"Look, look!" Xu Nianhua urged with a face full of joy.
Xu Nian’an opened the envelope with mixed feelings, which contained five ten-yuan bills—fifty yuan, equivalent to a month and a half’s salary.
"How about that, am I not impressive?" Xu Nianhua asked, eagerly seeking praise and recognition.
Xu Nian’an praised generously, "You’ve always been smart. Back when we were making mung bean jelly, if it weren’t for you, our family wouldn’t have undergone such a big change. Little sister, you are so outstanding, you’re giving your big brother a lot of pressure."
Now that both mom and dad work in factories, the family expenses no longer rely on them, even the day-to-day living expenses, including his own, aren’t small.
The eldest brother, now a delivery driver, will only earn more in the future.
The little sister, still a student, is earning more than many adults, whereas he, Xu Nian’an, seems to only spend money and not earn any.
"You don’t have to feel pressured, big brother," Xu Nianhua said with admiration in her voice. "In the future, you’ll be the most proud doctor of our family." She continued, "Big brother, what you need to do now is to focus on your studies, to learn medical skills well. I believe you will definitely become a good doctor."
"I believe so too," Pei Yining echoed. Since the incident last summer when she saw Xu Nian’an calmly save that child, Pei Yining felt Xu Nian’an truly had the makings of a doctor.
In that sudden situation, Pei Yining herself was startled, panic-stricken and at a loss, but Xu Nian’an remained calm, using his learnt knowledge to alleviate the child’s pain, meanwhile inspiring her.
"For what my little sister just said, I’ll also study hard!" Xu Nian’an’s lips curled in a small smile, as he pushed the envelope back. "The living expenses mom sent me are enough. You should buy more clothes with the money you have; the weather is getting colder, don’t catch a cold."
"Big brother, I’ve kept some money for myself. You should keep more money on you while you’re at school too."
Xu Nianhua pushed the envelope back again.
Both siblings worried about the other not having enough money, pushing the envelope back and forth. Pei Yining snatched the envelope and handed it back to Xu Nian’an, saying, "Xu big brother, Yining and I are at the same school. If she’s in need of anything, I will definitely not stand by and do nothing. But you are here alone for your studies; Yining would surely worry about you. Besides, the weather is getting colder, and the schoolwork is piling up. We don’t know when we’ll be able to visit you next."
Pei Yining’s words were both logical and emotional, and with Xu Nianhua being very persistent, Xu Nian’an had no choice but to accept the envelope.
The happy and joyful gathering was always brief. Before leaving, she encouraged him again, "Big brother, keep it up, and I’m waiting to hear about your great exam results."
"Alright, once I finish my exams, next weekend I’ll go with you to check out the bicycle factory where you work," Xu Nian’an said, always worried if he didn’t see things for himself.
"Great, I’ll wait for you," Xu Nianhua said, leaving reluctantly with Pei Yining.
"Yining, what are you looking at?" Xu Nianhua noticed Pei Yining seemed distracted, continuously on her tiptoes and looking around as if she was searching for something while they were on the way from the school to wait for the bus.
Pei Yining quickly answered, but her swift response made her seem even more evasive.
After a moment of thought, Xu Nianhua asked uncertainly, "Yining, don’t tell me you and your brother mentioned that we were coming to visit mine today?"
"Hehe." Pei Yining, feeling embarrassed, scratched her head.