Chapter 7: A New Beginning of Affection

Xue Xiang left the market, glanced at his watch, and saw that it was already 7:10. The three younger ones at home still had to go to school at 8, and time was tight. Xue Xiang hung the basket back on the bike handle, got on the seat, held the large jute bag with his left hand, and the bike handle with his right, and sped home like the wind. There was no time to make breakfast for them, so he stopped by the Red Star Canteen, bought three pounds of pork buns and two pounds of fried dough sticks, and stuffed them into the basket. Liquid foods like soy milk were prone to spill and were inconvenient to store, so he decided to skip them.

Five minutes later, Xue Xiang rode his bicycle into the military district compound. He was greeted continuously along the way and finally entered the small courtyard after another two minutes. Upon entering, he saw Xiao Yi and Xiao Shi, brother and sister, each holding a cup of water, brushing their teeth at the washing pool. Xue Xiang parked the bike in the shed, picked up the jute bag and the basket, and walked towards the washing pool. When he got close, he stopped and stared at the two siblings, unable to look away.

Xiao Shi was wearing a shabby blue cotton jacket, with the cuffs worn out and some cotton showing. He wore a loose yellow cotton pants, which seemed to be a hand-me-down. It was still cold in early spring, and he was wearing single-layer cloth shoes. Xiao Yi's clothes were not much better, a loose and baggy yellow military uniform, with wide shoulders and sleeves, and obviously oversized pants. The cuffs were rolled up a few times to prevent them from dragging on the ground. She wore yellow rubber-soled cloth shoes, with a crooked patch of hemp cloth on the left toe. It was clear that their clothes and shoes were pieced together and resized by Xiao Wan. Xue Xiang knew this was all Xiao Wan's handiwork.

Xue Xiang, who knew the whole story from memory, had been avoiding this reality since his parents passed away two years ago. He was afraid to see his younger siblings, afraid to be reminded of his parents' tragic death. Apart from going to the revolutionary committee every month to collect the living expenses for the four of them and giving them to Xiao Wan, he rarely came home for meals. At this moment, Xue Xiang felt an overwhelming sense of regret and silently vowed to never let his siblings suffer again, to make up for all the neglect.

Xiao Shi found today's big brother very strange. Usually, he would immediately avoid them and never initiate conversation. Today, he had been staring at him and Xiao Yi non-stop since he returned early in the morning.

"Old Three, Xiao Si, where is your second sister? Hurry up and finish brushing your teeth, come and have breakfast. Big brother bought you pork buns from Red Star." Xue Xiang waved the basket and smiled at the two little ones.

The two little ones were at a loss, not even bothering to brush their teeth properly. They rinsed their mouths quickly, looked at each other, and their eyes darted around, full of confusion, unsure of what was happening.

Xue Xiang, seeing the two little ones' darting eyes, felt both adorable and heartbroken. It was only natural for younger siblings to be taken care of by their older brother, but for them, it seemed like a luxury. The two little ones followed Xue Xiang into the hall without a word. Xiao Wan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Xue Xiang put down the jute bag and the basket and prepared to go into the kitchen to call Xiao Wan to come eat.

When Xue Xiang entered the kitchen, the air was filled with the aroma of rice, and steam was rising. Xiao Wan, in a loose yellow military uniform, was cooking porridge at the stove, stirring the pot with her thin, weak hands, her eyes vacant as if lost in thought.

"Xiao Wan, come out and eat. I've bought breakfast. You go eat, and I'll take over the porridge later." Xue Xiang walked over and gently patted Xiao Wan's shoulder, his heart aching.

"This is the last bit of rice in the rice bin. It's still ten days until the next living expenses are due, and we don't have much money left. Xiao Yi's schoolbag is broken and can't be fixed. I'll just take it apart and make a pair of socks for Xiao Shi..." Xiao Wan was worried about the family's livelihood. Suddenly, she felt a pat on her shoulder and heard someone speaking. She turned around and saw it was her big brother.

"Big brother, did you wash the clothes in the courtyard?" Xiao Wan asked, her eyes fixed on Xue Xiang. She had gotten up early to wash clothes, but when she came to the courtyard, she saw the clothesline full of clean clothes, and the basin in the washing pool was empty. She was very curious and went back to the kitchen to buy groceries, only to find the basket missing. When she opened the compartment where the tickets were stored, she found that most of the tickets were gone, and she was scared, thinking the house had been robbed. She rushed to Xue Xiang's room to call him, but he wasn't there. After some thought, she guessed a possibility, but she didn't dare to believe it. Now that Xue Xiang was back, she immediately asked for confirmation.

"I washed them, and I've bought the rice and flour. From now on, you and Old Three and Xiao Si just focus on your studies. I'll take care of the household. I'm sorry, big brother has neglected you all these years and let you suffer. I'll make it up to you from now on." Xue Xiang lowered his voice, his eyes welling up with tears.

Xiao Wan burst into tears, tightly hugging Xue Xiang, burying her head in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. She was releasing all the grief over her parents' death and the hardships of the past two years. Her sobs became more labored, as if she was trying to vent everything at once.

