The letter was mailed, and Su Xiaotian walked along the tree-lined path on campus.
On the lush tree-lined path in summer, the ground was already golden, and even the air seemed to have become much lonelier and desolate.
A gust of wind blew, chilling her to the bone. Su Xiaotian pulled her thick woolen coat tighter, stroked the large tree beside her, and poured out the emptiness in her heart.
The large tree swayed in response to Su Xiaotian, and the last few stubborn leaves, shaken loose, gently drifted down.
Just as she was feeling down, Su Sangong arrived.
"Little sister, why are you standing here in such cold weather?"
Seeing his little sister's rosy, cold cheeks, Su Sangong's heart ached. He took off his scarf and wrapped it around Su Xiaotian's neck.
Su Xiaotian was delighted to see Su Sangong.
It wasn't unusual to see her second brother at school, but seeing her third brother was a pleasant surprise.
"I have two pieces of good news to tell you," Su Sangong said with a smile, taking a look at his little sister.
Fortunately, her spirits didn't seem too bad.
That Chi Yiyuan fellow was too unreliable, leaving just like that without a word. She would definitely not let that brat off the hook when she saw him next.
"What good news?" Su Xiaotian's interest was piqued. News that her third brother would personally come to tell her must not be trivial matters.
As expected, the two pieces of news Su Sangong brought made Su Xiaotian very happy.
One was that the people who had intended to sabotage their research success on the train were part of an organized group. By meticulously investigating the person Su Xiaotian had caught, they had unearthed them all.
Although they couldn't be dealt with completely due to the involvement of some foreign forces, all the domestic culprits had been identified, ensuring their safety in future research endeavors.
The second piece of news was that their research project had received commendation from above, along with a bonus. Su Xiaotian received two hundred yuan.
He had come to deliver the bonus to Su Xiaotian.
Two hundred yuan wasn't much to Su Xiaotian, but the bonus represented honor.
Su Xiaotian was overjoyed when she received the two hundred yuan.
Thinking of the research project, Su Xiaotian remembered Xiao Shu.
"Third brother, I want to send this two hundred yuan to Xiao Shu. It's getting cold, and I wonder how the child is doing now."
The memory of the emaciated child with torn clothes still made Su Xiaotian feel sad.
"Xiao Shu's problem has been resolved," Su Sangong said.
"Resolved? Does Xiao Shu have other relatives? Are they reliable?" Su Xiaotian quickly asked.
If she encountered someone like Xiao Shu's uncle again, it would be hard to say what would become of Xiao Shu.
"Yesterday, Teacher Shen called Secretary Du. Secretary Du said that Xiao Liuzi's parents have decided to adopt Xiao Shu."
Xiao Liuzi's parents?
Su Xiaotian was very surprised. How could this be?
She had heard people in the village talk about that couple. They seemed to have jobs, and decent ones at that.
It was said that they often traveled for business to earn more money to treat Xiao Liuzi's illness. Why would they adopt a child?
"The prescription you gave Xiao Liuzi, Li Guihua and An Rongxue have been giving it to Xiao Liuzi, and his health has improved a lot. After returning from the northwest, this couple has repeatedly said that this is Xiao Liuzi's good fortune."
"They said that Xiao Liuzi met a benefactor, and they also want to accumulate good deeds. Moreover, after meeting Xiao Shu, they really liked him, and Xiao Liuzi was reluctant to part with Xiao Shu. In the end, the couple decided to adopt Xiao Shu, also to find a companion for Xiao Liuzi."
"From what I understand, if it weren't for needing to treat their child's illness, their salaries would be enough to support two children. They said that now that Xiao Liuzi's illness is cured, they won't have to travel for business to earn more money."
Hearing Su Sangong say this, Su Xiaotian felt much more at ease.
An Rongxue and the other members of the An family seemed decent enough. The daughter raised by such a family should be kind, right?
Grandma An had mentioned that her daughter had difficulty having children, and only had Xiao Liuzi in her middle age. Adopting another child under these circumstances seemed understandable.
"Furthermore, Secretary Du also said that a subsidy has been applied for Xiao Shu, twenty yuan a month, until Xiao Shu is eighteen years old. And this subsidy will not be terminated due to Xiao Shu's adoption by Xiao Liuzi's parents."
Su Sangong continued to share this news with Su Xiaotian.
Xiao Shu's situation had been weighing on everyone's minds. Teacher Shen had initially considered adopting Xiao Shu herself.
However, due to the busy business of Auntie Taohua's clothing factory, she simply didn't have the time to take care of another child, so she abandoned the idea.
Additionally, Su Xiaomei was pregnant, and the family would soon have another child, making it even more difficult to manage.
Although Teacher Shen felt sorry for Xiao Shu, she understood that she couldn't burden her family with the pressure caused by her sympathy.
Later, Teacher Shen thought of having Xiao Shu come to the orphanage run by the elderly couple Tan Zishi.
She felt this would be a solution, better than being fostered by others indefinitely.
Moreover, the Tan family's orphanage, while outwardly run by the Tan elders, was actually strongly supported by the Su, Du, and Chi families, and the conditions were quite good.
It was precisely to discuss this matter that Teacher Shen had called Secretary Du, and in turn received this news.
Su Xiaotian hadn't expected Secretary Du to be able to solve such a significant problem for Xiao Shu.
Twenty yuan wasn't a lot, but for Xiao Shu, having a subsidy of twenty yuan would greatly improve his life.
It would also mean that Xiao Liuzi's parents wouldn't have to bear the entire financial burden for Xiao Shu, potentially leading them to treat him better.
For a child who had lost all his relatives, this was perhaps the best possible outcome.
"Then I'll send this bonus over to Xiao Liuzi's parents and use this money as Xiao Shu's education fund."
Since Su Xiaotian had decided to spend the two hundred yuan on Xiao Shu, she had no intention of backing down.
"That's fine. I'll also contribute two hundred yuan to send with you," Su Sangong said after some thought.
"Third brother, you should save your money. You still need to get married," Su Xiaotian said teasingly.
Her second and third brothers were no longer young, and marriage was likely within a few years. How could they not have money on hand?
Compared to their fourth brother, who was a nouveau riche making his fortune through business, her third brother, a researcher, was practically penniless.
Indeed, great ideals always seemed to be at a distant remove from money!
Su Sangong glared at Su Xiaotian. While it was true that he was poorer, it wasn't to the extent that he couldn't afford two hundred yuan.
"Take it if I give it to you. As your third brother, can I be worse off than you?"
Su Xiaotian rubbed her nose.
Alright, she would accept it, as it was for Xiao Shu anyway.
As the siblings were talking, Zhao Hongmei rushed over to find Su Xiaotian, saying that the principal wanted to see her.