Chapter 87 (Combined)

Rather than realizing that Zhou Weifang had brought dishes he liked, Luo Yanxian found that they were more like snacks to accompany drinks.

She said, "Would you like some drinks? I'll go buy some."

Luo Hong looked at his sister suspiciously: "You're so enthusiastic about this too."

Luo Yan honestly replied, "I want to drink soda."

Luo Hong gave her money: "Go ahead, buy three bottles."

Luo Yan felt a joy reminiscent of running errands for her parents when she was a child. She hummed a song from a choir competition and swung her arms as she walked away.

Zhou Weifang seems to be in a good mood.

"She was quite happy today."

Luo Hong: "You talk as if you saw her yesterday."

Well, he was already in a bad mood just hearing that, so Zhou Weifang thought it best to keep quiet and said, "Please go ahead."

"Shut up," Luo Hong rolled his eyes and ignored him, sitting down to start eating.

Luo Yan returned with the soda and saw that the guest wasn't moving: "It's okay, don't wait for me, you can eat."

There are some things that it doesn't matter if the older brother does them; we're all family, and we've seen what the other side of the family is like.

But Zhou Weifang couldn't do that; he first used a spoon to pry open the soda bottle for her.

Luo Yan had been curious about something for a long time: "How come you can open bottle caps with anything? I've tried, but nothing works."

Zhou Weifang demonstrated for her: "Tuck it here."

The last bottle—Luo Yan held it in her hand for a long time but couldn't figure out what "saying goodbye" meant, and finally gave up in despair.

When it was in Zhou Weifang's hands, the bottle cap opened just like he had.

Luo Yan looked amazed, stroking her chin as she tried to figure out the secret.

It's just a bottle cap, what's there to ponder?

Luo Hong tapped his finger on the table: "It'll get cold if we don't eat it soon."

"Yes," Luo Yan picked up her chopsticks.

Zhou Weifang didn't initiate any conversation with her. He chatted casually with his childhood friend, and naturally brought up the topic of Zhou Yuyao's upcoming marriage.

Luo Hong: "Are you planning to take the red envelope or..."

"Buying something?"

According to custom, Zhou Weifang is unmarried and therefore does not need to give gifts to his elder sister. However, social obligations cannot be entirely based on custom, so he said, "I originally wanted to buy some, but my brother-in-law has already bought everything he needs."

The Wang family has only two children. Both parents are employees, and Wang Delin himself has been working for many years and has accumulated considerable savings.

He furnished most of the dormitory room that his workplace had just assigned him, including appliances like fans and televisions.

Cheaper options seemed insincere to Zhou Weifang, while more expensive ones were beyond his means. It was a real headache for him.

Luo Hong couldn't think of anything suitable for a moment, so he said, "Then a red envelope is still the most practical."

Zhou Weifang thought so too: "I wanted to give her two hundred as a dowry."

That's a lot, so Luo Hong couldn't help but ask, "How much did your brother and the others give you?"

Zhou Weifang: "I didn't ask, but I guess it's fifty."

This is roughly how people behave in ordinary households.

Luo Hong: "It's passable."

But it was only passable. Zhou Weifang then gave an example: "In the future, geese..."

What's wrong with me? Luo Yan looked around and noticed that the two men had somewhat subtle expressions, taking a sip of soda and their eyes darting around.

She was so busy, Luo Hong said casually, "Yan Yan's dowry will definitely be plentiful, but we also need to be selective about the groom's gifts."

Dowry? Luo Yan wasn't interested in these things. After all, she knew exactly how much money was in her parents' savings account. She only needed to divide it by two to find out the amount. She silently continued eating.

Zhou Weifang, however, seemed quite interested and asked, "What kind of gift should we choose?"

Luo Hong: "First of all, we need to have a proper house to live in. A cramped little bungalow won't do; it has to be the kind with a toilet inside."

After saying that, he stopped there.

Zhou Weifang asked, "Anything else?"

Luo Hong said bluntly, "I have nothing to do with you right now."

As for the future, it depends on my sister's situation and whether he can do the same thing on his end.

Zhou Weifang stopped asking and started doing the math: "The houses in Tuanjiehu have started selling, 400 yuan per square meter, and the cheapest ones are almost 30,000 yuan."

This has been the biggest news in Beijing these past few days. Luo Yan had heard about it before and joined the conversation: "It's expensive and far away, who would buy it?"

