Lin Chun hardly slept that night, tossing and turning with worries on his mind.
Early in the morning, without waiting for Chunli to finish cooking, he took two cornmeal pancakes and left the house.
As he was nearing his aunt's house, he unexpectedly ran into Lin Xia and the others.
Lin Chun asked in surprise, "You three didn't stay at aunt's house last night?"
Seeing smiles on his sisters' faces and realizing they hadn't suffered any hardship, the heavy stone in his heart temporarily settled.
All three of them came up, beaming and calling out "big brother" in unison.
Lin Xia looked him over and noticed the poor state he was in, with dark circles under his eyes. She asked with concern, "Big brother! We left afterwards! He didn't hit you, did he?"
Lin Chun then steadied his bicycle and replied, "No! Later I wanted to come find you, but dad wouldn't allow it! So where did you stay? Have you had breakfast?"
