Chapter 81 Can I Ride?

Su An moved aside a bit to let the waiter set the dishes down, then said softly to Mr. Luo, "Mr. Luo, thank you~"

"I was wrong. Even though she was timid and unsure, she always had a kind heart, believing in the goodness of the world. Many things were already ingrained in her. I don’t blame her now; it wasn’t her fault."

As Su An spoke, she pushed a bowl of lamb tripe soup to her brother and passed him a few big meat skewers.

"Brother, dig in."

Although Su Ping didn’t understand what Su An and Mr. Luo were talking about, he clearly felt that his sister was happy now.

He flashed his sister a big smile, "An An, you eat too."

The meal was a happy one.

Su Ping had planned to eat less when they first arrived, worried the food might be pricey, but as he ate, he forgot about it.

By the end, they’d already polished off two baskets of buns.

Su An noticed her brother’s mixed feelings, feeling a mix of amusement and sadness.

"Brother, eat up. We’ll make sure nothing goes to waste. We’ll take the leftovers with us and use them for breakfast tomorrow."

Once they left the restaurant, the siblings said goodbye to Mr. Luo, and Su An took her brother to the library.

.....

Her bike was locked up in the library’s bike shed.

"An An, isn’t this the way?" Su Ping pointed in the direction of the canned food factory’s housing complex.

Su An shook her head, "We’re not heading back to the canned food factory’s housing complex. I’m bringing you to our own place."

"Our own place?"

"Yes, to our own place. From now on, we’re done with the Su family. If you see them, you can decide whether to talk to them or not. If they mess with you, just push back!"

"I’ve also left the Su family. We’ve got our own household registration now. We have our own home, and we don’t have to put up with Su Jianjun and Ji Qingqing anymore."

"Brother, remember what I said. I hate them. Don’t get close to them. They are bad people, full of evil ideas. I’m scared they’ll hurt you."

Su Ping stared blankly at his sister, "An An hates them, so I hate them too. They bullied An An, sold An An, and didn’t let An An continue her studies."

By the time Su An pedaled her bicycle, carrying her large brother, to Fuqing Street, she was already drenched in sweat.

Most households on the street had already closed their doors and turned off their lights, with only a few windows still glowing with orange light.

After opening the door and pushing the bike inside, Su An turned on the light and excitedly showed her brother around.

"Brother, look, this is our house. From now on, this is our home."

Su Ping’s eyes sparkled as he wandered around with a wide grin, "Our home? Mine and An An’s home?"

"We have a home?"

Su An’s nose tingled with emotion, "Yes, we have a home. This is your home. From now on, we won’t have to live under someone else’s roof, won’t be scolded, won’t be afraid to serve ourselves food. We’ll cook for ourselves, as much as we want. The money we earn is ours to spend. We each have our own room and bed. Brother, you won’t have to go mining anymore."

"Good, really good." Pure joy shone in Su Ping’s innocent eyes.

"An An is the best, so amazing!"

What he used to fear the most was being kicked out along with his sister, but now he has his own home and no longer fears being driven out.

"Brother, sit down for a while. There's not much in the house yet, not even a bed frame, but I've cleaned the floor. The sacks on the sofa are stuffed with bedding. We'll crash on the floor tonight and hit the stores tomorrow."

"I'll go heat some water first. It's already late, and you've had a long day. Clean up and hit the hay. We'll sort out the rest tomorrow."

Su Ping nodded, "Okay, I'll set up the bedding. An An, which room are you picking?"

Su An just pointed to the room at the very back, "I want the one inside!"

Su Ping's voice was brimming with excitement, "Okay, then I'll take the outermost one."

The next morning, Su Ping woke up early and crept to Su An's door, lingered there for a bit, then took his towel and cup to the kitchen to heat water.

By the time Su An woke up, the thermos was already topped up with hot water, the small coal stove was fired up with charcoal, and the leftover buns from last night were heating up on top.

After a quick breakfast, the siblings pedaled straight to the department store.

In the kitchen, aside from the pot stuck to the stove, which Su An had bought from Li Hongmei, there were only a few homemade items like strainers, low stools, and bamboo clips. They didn't have any bowls or chopsticks.

All they had was a busted wooden bucket, a thin metal bucket Su Ping had brought back, and a ceramic basin from the Zhao family. Pretty much all other daily essentials needed to be bought.

Su Ping was too heavy, nearly twice Su An's size, and sitting on the back of the bike nearly flipped it over.

After pedaling for a bit, Su An got off and started pushing the bike, taking it as a casual stroll.

Su Ping eyed the bike Su An was pushing, his eyes filled with desire, "An An, can I give it a go?"

"Sure, why not? Let's go to that flat and wide road up ahead."

"Alright!" Su Ping was thrilled. He had never had the chance to ride a bicycle before.

Su Jianjun had one, but he never let Su Ping touch it.

Seeing her brother's happy smile, Su An couldn't help but smile too.

"Come on, you ride, and I'll hold you."

Encouraged by his sister, Su Ping got on the bicycle, nervously unsure of what to do.

Seeing his nervousness, Su An quickly joked, "Don't be afraid. No one learns to ride a bicycle without falling. You'll get it after a couple of falls. Just ride boldly. Here, this handle is the brake. If you want to stop, just tighten it and put your feet down to support yourself."

"I'm holding you, so you won't fall. Even if you do, it's okay. I've fallen before, and it doesn't hurt..."

Under his sister's reassurance, Su Ping gradually relaxed and began pedaling clumsily, wobbling forward.

Su An followed closely, holding the bicycle. Even though her brother was learning slowly, she was very patient.

Over and over again, tirelessly repeating...

Finally, after who knows how many tries, Su An secretly let go.

Su Ping rode the bicycle for quite a distance before stopping and instinctively looking back for his sister.

Only then did he realize that his sister wasn't running alongside, holding the bicycle as before.

"An An, did I do it?"

Su Ping's eyes lit up, his voice filled with uncontrollable joy.

In the sunlight, Su An's smile was radiant, "Yes, that's amazing! You've learned!"

"Now you can give me rides~"