Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Buy them all for _1 Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Buy them all for _1 After making up her mind, Xia Ningxing quickly wrote five promissory notes and handed them out to each of her five brothers.
The five brothers each used a black ink pen to stain their thumbs and then pressed them onto the papers.
“Mom, we’ve signed,” they said.
Mrs. Xia glanced at them, took the promissory notes, and tossed them a hundred dollars, her indifferent attitude as cold as that of a stranger: “Go register yourselves tomorrow. Don’t think I’ll accompany you; I don’t have the ti!”
She was already heartbroken about sending these five money-losers to school, let alone taking a day off to accompany them to register.
In your dreams!
“We know, Mom. We’ll go by ourselves,” the five brothers said, knowing their mother disdained them. They didn’t get angry or make a fuss, but were especially well-behaved.
Ningxing couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them, and in her gentle, babyish voice said, “I’ll go with my brothers tomorrow.”
“You’re such a good sister!” The brothers instantly bead with joy and reached out to pat her little head.
Xia Ningxing, like a fluffy little animal, basked in everyone’s affection.
The next day, Mrs. Xia went to set up her stall, while Ningxing and her five brothers went to register.
They had once accompanied Mrs. Xia to register Ningxing, so they were quite familiar with the process.
Even though the brothers had never formally attended school, they had secretly learned by peeking through the windows of the schoolhouse and had so basic knowledge.
The school therefore placed the fifteen-year-old eldest brother in sixth grade.
The thirteen-year-old second and third brothers were put in fifth grade,
and the eleven-year-old fourth and fifth brothers in fourth grade.
Registration was easy and soon done. After that, Ningxing extended her little hand to lead her brothers to buy backpacks, stationery, and other learning materials; school was starting in a week, and these essentials needed to be prepared in advance.
“Bao’er, let’s just forget it and you buy for yourself,” the eldest brother said, imdiately shaking his head vigorously.
Mother was already unhappy about them going to school, and she would disdain them even more if she saw them buying those things.
“Yeah, sister, you go ahead and buy. Brother can use the old backpacks and pencils from your house,” the other four brothers also hastily added.
Ningxing could clearly see their concern, and gripping their hands, she forcefully led them on, patting her little chest with bravado: “Buy! I’ll buy for everyone! I’ll shoulder any trouble that cos, don’t worry!”
“Sister! You really are the best sister in the whole world!” The five brothers wished they could spoil her to the heavens.
With new backpacks and stationery in hand, the brothers treasured them dearly, holding them carefully, afraid of getting them dirty.
Watching them, Ningxing couldn’t help but think of the days she had lived luxuriously; she wouldn’t cherish designer bags worth hundreds of thousands and would sotis even use them to carry vegetables sared with mud.
Ah, such extravagance!
But… how she missed it!
When Mrs. Xia returned in the evening and saw the five “useless boys” each with a brand new backpack and boxes of stationery, her eyes nearly burst with anger, and she scolded, “You lot, just a drain on finances, I should never have let you go to school! Wasting money! We have plenty of Bao’er’s old backpacks at ho, aren’t they good enough? Must you have new ones? Do you think money is easy to co by?”
The five brothers imdiately hung their heads, looking like they had done sothing wrong.
“Mom, we’re sorry…”
“Mom!” Ningxing said, exasperated, as she walked over with her short little legs, “I insisted on buying these things for my brothers. If you want to scold soone, scold .”
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