Xue Xiang stroked Xiao Wan's hair with his left hand and gently patted her back with his right, helping her to breathe steadily. At this moment, the two little ones heard their sister's cries and rushed in, seeing their second sister hugging their big brother and crying. They thought the big brother was bullying her. Xiao Yi glared at Xue Xiang with fierce eyes, like a little wild wolf, and Xiao Shi's lips trembled, about to cry. Xiao Wan, seeing them come in, let go of Xue Xiang, stopped crying, and Xue Xiang stepped forward to hug Xiao Shi. Just as he reached out, Xiao Shi twisted her body and dodged, leaving Xue Xiang feeling very awkward. He realized he had failed as a big brother and was not well-liked.

"Old Three, Xiao Si, what are you doing? Why aren't you talking to big brother? Just now, second sister accidentally got some ashes in her eyes from the stove and was in pain. Big brother was helping her blow the ashes out." Xiao Wan said with red eyes.

"Second sister is lying. Big brother isn't that nice. Last time I fell, he didn't even help me up." Xiao Shi pointed at Xue Xiang, accusing him. The little one had a good memory and knew who was good and who was bad.

"Big brother is a bad guy. From now on, big brother will hug Xiao Si every day, okay? Come on, let's go eat. If you want anything, just tell big brother. Don't trouble your second sister anymore. Big brother will take care of you." Xue Xiang squatted down, looking at the little one gently.

Xiao Yi didn't say anything, her fierce eyes gradually fading, her lips tightly closed, clearly not forgiving this big brother yet.

Xue Xiang turned off the stove, led the three siblings to the dining table, and took out the oil paper bag from the basket, placing it on a yellow hardwood table. The four of them sat around the table, and Xue Xiang opened the paper bag. The steam from the food rose, and the enticing aroma stimulated their appetites.

"Come, take what you want. The buns are pork and mushroom, and the fried dough sticks are freshly made. Dig in!" Xue Xiang called out in a funny tone, easing the awkwardness. The three of them were already drooling, and as soon as Xue Xiang finished speaking, they all reached out.

Xiao Wan grabbed two pork buns, stuffed one into her mouth, and swallowed it in large bites, the red oil dripping onto her hands without her noticing. Xiao Yi held a fried dough stick in one hand and a bun in the other, biting the bun and tearing off a piece of the dough stick. The dough stick was too hot, so she shook it to cool it down but didn't let go. Xiao Shi, with her small hands, held a pork bun, which covered half her face. She wanted to bury her head in the bun, and her big eyes stared at the table through the top of the bun, guarding it tightly, a typical case of eating from the bowl while looking at the pot. Xue Xiang, seeing his siblings eating messily, felt heartbroken and got up to pour a glass of water for each of them.

The three of them didn't speak, just ate with their heads down. Xiao Shi finished two large pork buns and was about to reach for more, but Xue Xiang stopped her: "Little one, if you eat too much, your little tummy will hurt. Save some for later."

The little girl frowned and pouted: "When was the last time we had pork buns? I've forgotten. When will we have them again? Second sister and Old Three are still eating, I want to eat too. I don't want to wait for next time."

"Little one, big brother will buy you pork buns every day, but you can't eat any more now. Big brother will make you braised pig's trotters for lunch. If you eat too much now, you won't have room for the meat at lunch."

"Lunch with pig's trotters? Oh, oh, meat! Okay, I won't eat anymore. At lunch, second sister and Old Three won't eat as much as me. Hehe." The little one was delighted, thinking she had a good plan, and smiled with her eyes curved like a crescent moon. "Big brother, will you really buy me pork buns every day? That's so nice. You never talked to me before. Also, call me 'little one' from now on. I like it. Don't call me Xiao Si. Do we have enough money at home? I'll eat them every two, three... five days." The little one counted on her fingers, slowly adding up to five, looking very serious.

"Okay, I'll only call you 'little one.' Big brother will play with you every day, and you can have pork buns whenever you want. I just don't want you to become a little fatty." Xiao Shi slid off the chair and moved towards Xue Xiang, her small hands pressing on his thigh, trying to climb up. Xue Xiang picked her up and held her in his arms, making her giggle.

"Big brother, we don't have much money at home. Xiao Yi's schoolbag is too broken to fix, and Xiao Si's two yuan for school fees hasn't been paid yet." Xiao Wan, having finished eating, wiped her lips.

"I don't need a schoolbag. Second sister, just find me a piece of cloth, and I'll use it to wrap my things." Xiao Yi chimed in, showing her maturity at eight years old, understanding the family's difficulties and not wanting to burden her sister.

"Using a cloth won't do. Old Three, after school, wait for me at the gate. We'll go buy you a schoolbag and get some new clothes for all three of you. It was big brother's mistake to only think of myself. From now on, focus on your studies, and if you have any problems, tell me." Xue Xiang tightened his hold on Xiao Shi and said.

"Will you always hug me like this, big brother? I'm afraid you'll go back to the way you were before and ignore me." Xiao Shi's small hands tightly grabbed Xue Xiang's collar, her eyes wide and staring at him.

"Don't worry, little one. Big brother promises to hug you every day." Xue Xiang kissed the little one's cheek, took out his wallet, and handed a five-yuan note to Xiao Wan. "Take this money. Use it to pay Xiao Si's school fees, and keep the rest for yourself. You're a big girl now, and you should have some money. Besides, with money, you can buy some snacks for Old Three and Xiao Si." The three of them, though in different grades—kindergarten, primary school, and middle school—were all in the same school, the Yu Ying system.

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End of Chapter 7

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