"Sister Wei Hong, Ban Lin, you’ve worked hard these past six months. Here is your salary," Xu Nian’an said as he handed them two red envelopes and added, "For summer vacation, I will give you two months off. Oh, I will probably come back half a month early, so in fact, you won’t be taking half a month’s vacation."
"Is the salary correct?" Wei Hong opened the red envelope and found that the amount was not right, it was more than one month’s salary.
"I intentionally gave you extra salary, consider it a bonus," Xu Nian’an explained.
Wei Hong and Ban Lin exchanged glances, wanting to return it, but Xu Nian’an said, "Just keep it with peace of mind. I am counting on you to come back to work in the store in the second half of the year. Of course, next semester, I’ll raise each of your salaries by five yuan."
The decision to raise their salaries was something Xu Nian’an had thought about long before. Over the past six months, Ban Lin and Wei Hong had been extremely responsible, managing the store impeccably, which meant he hardly had to worry about it. He thought that such good employees should definitely be kept.
"Sister Wei Hong, Ban Lin, you can rest assured managing the shop. My elder brother definitely won’t shortchange you," Xu Nianhua said cheerfully as he walked into the store, charming them with his smooth talk to the point that Ban Lin and Wei Hong didn’t know what to say in gratitude.
Working here, not only was their salary generous, but they also weren’t scolded and the work they did was clean.
After they left, the siblings Xu Nianhua and Xu Nian’an finally talked. She asked, "Older brother, how are you?"
During their last phone call, Xu Nianhua had mentioned that she would stay at school to assist Professor Fei with receiving foreign guests.
Xu Nian’an hadn’t provided an immediate response at the time, and now that summer vacation had started, it was time to reply.
"Little sister, I’ve decided to go back," Xu Nian’an said after much thought and discussions with his eldest brother and after chatting with their parents.
While staying here allowed him to look after his little sister, she would be receiving foreign guests, and with school out for the summer and the store closed, there was nothing for him to do in Ningbei. His master, Du Chang, had long arranged for him to spend the summer break at the medical clinic training with him.
"Well, okay, then I’ll come find you when I get back," Xu Nianhua thought to herself. In case her big brother insisted on staying, she was ready to persuade him earnestly. She had already discussed it with her eldest brother and parents in advance, determined not to let her matters cause any delay for him.
She was almost twenty-one and not a three-year-old child anymore. With Pei Yining by her side, she could take good care of herself.
"You need to take good care of yourself here!" Xu Nian’an repeatedly admonished.
"Xu older brother, don’t worry, I will definitely take good care of Nianhua," Pei Yining said, raising her head from an array of dazzling hairpins. "You just focus on studying medicine with my grandfather. When I catch a cold in the future, I’ll just get medicine from you instead of seeing a doctor."
"If it’s just a small cold, you can find me now," Xu Nian’an seriously replied.
She was just making an analogy!
Xu Nianhua giggled secretly, not knowing why, but she always felt sympathy for her future sister-in-law. Her brother had a talent for medicine but not for romance. However, maybe he just hadn’t met the right person yet?
The image of Su Xi, outwardly cold but actually talkative, silently appeared in her mind. She wondered, what would it be like if such a person were with her brother?