Clutching a few thousand yuan in his hands, Xu Nian’an traveled all the way to Ningbei without closing his eyes even once, fearing that if he did, the money might grow wings and fly away, or be stolen by someone.
This amused Xu Nianhua greatly, who also felt a mix of admiration and sympathy.
She admired the convenience of future generations and felt sorry for her brother, Xu Nian’an, who had not slept all night.
"Second Brother, after we get off the train, should we go check out the store first, or find a place to rest?" Xu Nianhua asked.
Pei Yining had returned to Ningbei on the second day of the lunar new year, and this time, it was just the two siblings going back to Ningbei.
"Let’s go to the store first." At this time, Xu Nian’an had no intention of resting.
As soon as they got off the train, Xu Nianhua and her brother headed straight for Xu Nian’an’s Ningbei Medical University.
School hadn’t started yet, and among the row of stores at the entrance, there were hardly a few that were open.
"We should be this one." Xu Nian’an glanced at one of the stationery stores, and after he and Xu Nianhua confirmed once again that it was indeed the right one, they used the key left by Pei Yicheng to open the door.
The emptied store, which seemed to have been cleared out, was a desolate space, clearly visible as a rectangular room, with a narrow stairway at the back leading upstairs.
"Is there an attic up here?" Xu Nian’an was quite pleased with the storefront. He set down his luggage and headed straight for the narrow staircase. Sure enough, there was an attic upstairs.
"Little Sister, we could fit a bed up here; we could even live here," he said excitedly, looking at the spacious attic.
"I could save on accommodation fees in the future."
"Second Brother, you’re not really planning to live here, are you?"
Xu Nianhua moved some stuff inside and climbed the stairs to the attic which wasn’t very high—Xu Nian’an, standing straight, couldn’t tiptoe without bumping his head, and in the shortest part, he had to bend over to fit.
Though there was a large window, weren’t the conditions in the attic a bit too basic?
"Yeah, if we put in a bed, it would be livable, right?" Xu Nian’an thought it was fantastic, saying enthusiastically, "We can even put up some bookshelves afterwards; I just don’t know if the floorboards are sturdy enough."
As he said this, he deliberately stomped on the floorboards.
The floorboards trembled.
Xu Nianhua’s heart did as well, as she cautioned, "Second Brother, be careful not to break the floorboards."
"They’re sturdy; they won’t break," Xu Nian’an replied with a grin. His fatigue from the train journey had completely vanished. Excitedly, he started arranging everything he could on the attic, saying, "I saw some furniture at the old furniture market before, so new yet so cheap."
"Second Brother, how about bathing here, and going to the toilet is also a problem," Xu Nianhua pointed out practical difficulties. Living here was fine, but going to the toilet and bathing would be inconvenient.
Xu Nian’an paused, then ran down the stairs, out of the store, and after walking around outside for a bit, he said, "I’ve looked around, there’s a public toilet not far away, and I can go to the school’s public bathhouse for showers."
"The walls are a bit old, even our hair clips wouldn’t look good against them." As Xu Nian’an spoke, he looked up and added, "I hope the ceiling won’t drop dust, right?"
"Little Sister, how can we make these walls and the ceiling look white and nice both quickly and efficiently?" Xu Nian’an looked at Xu Nianhua, puzzled.
Xu Nianhua playfully blinked and replied, "Second Brother, find craftsmen who specialize in this, and I believe it can be done before school starts."
As Xu Nian’an spoke, he ran outside, but Xu Nianhua hurriedly called after him, watching his back as she shouted, "Second Brother, you didn’t sleep at all last night."