"Big Brother."
Xu Nianhua groped her way in the dark, heading outside. Under the moonlight, that tall figure could only be Xu Nianji.
Xu Nianhua was really excited, itching to rush forward, but she stopped in her tracks.
"What, it's been so long since you've seen Big Brother, you don't recognize me?"
Xu Nianji opened his arms, saying, "Let Big Brother take a look—have you gotten any fatter?"
"Big Brother."
Xu Nianhua couldn't hold back anymore. She threw herself into his arms, and her tears finally spilled over, dropping nonstop. She didn't know why, but since coming back, her tears seemed to be free, and she'd feel like crying at the drop of a hat.
"Alright, don't cry—puffy eyes aren't pretty." Xu Nianji gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, comforting her, "It's okay you didn't pass the exam this year. Our little sister is smart and capable—she'll definitely pass next year."
"How come you're so hot?"
Xu Nianji frowned, raising his hand to touch her forehead—she was burning up.
"It's nothing, maybe it's just too hot." Xu Nianhua said casually.
"Big Brother, let's head inside first."
Xu Nian'an spoke up. The night outside was pretty, but it was too quiet here, so quiet that Xu Nian'an felt a bit uneasy inside.
Once they got inside, everyone gathered in the room, squeezing onto the bed, pulling up benches to sit together. The five members of the family were finally reunited.
Xu Qinghe simply explained the matter about splitting the family, while Xu Nian'an added details from the side. Even though Xu Nianji hadn't been there, he already knew—they had split from their grandparents. Besides the old house and thirty yuan, they'd gotten nothing else.
"It's my fault—I was supposed to arrange for the Zhou Family girl to marry into our home this winter." Thinking of this, Xu Qinghe felt guilty towards his eldest son.
"Dad."
Xu Nianji spoke up to interrupt: "I'm not that old yet, there's no rush. Besides, even though we didn't get much from the division, we've got our hands and feet—I'm sure we can support our family."
"I think it's okay for the family to be poor, but Nian'an and little sister absolutely need to stay in school."
Xu Nianji worked at the brick factory, and he knew clearly that for them, only studying was a real way out!
"Big Brother's right. We've got our own hands and feet. It's still almost two months till school starts, and I believe we can definitely earn the money." Xu Nianhua chimed in, even though she was burning with fever. Seeing the family reunited, she forced herself to hang in there—but couldn't last long. After saying this, she felt especially drained.
After a while, Xu Nianhua lay down in bed, drifting off into a hazy sleep as Mom, Dad, Big Brother, and Second Brother chatted beside her.
When Xu Nianhua woke up again, all she saw was the old, shabby roof and the empty room. Sunshine from outside filtered in through finger-width cracks in the plank walls.
No luxury beds, no fancy rooms, and definitely no doctors nagging at her bedside.
Thinking of what happened yesterday, Xu Nianhua sat on the bed for a long time before she realized—not only was she still alive, she'd gone back to the past.
"This is wonderful."
Xu Nianhua beamed with a sweet smile. Today, her head wasn't dizzy, she didn't feel hot anymore, and even the scorching sunlight outside seemed so beautiful in her eyes.
"Mom."
Xu Nianhua came out of her room and saw Ji Ying hoeing weeds in the yard. She happily walked over to Ji Ying, her face blooming with a sweet smile.