In the darkness, Xu Nianhua felt her way outside, where the tall figure under the moonlight was none other than Xu Nianji.
Xu Nianhua was extremely excited, almost wanting to pounce on him, yet, she stopped in her tracks.
"What’s wrong, haven’t seen your big brother for so long that you don’t recognize him anymore?"
Xu Nianji spread his arms and said, "Let big brother see, have you gained weight?"
Xu Nianhua couldn’t hold back anymore and plunged into his arms, tears involuntarily falling, pitter-patter. She didn’t know why, but since coming back, her tears seemed to cost nothing, easily flowing at the slightest provocation.
"Alright, stop crying, your eyes will swell up and won’t look pretty," Xu Nianji gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and comforted her, "It’s okay if you didn’t get admitted this year, our little sister is smart and capable, you’ll definitely get in next year."
"Why are you so hot?"
Xu Nianji frowned, raising his hand to her forehead; it was frighteningly hot.
"It’s nothing, maybe it’s just too warm," Xu Nianhua said casually.
"Big brother, let’s go inside," Xu Nian’an said, the night outside was nice, but it was too quiet here, unsettlingly so for Xu Nian’an.
Once inside, everyone gathered in the room, sitting on the bed, moving stools to sit around together, a family of five, finally reunited.
Xu Qinghe briefly explained the situation with the family’s separation, and Xu Nian’an added details. Though Xu Nianji was not present at the time, he knew that they had split from the grandparents, and besides the old house and thirty yuan, they had nothing else.
"It’s because I’m useless, I had promised that this winter, the girl from the Zhou Family would become your bride," Xu Qinghe felt guilty thinking about his eldest son.
Xu Nianji interrupted firmly, "I’m not that old this year, there’s no hurry. Besides, even though we didn’t get much now, we have able hands and feet and can surely provide for our family."
"I think, it doesn’t matter if our family is poor, but Nian’an and our little sister must go to school," Xu Nianji said.
Working at the brick factory, Xu Nianji clearly understood that for them, education was the only way out!
"Big brother is right, we have able hands and feet. There’s almost two months left until school starts, and I believe we will definitely be able to earn the money," said Xu Nianhua, who was feverish but was holding up because the family was together. However, she couldn’t hold up for much longer and after she spoke, she felt particularly weak.
Soon after, Xu Nianhua lay on the bed and fell into a drowsy sleep amongst the chatter of her parents, big brother, and second brother.
When Xu Nianhua opened her eyes again, she saw the old ceiling and the empty room, sunlight streaming in through finger-width gaps in the wooden walls.
There was no luxurious bed, no posh room, and no doctors incessantly nagging at her ear.
The events of yesterday made Xu Nianhua sit up in bed for a long time before she realized that she hadn’t just survived; she had returned to the past.
Xu Nianhua smiled sweetly; today she didn’t feel dizzy, nor did she feel hot, and even the blazing sunlight outside seemed beautiful to her.
Xu Nianhua stepped out of the room and saw Ji Ying weeding in the yard; she happily walked toward her mother, her face beaming with a sweet smile.