Chapter 38: Big Brother Has Arrived

“Oh, right—your brother called home a couple of days ago. Said his leave got approved, so he should be arriving at your place any day now.”

“Really? That’s great! I missed him so much!” Upon hearing her mother’s words, Nan Qiao was overjoyed. The excitement in her voice was obvious, making Shen Nian feel a little sour inside.

“You don’t miss your mom too?” Shen Nian asked in a mock-jealous tone.

“Of course I do! I miss you, I miss Dad, I miss Second Brother, and I miss Big Brother too—I miss everyone!”

“Silly girl. Alright, I won’t keep chatting with you. When you see your big brother, remind him to call home before he leaves,” her mother said, warmed by her daughter’s longing.

“Got it. Bye, Mom!” Nan Qiao hung up the phone, her joy overflowing as she thought about her brother’s imminent arrival. Her steps were noticeably lighter as she walked.

After finishing her errands, she figured there wasn’t much else to do in town, so she decided to head home. She planned to have one of her pre-transmigration hamburgers and fried chicken for lunch. Since Shen Nian wasn’t around today, she could treat herself.

Nan Qiao left the post office and hopped on her bike, riding back toward the village, unable to hide the bright smile on her face.

‘Mom said Big Brother’s leave was approved a couple of days ago. It only takes a day by train from the capital to here. He must be arriving any moment now!’ Nan Qiao thought happily as she pedaled along.

“Nan Qiao!” Just as she was joyfully riding alone, she suddenly heard someone calling her name. She quickly stopped and looked around.

To her surprise, she spotted Nan Zhou not far off, waving at her with several bags in hand.

Dressed in a crisp military uniform, with sharp brows, starry eyes, and deep, well-defined features, the normally cold and frosty face now wore a faint smile.

“Big Brother!” Nan Qiao shouted and quickly parked her bike, running toward him and throwing herself into his arms, completely ignoring the stares of passersby.

“Big Brother, I missed you so much! Mom just told me you’d be arriving soon!”

Nan Zhou hadn’t seen his little sister in so long. It was rare for her to be so openly affectionate, and he froze up for a moment from the sudden embrace.

After a moment, he raised his hand to gently pat her head. Hearing the slight quiver in her voice, he spoke gently, “You’re such a big girl now, and still crying to your brother?”

“Even big girls are still their brother’s little sister! Crying to you isn’t shameful,” Nan Qiao replied stubbornly, lifting her head from his chest, clearly unfazed.

“Alright, alright. No matter how grown-up you are, you’ll always be my most beloved little sister,” Nan Zhou said soothingly.

“Of course!” Nan Qiao responded proudly.

“Alright then, let’s go. Is the place you’re staying far from here?”

“Not really. Just a ten or twenty-minute bike ride. We can ride back together,” she said, pointing to her blue bicycle.

“Alright.” Nan Zhou began hanging his bags on the rear seat of the bike, securing them on both sides, then patted the seat. “Let’s go. I’ll take you.”

“Yay!” Nan Qiao cheered as she hopped onto the back of the bike.

The women’s bicycle was a bit cramped for Nan Zhou’s 1.9-meter frame, but it was still better than walking.

He didn’t mind walking during missions, but his delicate little sister couldn’t be allowed to walk under the blazing sun. She’d get tanned!

The road back to the village wasn’t very smooth—it was bumpy and uneven.

Nan Zhou did his best to keep the bike steady, picking the flattest paths to ride on.

Sitting on the back, Nan Qiao swung her legs back and forth, watching her big brother ride, and for a moment, she felt like she had gone back to the days before he joined the army.

Back then, he used to take her to and from school just like this every day. If only things could stay like this forever…

Eventually, guided by Nan Qiao’s directions, Nan Zhou stopped in front of the courtyard gate and helped her down from the bike.

“Big Brother, come in quickly!” Nan Qiao said eagerly as she opened the gate.

“Look, this is the courtyard of the villager my friend and I are renting from. Pretty nice, right? The girl I’m sharing with is another educated youth named Shen Nian. She’s the first friend I made here, and she’s super nice!”

Nan Zhou quietly unpacked his belongings while listening to Nan Qiao chatter nonstop.

“Oh right! Brother, what do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you! You haven’t had my cooking in forever, right?”

Back in Shanghai, Nan Qiao occasionally cooked for the family—usually on special occasions or when her brother was home. Her parents doted on her, especially her mom, who didn’t want her exposed to the smoke and grease of the kitchen and rarely let her cook.

