hair on her head stood up high.

Only children make choices; I want them all!

"Go wash up quickly, we'll be eating soon."

Xu Nian smiled, took out a rolling pin, and started rolling out dumpling wrappers.

Although it was supposed to be a family photo, Xu Nian still made a few extra shrimp dumplings.

Shrimp is more nutritious, so it's a good opportunity to give my younger sister some.

I just measured Xu Xi's height a couple of days ago, and it was absolutely appalling.

Even without standing on tiptoe, including the tuft of hair on his head, he is only 1.59 meters tall.

No wonder she looks like a little potato in a crowd.

This can't go on!

The more Xu Nian thought about it, the more shrimp she stuffed into the dumpling wrappers.

The plump dumplings rolled around in the pot, releasing bursts of steam.

When the girl changed her clothes and came downstairs, Xu Nian had already taken the dumplings out of the pot and put them on the table.

Today, Xu Xi wore a white T-shirt, paired with a pink and white striped skirt, and white stockings inside her knee-high boots, giving her a youthful and energetic look.

"Should we change into something darker? I think you'll have military training when school starts, and white clothes get dirty easily."

"No need, camouflage uniforms will be provided during military training, so you don't need to wear your own clothes."

Xu Xi sat at the dining table, sniffed the aroma of the dumplings in front of her, and showed a satisfied expression.

Fortunately, I managed to convince my brother to open a restaurant here.

Otherwise, how could I enjoy my brother's cooking every day?

After the two finished breakfast, it was almost seven o'clock.

Xu Nian changed her clothes and prepared to take her younger sister to school to register and supervise her boarding arrangements.

Although they lived very close by, he still insisted that Xu Xi stay in the school dormitory.

Firstly, the bed here is too small, only 1.2 meters wide. If two people want to sleep in it, the little sister has to lie on his stomach to sleep.

Secondly, the space is too cramped; there's not even enough room for two people's luggage.

After moving my sister's luggage to the school dormitory, the passageway on the second floor was barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

Faced with her brother's request, Xu Xi couldn't refuse and had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Anyway, I have legs, so I can run wherever I want.

She muttered to herself.

Carrying her younger sister's three large suitcases, Xu Nian and Xu Xi set off.

...

With the start of the school season, there are noticeably more vendors operating in the food street.

Half of the shops have already lit up their signs, ready to open their doors to customers.

Is it only half?

Xu Nian frowned, feeling that something was off.

"Brother, let me help you carry one of the boxes."

Seeing that her brother was struggling to carry the three boxes, Xu Xi offered to help him share the burden.

"Need not."

Xu Nian put down the suitcase and rested for a while.

The journey from the restaurant to the school was farther than he had imagined.

It will take about ten minutes to walk.

Carrying three heavy and large boxes, it's inevitable to feel a bit tired.