She rarely goes out; she's practically lived in the hutongs (traditional alleyways) her whole life. When she talks about Jiaotong University, she always says she studies in the western suburbs, let alone Tuanjiehu (Unity Lake) outside the Third Ring Road.

Zhou Weifang chimed in, "It is too far, but since there is the first commercial housing project, there will be a second one in the future."

Even if she had the money, she couldn't afford it. Luo Yan did a quick calculation: according to this year's salary standards, an undergraduate can earn 56 yuan after a year of internship. Even if she saved every penny, she still wouldn't be able to afford one square meter outside the Third Ring Road.

After doing the math, Luo Yanxin felt a chill run down her spine. She shook her head and then encouraged her brother, "Work hard, and I'll benefit from your success in the future."

Luo Hong flicked his sister's forehead: "What do you mean by taking advantage of someone else's success? What's mine is yours too."

Zhou Weifang felt that half of what he said was directed at him.

He knew, of course, that he wouldn't qualify if judged by his childhood friend's standards for a brother-in-law. He also knew that these shortcomings wouldn't matter if Luo Yan liked him, even though that possibility was far off for him. But he still felt that things shouldn't be done that way.

The only good news for him right now is that he thinks Luo Yan, with her personality, won't fall for another boy anytime soon. His old, failed theory of gradual progress still applies, so he changed the subject and said, "We have our midterms."

Hearing this, Luo Yan asked with great anticipation, "How did you do on the exam?"

Zhou Weifang: "I came in third, but the test was quite easy."

Ultimately, it's a continuing education program, and students aren't expected to meet the same standards as regular students.

Whether the test was easy or not, it still came in third place.

Luo Yan: "You can't think like that. Getting a good score is good. Even if the test is easy, I've never seen anyone else get a better score than you."

She never said such things, believing that there were only two options in an exam: yes or no. Carelessness and such were all excuses to her.

Zhou Weifang: "I'm just being modest in front of you, otherwise it would be like showing off my skills in front of Guan Yu."

Luo Yan shrugged: "You men just overthink things."

Well, I've been rejected.

Zhou Weifang laughed: "Next time I get first place, I'll definitely tell you loudly."

Luo Yan encouraged him and he continued to eat seriously.

Luo Hong now sees his childhood friend as someone trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water, and he feels sorry for him as he looks at him.

But Zhou Weifang himself didn't feel sorry for himself and brought up another matter.

Luo Hong chatted with him until he noticed a guest putting down his chopsticks.

When he came back after changing the chain, the two of them had already finished eating.

Luo Yan looked at her brother's hand and tapped the back of his hand: "You should wash it."

Luo Hong casually wiped his pants: "I'll wash them together tonight, otherwise I'll be covered in bruises."

Engine oil can't be cleaned by just washing with water. He scrubs it all day long, and he even has to use a coarse bristle brush. After doing this many times, small cuts on his fingers are left that never heal.

Luo Yan: "I told you I had to use face cream, but you wouldn't do it." Luo Hong waved his hand dismissively: "Spare me."

Luo Yan would bring this up every time it was mentioned, and when she turned her head and saw Zhou Weifang, she included him as well: "And you, look at your hands."

Zhou Weifang put his hands behind his back and said to himself, "I'll wipe it, I'll definitely wipe it when I get back."

"They're all the same," Luo Yan sneered, watching her brother finish his meal and go wash the dishes.

Unlike him, Zhou Weifang couldn't sit there with such confidence. He stood up and said, "I'll wash it."

Luo Yan: "You forgot about hands again right after I said that."

Zhou Weifang himself was thick-skinned and didn't care what his hands looked like, but he suddenly remembered something—one day last month when he went back to the alley, he bumped into Zhou Xiuhe bringing Luo Yan back. The two of them were huddled together, talking about something, and their hands were secretly clasped together under the cover of night.

Zhou Xiuhe's hands probably only have thin calluses from writing, so holding them wouldn't hurt.

Thinking about it this way, Zhou Weifang also realized that he was indeed not very good at anything, and he opened his palm to look at himself.

What's so interesting about it? Luo Hong looked at his own palm and suddenly said, "When I was a child, a master passed by our house and said that my palm lines indicated that I would achieve great things later in life."

Luo Yan turned to look at her brother: "It's late enough now."

Luo Hong is twenty-four years old this year. He feels that he is still in his prime and says, "I'm planning slowly now, and it will naturally be successful in two years."

