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

Light snow began to fall from the sky, crystal clear, like scattered fragments of moonlight falling on this cold city.

At the gatehouse of Compound No. 5, two elderly men wearing military overcoats were leisurely playing chess around the stove.

The evening news was playing on a radio nearby.

"Today, a heinous murder occurred in the southern border region of our province. A police officer on patrol was tragically killed by smugglers."

"Following the incident, the provincial and municipal public security authorities attached great importance to it and quickly established a special task force to investigate the case. Currently, the identities of the smugglers involved have not yet been determined, and they are still at large."

"In order to apprehend the criminal suspects as soon as possible and severely crack down on border smuggling crimes, the Provincial Public Security Department has issued a reward notice, soliciting relevant clues from the public."

"Any unit or individual that provides effective clues to the public security authorities and assists in the arrest of smugglers will be rewarded with RMB 5."

A crisp knock on the window interrupted the old men's fierce battle on the chessboard.

Who is it?

The glass was shrouded in fog. An old man stood up and opened the window.

Upon seeing the visitor, he was immediately overjoyed.

"Hey! Little Xu! You've come to see us old folks?"

"Oh? Little Xu is back?"

Another elderly person hurriedly opened the door and welcomed Xu Nian into the house.

"Hello, Grandpa Liu. Hello, Grandpa Deng."

Xu Nian forced a smile.

Grandpa Liu leaned out of the window and looked around.

"Hey? Where's little Xu?"

"she..."

Xu Nian was speechless for a moment, unsure how to explain.

"You two had a fight, didn't you? With your sister."

Grandpa Deng smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yes, that's right."

Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to back down.

"You little rascal, Xu, you're bullying Xu girl behind my back, aren't you?"

Grandpa Liu was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at Xu Nian. He raised his palm-leaf fan and slapped Xu Nian's head a few times.

"Alright, alright, Lao Liu, give the kid some face."

Grandpa Deng pressed down on Grandpa Liu's arm and sighed.

"Xiao Xu, your sister is quite clever and mischievous. Sometimes she can be a bit naughty, but she always has you in her heart."

"I have a small request, please go along with it. Big brother should give in to little sister, right?"

Xu Nian did not explain, remaining silent without uttering a word.

If it's just a small request, he can comply with Xu Xi's wishes.

But on such a major life event, how could he let Xu Xi have her way?

"Grandpa Deng, I want to come back and rent from you for a while longer."

"Can you continue renting it to me at the same price as before?"

Grandpa Deng sighed.

"You can stay here. The key is under the rug by the door."

"Forget about the money. Your grandma won't let me smoke anymore. I'm an old man, I don't need much money anyway."

"When you've figured things out and calmed down, bring your sister back so she can chat with us."

Upon hearing the word "younger sister," Xu Nian's eyes twitched slightly.

He knew he couldn't fulfill that request.

He has decided to end this halfway sibling relationship with Xu Xi, and from now on, he and she will probably never see each other again.

Ignoring Grandpa Deng's refusal, he forced five hundred yuan into his pocket.

"Old Deng, if you ask me, you just didn't collect enough!"

Grandpa Liu, still furious, snorted coldly.

"He dared to bully Xu girl, so charging him five thousand is more appropriate."

Xu Nian lowered her head in shame.

Seeing that Xu Nian was in low spirits, Grandpa Deng quickly smiled and smoothed things over.

"Haha, Xiao Xu, Lao Liu's been on fire lately, don't take his words to heart."

"He had a fight with his granddaughter, and his sweet granddaughter said she wouldn't come back to see him for Chinese New Year this year."

"You'd be better off not bringing it up; it just makes me angrier!"

"That Xiao Jin, a proper college student, is dating a boyfriend who didn't even finish junior high school."

"That poor boy, how could he be worthy of her? And she keeps talking about true love."

"How could I not be angry?"

Hearing this, Xu Nian felt as if a thorn had been plunged into her heart.

"Hey! So what if you only graduated from junior high? You just missed a day of school and went to fight the Japanese with a gun, didn't you? You were on TV a lot later on, you wore a lot of medals, and you even married a teacher. How glorious was that?"

"Back then I didn't have the means, but is it the same now? Go look around the streets, can you find an illiterate person anymore?"

Grandpa Deng smiled helplessly and said to Xu Nian.

"Xiao Xu, it's getting late, you should go back and rest."

"Thank you, Grandpa Deng."

Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and fled from the guardhouse as if escaping.

Every word Grandpa Liu said felt like an execution.

Yes, what could someone like me, an illiterate who only finished elementary school, possibly deserve?

Even staying by Xu Xi's side would be a sin.

......

Follow the low stairs all the way up.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, a musty smell that had been sealed for a long time wafted out.

The tables and chairs at the entrance are still as they were when we left.

It looked as if a well-behaved young girl was sitting on it.

"Brother, you're back! I've prepared a meal for you, wash your hands and eat!"

When I opened my eyes, all that remained was a thin layer of dust.

Xu Nian silently pushed the chair away and went into the room.

The furnishings inside are exactly the same as they were a few months ago.

A teapot with peeling paint, a creaking floor, and an old wall clock that ticks slowly.

The only difference was that everything had become lifeless.

He collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted.

Why...why did it turn out like this?

Why did Xu Xi have to fall for someone so illiterate?

What is it about me that makes her like me so much?

Perhaps after some time to calm down, she will come to her senses.

Thinking this, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept very restlessly, having three nightmares.

He was woken up early the next morning by the jarring ringtone of his cell phone.

Seeing the name "Qi Yu" prominently displayed on the caller ID, he frowned deeply.

He considered Qi Yu his best brother, but the other man didn't even tell him about something as important as Xu Xi confessing her feelings to him.

He even helped Xu Xi go further and further down the path of making mistakes.

In a fit of anger, he hung up the phone.

A short while later, the phone rang again.

It's Wen Yao.

Xu Nian still chose to hang up.

These people must be here to plead for Xu Xi.

No matter what, he couldn't back down.

The phone rang again; it was Zhao Lin calling.

He hung up again and then turned off his phone.

The world suddenly became quiet.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, stood up, and decided to go out for breakfast.

The snow continued all night, and when I left home, everything outside was a vast expanse of white.

"A bowl of scallion oil noodles, a bowl of beef noodles, with five yuan's worth of beef and extra chili."

"Okay! Coming right away!"

Before long, the owner brought two steaming bowls of noodles to Xu Nian.

"Why are there two bowls?"

Xu Nian frowned.

"Sir, you've ordered two bowls of noodles."

The boss looked at Xu Nian with a puzzled expression.

He remembered that this man had been coming to his house for breakfast for several months.

Sometimes I order a cheap dish myself and then get an expensive one to go.

Sometimes he brings a pretty young girl along to eat with him.

"Do you need it packed up?"

Xu Nian recalled what she had said when she placed the order and couldn't help but smile wryly.

"No need, just leave it."

He looked at the bowl of soup noodles, which was covered in red oil and stuffed with beef, and sighed softly.

I need to get used to living alone as soon as possible.