True to expectations, when the two reached the school gate, Xia Ningxing's five brothers were all there to pick her up after school.
"Sister!!" As soon as they saw her come out, the five brothers called out in unison, swarming up to her and surrounding her with all sorts of eager attentiveness.
The eldest brother handed her water, "Sister, you must be thirsty after a day of classes, drink some water quick."
The second brother gentlemanly took her backpack from her shoulder, "I'll carry the backpack for sister."
"I'll give sister a shoulder massage." The third brother raised his hands and gently massaged the young girl's shoulders.
The fourth and fifth brothers stuffed a meat bun into her hand, "Sister, eat. This is what your brothers got by picking up scrap today."
Huh?
Is this the legendary "I'll pick up scraps to provide for you"?
"Thank you, brother!" Xia Ningxing's heart overflowed with gratitude, and then she broke the bun into seven pieces.
"Brothers, let's eat together." Xia Ningxing didn't want to hog it all, so she shared it with them, and then gave a piece to Lu Tingli too, ingratiatingly saying, "Lu! You eat too!"
When there's something good, one must certainly offer it to the boss first!
"No need." Lu Tingli glanced at the five brothers who were staring him down menacingly and refused with a strong will to survive.
He could guarantee, if he dared to eat that bun, he would immediately be beaten into a bun himself.
Even though he was more than capable of fighting, he didn't stoop to bullying children.
"All right then." Xia Ningxing hadn't held much hope anyway, if he didn't want to eat it, then forget it!
The brothers didn't eat either, instead they all stuffed the bun into her mouth, "Sister is the youngest, sister should eat."
Xia Ningxing, forced to eat an entire bun: ???
On the way back, the fifth brother with his keen eyes spotted a small red flower on Xia Ningxing's backpack.
"Why is there a flower, sister, did you pick it up?" The fifth brother, who had never been to school, didn't know about the school's award of little red flowers.
"No, this is a little red flower, given by the teacher," Xia Ningxing explained.
The second brother said enviously, "I heard that the little red flowers are only given to students who study well and are diligent. Sister, you're amazing!"
"Bao'er, well done!" The rest of her brothers also wore faces full of praise.
On the side, Lu Tingli silently mumbled to himself, "..."
A little red flower is nothing to make a fuss over, he had a whole room of little red flowers, was he proud of it?
"If only... I could go to school too and get little red flowers." The fifth brother enviously looked at the small red flower in his hand and suddenly muttered what was in his heart.
Hearing this, Xia Ningxing paused in the midst of eating her bun, reminded that her brothers had never attended school.
The family was in dire financial straits, so apart from her, none of the five brothers had spent even a day in school.
"Brothers, I will find a way for you to go to school too!" Xia Ningxing declared with determination on her face.
How can one get by without an education!
"Bao'er, don't listen to your fifth brother's nonsense, we don't want to go to school..." The most composed eldest brother shook his head, saying he didn't mind, yet his eyes were unmistakably tinged with dimness and bitterness.
Going to school is the fastest way to change one's fate. To say they didn't want to go to school was impossible, but they also knew the reality of their household situation very well.
If sister went back and mentioned this to mother, mother would surely be very angry.
"Yeah sister, we don't want to go to school." The fifth brother also realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly corrected himself.
With only mother earning money at home, they could barely bring in a hundred yuan a month.
Food, drink, toilet, fuel, rice, oil, and salt, electricity and water bills—what didn't cost money? Affording schooling for one person was already a stretch.
The second, third, and fourth brothers also said, "As long as sister can go to school, that's all that matters, we don't mind."
Xia Ningxing pursed her little lips and said no more, but in her heart, she became even more resolved—she had to get her brothers to school!
As for the problem of money, she would take care of it.
Just as Xia Ningxing covertly planned to earn money, trouble struck at home.