At Song Xia's school, the last period is usually a self-study period. The homeroom teacher and class monitor use this time to return the donations that everyone had given to Song Xia.
Her deskmate was a little disappointed: "Song Xia, why didn't you accept it? No one meant to look down on you, it was just a token of their goodwill."
Song Xia smiled slightly: "If I were really in trouble, that would be fine, but I'm not. Besides, the school even gave me a subsidy. Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who's obsessed with saving face. If I really can't handle it, I'll say so. If I'm not in trouble and I'm still taking everyone's money, what would I be?"
"Okay then, you must tell us if anything happens in the future, everyone cares about you."
"Yeah, I definitely won't hold it in. You're good at chemistry, so I'll inevitably have to ask you questions in the future. Just wait and see how much I'll bother you."
Seeing that she had really cheered up, her deskmate was very happy: "Just ask me anything, I will definitely not hide anything from you."
Their class was an honors class. Song Xia's grades used to be average. If she had kept it up, she might have been able to get into a top-tier university. However, the blows she suffered in her previous life were too great, and she also had to take care of Song Jun and Song Jiao's lives, which led to her grades getting worse and worse.
But not in this lifetime. Song Jun and Song Jiao are already twelve years old, and they are precocious. Why can't they handle some things themselves? Why should she have to do them?
It's not worth sacrificing your life for two ungrateful people. Sometimes, the more you give, the more they take it for granted and look down on you. Even if Song Jun and Song Jiao tell others, no one will blame her for not taking good care of them. After all, she has only just come of age and is in the crucial period of her senior year of high school.
She had already told her homeroom teacher about her skipping evening self-study sessions. The homeroom teacher felt it was a great pity because self-study at home and at school are completely different concepts, especially after the last joint exam. Although it was called self-study, there were actually subject teachers giving lectures every night. If she didn't discipline herself at home, the gap between her and other students would only widen.
But she knew about Song Xia's situation. She had two younger siblings who were twelve years old. Elementary school didn't have evening self-study sessions, so she had to go back to cook for her younger siblings, as well as take care of other things. So she couldn't go back too late.
The senior year of high school is already stressful enough, and on top of that, you have to spend a lot of energy taking care of your younger siblings. How can you keep up with your studies?
She anxiously instructed, "Make sure you do the test papers when you get back. If there's anything you don't understand, come back tomorrow and ask your teachers."
"Yes, teacher, I also want to get into a good university, so I won't slack off."
The homeroom teacher patted her on the shoulder. Sensible children are always heartbreaking. She hoped that she could get through this period and that things would be better in a year or two.
Song Xia's school was farther away than Song Jun and Song Jiao's primary schools. By the time they rode their bicycles back, the two had already done their homework for a while, and it was getting dark.
Song Jun clutched his stomach in dissatisfaction: "Why did you take so long to get back? I'm starving. Dad never let me go hungry before."
Song Xia put down her schoolbag expressionlessly: "I already told you I get out of school later than you guys. Do you expect me to take leave to come back and cook for you? There are dumplings and steamed buns in the fridge, and biscuits in the cupboard. You can have something to eat if you're really hungry."
Hearing this, Song Jun became even angrier, and Song Jiao tentatively asked, "Sister, now that Dad is gone, do you no longer want to be good to us?"
Song Xia had just finished rinsing the rice and looked at them seriously: "How do you expect me to treat you well? To satisfy all your needs, to even quit school to serve you wholeheartedly?"
Song Jiao waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Sister, that's not what I meant."
"Why can't you treat me better? I'm just a student. I come home so late from school, I didn't even attend evening self-study, and I came back to cook for you. What more do you want from me?"
Song Jun snorted: "We did do something, all you did was cook us a meal. What kind of guardian are you?"
"You only cook one meal? Who hangs the clothes out to dry and brings them in every day? Who takes care of the water and electricity bills? Who communicates about your affairs at school? Since Dad passed away, who has handled all those accounts and documents? And what about the other miscellaneous things around the house, like cleaning windows and cabinets? If I don't tell you, you'll assume there aren't any, right?"
Song Jun and Song Jiao avoided her direct gaze. Song Xia took a deep breath: "You are not princesses or young masters, and I am not your servant. Please grow up a little and stop taking things for granted, okay? I'm only six years older than you!"
After saying this, she went to cook, but Song Jun and Song Jiao clearly didn't listen to what she said and seemed quite angry, secretly rolling their eyes at each other.
"How can she be so selfish? Shouldn't my sister take on more responsibility and give in to us?" Song Jiao muttered, which made Song Jun even angrier, and he kicked the chair hard.
But after venting, Song Xia felt much better. It wasn't that Song Jun and Song Jiao had to take responsibility, but their attitude was just too bad, as if she, as their older sister, owed them something.
They didn't waste a single minute on the way back from school, yet they still complained that she came back late and that they were hungry. Why didn't they think about how hard it must be for her to live so far away?
Even when Dad was alive, they were always asking for this and that, completely oblivious to how hard Dad worked coming back from the construction site. They only ever thought about themselves! They were selfish to the core.
They simply stir-fried two dishes and made a soup. No one spoke at the table. After finishing the meal, Song Xia silently moved her desk to the study where it had been painted the day before. After two days of ventilation, the smell had mostly dissipated.
She focused intently on her test paper until Song Jun and Song Jiao were about to move their desks down, at which point she went to help.
Seeing her like this, Song Jiao felt uneasy, as if she had lost something. Her sister's attitude was really beyond her expectations. She thought that even if her father passed away, her sister would take care of everything at home, and she wouldn't have to worry about anything. She never expected her sister to be so heartless.
She felt incredibly frustrated. As the older sister, shouldn't she be expected to give more? Her father had always said that the older sister should give way to her and Song Jun.
Elementary school homework wasn't much, and Song Jun and Song Jiao finished it in less than an hour. But Song Jiao didn't leave; instead, she picked up her junior high English book and started reading. If she didn't understand something, she shamelessly asked Song Xia for help.
Song Xia had to admit that Song Jiao never slacked off when it came to studying or doing things for her own good.
Compared to Song Jun, he is less self-disciplined, but still much better than other boys his age. At least he always finishes his writing and doing before going out to play.
When it comes to studies, Song Xia doesn't deliberately slack off or shirk responsibility, so when Song Jiao asks her questions, she teaches her.
This relieved Song Jiao, who had thought her sister really wouldn't care about anything anymore.
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