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

"Take care, and welcome back next time."

After seeing off the last table of customers, the restaurant returned to its deserted state.

Xu Nian sat at the dining table, took off her chef's hat, and forlornly wiped the flour off it.

The fan swayed gently, and a soft breeze lifted Xu Nian's hair and brushed against his wrinkled forehead.

The store remained deserted, with only occasional figures riding bicycles passing by.

Xu Nian looked at them, hoping that one or two of them would stop and come in to have a plate of dumplings.

But they all just skimmed the surface like dragonflies, disappearing without a trace in a fleeting glance.

Xu Nian sighed, leaned against the wall, and looked up at the incandescent light on the ceiling.

We opened for business all day today, but only made less than 100 yuan in total.

The profits aren't even enough to cover the rent...

He gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly.

Hopefully things will get better in a couple of days.

If all else fails, I'll have to go back to delivering food.

The glass door was slowly pushed open, and a graceful figure walked into the store, walked slowly to Xu Nian, and gently hugged him.

"elder brother..."

"You're back! How was your day? Tired?"

Xu Nian gently stroked the strands of hair on her younger sister's back.

The girl shook her head, her eyes lowered, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

"Brother...I'm sorry..."

"What's wrong?"

Xu Nian frowned in confusion.

"I shouldn't... I shouldn't have let my brother open a restaurant here..."

Xu Xi lowered her head in self-reproach and explained in detail why there were no customers in the shop.

"I see..."

Xu Nian touched her chin, suddenly realizing what was going on.

No wonder the previous owner was in such a hurry to sublet at a low price.

I thought I got a great deal, but it turns out I just took over someone else's huge pit.

Xu Xi nestled in her brother's arms, sobbing softly.

In a moment of impulse, I mobilized so many people to help me persuade my brother to open a shop on the food street.

They didn't even bother to scout out the location or conduct any market research beforehand.

He invested all of his brother's savings, as well as a great deal of time and energy, in a losing proposition.

All of this could have been avoided.

"Sigh...so what if I have to pay? I can always start over."

Xu Nian smiled calmly.

"Brother, you're not angry with me?"

Xu Xi looked up in shame and saw her brother's gentle and calm eyes.

As the one who started all of this, she was prepared to be scolded by her brother.

"Why blame it?"

Xu Nian took a few tissues from the tissue box on the dining table and wiped away the tears from her sister's eyes.

"The shop's signboard is called Xi Nian. Opening this shop was a decision we made together."

"Doing business inherently involves both gains and losses. Without risk, there are no rewards."

"I'll see later. I'll sublet the shop, and with the savings I still have, I can pay back Wen Yao and the others, and then find something else to do."

"elder brother..."

Xu Xi buried her head in her brother's chest in shame and sobbed softly.

"I'm sorry...brother, I will never give you advice again."

Xu Nian sighed softly and gently stroked her younger sister's head.

"Little Stream, how can that be?"

"You are an educated person, you have seen the world, while your brother is uneducated and a rough man."

"Now, my brother is starting to fall behind you guys."

"In the future, when you have a broader perspective, I'll have to rely on you to guide me."

Although she lost money in the business, Xu Nian deeply felt her helplessness when encountering new things.

It's like grabbing a primitive man from a forest tribe and throwing him into a highly modernized car.

How do I start it? He didn't know.

How to proceed? He didn't know either.

He didn't even know how the car fell apart.

All he knew was that an illiterate man like himself would eventually be swept away by the endless waves of the future, washed ashore on the beach of what is called the times.

"You need to learn from this experience and be more cautious before making decisions in the future. Failure is not terrible, but we shouldn't fall into the same trap twice, understand?"

"Waaah... I'll remember..."

Xu Xi nodded with tears in her eyes, keeping her brother's words firmly in mind.

Xu Nian patted her shoulder, stood up, and walked towards the kitchen.

He took out all the filling bowls and the dough that had been prepared, and began to wrap dumplings.

"Brother, I've already eaten dinner..."

"I know, but these fillings will spoil tomorrow. Since we can't sell them, I'll make them all for you."

"Huh??? So many?? Waaah..."

......

Autumn has arrived, and the temperature at night is a bit chilly.

The leaves on the trees have turned slightly yellow, no longer displaying the vibrant life they had in summer.

Life is as vibrant as summer flowers, death as serene as autumn leaves.

Couples walked hand in hand along the tree-lined path, whispering secrets they only wanted to share with each other.

A gentle breeze rustled through the yellowing leaves, making a soft snapping sound, and swept the fallen leaves towards the strolling couples.

The boy took the opportunity to shield the girl in his arms, protecting her from the falling leaves while secretly inhaling the fragrance of her hair.

After a gentle breeze, the girl shyly and gently patted the fallen leaves off the boy's clothes.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with faint smiles.

Then, they all turned their heads away shyly.

Xu Xi plucked a fallen leaf from the tip of her hair, held it up under the golden streetlight, and gently stroked its veins.

It has been half a month since the start of the school year.

My brother's shop is doing terribly; it's losing money the moment he opens his eyes.

I could no longer work part-time at Sister Na's place, and all my savings were spent on my brother's shop.

Although her brother never blamed her, Xu Xi felt as if her heart was being torn apart whenever she saw his dejected expression as he faced the empty shop.

We need to find a way to change all of this.

...

The neon lights on the signboard outside the dumpling restaurant stopped flashing.

A large sign on the glass door reads "Prime Location for Rent".

Most of the restaurant lights were off, leaving only a small, dim incandescent bulb illuminating Xu Nian, who was wearing a chef's uniform, sitting in a chair, one hand supporting her chin, the other idly scrolling through job postings near Yunnan University on her phone.

"Brother~"

A fragrant breeze swept by, and the adorable Ragdoll cat hopped on her short legs and snuggled into the arms of her beloved human, purring softly.

"Why did you go back again? Didn't you say you were going to stay in the dorm?"

Xu Nian scratched the Ragdoll cat's chin with a slightly helpless expression.

"Wa ...

Xu Xi pouted her pink lips and said in a pitiful and coquettish tone.

Xu Nian sighed and gently brushed aside the single tuft of hair on her sister's head.

One day they said the dorm had no water, another day they said the dorm had no electricity, and yet another day they said a rat had gotten into the dorm.

Since school started, my younger sister hasn't slept at school a single day.