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

In contrast to Xu Xi, Xu Nian became increasingly idle.

After promising his sister that he would no longer go out to work, he stayed in the shop all day, never leaving the house.

Even when he goes out, he doesn't know what to do.

During winter break, the food street was extremely deserted.

There are no more food delivery workers coming and going, and no more wisps of smoke rising from chimneys at mealtimes.

He wanted to talk to someone, but couldn't find anyone to keep him company.

Qi Yu went back to his hometown to bring his parents to the city for a visit, and also to accompany his father to the hospital to see if his long-standing ailment could be cured.

My younger sister is always busy. As soon as she gets up, she goes out with Wen Yao and Zhao Lin to survey various universities. When she gets home at night, she still holds her computer and writes content that he can't understand until late at night.

Only he had nothing to do every day.

In this bustling city, he felt like an outsider.

To keep himself from being bored, he does laundry, cooks, and cleans every day.

The stove was polished to a shine, and the bed sheets were washed again and again.

Yet, I still couldn't suppress the emptiness inside.

His life was like a train that had been traveling at high speed for more than ten years, suddenly slamming on the brakes.

The immense inertia made it impossible for him to adapt.

"I'm back."

The doorbell rang crisply, and Xu Xi yawned as she returned to the shop carrying a bag of fruit in her small hands.

Xu Nian wiped the water droplets off her apron, walked over to her sister, and took off her cashmere coat from her shoulders.

"Brother, have some fruit."

Xu Xi took out a box of fruit from the bag, washed it at the tap, and placed it in front of her brother.

"This is...?"

Xu Nian examined the box of fruit in front of her.

Judging from its appearance, it should be a cherry.

Compared to the cherries I remember, they were a size bigger and much redder.

"These are cherries, they taste really good!"

"Oh? This thing must be very expensive!"

Xu Nian was startled.

He recalled receiving a cherry order from a fruit shop when he was delivering food in the past.

The boss repeatedly warned him to be extremely careful.

A box costs several hundred yuan. If it gets damaged on the way, he'll have worked for nothing all day.

Xu Xi smiled calmly, stretched out her little hand, and stuffed a cherry into her brother's mouth.

"Is it delicious, brother?"

"Hmm..."

Xu Nian nodded with a pained expression.

Although it tastes good, the thought of each one costing several yuan makes him feel incredibly distressed.

"As long as my brother is happy."

Xu Xi smiled happily.

She will never forget the days when her brother scrimped and saved to make sure she had enough to eat and wear.

Now that she has the means, she's even less likely to be stingy with spending money on her brother.

"How was your day? Did it go smoothly?"

Xu Xi sighed and gently shook her head.

"It didn't go smoothly. The school leaders at the medical university flatly refused, banning all outside food from entering the school, no matter how much revenue sharing they offered."

Xu Nian nodded slightly.

"Or... let's just forget about it. One business deal with Yunnan University is enough for us."

"No, there's a school leader at Yunnan University who's related to the cafeteria manager. He's been putting pressure on the school to make us completely hand over the market to the cafeteria."

"I feel that our business at Yunnan University won't last long, so it's necessary to move on to other universities."

Xu Xi yawned and snuggled into her brother's arms.

"It's alright, brother, don't worry. The boat has already passed many mountains, and Xiaoxi has grown up. From now on, let Xiaoxi take care of supporting the family."

"What my brother needs to do is enjoy life."

Xu Nian gently stroked the hair of the girl in her arms.

Are you still doing that research project tonight?

"Yes, we need to do it."

After greedily sucking on the boy's neck a few times, the girl reluctantly let go of him, ran up the stairs, and set up her laptop on the bed.

"My supervisor is going to Binhai City to attend an academic conference in a few days, so I need to catch up on my studies during this time."

After saying that, Xu Xi devoted herself to researching materials and writing.

The blue light reflected from the computer screen flickered in her sleepy eyes.

She kept yawning, and her eyelids kept drooping down to the corners of her eyes.

Xu Nian made herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to her sister.

Seeing the girl trying so hard to keep busy, he felt a pang of sadness.

He really wanted to do something to help Xu Xi and share some of her workload.

Even if Xu Xi asked him for help, he couldn't do anything to help her.

Whether in business or in studies.

The things Xu Xi encountered were completely beyond his comprehension.

Conversely, Xu Xi also needs to take time out of her busy schedule to accompany him to the hospital for a follow-up medical check-up.

Xu Nian gave a bitter smile to herself and picked up the study materials on the bedside table.

When he had some free time, he wanted to pick up his books again and learn some basic cultural knowledge in an attempt to catch up with his younger sister.

However, he had already dropped out of school for many years, missed the best age for learning, and his temperament had been worn down by the cruelty of life.

His studies were exceptionally difficult without a teacher.

Xu Nian had considered asking her younger sister to teach her to read.

But Xu Xi was so busy that she didn't even get enough sleep every day, and thick dark circles had accumulated around her eyes.

Therefore, he had to put the idea aside for the time being.

"Cough cough cough..."

The girl suddenly started coughing violently, causing the laptop on the small table to shake.

"Little Creek, what's wrong?"

Xu Nian put down the book and gently patted her back.

"It's nothing... I probably just caught a bit of a cold."

Xu Xi rubbed her little nose and sneezed in the process.

"I'll go get you a packet of cold medicine."

Xu Nian stood up, went downstairs to boil water, and made a packet of cold medicine for her younger sister.

By the time he brought the prepared medicine upstairs, Xu Xi had already tilted her head to the side, leaned against the pillow, and fallen into a deep sleep.

She curled up, her breathing even and steady, like a ragdoll cat resting its head on its tail, emitting soft, reassuring purrs.

Xu Nian glanced at her, then at the steaming glass in her hand.

Let's not wake my sister up to take her medicine.

My younger sister has been exhausted these past few days; she should get some rest.

Thinking of this, he put down the glass and covered Xu Xi with the blanket.

The computer on the small table was still faintly lit.

On the screen were several pages of densely packed small text.

How should I turn off my computer?

Xu Nian picked up the computer, looked at it from left to right, and frowned slightly.

Having never used a computer before, he was somewhat at a loss when faced with this high-tech product.

Logically speaking, all electrical appliances have a switch, so computers should have one too, right?

As he pondered this, he fumbled around on the computer.

A standalone key with a power icon on the keyboard caught his attention.

He pressed a button, and the screen went black immediately, and the buzzing fan stopped.

Well, it really is no different from appliances like washing machines and range hoods.

Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief, carefully tidied up the precious metal lump, and gently covered her younger sister with the blanket.

Lying in bed, he was lost in thought.

Xu Xi now is just like she used to be.

To support his family, he leaves early and returns late, working like a spinning top every day.

On the contrary, she enjoys everything that is readily available to her, building her leisure on her sister's busyness.

I need to help my sister and do what I can to help her.