On Saturday morning, Gu An was up early for once.
Before going to bed last night, he had made up his mind to try his luck at the Lanting Clubhouse.
There was no rush, though. He didn't have class today, so he would make Xiao Xi breakfast first.
In the kitchen, the small wontons in the pot were almost done, and two freshly fried eggs sat beside them.
Gu An turned down the heat and checked the time.
Eight thirty.
That was a little strange.
Normally, Gu Xi should have been awake by now.
Especially on weekends, when she often got up even earlier than he did.
Sometimes, she would come over in her wheelchair before she had even tidied her hair, eager to see what tasty food there was that day.
Today, though, it was quiet.
Gu An put the lid on the pot and washed his hands, then walked to his sister's bedroom door and knocked gently twice.
"Xiao Xi, time to get up and eat."
There was no answer from the room.
Gu An called out again. Only after quite a while did the girl's muffled voice come through the door.
"Mmm... brother, let me sleep a little longer."
Gu An was amused. "If you keep sleeping, the wontons will turn to mush."
"Then... then let them soak a little longer."
The girl's voice was soft and heavy with sleep.
Gu An smiled and shook his head, deciding not to hurry her.
He turned back to the kitchen, scooped out the wontons, and covered her portion to keep it warm.
It was Saturday, after all. There was no harm in letting her sleep a little longer.
But Gu An hadn't noticed that Gu Xi, who usually woke after he called her once or twice, was having an unusually hard time waking up today.
The girl had actually heard Gu An's voice.
But for some reason, her body just couldn't muster any energy.
Even though she had gone to bed early last night, she was still terribly sleepy, and even opening her eyes felt like an effort.
After lingering under the covers for another ten minutes or so, she slowly sat up.
By the time Gu An had set out the bowls and chopsticks, he finally heard the sound of a wheelchair coming out of the room.
Gu Xi wore light pink pajamas, her long black hair spilling down behind her shoulders, and held a small cushion in her arms.
She came to the table with sleepy eyes, and when she saw the small wontons in the bowl, her still somewhat dazed eyes finally brightened a little.
"Brother, what made you cook this today?"
"Didn't someone say she wanted to eat it a couple of days ago?"
Gu An pulled out a chair, helped her park her wheelchair securely, and set the bowl of wontons, just the right temperature, in front of her.
Gu Xi picked up her spoon and took a bite, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
"Delicious."
But as she ate, she suddenly remembered something and looked up at Gu An, her gaze growing suspicious.
"Brother, are you hiding something from me today?"
"What makes you say that?"
"You usually sleep in on weekends, but today you got up even earlier than me, and you even went out of your way to make wontons."
The more the girl thought about it, the more suspicious she became. She even put down her spoon.
"Come on, tell me. Did you meet some pretty older sister at school?"
Gu An was drinking his soup and nearly choked at her words.
"Where did that come from?"
"Then why are you suddenly so hardworking?"
"When have I ever not been hardworking?"
"Hmm..."
Gu Xi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then ultimately decided to let her brother save a little face.
"That's true. You've always been hardworking, brother. You're good-looking, get good grades, and can cook too."
She counted on her fingers for a while. "I wonder which girl will be lucky enough to get you someday."
"Miss Gu Xi, how old are you? You're already worrying about things like that?"
"I'm seventeen! I'm not a little kid!"
"Besides, you're already an adult, brother. There's nothing wrong with you dating." The girl murmured softly.
"Don't try to change the subject."
Gu An pushed the fried egg farther onto her side of the table. "Finish your meal before you start worrying about my lifelong happiness."
The girl gave a soft huff, but didn't make any more fuss. She simply picked up her spoon and continued eating.
She didn't have much of an appetite to begin with, and Gu An was used to it.
But today, she had eaten less than half a bowl before she could barely eat any more.
While Gu An got up to tidy the kitchen, Gu Xi quietly put down her spoon and rubbed her somewhat heavy forehead.
By the time Gu An came back over, she had already returned to her usual well-behaved self.
"Why did you stop eating?"
"I'm full." Gu Xi looked up at him and gave him a placating smile. "Your cooking was so delicious, brother. Can I save the rest for lunch?"
Gu An glanced at the wontons left in her bowl and didn't insist.
His sister was in poor health, and it was common for her to eat little. Forcing food down would only make her uncomfortable.
"All right, eat it when you're hungry. But you still need to take your medicine on time. Don't secretly skip a pill while I'm out."
"I know!"
Gu Xi drew out the words, clearly quite familiar with her brother's nagging.
Leaning against the sofa, the girl held up a finger toward him with a beaming smile.
"Dear brother, remember to bring me candy when you come back. Peach-flavored."
"I know. I won't forget yours."
Gu An smiled and rubbed her head, then put on his shoes and went out.
Only when the door had quietly closed did Gu Xi slowly look away.
Rather than hurry back to her room, the girl steered her wheelchair over to the balcony and looked downstairs through the glass.
Before long, that familiar figure appeared at the entrance to the residential complex.
As if sensing something, Gu An suddenly turned around and waved toward the third floor.
Gu Xi froze for a moment, then her eyes curved as she smiled and waved back.
Only after her brother's figure disappeared at the end of the street did the smile on Gu Xi's face gradually fade.
The morning sunlight fell through the glass window onto the girl's slightly pale cheeks.
She rested quietly against the back of her chair. The way she had acted so spoiled and stubborn just now was gone, replaced by a composure somewhat beyond her years.
In truth, how could she not know how hard her brother's life had been these past few years?
Ever since their parents passed away, he had been busy taking care of her.
Though he was only an eighteen-year-old boy himself, he always kept everything at home in perfect order.
He remembered better than anyone what medicine she needed to take each day and when she needed to return to the hospital for checkups.
He, on the other hand, had pitifully little time even to make friends.
Thinking of her joke that morning, Gu Xi couldn't help pressing her lips together gently.
She truly hoped her brother could meet a girl he liked.
It would be best if that girl liked him very much too, and could go to school with him.
She could listen to him talk about those creation theories Gu Xi could never quite understand, bicker with him now and then, and go out for walks together when they had time.
Then...
Even if she could no longer stay by her brother's side someday, there would probably be someone to take care of him in her place.
The girl lowered her eyes and gazed at her hands resting on her knees, lost in thought for a while.
After a moment, she suddenly reached up and patted her cheeks.
"Honestly, why am I thinking about this..."
Her brother had promised to bring her peach candy when he came back.
Gu Xi picked up the book she had left beside her and turned to the page she had bookmarked last night. But she hadn't read for long before her eyelids grew heavy again.
She rubbed her eyes and eventually closed the book.
She had only just gotten up, so why was she sleepy again?
The girl was a little puzzled, but there was nothing much to do on the weekend anyway, so she pulled the light blanket up over herself and closed her eyes against the back of the chair.