Nan Zhou thought for a moment and said, “The last time I had your cooking must’ve been when I was home on leave. It’s been over a year.”

“Exactly! So, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it! We have plenty of vegetables and meat at home.”

“I’ll cook. It’s too hot—just wait and relax.” Nan Zhou started to change clothes to head into the kitchen.

“No way! I’m cooking today!” Nan Qiao firmly refused.

“Alright, then I’ll eat whatever you make. Where’s your room? I’ll put your stuff there,” Nan Zhou asked.

“Over there! And Brother, change into something more comfortable. I prepared new clothes for you.” Nan Qiao tugged at his sleeve, leading him into her room.

Inside, she pulled a few plain-colored short-sleeved shirts from the wardrobe. They were taken from her space—labels removed—and made of basic cotton-linen fabric. It looked similar to the coarse cloth commonly used, but it was much softer, breathable, and cooler to wear.

Nan Zhou looked at the clothes in his hand, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. “This material… did you buy it here?”

“Of course not. I bought this fabric back in Shanghai and brought it with me when I came here. I had someone make a few short-sleeved shirts.” Nan Qiao lowered her head, pretending to look for something, her heart racing a little, not daring to meet his gaze…

It really was just an ordinary fabric, unlikely to raise suspicion, but under her brother’s sharp gaze, she felt a bit guilty anyway.

Nan Zhou nodded, no longer suspicious. Shanghai had become increasingly open in recent years, and the supply co-ops occasionally carried rare items—it wasn’t entirely unusual.

“Try it on and see if it fits. If it does, just wear it. I’m going to make lunch now.” Nan Qiao left the room after speaking and gently closed the door behind her.

She went to the kitchen and pulled out rice, bamboo shoots, and some other ingredients she’d grown in her space.

Then she started washing and chopping them.

Nan Zhou emerged from the room wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and black trousers. He looked even more tall and straight, his long legs covering the distance in a few strides. He walked up to Nan Qiao. “Sit down. I’ll wash these. I told you, girls shouldn’t be handling cold water in this heat.”

He took the items from her hands and urged her to rest.

Nan Qiao didn’t like staying idle. Seeing that he insisted on washing, she went to the kitchen to slice the meat instead.

“Fine—you wash, I’ll cut the meat.”

While Nan Zhou washed the vegetables, Nan Qiao started cooking, steaming the rice and stewing the meat. Nan Zhou stood nearby watching her.

“Qiao Qiao, is work tiring?”

“Yes!” Nan Qiao answered without even lifting her head as she continued to stir-fry.

“Then tell me, why did you really come to the countryside? I called Mom and Second Brother, and they both said they didn’t know.”

Nan Qiao paused, then replied, “Things weren’t going well with my job in Shanghai… I acted on impulse…”

Nan Zhou’s gaze locked tightly on Nan Qiao. Naturally, he noticed her slight pause in movement but said nothing—just continued staring at her…

His gaze was so intense it felt almost tangible, making Nan Qiao’s whole body feel prickly under the pressure. After a long moment, she finally surrendered.

In the end, her big brother was still the more formidable one. She admitted defeat…

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you… But you have to promise—not a word to Mom, Dad, or Second Brother… It’s way too embarrassing…”

“Alright, I promise,” Nan Zhou agreed.

“Well, at the time I had a little crush on a boy. He was going to the countryside, so I signed up to go too. Later I realized it was all just a moment of impulse… But by then my name was already on the list, and I couldn’t change it… so… yeah.”

As Nan Zhou listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Given the current situation, there was no telling when—or even if—those who went to the countryside would get a chance to return to the city. Even though the country had started to ease policies and there were signs the college entrance exam might resume, no one could guarantee when that would actually happen.

It was entirely possible that once someone was sent down, they might never return in this lifetime.

And yet Nan Qiao had gone because of… such a ridiculous reason?

Nan Zhou was at a loss for words. He was genuinely angry, but because it was his own sister, he couldn’t lash out. Instead, his frustration only continued to build.

“Is that boy also in this village?” Nan Zhou asked in a low, chilly voice.

“Brother, don’t go looking for him, okay? I finally got rid of him. Don’t let him come bothering me again,” Nan Qiao said in a panic.

“So he’s been bothering you?” Nan Zhou pressed, frowning at her strong reaction.

“Not really. I just realized I don’t have feelings for him, so I don’t want to be too close with him.”

“Mm.”

“Brother, can you move the table outside into the shade? It’s almost time to eat,” Nan Qiao called as she started plating the dishes.

