The brother and sister stepped into the yard. Xu Mengyao softly spoke to her elder brother to help him out, while Huang Wenbin sincerely bowed his head and apologized to his father: "Dad, I was wrong. I won't do it again next time."
After understanding the whole story, Huang's father sighed slightly, took out ten yuan from his pocket and put it on the table. His tone was filled with the sternness that was unique to a father:
"You need to discuss this with your family. You can't make decisions on your own. I'll let it go this time, but if it happens again, I'll break your legs."
Huang Wenbin nodded repeatedly, like pounding garlic.
Xu Mengyao was worried that Aunt Feng would go out and talk nonsense, affecting her eldest brother's reputation, so she deliberately pulled her eldest sister Huang Wenrong to the yard to sing the same tune.
She deliberately raised her voice and said, "Sister, do you think my brother is stupid? He is obviously doing good deeds and helping classmates whose families are in trouble, but he didn't explain it to his family."
Huang Wenrong cooperated with his sister and said with a smile: "That's right, now that we have made it clear, our father will take the initiative to give him money, right?"
Although their voices were low, they were loud enough for Aunt Feng to hear. The door opposite, which had been opened, quietly closed again. The two sisters smiled at each other, curled their lips, and returned to their rooms, feeling satisfied.
Winter vacation had quietly begun, and the children were thrilled to be here, as it would be followed by the vibrant New Year celebrations. That afternoon, Qiu Xin's parents arrived at the courtyard and said they were taking their child back to the city for a while, returning for the Lunar New Year.
Qiu Xin brought a picture book to Wen Xia that night and said, "Xiao Xia, I'm going back to the city with my parents tomorrow, and we won't be able to see them until the Chinese New Year. Take a look at this picture book and return it to me when I get back."
Wenxia's originally happy expression when he saw the comic book suddenly fell. The two have been almost inseparable since they met. They sit together to study at school during the day and play together in the village at night after school. Qiu Xin is very gentlemanly and never quarrels with Wenxia, so the two children have a very good relationship. They are reluctant to be separated for a while.
Wenxia ran back to the room, took out her beloved wooden toy and handed it to Qiu Xin: "This is my favorite toy. Let it play with you first. I will miss you too." The two children said goodbye reluctantly.
After saying goodbye to Qiu Xin, the little girl sat on the stool in a depressed mood. Huang Wenrong wanted to divert her attention and brought up another topic:
"Xia, I see you've grown taller recently. Come over here and let's have a competition."
Huang's mother also joined the conversation: "You three sisters have indeed grown taller. I have untied the hems of last year's cotton-padded jackets and trousers, and they are still a little short for you."
These words brought smiles back to the children's faces.
Huang's mother brought out a tape measure and measured each of their heights. The results were announced, and the Huang family courtyard erupted in joy—Huang Wenrong and Xu Mengyao were exactly 1.6 meters tall, while Wenxia reached a remarkable 1.53 centimeters. The three of them hugged each other tightly, twirled and leaped, their joy evident.
Huang's mother was also infected by this joy and said with a smile: "Looks like I have to buy you some new clothes."
Xu Mengyao took the opportunity to suggest: "Mom, since Qiu Xin and the others are going back to the city tomorrow, can we go and take a look? I'm also curious about what the city looks like."
Before Huang's mother could say anything, the two sisters beside her immediately grabbed one of Huang's arms and started shaking: "Go, mother! Take us there!"
Huang Wenbin also joined in the fun, but in the end, it was Huang's father who spoke up: "Alright! All five of us will go tomorrow! I'll go greet Aunt Qiu's son and confirm what time we can catch the bus tomorrow."
The siblings fell asleep, filled with endless anticipation for their new journey, and the night seemed to become shorter. The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the mist, they were already dressed and ready to go. They boarded the bus to the city alongside Qiu Xin's family.
In the car, Qiu Xin's mother patiently explained the scarcity of daily flights. Xu Mengyao learned her lesson this time. She prepared dried plums last night and also packed a bag of oranges from home.
After she had regained her footing, she enthusiastically distributed the prunes to everyone, while she herself held a prune in her mouth and gently pried a small hole in the orange, bringing it to her nose to sniff carefully. As time went by, the orange peel became larger and larger, and finally she had eaten all the orange flesh before the bus slowly arrived at the station.
Qiu Xin's mother did not forget to carefully remind them of the precautions for their return journey, and then the Qiu family left first.
Along the way, they saw many novel buildings. As soon as they got off the bus, the bustling scene of the city hit them. The department store, with its unique momentum, occupied the center of their vision, attracting them to approach involuntarily.
The five-story department store, with its imposing facade and over ten-meter-long open doors, caught their eye. They eagerly entered, only to be greeted by the dazzling array of merchandise on display, their faces illuminated by the bright incandescent lights and marble floors.
Huang's mother held Wen Xia's hand tightly and whispered, "Xia'er, don't run around. You won't be able to find your mother later."
Huang's mother held Wenxia's little hand tightly, fearing that they would get lost in the crowd, while Wenxia's eyes were shining with curiosity and amazement at all these new things.
Xu Mengyao looked at this first-generation department store, feeling a surge of curiosity and excitement. She used to be a homebody, shopping online for everything except a few days a month at duty-free shops abroad. She hated shopping.
But at this moment, standing in this five-story department store, she felt an unprecedented joy. Times really can change people!
The family walked around all five floors before returning to the children's clothing counter. Huang's mother happily selected clothes for them. Xu Mengyao wanted to try on the size, but the salesperson said arrogantly:
"If you don't buy it, you won't be allowed to try it on. You little girl, buy something bigger so you can wear it next year."
There is no way to refute this. At this time, the attitudes of both the salesperson and the public institutions are the same. People have long been accustomed to it. What is even more accustomed to is that parents at this time buy clothes that are larger for their children. No one will buy the exact right size, otherwise it will be a waste if the child grows taller and cannot wear it the next year.
Finally, Huang's mother bought Wenxia a thick pink coat with a lotus leaf collar, with flowers embroidered on the collar and chest. She originally wanted to buy the same bright red coat for Xu Mengyao and Huang Wenrong, but Xu Mengyao declined. She chose a blue-green hooded knitted coat for herself, and Huang Wenbin chose a khaki nylon thick coat. She also bought a leather jacket for Huang's father, and the four children picked out a plaid tweed coat for Huang's mother. The family finally walked out of the department store with a full load.
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