### Chapter 111: Not Like This
As Xia Yu walked out of her room with a big bag of snacks in hand, naturally, she caught the attention of Xia Le and her father Xia Hong, who were lounging on the sofa. They stared at Xia Yu, no doubt intrigued by what she was carrying.
Approaching Xia Le, Xia Yu put down the snacks and said immediately, “Big Brother, this is for you.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Xia Le mumbled incoherently, clearly still half asleep.
But Xia Yu could see it in Xia Le’s face—there was an undeniable spark of joy. After all, Xia Le was just a twelve-year-old kid at heart. Seeing all those snacks Xia Yu was lugging around, and knowing that Xia Ling had already distributed some to Xia Yu, Xia Le would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.
Now that he finally had his hands on a huge bag of snacks, his mood improved. The sour look on his face softened a bit.
After giving Xia Le the snack, Xia Yu didn’t have much else to do. She decided to turn right back around and go to her room.
But before she could walk two steps, Xia Hong, who was sitting next to Xia Le in nothing but his boxer shorts and a tank top, gave her a heads-up: “Little Yu, wake up early tomorrow. We’ll eat breakfast at seven-thirty, and leave at eight. Try to get some rest tonight, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
And with that, Xia Yu retreated to her room once again. She plopped onto her bed with a moment of daydreaming, then touched the bamboo mat. It felt odd; maybe it hadn’t been slept on for a while as a thin layer of dust had settled on it. Ignoring the dirt and the feeling of it on her hand, she simply lay down.
Her wooden bed wasn’t nearly as soft as Xia Ling’s princess bed, resulting in a bit of discomfort. Sleep evaded her for a while, but eventually, she started recalling the events from today involving Miss Jiang Kekai and herself.
Uncharacteristically, a rare smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Xia Yu didn’t remember when she fell asleep last night—sometime very late—yet her internal clock woke her promptly at seven.
Despite feeling drowsy, she knew she couldn’t stay in bed any longer. She got up, forcing herself awake.
Today was the day they were leaving for Peng City.
“Good morning, sister! How did you sleep last night?” Xia Yu replied with a blank stare. Xia Ling continued: “Sis, can you do me a favor? I can’t carry all these bags myself.”
In response, Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, but Xia Ling’s charm got her every time. Eventually, Xia Yu carried two large bags of snacks.
Meanwhile, Xia Ling heaved luggage, ensuring that Xia Yu wouldn’t hurt herself since her legs weren’t fully healed. Xia Yu watched in amusement as Xia Ling hauled the heavy suitcases up and down the stairs.
Xia Yu’s mother, Wang Wenjuan, was busy cooking breakfast downstairs. Her father and Xia Ling’s older brother, Xia Le, were still sleeping, so there was no help coming from them. So, it was up to Xia Yu to lend a hand.
“Isn’t it easier just to wait until dad and older brother wake up together and finish moving everything at once?” Wang Wenjuan commented.
“No need, I have my own luggage to carry. It will be a hassle to keep going back and forth,” Xia Ling explained, wiping sweat off her forehead.
Wang Wenjuan sighed and said, “Alright, I’ve already cooked breakfast, so we’ll eat now and head out afterwards.”
With that, they quickly sat down to eat. The breakfast was yesterday’s leftovers, and seeing them, Xia Ling abruptly recalled the incident from the previous night when Jiang Keke fed Xia Yu.
“Eat more, little sis! You need to grow taller,” Xia Ling insisted and piled more food onto Xia Yu’s plate. Xia Yu merely nodded and ate, curious as to why Xia Ling was being so unusually generous.
Xia Ling felt pleased, as if the frustrations from the previous night had dissipated. “It’s not like I can’t feed Xia Yu every day, can I? I do spend so much time with her.”
Xia Yu thought it was odd, but didn’t comment, instead continuing to eat. With the sun rising high, Xia Yu and Xia Ling began loading the luggage into the car with their parents, Xia Le assisting due to his impending end-of-elementary-school celebrations.
The journey to Peng City was a mix of excitement and nostalgia. Xia Yu saw the familiar path she often took, and despite the sadness it brought, she felt a sense of closure.
Plunging forward, the van made its way through the village, passing a small store where the elder villagers were playing cards. Xia Yu’s grandparents were among them, enjoying their leisure time.
Once at the entrance, Xia Hong stopped the car, took out a pack of red box cigarettes from the glove compartment, and handed them out generously.
“Bye, Xia Yu. I’m turning in now,” Jiang Hanhang said, appearing before Jiang Kekai.
“Great, I guess I should too.” Jiang Hanhang turned and walked home, leaving Xiao Wei, who drove away in another car.
“Veeery nice. Another hundred bucks gone,” Xia Hong sighed, lighting up another cigarette.
Xia Yu, who understood how expensive cigarettes were, felt a pang of sympathy for him.
“Hey sis, how was your playdate with Xia Yu? Did you bring home any souvenirs?” Jiang Hanhang asked mischievously, holding out a stack of photographs.
“Cut it out, Hanhang, I’m exhausted,” Jiang Kekai protested.
“But these pictures are one-of-a-kind!”