“Alright,” Nan Zhou replied, heading out to set up the table and chairs under the tree. He then returned to the kitchen to help carry out the food and grab the utensils.

Just the two of them, but Nan Qiao had cooked four dishes: sweet and sour spare ribs, braised pork, oil-braised bamboo shoots, and stir-fried cabbage.

“Brother, try it. These are all your favorites!”

“Qiao Qiao’s cooking is still as good as ever,” Nan Zhou praised after trying a bite of the bamboo shoots.

“Of course! Cooking for you has to be perfect!”

Even the usually cold expression on Nan Zhou’s face softened with a smile.

“Well, since you’re already here, I won’t scold you anymore. But you absolutely cannot slack off with your studies. Policies are shifting now. If the country wants to develop, bringing back the college entrance exam to cultivate talent is inevitable. You need to be ready to seize that chance,” Nan Zhou said seriously.

“I know, Brother. I even brought all my high school textbooks with me. Shen Nian and I study together when we’re off work.”

“That’s good. If anything comes up, remember to tell the family.”

“I got it, Brother. Now eat up!” Nan Qiao said, placing a piece of meat into his bowl.

Seeing her like this, Nan Zhou decided not to nag further. The two of them chatted and laughed as they finished their meal.

Afterward, Nan Zhou didn’t let Nan Qiao clean up. He tidied the table and kitchen himself before finally sitting on the lounge chair in the courtyard.

“Brother, are you going to nap for a bit? I got the key to the spare room from Auntie Xiumei earlier. I figured you’d be coming, so I already made the bed. You can stay there these next few days,” Nan Qiao said, pointing to the small room next to hers.

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

“That room used to be filled with old furniture, but I cleared it out. Come see for yourself,” she said, opening the door.

The room was small, with some old wooden cabinets still stacked in a corner, but the space was clean and tidy. The bedding had been sun-dried, and the room smelled faintly of sunlight.

“Brother, what do you think? I cleaned it all myself,” Nan Qiao said, clearly fishing for praise.

“It’s great. Thank you, Qiao Qiao. I really like it,” Nan Zhou replied gently.

He’d slept in all kinds of rough conditions during missions, so he wasn’t picky about where he stayed.

But this was something his little sister had prepared personally—her way of showing how much she cared—and that made it especially meaningful.

“Then that’s good! Take a rest now. It’s rare for you to be on leave, and there’s nothing to do this afternoon anyway. You should catch up on sleep.”

“Alright. You should get some rest too.”

“Mm-hmm.” Nan Qiao nodded obediently and returned to her room, quickly falling asleep.

When she woke again, she heard the soft sound of wood being chopped in the courtyard. She got up, tidied herself, and stepped outside.

“Brother, it’s your rare vacation—why aren’t you resting a little longer?”

Hearing her voice, Nan Zhou straightened up and looked at her.

“I’m used to it. In the army, this is how it is every day. Resting too long makes me feel uncomfortable. Did I wake you?”

“No, I only nap for a little while anyway. If I sleep too long, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

“Mm. Then go sit in the shade. I’ll finish this up.”

Nan Qiao nodded but didn’t sit down. Instead, she pulled up a jar of chilled sour plum juice from the well and poured two cups, placing them on the small table beside her. Only then did she sit on the lounge chair with a book in her hands.

There wasn’t much firewood in the yard, so Nan Zhou finished chopping quickly and stacked it neatly to one side.

After washing his face, he sat down beside Nan Qiao and peeked at the book she was reading.

“Is that a foreign language book? Did Uncle give it to you? Can you understand it?” Nan Zhou asked, surprised she could read something like that.

“Yeah, Uncle gave it to me a few years back. I figured since I’d be idle in the village, I’d secretly bring it along,” Nan Qiao replied. The book was indeed from her uncle, and since it was something now available in foreign goods stores, she didn’t bother hiding it. Besides, she would have to let people know she understood foreign languages eventually…

“I remember Uncle only taught you English for a few days when you were a kid. You’re still studying it?” Nan Zhou was clearly surprised his pampered little sister was learning something like this.

Nan Qiao had always been a naturally gifted student. She could grasp things immediately in class, but getting her to do extra work at home was nearly impossible…

So the fact that she could learn a foreign language—without an immersive environment or a teacher—and actually understand an English book meant she must’ve worked very hard.

“Uncle teaches me a little every time he comes back. And I think, with the country trying to boost foreign exchange earnings, foreign languages are bound to become important.”

“That’s true. Even if college entrance exams don’t return, being able to communicate with foreigners opens up more opportunities.” Nan Zhou nodded in approval at her reasoning.