younger sister

“You don’t need to shout all over the place here,” Chen Dong said, walking out of the kitchen, looking at his father and sister, his heart once again gently touched by tenderness.

“Dad, you’re back.” Chen Yiguo was covered in mud, even his hair had quite a bit on it, silver strands were starting to appear at his temples, and there were a few wrinkles around his eyes, but his eyes were full of smiles.

“I’m back, it’s good to be back.”

The dining table was filled with dishes Chen Dong loved, and Chen Hong and Chen Yiguo came down after changing their clothes.

“Wow, Brother, did you bring all this back?” Chen Hong, as mischievous and cute as ever, pointed at the pile of things in the living room.

“Yeah, the computer is yours, the skincare products are for you and Mom—it says which ones are for young women and which are for middle-aged women; there are three phones, one for you, one for Dad, and one for Mom.

As for the cigarettes, alcohol, and supplements, they’re mostly for Dad and Mom; when you go to Jinghai, just tell me what you want, and I’ll buy it for you.”

“Thank you, Brother.” Chen Hong smiled and threw herself into Chen Dong’s arms, tiptoeing to kiss his cheek. The siblings often played around like this, and their parents were used to it.

“You little girl, how old are you, still clinging to your brother like that? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Liu Xiaofang rolled her eyes. She was about to go to university, yet she still acted so informally.

“What’s there to be ashamed of? This is my own brother, not some stranger.”

Chen Hong lifted her head proudly, revealing her swan neck, then sat down at the dining table and picked up her bowl and chopsticks, ready to eat.

“Slap!” Liu Xiaofang slapped her hand and glared at her.

“Your dad and your brother haven’t even sat down yet, and you’re already touching the chopsticks?”

“Oh.” Chen Hong pouted and put down her bowl and chopsticks.

“Let’s eat.” Chen Yiguo sat down and picked up a piece of chicken.

“Dongzi, want a little drink?” Chen Yiguo picked up the wine pot. This was homemade wine, not high in alcohol content, smooth and mellow, but with a strong kick afterward.

“Alright, just a little, I’m not driving this afternoon anyway.”

.....

At three in the afternoon, the weather cooled down a bit, and the family of four changed into their field-working clothes.

Even Chen Dong wrapped himself up tightly. The sun was too strong; he had to wear long sleeves, or he’d easily get sunburned.

He wore a straw hat on his head, and his pants had to be long, otherwise, he’d easily get bitten by leeches when stepping into the water.

Chen Hong, of course, was even more particular; girls naturally liked to be clean. Chen Dong had meant for her not to come, as he would be home for a few days and could certainly help finish the work around the house.

But this little girl insisted on coming; she had always liked sticking to Chen Dong since she was little and was simply bored staying home alone.

With Chen Dong joining in, the work sped up significantly. Some of the heavier tasks that previously could only be handled by Chen Yiguo were now mostly given to Chen Dong!

By five o’clock the next afternoon, the remaining acre of land was harvested.

“Alright, we can call it a day,” Chen Yiguo said with a smile.

“We only planted two mu of second-season rice, and after this, we just need to dry the grains; there’s not much work left.

Dongzi, you and your sister can take the grains back, change into clean clothes, and rest at home.”

“Okay, then we’ll head back first, Mom and Dad.”

Chen Dong put the rope of the flatbed cart over his shoulder, bent slightly, and pulled the handles of the cart with both hands, pressing down slightly to lift the back of the cart off the ground.

He pushed off the ground with his feet and slowly walked forward. Chen Hong helped push the cart from behind. The siblings had worked together many times and had greattacit agreement.

The flatbed cart was pushed to the middle of the yard. Chen Dong unloaded the grains, moved them to the flat area in the backyard, and spread them out on the concrete slab.

In such hot weather, if not spread out in time, the wet grains would quickly spoil.

By the time all this was done, it was already six o’clock.

“Brother,” Chen Hong suddenly called out to Chen Dong, a little awkwardly.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Dong turned his head, greatly surprised to see his usually boisterous sister suddenly become a little shy.

“Can, can you give me 5,000 yuan?” Chen Hong asked, blushing and nervously fiddling with the corner of her clothes.

“Haha, so that’s all it is. You can have the money, but tell me what you need it for?”

“A few of my close girlfriends in the dorm have been talking about going out to play for a few days during the summer vacation. We might not have this kind of opportunity after we start university.”

“Oh, where are you planning to go?”

“Kyoto, to see the Forbidden City and climb the Great Wall.”

“I have no problem with it, but you girls must be careful when you’re out, and absolutely no unhealthy places, including bars.”

“Yay, I knew Brother was the best to me!” Chen Hong pounced on him again.

“You go talk to Mom and Dad about it yourself.”

“Alrighty!”

That evening, with her eloquent tongue, Chen Hong finally persuaded Chen Yiguo and his wife to agree to her request to go out and play.

“You’re amazing.”

In Chen Dong’s bedroom, he gave his sister a thumbs-up.

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to Brother’s good teaching.”

“Alright, get some rest early. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Hai City, get you a bank card, and buy you a few nicer outfits.”

“Brother, you’re so good to me, I love you, mua—”

After sending Chen Hong away, Chen Dong opened his phone and started chatting with Xia Xuehan. At that time, the internet wasn’t particularly developed, and the Penguin video chat was a bit laggy, but it was better than nothing.

“Do you miss me, Han Han?”

“Hmm, I do.” Xia Xuehan was wearing pajamas, leaning against the headboard, her long black hair draped over her shoulders.

“I miss you too.”

“When are you coming back to Jinghai, Brother Dongzi?” Xia Xuehan’s tender face flushed. Such direct declarations of affection still made her feel a little shy.

If Chen Dong had said it to her privately, it might have been a bit better, but through the phone screen, she always felt like someone could see or hear them.

“So eager for me to come back? I asked you to come with me earlier, but you wouldn’t.”

“I was afraid Uncle and Auntie wouldn’t like me.”

Xia Xuehan buried her head in her chest, her voice soft and sweet.

“How could that be? They’ll definitely love you very much,” Chen Dong said with a smile.

“Let’s wait until New Year’s. I’ll bring you back then, okay?”

“Mm.” Xia Xuehan nodded, her face red.

After hanging up the video call, Chen Dong lay down with his hands behind his head, a smile on his lips. What a silly girl!

Suddenly, he thought of Su Yurou, that girl. He wondered what she was doing. Forget it, he and she seemed to have only had a transaction; she just used him as a tool to get revenge on Qi Yingfei.

Chen Dong clearly remembered that when they had relations, Su Yurou’s intimacy level with him was still less than 70.

The nights in the countryside were very quiet, and the temperature dropped quickly once evening fell.

Although it was on the second floor, there was still an insulation layer and an insulation shed on the roof.

Just opening the window and turning on a oscillating fan made it very cool, no less effective than air conditioning.

In the few days since he had returned, perhaps because he had put aside mental work and engaged in more intense physical labor, Chen Dong slept exceptionally soundly every night.

He would fall into a deep sleep before ten o’clock and sleep until broad daylight.