Xu Mengyao knew that she couldn't rush into renting a house near the school, so she decided to wait until after the Chinese New Year and the winter vacation to make detailed plans.

As the weather gradually turned colder, coal stoves in every household burned all night to keep warm. Although there was no heating at home and no kang to burn during the winter like in the Northeast, there were warm radiators in the school, which were enough for her to get through the cold winter.

Xu Mengyao suddenly had an idea and suggested to her mother, "Mom, you can make the lunch boxes in the evening. I'll bring them to school in the morning and let the students put them on the radiator to warm up for a whole class. Aluminum lunch boxes conduct heat quickly, so everyone can eat hot food and you don't have to get up so early."

Huang's mother readily accepted the suggestion, and every night she meticulously prepared dozens of vegetable boxes and steamed buns, placing them in the steamed bun basket. However, in recent days, she'd noticed the number of boxes wasn't correct; there were always a few steamed buns or vegetable boxes missing. She assumed she'd miscalculated in her busy schedule and didn't take it seriously.

Huang Wenrong watched all this, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Finally, she quietly winked at Xu Mengyao, signaling her to look at her eldest brother. Xu Mengyao followed her gaze and saw that her eldest brother's arms were bulging, obviously hiding something.

Xu Mengyao understood in her heart, but did not expose him. She understood in her heart, but did not expose him immediately, thinking that maybe the elder brother wanted to help his classmates. After all, she had also experienced what happened to Chen Chen.

However, a few days later, before the eldest brother was discovered stealing food, he was caught stealing money.

One day, Huang's father was sleeping in the house after finishing his night shift. The three sisters and Huang's mother were busy on the chopping board. Suddenly, Huang's father shouted, "What are you doing, you little bastard!"

The mother and her two daughters were so frightened that they quickly ran into the house.

The eldest brother was seen being grabbed by his father's hand, which was still clutching ten yuan. Huang's father leaped from the bed in anger and slapped the eldest brother on the head. Then, searching for something, he picked up a rolling pin from the main room and started to hit the eldest brother. Huang's mother quickly intervened, and Wenxia burst into tears of fear.

Seeing this, Xu Mengyao quickly shouted to her eldest brother, "Brother, run!"

Huang Wenrong at the door quickly opened the door, and the eldest brother took the opportunity to escape.

Huang's father was so angry that he yelled in the house: "Did I give him less food or clothes? And he even dared to steal money! How did you raise this child?"

He got angry at Huang's mother, and Huang's mother also started crying in grievance.

Xu Mengyao knew that her father's anger would not subside for a while, so she winked at her eldest sister, indicating that she should comfort her mother.

Then she pulled Wenxia out of the room and said, "It's okay. Dad is angry right now. Go play with Cheng Xin first." Wenxia wiped her tears and left.

As Xu Mengyao turned around, she saw Aunt Feng standing by her door, peeking in and asking, "What's going on at your house?"

Xu Mengyao shook her head and said, "Nothing happened, it's just that my eldest brother was naughty and made my dad angry."

Aunt Feng said in disbelief, "I heard it all. Stealing money! This is a big deal! Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't realize your eldest brother has such a bad habit of stealing. They say that when he's young he steals needles and when he grows up he steals gold. If your brother dares to steal money, what will he not dare to do in the future? He needs to be taught a good lesson!"

Xu Mengyao was furious when she heard this: "Aunt Feng! My brother took my dad's money, so it's our family's business anyway! He would never get involved in other people's business! No need for outsiders to worry about it!" After that, she walked out of the yard angrily.

She decided to go find her eldest brother, Huang Wenbin, to find out what was going on. She walked around the village and eventually saw Huang Wenbin by the fish pond formed by the collapsed pit. She quickly walked up to him and asked, "Brother, it's so windy here, aren't you cold?"

Huang Wenbin smiled and replied with a bit of self-mockery: "Why should I be cold? I'm still hot from being slapped by my dad."

Xu Mengyao frowned slightly and asked curiously, "Why did you take both food and money? What happened?"

Huang Wenbin widened his eyes and asked in surprise, "How did you know I took food from home?"

Xu Mengyao smiled slightly, snorted, and said, "Your poor hiding skills are the only reason my mother didn't think about it that way."

Huang Wenbin smiled helplessly, then patted Xu Mengyao on the shoulder and said, "Hey, it seems you guys discovered it a long time ago but didn't complain. You're really my good sister."

Xu Mengyao rubbed her arms and urged, "Hurry up and tell me, big brother. I don't want to stand here in the wind all the time."

Huang Wenbin took a deep breath and began to recount what had happened: "My buddy has been having some difficulties lately. He and his grandfather are the only ones in his family, and his grandfather makes a living repairing bicycles. But the weather has been cold lately, and his grandfather is sick and can't go out to his stall, so the family has to eat roasted red taro every day. He farts constantly in the classroom, and the fumes are unbearable for everyone. I wanted to get him some food, but he said today he wanted to drop out of school and use the tuition to send his grandfather to the hospital. I thought the tuition was only a few dollars, and if it wasn't enough, I thought I'd lend him some."

Xu Mengyao listened and suddenly asked: "Is the buddy you are talking about the Tiger brother who lives at the school gate?"

Huang Wenbin was stunned for a moment: "What Brother Tiger? That's my Brother Tiger! No, how do you know him?"

Xu Mengyao briefly recounted what had happened, then curiously asked, "Then why did you steal Dad's money? Wouldn't it be easier to take Mom's?"

Huang Wenbin sighed, "I'm not stupid. If I take food, Mom might just think I took too much because I was greedy. But she counts the money clearly. If she finds that there is less, she will definitely think too much and then blame me and cry. I find her crying annoying. But it's different if I take Dad's money. He sends money to Grandma every month. What if he loses it on the way? He won't care too much."

Xu Mengyao knew that her elder brother had a good character. Although he said that he was annoyed by his mother's crying, he actually felt sorry for her. He was loyal to his friends and protected his younger sister.

So, she smiled and said, "Brother, I have some money. It's not much, but I can lend you ten yuan. Also, I have an idea that may relieve some of Brother Hu's pressure."

Huang Wenbin's eyes lit up and he asked eagerly, "What's your idea? Tell me now!"

Xu Mengyao said slowly, "Actually, I want to rent a house near the school and let Mom run a breakfast business. I wonder if Brother Hu's family can spare a room to rent. That way, Mom won't have to work so hard. I'm just worried Dad won't agree."

Huang Wenbin slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "This is a great idea! Hu Zi's family has a yard, so it's absolutely no problem to free up a room. This way, Mom can suffer less, and Hu Zi's family can also earn some rent. It really kills two birds with one stone!"

Xu Mengyao smiled and nodded, "There's no need to rush this matter. Let's talk first and then wait patiently. We'll talk about it after the New Year. I guess Dad's anger has almost subsided by now. You have to go back and apologize to him." She reminded.

Huang Wenbin sighed, hung his head helplessly, and said, "Okay, I'll go back and apologize."

After saying that, the two siblings walked home together.