Luo Yan didn't argue with her brother about this, and said, "It definitely will."

He added, "Since there's no one here right now, you can learn how to keep accounts."

Luo Hongcai had only been in business for a few days, and all he did was write down expenses on one page and income on another. He thought it was quite convenient to calculate things that way, but his sister wasn't satisfied with it.

He opened his notebook: "Is there a problem with my accounting?"

Zhou Weifang glanced at it and said, "It's alright. He'll learn from this experience. He'll know once the accounts are full in a couple of months."

If things don't get organized properly, things will fall apart sooner or later.

At first glance, it sounds like wishing oneself a prosperous business, but upon closer inspection, it also carries a hint of schadenfreude.

Luo Hong locked his childhood friend's neck: "Now it's my turn to teach you."

Zhou Weifang elbowed him, and the two of them knocked the table over with a clatter.

Luo Yan turned around and glared at them: "If the table breaks later, you two will be finished together."

Zhou Weifang righted the table and, seeing that she had finished washing the dishes, said, "Have you finished your homework? Do you have time to look at mine?"

Luo Yan knew she had a busy schedule today and had finished writing all night. She wiped her hands on her apron and said, "I'm free."

Zhou Weifang came prepared, and to demonstrate his positive attitude and ambition, he even showed her two extracurricular books he had bought: "Recommended by the teacher."

Excellent! Learning requires this kind of thirst for knowledge. Luo Yan: "Then it's definitely suitable for you."

Zhou Weifang couldn't pretend not to understand: "I can understand it most of the time."

Look at others, then look at ourselves.

Luo Hong was reading a novel with his legs crossed, looking extremely comfortable. Luo Yan wanted to say something to him, but then thought it was inappropriate to keep comparing them, so she finally said, "Put your legs down, or your back will hurt again."

The arduous labor he endured day after day in the countryside left Luo Hong with far more than just one or two injuries. He had actually gotten used to it, but he still did it anyway, afraid that she would nag him endlessly.

Luo Yan was finally satisfied and tapped the table, putting on airs: "And you, pay attention to how it's written on page 27."

The "you" here naturally refers to Zhou Weifang.

His gaze fell on the book, and after being bombarded with knowledge, he returned to the shop feeling dizzy and disoriented.

After everyone left, Luo Hong said to his sister, "You read for a while longer, I'll close up shop at ten o'clock."

Luo Yan put away the paper and pen, and suddenly felt a desire to perform, saying, "I'll practice my singing."

My sister's singing wasn't exactly terrible, but it was definitely not something I wanted to listen to.

Luo Hong almost covered his ears, hoping a guest would appear to stop this "catastrophe".

The more forbearing and resentful his expression was, the closer Luo Yan wanted to whisper in her brother's ear.

By 10 o'clock, Luo Hong still hadn't received anyone to rescue him, so he had no choice but to lock the door in frustration.

The brother and sister arrived home together and, upon seeing their parents, simultaneously said, "We're back!"

Looking at this, Liu Yinfeng thought of her children when they were young. She said, "In the past, the older brothers would come in all tattered clothes, and the younger sisters would cry behind them."

When Luo Hong was a child, he was good at fighting and had a wild personality. Even the sturdiest clothes would become tattered after only a few days.

But now, hearing this description, he said, "Now that you mention it, I sound like a beggar."

Liu Yinfeng said irritably, "Even beggars are cleaner than you."

This reminded Luo Xinmin: "Once when your mother wasn't home, and you went to the factory to get the keys, people assumed you were there to beg for food."

It took him a lot of effort to convince his colleagues that he and his wife had not abused their child, and that their son had caused the situation himself.

After all these years, how could Luo Hong remember every embarrassing incident? "This is absolutely slander. It's not that exaggerated."

Even more outrageous is that raising just one child is already a huge worry for the couple.

Perhaps that's why they imposed more rules and restrictions on their daughter after she was born, which led to her developing a different personality.

As for which is good and which is bad, they are all her own flesh and blood, and Liu Yinfeng thinks they are all good.

She stood up, supporting herself on the sofa armrest: "Yanyan needs to go to the bathhouse, hurry up, it's too late, we need to go to sleep."

Unlike her brother, who could make do in the bathroom at home, Luo Yan hurried into her room to grab some clothes. Seeing the things on the table, she exclaimed in surprise, "Mom! Is this an invitation for me?"

