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

"This is it."

Grandpa Deng led the two to a house in the same community.

Xu Nian walked into the room and looked around.

It also features solid wood flooring, similar in style to the house we just saw, and is also a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment.

The difference is that it seems no one has been here for many years; the table and floor are covered in dust.

There was a photograph hanging on the wall, but it was completely covered by dust, and the person in the photo was no longer visible.

Grandpa Deng took down the photo, blew off the dust, and looked at the person in the photo with a look of longing.

Xu Xi had just come out of the kitchen, and she was clearly choked by the dust, coughing incessantly.

"This is my son's home. He has been gone for fifteen years..."

Xu Nian finally saw the face in the photo clearly. It was a handsome soldier, standing in his military uniform with a gun on his back, and behind him was a sentry post.

"Grandpa Deng, please accept my condolences."

Xu Nian comforted her.

"Haha, before my son sacrificed his life, he rescued twenty-three students from the earthquake ruins. I am so proud of him."

As he spoke, tears welled up in Grandpa Deng's eyes.

"After he left, this house was just sitting idle anyway. Since you two siblings are looking for a place to rent, you can stay here."

Xu Nian was quite satisfied with the house. Although it was covered in dust, it was ready to move in after a quick cleaning.

"Sure, Grandpa Deng, how much do you think would be a suitable monthly rent payment?"

Grandpa Deng waved his hand.

"Old man, I'm not short of money. Just give me five hundred yuan a month for smoking. I can't afford to smoke more than that."

Upon hearing this, both Xu Nian and Xu Xi were overjoyed.

Five hundred yuan, which is not much more than the rent Xu Nian paid in the shantytown.

Compared to that luxurious unfinished building, it saved half the money.

They looked at each other, their eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

"If we save this five hundred yuan, my brother can do less manual labor for a few days."

As Xu Xi thought this, her gaze involuntarily drifted to Xu Nian's hand, which was still wrapped in gauze.

Xu Nian looked at Xu Xi's tattered clothes and thought that if she saved the five hundred yuan, she could buy her sister a few decent outfits.

And so, without a deposit, without an agency fee, and without paying three months' rent in advance, Xu Nian happily rented the house for 500 yuan.

Xu Nian took out the loose banknotes from her pocket, counted out five hundred yuan, counted it twice to make sure it was correct, and then handed it to Grandpa Deng.

Grandpa Deng simply left the key and took a photo of his son with him when he left.

When Xu Nian returned to the shantytown to move her luggage, she ran into an old acquaintance.

The moment Li Laogui saw Xu Nian, he was startled and sobered up a bit.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned and ran away.

Upon seeing him, Xu Nian immediately clenched her fists, preparing to take off after him.

He won't be satisfied unless he gets a good beating.

"elder brother!"

Xu Xi quickly grabbed Xu Nian's injured hand and shook her head nervously.

She was worried that Xu Nianyi's excitement would cause the wound on her palm to tear open again.

Xu Nian calmed down a bit, looked at her sister's worried eyes, sighed, and had no choice but to give up.

After they had gone far away, Old Man Li peeked out from the deep alley, his resentful eyes fixed on the direction they had left.

"Hehehe, Xu Nian, I don't believe you can stay by that girl's side forever."

......

"Xiaoxi, hand me that piece of clothing."

"Uh-huh."

After stuffing the last piece of clothing into her bag, Xu Nian zipped it up and checked one last time to make sure nothing was left behind.

Xu Xi hasn't been here long and doesn't have anything of her own.

Xu Nian didn't have much stuff; it was all packed into two bags.

Before parting, Xu Nian looked back one last time at the place where he had lived for several years.

Scenes from the past flashed through his mind.

Five years ago, when I was sick, I lay alone on a creaking bed, tossing and turning in pain.

Four years ago, I couldn't find a job for a whole month and didn't have a penny to buy food. I sat on the cold, damp floor, turned on the tap, and kept drinking water.

Three years ago, Yuncheng experienced several days of heavy snow, a rare occurrence. The thick snow collapsed the roofs, forcing him to spend the cold winter nights shivering in the icy snow, wearing only thin clothes.

......

Stepping out of the collapsed doorway, Xu Nian took a deep breath.

"Brother, let's go."

He gently patted Xu Xi's head, his eyes filled with affection.

He has cast aside the cruel memories of the past, and now he is no longer alone.

With a new family, new loved ones, and a renewed sense of purpose in life.

After returning to their new home, the two began cleaning.

It wasn't until evening that the last speck of dust was wiped away.

Although the two of them were cleaning together, Xu Xi refused to let her brother, whose hand was injured, do any work.

She climbed over cabinets and crawled under beds, cleaning everywhere, her body covered in filthy dust.

Xu Nian wiped the dust off her sister's face with a towel and couldn't help but tease her.

"Look at you, you look like a little kitten."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xi pouted and drew several lines on Xu Nian's face with her dusty fingers.

"And you're still talking about me? Brother, you're like a big tiger."

Xu Nian laughed and wiped Xu Xi's dirty little hands clean.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work today. Let's go out for dinner tonight and buy some household supplies while we're at it."

"Uh-huh."

Next to the military dependents' home is a night market street, which is bustling with people in the evening.

Along the street, stalls selling all kinds of goods lined up one after another, with vendors calling out their wares incessantly.

"Big brother, let's buy a hair clip for the pretty lady."

A little girl carrying a tray ran up to the two of them and excitedly started selling to them.

Just as Xu Xi was about to refuse, Xu Nian grabbed her arm.

"Little sister, how much are your hair clips?"

"Three yuan each, three for ten yuan."

Xu Nian immediately became interested.

He took a flower petal-shaped hair clip, slowly removed the rubber band from Xu Xi's head that was almost broken, and tried to put it on her.

Xu Nian, who had never combed a girl's hair before, could not straighten Xu Xi's hair no matter how hard he tried.

"Brother, maybe we should just forget about it..."

Xu Xi was about to speak to stop her, but was interrupted by the little girl.

"Big brother, combing hair is a skill, watch me do it."

She took a stool, stood on it, tiptoed, and used her small hands to grasp half of Xu Xi's hair, skillfully weaving it strand by strand.

Before long, a beautiful braid was woven in his small hands.

Wow, little girl, your hair-tying skills are amazing!

The little girl held her head high, a proud expression on her face.

"Impressive, right? My mom taught me all of this."

Xu Nian gave a thumbs-up in praise.

"Little sister, if I want to buy your hair clip, can you teach me how to style my hair as beautifully as yours?"