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

"What's wrong? Xiaoxi, come out for dinner."

Xu Nian walked to Xu Xi's room and gently knocked on the door.

"I'm not hungry."

Xu Xi's soft voice came from inside.

Xu Nian scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

Xu Xi is acting strangely today, completely different from usual.

Is it her period?

Thinking of this, Xu Nian turned around and went into the kitchen to prepare a bowl of brown sugar and egg soup for her.

As Xu Nian's footsteps faded into the distance, Xu Xi angrily grabbed the pillow he had slept on the night before and punched it repeatedly.

Damn it, my brother is such an idiot. Doesn't he know he's angry with me for being drunk last night?

They just left like that, without even trying to comfort me.

Xu Xi dejectedly threw down the pillow, covered her head with the blanket, and curled up into a small ball.

After an unknown amount of time, there was another knock on the door.

Xu Nian walked in carrying a bowl of brown sugar and egg soup.

"Xiaoxi, is your stomach upset? Come and drink this bowl of soup."

The aroma wafted into Xu Xi's nostrils, and her stomach rumbled twice, much to her dismay.

Xu Xi crawled out of the covers and looked at the soup Xu Nian was holding, a sense of guilt welling up in her heart.

"Brother...brother, I'm sorry, I'm not on my period..."

"Oh? What's wrong? You look pretty bad today."

Xu Nian placed the soup on the bedside table and bent down to touch Xu Xi's forehead.

It's not hot, so it doesn't seem like a fever.

Xu Xi blushed and lowered her head.

"Brother, why did you drink so much yesterday..."

"So, you're angry that I drank?"

Xu Nian asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Xu Xi let out a soft hum, barely audible.

Xu Nian picked up the soup, blew on it, and handed it to Xu Xi.

"Have something to drink first. You must be feeling unwell after being hungry for so long."

Xu Xi took the soup somewhat shyly and took a small sip.

A warm current flowed into my stomach, feeling cozy and incredibly comfortable.

"Little Creek, do you know what the most expensive thing in this world is?"

Xu Xi tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"Gold?"

Xu Nian shook her head.

"diamond?"

Xu Nian shook her head again.

Xu Xi listed all the valuable items she considered to be valuable, but still did not receive a positive answer from Xu Nian.

"Ah, I can't guess. Just tell me, brother."

"It's a favor."

Xu Nian paused for a moment, then continued.

"The things you mentioned, although very valuable, can all be bought with money."

"But favors are priceless. Even if you are very rich, you can't guarantee that you can repay the favors you owe others."

"To solve your schooling problem, a high school teacher took a risk, changed your records, and arranged for you to study at the school."

"Brother, you don't know this teacher, and you're not related to him at all. Why would he do these things for you?"

"Because of Uncle Zhang."

"That's right."

Xu Nian nodded.

"It was because of Uncle Zhang that something that was originally impossible became possible."

"Tell me, don't we owe Uncle Zhang a favor?"

Xu Xi thought about it carefully and nodded.

"However, my brother can't repay this favor right now."

"We haven't repaid the favor yet, and Uncle Zhang suggested having a drink with you. Do you think it would be inappropriate for you to refuse?"

After hearing this, Xu Xi lowered her head in embarrassment.

The older brother went drinking to repay the favor he received for getting him into school.

Not only did she not appreciate it, she also threw a tantrum at her brother.

That's incredibly inconsiderate.

"Then... Brother took Xiaoxi in and treated her so well, how can Xiaoxi still owe Brother a favor?"

Xu Nian smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Silly girl, you've already called me brother, you're family."

"It is only natural for family members to take care of each other; it has nothing to do with personal feelings."

Xu Xi nestled in Xu Nian's arms and hugged him tightly.

"Brother, could you please drink less alcohol in the future...?"

"Xiaoxi really... really... really doesn't like her brother when he's drunk."

Xu Nian looked down and saw the wounds on Xu Xi's head, and suddenly recalled how Xu Xi had been hurt by the drunkard Li Laogui time and time again.

And her biological father, who also seems to be a heavy drinker.

No wonder Xu Xi reacted so strongly to her drinking.

He gently patted Xu Xi's back and spoke softly.

"Okay, I promise you."

"Actually, my brother doesn't like drinking either. That stuff is bitter and astringent, and it makes you feel dizzy all over after drinking it."

"But your brother sometimes needs to have a drink with others, so you're not allowed to get so angry that you don't eat and make yourself feel unwell from hunger."

Xu Xi nodded obediently.

"Let's go out to eat then, and see what you think of your cooking today?"

"Uh-huh."

......

Days passed by, and soon it was the day before Xu Xi's school started.

"I'm going out."

"Be careful on the road, brother."

Xu Xi rubbed her cheek against Xu Nian's chest and waved goodbye to him.

After reminding him to buy some stationery for school, Xu Nian went out to the logistics park.

Tomorrow is Xu Xi's first day of school, and he plans to ask Xu Hu for leave so he can take Xu Xi to school.

Although it's almost September, the weather in Yuncheng is still very hot.

The sun hung scorching overhead, showing no signs of autumn.

By the time Xu Nian arrived at the logistics park, she was already drenched in sweat.

"Good morning, Brother Xu, it's so hot today."

Qi Yu greeted him while wiping his sweat.

Xu Nian nodded, then heard a commotion coming from afar.

"What happened over there?"

He pointed in the direction of the sound and asked Qi Yu.

"I don't know, it was like this when I arrived."

Qi Yu shook his head: "Should we go take a look?"

"Forget it, it's better to avoid trouble."

Xu Nian sat down on the ground, but soon felt a burning sensation in her buttocks and quickly stood up.

"Haha, Brother Xu, you got burned too, didn't you?"

Qi Yu grinned, and with his tanned skin and well-developed muscles on his arms, he no longer resembled a scholar at all.

Xu Nian smiled awkwardly.

"By the way, Qi Yu, do you remember how much tuition you paid when you were in high school?"

"Tuition fees."

Qi Yu pondered for a while.

"High school tuition wasn't expensive. I paid around 2,000 yuan a year. If you add the cost of books and other miscellaneous fees, it would cost a few hundred yuan more each semester."

Hearing this, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the two thousand yuan was just within his limit.

After a while, the noise in the distance gradually subsided.

Xu Hu walked out from the commotion with a gloomy face.

Xu Nian wanted to go up to him and ask for leave tomorrow, but seeing Xu Hu's appearance, she had to give up for the time being.

"Brothers, today is the last day we work together."

Xu Hu sighed, his gaze sweeping over the group of people.

When the tears fell on Xu Nian and Qi Yu, there was a noticeable increase in reluctance.

"Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come anymore."