Almost forgot, Liu Yinfeng said: "Yuyao brought it over this afternoon, saying specifically to let you have your fill, so there's absolutely no need to give any gifts."

Luo Yan had wanted an invitation with her name on it for a long time. She always felt that it was a symbol of becoming an adult and thought it was her brother's handwriting, so she happily went to see him.

But Luo Hong couldn't take credit for this.

He had indeed mentioned to his childhood friend that he had "never seen my sister so eager to receive an invitation," but he didn't expect that his friend would actually send him one. So he mumbled, "Hurry up and get your clothes, the bathhouse is closed."

Luo Yan happily put down the invitation, and on the way, she discussed with her brother, "I should also give Sister Yuyao a gift."

Luo Hong said, "I've never seen anyone rush to give gifts. When you start working, you'll be so tired of social obligations that you'll still be grinning like an idiot."

These days, getting a job is basically a lifelong commitment, and there are countless favors and obligations to fulfill throughout the year.

Just because you'll be annoyed later doesn't mean you're unhappy now.

Luo Yan snorted: "I'll let it go since you did a good deed."

Luo Hong cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "One bow is enough between us."

It's a pity, Luo Yan also wanted her name on the gift list, but then she remembered that the bride had specifically told her to do so, and said regretfully, "Okay."

She wasn't happy about saving her money, so Luo Hong said, "If you don't have any money to spend, you can give it to me."

Luo Yan rolled her eyes: "Dream on."

She swung her braids as she entered the bathhouse. By the time she finished scrubbing herself, Luo Hong had already finished reading a comic book in the alley and was yawning shamelessly.

Anyway, he didn't go to bed early when he got home, so Luo Yan felt no guilt at all and was even angry: "Why don't the mosquitoes bite you?"

She stretched out her arm to show her brother; there were two small red dots on it.

Luo Hong: "Just wipe some saliva on it, and it'll be fine tomorrow."

Luo Yan said, “You used to make me chant incantations. If I hadn’t been so young, I would have been exterminated by the people in the neighborhood.”

Feeling guilty, Luo Hong pushed her, saying, "Let's go, let's go home."

Luo Yan had a string of leverage over her brother, which she used to "force" him to apply face cream when they got home.

Luo Hong almost sneezed from the fragrance, and said through gritted teeth, "I'm a grown man."

Luo Yan cleared her throat, but before she could utter a single word, Luo Hong conceded defeat: "I'll apply it."

"Very good," Luo Yan said smugly, raising her chin as she returned to her room and fell asleep immediately.

She didn't know if it was because she had mentioned Zhou Xiuhe's matter twice today, but she dreamed about it a third time last night.

She felt inexplicably melancholy when she woke up. Looking at the beam, she sighed and threw back the covers: "It's okay, everything will be alright."

She wasn't regretting or feeling remorseful; rather, she believed that it takes time to reciprocate the emotions one invests.

This self-comforting remark reached Luo Hong's ears, who had just been woken up by the urge to breathe.

His room was separated from his sister's by only a thin wooden board. He quietly opened the door and went out.

When the door opened, he met his sister's eyes. He said, "So early."

Luo Yan: "It's because you get up too late every day."

She smoothed her hair and went to the yard to wash up. She saw Li Hongyu brushing her teeth in front of the sink while standing on a stool, so she squatted down and talked to her.

Li Hongyu hurriedly opened her mouth, but swallowed a mouthful of foam and was terrified: "Auntie, I'm going to die!"

Luo Yancai was truly terrified by her. After finding out that Aunt Li had scared her granddaughter by saying that eating toothpaste would kill her, she had no choice but to explain to the child.

Li Hongyu was skeptical, so she went to her father to verify.

Li Jianjun said irritably, "Mom, talk to Yuyu nicely. She's young and takes everything seriously."

Aunt Li disagreed: "There's a kid in Wutiao Hutong who got appendicitis from eating toothpaste; his intestines are all rotten."

What nonsense! Li Jianjun: "I've never heard of such a thing since the founding of the People's Republic of China."

Aunt Li: "That's because you're inexperienced. Your mother has seen more of the world than you have walked the roads."

Li Jianjun: "Then you should eat less salt; it's better for your health."

You brat, always talking back.

Aunt Li doesn't have many rules about raising children. She was about to scold him, but then she glanced at her granddaughter and held back.

Li Hongyu was at the age where she learned words quickly and couldn't distinguish between good and bad words. The more nonsensical the words, the faster she learned them.

