The woman was about 1.7 meters tall, with a standard oval face. Her bright eyes seemed to speak, and beneath her high-bridged nose was a cherry-like mouth painted with a light pink lip gloss, appearing alluring.
She wore a white polo shirt paired with a grey pleated skirt, giving her the look of a noble princess, yet her face held a chilling aura that kept people at a distance.
If Chen Xiazhi was like a lotus flower, pure and untainted, growing out of the mud.
Then Chen Hanlu was like a snow lotus blooming in ice and snow. Though seemingly delicate and beautiful, she exuded an unattainable distance.
Chen Xiazhi glared, "What do you mean by that? This is also brother's home, why can't he come back?"
Chen Hanlu expressionlessly filled a cup with water from the dispenser, "This home has already been ruined by him!"
Compared to Chen Xiazhi's warm and proactive personality, Chen Hanlu's character was an extreme opposite, especially when facing Chen Nan. She was extremely reserved with her words and rarely showed him any kindness.
This baffled Chen Shan and his wife. In their memory, their youngest daughter was very attached to Chen Nan when she was little. However, after her twelfth birthday, the relationship between the siblings underwent a drastic change.
As for what exactly happened that night, the couple had asked the siblings, but both remained tight-lipped.
"Even if your brother made mistakes, the law has given him a chance to start anew. Why can't you tolerate him?" Chen Shan sighed. Since his daughter was not his biological child, he dared not scold her harshly, even if he disapproved of her behavior.
Chen Hanlu's eyes were cold, "Chen Nan, if you want me to respect you, then start from scratch. Don't rely on the family's help!"
"Nonsense!" Chen Shan's tone grew heavier, "Your brother just got out of prison, he has no money. Now that he finally has a skill, who else would we help if not him?"
Chen Hanlu calmly asked, "How will you help? Will you go borrow money from loan sharks again?"
Chen Shan was speechless.
If it wasn't for the dire circumstances back then, he wouldn't have borrowed money from Zhang Hu.
He never expected it to lead to such a grave mistake, a burden he couldn't overcome in his heart.
"There's something I didn't want to say, but I must say it today," Chen Hanlu took a deep breath, a hint of decisiveness flashing in her eyes. "You should be grateful that a kind person has been sponsoring my education for the past two years. Otherwise, I would have dropped out long ago, let alone you and I both reaching our third year of high school!"
Chen Xiazhi was a year older than Chen Hanlu, but her academic performance was not as ideal.
She had a setback during her high school entrance exams and repeated a year, after which she successfully enrolled in Jizhou Second High School.
Chen Hanlu, on the other hand, had been admitted to Jizhou First High School with an excellent score, ranking in the top ten of the city.
"I spent three years in prison. Although my wages weren't much, it's enough to start a clinic. You can rest assured, I will absolutely not take any money from the family!" Chen Nan's gaze was firm. He hadn't expected their family life to be so difficult, which further strengthened his resolve to earn money.
"I hope you keep your word!" Chen Hanlu said, then turned and returned to her bedroom. The loud slam of the door indicated her current bad mood.
"Mom, I'm hungry," Chen Xiazhi said.
"I'll cook," Jia Cui sighed helplessly. The family relationships were becoming increasingly complicated with Chen Nan's return.
"Brother, come with me for a moment." Chen Xiazhi, without preamble, pulled Chen Nan to his bedroom.
During Chen Nan's three years in prison, Chen Xiazhi had been living in his bedroom. The small room was adorned with a few pieces of women's undergarments, and a faint, elegant fragrance permeated the air.
"Don't look yet."
Chen Xiazhi's face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly put away the undergarments and took out a brand-new smartphone from a drawer, smiling, "You can open your eyes now!"
"What does this mean?" Chen Nan looked surprised.
"It's a gift for you. Although it's just a thousand-yuan phone, it's the only one I can afford right now!"
Chen Xiazhi beamed playfully, "I bought this with my saved allowance and the money I earned from part-time jobs. While it's just a phone, it represents my sister's sincere feelings. You wouldn't be so heartless as to reject your little sister's gesture, would you?"
Chen Nan's nose stung. He took the phone from Chen Xiazhi. Even though it was just a thousand-yuan phone, to him, it represented Chen Xiazhi's heartfelt gesture, surpassing any ten-thousand-yuan phone.
Just then, Chen Xiazhi retrieved an envelope from a cabinet under the bed and sneakily handed it to Chen Nan.
Seeing the thick stack of hundred-yuan bills inside, Chen Nan gasped. Even his tone grew heavier, "This must be over ten thousand yuan! Where did you get so much money..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xiazhi covered his mouth with her hand and glanced warily towards the door. She asked with a hint of grievance, "Do you want Dad and Mom to find out and beat me to death?"
Chen Nan's face darkened, "If you don't tell me the source of this money, I'll personally beat you to death, without needing Mom and Dad to lift a finger."
Chen Xiazhi affectionately hooked her arm around Chen Nan's, pouting coquettishly, "Would you really have the heart to hit me? Aren't you afraid I'll cry?"
Seeing Chen Nan's continued stern expression, Chen Xiazhi mumbled, "It's nothing much. Ever since the family went through some trouble, I've been thinking about lightening the burden. Whenever I had free time, I'd work as a hourly cleaner or take on other part-time jobs. This 11,500 yuan is what I've saved up over these three years."
"I was planning to keep this money for emergencies, but since you're opening a clinic now, as a sister, I should support your career and your dreams!"
She then nodded proudly, "Yes, this is the self-cultivation of a good sister!"
Chen Nan clutched the envelope tightly, "I can accept this money, but you have to promise me one thing: from today onwards, focus on your studies and prepare for next year's college entrance exams. Leave the earning to me."
"Okay, pinky promise!" Chen Xiazhi flashed a brilliant smile and then hummed a cheerful tune as she went to the kitchen to help her mother prepare lunch.
Chen Nan hadn't wanted the money, but he knew he couldn't refuse Chen Xiazhi.
It was better this way, to set a condition and have her focus on her studies.
---
Lunch wasn't lavish. Although there were four dishes and one soup, only the stir-fried pork with chili had any meat.
But for Chen Nan, who hadn't tasted his mother's cooking in three years, the meal was exceptionally delicious. He ate three bowls of rice, finally satiating his longing for home.
After lunch, Chen Nan rode his bicycle to Yangxintang to buy some herbs for his father's medicinal bath.
As he rode his bicycle through the center of the shantytown, he inadvertently saw a rental notice posted on a shopfront.
He immediately applied the brakes, his eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and complexity. "Didn't this shop have a family trade? Why couldn't they make it work?"