On Saturday, Sun’s mother went to the countryside to attend a full-month celebration, so the family gathering was moved to Sunday.
Early in the morning, after the three children finished practicing broadcast exercises with Sun Youping, they scattered in all directions, completely ignoring the adults calling them to do their homework.
Homework—should be left until the last moment to be done properly.
In Sun’s mother’s words: studying depends on aptitude. Some children are just made for it—they stay home studying and you can’t chase them out. Others, even if you tie them to a chair, they still won’t study if they don’t want to.
Sun’s mother had her own set of theories: if you force children to study when they should be playing, when they actually need to study, they’ll be sick of it.
Like the youngest son—when he was little, she thought he was gifted material. She made him practice piano and study every day. Back then his grades were always at the top, and he even won District Outstanding Student. Who knew—hmph—after middle school, he studied this and that, played here and there, his academic performance plummeted, he abandoned the piano, and in the end, besides knowing how to play, he knew nothing else.
“Mom, besides knowing how to play, he also knows how to eat!” Sun Jingfei added fuel to the fire.
“Go away,” Sun’s mother shooed her. “At least he got into college. You? You couldn’t even pass the entrance exam!”
“I didn’t get in, but the year I was top salesperson I made 1.2 million! God closed a door on me, but I broke in! As for your fourth son…” Sun Jingfei lowered her voice as she spoke. “Mom, let me tell you something.”
“If you’re going to say it, say it. Don’t look so shifty,” Sun’s mother disliked her scheming manner.
“Fourth Brother last year earned…” Sun Jingfei couldn’t continue, crouching there laughing endlessly, barely managing to hold up a number. “Earned… eighty thousand…”
The sister-in-law was also shocked and confirmed, “Earned eighty thousand in a year?”
Sun Jingfei was about to respond when she caught sight of the person at the door and smoothly slipped away to the kitchen balcony to keep busy.
Sun Jingcheng grabbed a pastry from the dining table to eat, stood for a moment, then went downstairs.
The sister-in-law quietly stuck out her tongue and hurriedly continued preparing the vegetables in her hands.
Sun’s mother felt sorry for her son and glared at Sun Jingfei. “Lacking upbringing! Is this how an older sister should behave? Who makes fun of their younger brother like this?”
“I was just joking.”
“Don’t talk to me anymore!” Sun’s mother was annoyed with her. “Zhou Yu hasn’t even said anything, yet you’re the first to poke at your brother?”
“Mom, why are you getting involved? It’s such a small matter.” Sun Jingfei was exasperated. “We siblings have always joked like this. Neither of us thinks anything of it, but the way you’re reacting makes it seem so serious…”
“Looking for trouble when there is none!”
Sun Jingfei went to the bathroom to wash her hands, feeling uncomfortable inside. What had been a non-issue had turned into something! Thinking about it, she went downstairs to find Sun Jingcheng. He was wearing a white coat, holding a notebook and pen, recording the medicinal materials drawer by drawer in front of the medicine cabinet. She went over and tapped him. “Hey, little brother.”
Sun Jingcheng ignored her.
“Little brother, you look really handsome in that white coat!”
…
“Little brother, you have such a great body!”
…
“Little brother, if we weren’t biological siblings, I would definitely marry you!”
Sun Jingcheng felt like throwing up.
Sun Jingfei hugged his waist. “My dear little brother is the best!”
…
While Sun Jingfei was being affectionate with him, a patient saw them and praised what a good relationship the married couple had, and how they even resembled each other!
Sun Jingfei laughed heartily. Sun Youping heard the commotion and chased her out. The pharmacy was restricted—no idle people allowed.
Sun Jingfei curtsied to Sun Youping like a princess. “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty Father. This subject will take her leave now.” She retreated all the way back upstairs.
…
No sense of propriety, lacking upbringing.
Sun Youping, taking advantage of the lull, took off his coat and called Sun Jingcheng to go to the warehouse. The bulk of the medicinal materials were in the warehouse, with the most complete variety. Those requiring special storage were generally only retrieved when needed.
Since Sun Jingcheng had been studying with him, he handled everything personally, carefully instructing him on the name and function of each medicinal material. Although Sun Jingcheng already knew most of them by heart.
The warehouse wasn’t far, three to five hundred meters from the clinic. The plane trees on one side of the road were already lush with foliage, with dappled light falling on Sun Youping. Sun Jingcheng looked at his father’s back, racking his brain for something to say—anything would do, like the stupid question of what month cicadas start singing.
Sun Youping stopped and slowly looked up at the plane trees, saying, “Soon, probably late June.”
Sun Jingcheng nodded and continued searching for topics.
Before he could find one, Sun Youping spoke again: “Summer vacation will be noisy.”
“What do you mean?” Sun Jingcheng took two steps forward to walk alongside him.
“During summer vacation when the children are off school, they’ll go catch cicada shells to sell to me for pocket money.”
Sun Jingcheng had heard about it. Last year, Sun Jiarui had instigated Yuyan to sell three cicada shells to Sun Youping. Sun Youping had offered two yuan, but they refused to sell, taking the shells to another pharmacy, only to be chased out. In the end, they had to return to Sun Youping to bargain up to five yuan.
After Sun Youping finished speaking, there was nothing more. Sun Jingcheng didn’t search for topics either. The father and son slowly walked to the warehouse along the tree-shaded street.
Summer was good—there were cicada songs, the sound of mahjong tiles shuffling under the shade, and clear voices on the street selling pea jelly.
Zhou Yu didn’t think summer was good at all—it was scorching. Every day she had to run back and forth countless times between the teaching building, office building, and cafeteria under the blazing sun. It was only early summer now, and just getting out of the car to buy shoes for Grandma was enough to make her break a light sweat.
She was in the new district cleaning and tidying when she received a message from Feng Yiqun saying the shoes she had bought for Grandma last time fit very well, asking her to buy two more pairs for summer. After Ke Yu finished his homework, she drove him to the clinic and bought the shoes along the way.
She parked in a roadside spot and got out. From a distance, she saw the father and son returning from somewhere. Sun Youping walked in front with his hands behind his back, while Sun Jingcheng followed behind carrying a package. Zhou Yu stood there waiting for them to come over, following them back to the clinic. Then she took out the cloth shoes she had bought for Sun Youping. Sun Youping nodded without making any other acknowledgment, put on his coat, and began seeing patients.
Zhou Yu was about to go upstairs with her things when Sun Jingcheng called her over, asking her to help pour a cup of tea. He was so tired from carrying such a big package that his hands had red marks from the straps.