Seeing this, Li Jianjun felt too embarrassed to say anything more. He washed his daughter's face and took her to the aftercare class.

Li Hongyu sat on the back of her father's bicycle, waving goodbye to her aunt with a smile brighter than the morning sun.

How cute! Luo Yan waved back, but suddenly her brother grabbed her by the back of the neck.

Luo Hong: "Are you going to class later, or are you coming with me earlier?"

He can now recite his sister's class schedule by heart, and knows that she goes to school at nine o'clock on Monday mornings.

But Luo Yan has something more important than studying lately, saying, "Wait for me, wait for me, I have rehearsal this morning."

She eats very quickly, swallowing her food quickly before leaving.

This prompted Liu Yinfeng to call out from behind, "Your water cup."

Luo Yan didn't have time to think about it until she got to the classroom and realized she had arrived quite early, at which point she remembered she needed to drink water.

When he reached into his bag, there was nothing there. He scratched his head and stared blankly.

Fortunately, Luo Hong heard it.

He bought a bottle of soda for his sister to take to her classroom. Before entering the teaching building, he looked down at his clothes—they weren't very clean; they were the ones he wore when he worked.

After hesitating for a while, he still went upstairs, but for some reason he kept touching his hands and his hair.

Just as he was feeling restless, he saw Zhou Xiuhe.

Zhou Xiuhe probably subconsciously wanted to greet him, but quickly realized it was better not to. As they passed each other, he couldn't help but turn back to look.

Without the connection of the younger sister, everyone would truly be strangers.

Luo Hong was afraid that showing too much emotion would make him misunderstand that it was his sister's intention, so he pretended not to notice and stood at the classroom door calling out, "Luo Yan".

These days, very few boys dare to stand at the classroom door and openly call out a girl's name.

Everyone looked around, and some of the quick-tongued ones couldn't help but start discussing it.

Luo Yan, also afraid of being misunderstood, said, "Brother, what brings you here?"

Luo Hong: "You did bring water."

The brother and sister exchanged a few words and then went about their own business.

Luo Yan sat back down, and the girl at the table in front of her asked curiously, "Is that your brother? He looks just like you."

This was the first time Luo Yan had ever heard of this before, but she was also happy and smiled, saying, "Everyone says so."

The female classmate said enviously, "Your parents are really good at having children; both your siblings are good-looking."

Luo Yan: "I think you're very pretty too."

Her large eyes, which she usually looked into when she spoke, seemed exceptionally sincere at this moment. The female classmate was in a great mood, thinking to herself, "How could I have thought Luo Yan was unapproachable?"

To show her friendliness, she took out some candy from her pocket and shared it with everyone.

Luo Yan brought food to school every day, and she would reciprocate with it. Just when her teeth were stuck together and she couldn't open them, the class monitor came to organize rehearsals.

She was so anxious that her mouth kept moving, and she even cramped up a little from the effort. She quickly drank some soda to calm herself down.

But this stuff is very sweet, and it doesn't quench her thirst at all. She still has to gulp down a big glass of water when she gets to the store at noon.

Seeing this, Luo Hong said, "Stop drinking, there will be something delicious for lunch."

Recently, when there haven't been any good lunches, Luo Yan said, "Let's keep it simple starting tomorrow. We've exceeded our food budget this month."

It's okay if it's your own issue that's exceeding the limit, but it's inappropriate if it's someone else's.

Luo Hong: "Okay, tomorrow is the last day."

Luo Yan: "Let's just eat whatever we want tomorrow."

Luo Hong cannot make this decision.

He didn't have time to tell his childhood friend about this today, so he said, "Don't worry about it, just eat it for one more day."

Since he had already made the decision, Luo Yan naturally had no objections, but suddenly stared at her brother's face and said, "You're feeling guilty."

Luo Hong protested loudly, "No, I've made sure you're well-fed and well-dressed, and you still doubt me?"

Now that I think about it, it seems like I'm being a bit unreasonable.

Luo Yan apologized, washed her hands, sat down, and handed the chopsticks to her brother first: "Please go first."

Luo Hong, who was extremely respectful, couldn't hide his guilty conscience.

He knew he couldn't keep eating like this, or he'd almost started to mentally cheer for his childhood friend. But rationally, he didn't want to do that, since he would only steadfastly support his sister's choice—it wouldn't be too late to eat later if she chose Zhou Weifang.

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Author's note: Goodnight