When Xu An rode his bicycle back from the village, he saw Xu Yang strolling along the main road. He asked, “Brother, what are you doing here? The wind is so strong today, aren’t you cold?”

Xu Yang didn’t answer his question but instead asked, “Where have you been on the bike?”

Xu An handed him the basket on his back and said, “My sister asked me to go to Jianmin’s house to get some soybean paste for you. She also traded for some tofu and said she’d roast tofu for you.”

Xu Yang saw a jar of soybean paste in the basket and couldn’t help but smile. Ever since he had a taste of it, he had been craving it constantly.

Looking at the large slab of tofu in the basket, he asked, “Why did she get so much?”

“My sister said to get more because after the tofu is roasted, there won’t be much left. Brother, what are you standing here for?”

Xu Yang glared at him and replied, “What do you think I’m doing? I’m here waiting for you, isn’t that obvious?”

After saying that, he handed the basket to Xu An. “You go inside first; I’ll take a stroll outside.”

Xu An was bewildered by the glare he received, thinking to himself, You said you came to pick me up, but you won’t even take the basket? Is this what a real brother does?

In the morning, they spent their time roasting dried meat, and in the afternoon, they made baked buns. The group was busy the entire day.

At dinner, Xu Mo secretly came over, saying he was there to see Xu Yang off.

He even recited a farewell poem for him. This time, having learned from experience, he cooled the porridge first before toasting with him.

Xu Yang was taken aback by his actions. He ruffled Xu Mo’s hair and asked, “Xiao Mo, is your head okay? What do you learn at school all day? You used to be quite clever when you were little, but now you seem a bit clueless.”

Hearing his words, Xu Mo’s face turned red with anger. He straightened his little face and began to speak rapidly, “Big Brother, I think you’re the clueless one! Not only are you clueless, but you also can’t tell right from wrong.”

“You’re already grown up, yet you can’t even say a proper word. Your younger brother comes to see you off with good intentions, and you call me clueless instead,” Xu Mo exclaimed.

He continued, “Talking like this shows how thoughtless you are; I can only imagine how you’ll offend people in the army. No wonder you’ve been in the military for so long and are still just a deputy company commander.”

He glanced at his brother-in-law, who was already a battalion commander and was said to be on the rise. Then he looked back at Xu Yang, who seemed to lack any semblance of a big brother; Xu Mo felt embarrassed for him and thought he should be ashamed.

“Just try to be more thoughtful in the future! Don’t blurt out whatever comes to your mind and end up offending people. You think you’re so impressive, but if you weren’t my brother, I wouldn’t even bother talking to you!”

The others watched as Xu Mo babbled on, completely stunned by his outburst.

Lu Xiaotang was the first to react. He placed his fist in front of his mouth, stifling a laugh.

Xu Ning and Xu An didn’t give Xu Yang any face either; once they came to their senses, both of them burst out laughing.

Xu An thought to himself, Serves you right for being so talkative! You thought you were so clever, but now you’re at a loss for words.

Xu Yang was troubled, wondering whom he had offended today. First, it was his sister, and now his brother was confronting him.

Could I return these bothersome siblings?

Xu Ning walked over, grabbed Xu Mo’s hand, and comforted him, saying, “Xiao Mo, come sit down and eat. Otherwise, the food will get cold. Let’s ignore your big brother for now.”

Xu Mo sighed and replied, “Sister, how can we ignore him? He’s our brother, and he’s leaving tomorrow. If we don’t teach him a lesson today, what will happen if he gets into trouble in the army?

Look at his mouth—he’s so good at offending people! He blurts out whatever he thinks. As his younger siblings, how can we not be concerned?”

Lu Xiaotang couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer, and Xu An was also laughing while clutching his stomach.

Even Xu Yang couldn’t help but laugh in frustration at his younger brother’s mischievous demeanor.

After dinner, Lu Xiaotang was washing the dishes.

Xu Ning and Xu An were helping Xu Yang pack his belongings.

Meanwhile, Xu Mo sat on the kang, holding Xu Yang’s hand and giving him one reminder after another about how to speak kindly when talking to others in the army.

He advised Xu Yang to be united and friendly with his comrades, to be perceptive, and to listen to his superiors.

His worrying demeanor was reminiscent of an overly anxious mother concerned about her child going out into the world.

Xu Yang sat there, speechless, watching this little guy babble on and on.

After finishing the dishes, Lu Xiaotang turned to the two on the kang and said, “Let’s go sit over by the cattle shed.”

After saying that, he motioned for Xu Mo to climb onto his back, ready to carry him over.

Xu Mo happily jumped onto Lu Xiaotang’s back and said, “My brother-in-law treats me the best.” After saying that, he glanced at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang…

Seeing Xu Yang’s expression being put down, Xu An laughed and said, “Brother! You only come once every few years; just bear with it! You don’t know how it feels for me to be teased by him every day!”

Xu Yang looked at him with sympathy and asked, “What happened to Xiao Mo? How did he turn into this?”

He then glanced at Xu Ning, his expression implying, Look at what you’ve done; you turned a perfectly good brother into this!

Seeing his goofy demeanor, Xu Ning couldn’t help but chuckle.

As the three of them stepped outside, Xu Ning and Xu An remained behind, gazing at the neatly packed luggage on the ground, their eyes growing misty.

She went back into the room to grab a few pounds of milk candy and stuffed them into Xu Yang’s bag. She actually took them from her storage space; Xu Yang loved sweets, and she always included some when sending him things.

When Xu Yang and the others returned from the cattle shed, they saw Xu Ning and Xu An sitting on the kang with red eyes.

Xu Yang felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart. He walked over and patted both of them, saying, “I’ll come back whenever I get time off.”

Xu Mo climbed down from Lu Xiaotang’s back and approached, ready to hug the three of them, but his arms were too short.

So he climbed into the middle of the trio and said, “Don’t be sad. We still have a long future ahead of us, and there will be plenty of chances to meet. While big brother is still here, let’s talk and enjoy each other’s company tonight.”

After a moment of thought, he bashfully added to Xu Ning, “Sister, since you’re a girl, it’s not convenient for you to be with us. Why don’t you go back to your room? The four of us can sleep together.”

Lu Xiaotang…

What’s with this kid and his arrangements? Who wants to sleep with you guys? What a ridiculous thought; he’s not a single man without a wife.

Lu Xiaotang smiled and looked at Xu Mo, saying, “Xiao Mo, sleeping four people on this kang would be too cramped. I think I’ll skip sleeping here.”

Xu Mo was surprised and asked, “Brother-in-law, cramped? This kang is so big; it’s not cramped at all! Besides, if you don’t sleep here, where will you go? You can’t sleep on the floor, can you? What if you freeze in this cold weather?”

Lu Xiaotang listened to his relentless chatter with a sense of helplessness; he finally understood Xu Yang’s feelings—this little brother-in-law was quite the handful.

Xu Yang and Xu An exchanged glances, both at a loss for words, wondering how this kid could talk so much.

Xu Ning, stifling her laughter, said, “You can sleep here tonight. You guys can talk and catch up.” With that, she headed back to her room.

Lu Xiaotang gently patted Xu Mo’s little head and said with a smile, “Xiao Mo, I’m married to your sister now, so I’m living in the same room as her.”