? Don't you go, don't you go, don't leave me behind, brother.
? A slightly older boy with a white canvas school bag on his waist and a large black suitcase in each hand - much larger than he was - walked slowly, unaware of the little girl coming up behind him. The sound of wheels crunching against the concrete floor was particularly jarring.
? "Brother - you left something behind -" the little girl shouted as she hurried, straining to lean forward.
? The boy was startled as the sound of wheels grinding against concrete came to an abrupt halt. He slowly drops his head to look back and turn around.
? "You left something behind." She said timidly as she rushed closer to see her brother dazed.
? The boy looked at the suitcase in his left hand, then at the one in his right. Suddenly he smiled, a lift of the shoulder hanging in that inseparable but often need to be reminded by his sister to not go out and left behind the schoolbag, "did not leave something, I brought the schoolbag." He said, very happy.
? "You left me behind." Her nose wrinkled.
? Brother's face clouded over ...... He slowly screwed back up and continued pulling the suitcase.
? "Don't you dare leave me behind." She said viciously, following as she did so.
? "It's mom who told you to stay." He didn't look back.
? "You were the one who wanted to leave me behind." She retorted.
? He turned back.
? How does she know that he made a deal with mom to leave her at her house? Even Dad didn't know. Although he is still only fourteen years old, but is already a small adult, to take care of the family's big and small things, including the younger sister with his four-year-old sister. Such a big thing mom in addition to discuss with him, can not find another person, because dad is an alcoholic, in addition to repair motorcycle, another "capable" thing is to drink.
? Things began with a phone call from his mom that someone else had transferred to him. After so many years, mom finally returned to the province from the field, and to settle down. She re-found someone and set up a new family. How many years had it been since he had seen his mother, since he was a child, no one could say what their siblings missed in their hearts. Taking the opportunity to see mom, he brought his sister. Dad didn't object. It took an overnight train ride to finally see mom's expectant face. But before coming, mom had already talked to him repeatedly on the phone, hoping that he would bring his sister over, stay with her to live and study, and later go abroad and study, with a bright future. She knew her ex-husband's virtues and had inquired about their current life, knowing that her children would not have a bright future if they stayed by his side or in the town. His mother gave him two choices, either they all stayed or his sister stayed, at least she couldn't stay in the old country anymore. He secretly cried many times, unable to leave his sister and unable to leave his father behind. In the end, he decided to let his sister stay with his mom. Although he is still young, but the surrounding environment of the ear, still let him vaguely feel that the provincial capital is such a good place, his sister to stay there will only be good for her. It was something he couldn't tell his dad, and didn't dare to tell him - as if he didn't have to.
? After a week of happy fun at his mother's house, today, without his sister's knowledge, he said goodbye to his mother and dragged the two big full suitcases she had given him out the door.
? Just now, in a kiosk on the side of the road, he called his father and told him to go back, "Dad, I'm going back." --He said "I", not "we". The father did not notice the difference in his words, "Uh-huh", "be careful" and so on, and then hung up.
? "Uncle Chen told me everything." The little girl said. Uncle Chen is mom's current husband, he is quite nice and does not object to his wife leaving the child behind. The only difference was that he didn't think he should hide the decision from the child, so he told her about her brother coming home alone; and said it was up to her to decide whether to stay or go, because they were young but understanding children.
? "What's wrong with Mommy here? The house is big and fun and you get to go to a good school."
? "I do not want. If you want to stay, you stay with me."
? "I want to go back to take care of Dad."
? "I'm going back to take care of Dad too."
? "You can't do anything, you're too young. You can't buy groceries or cook."
? "I can I can I can do it all - you're the one who won't let me. I can feed the chickens and I can sweep the floor."
? "You let the rabbits go last time."
? "It was a mouse that chewed the cage door, I didn't see it."
? "You don't know how to hold the tools when Dad fixes the motorcycle, and you always charge the wrong amount."
? "But you didn't teach me. You promised to teach me arithmetic - I was the one who helped you make the wrapping paper."
? "And brother, if you go out without your schoolbag, you'll get punished by the teacher without me reminding you."
? The boy doesn't say anything, but he stubbornly turns back around again.
? "Brother, Daddy's waiting for me to buy him a drink." The little girl hurriedly added, stepping forward and shaking his arm.
? The boy pulled his suitcase forward.
? "Brother! -- Brother! --" the little girl shouted, stomping her feet behind her.
? The boy didn't respond, and she wailed, her tears like broken pearls.
? Whimpering, she looked down and wiped her tears, "You bullied me, I'm going to tell Dad that you bullied me. Only bad people bully me, and you bully me. Oooooooo, I'm afraid, brother, I'm afraid I'll never see you again, I'm afraid if you're not there. I'm afraid of bad people. I'm afraid of bad people bullying me. Every time a bad person bullies me it's you who helps me fight them off. I'm afraid, ooohhhh."
? The boy's heart tightened. He turned around and looked straight at her; letting go of the box trolley and walking straight to her. He cupped her face, trying to help wipe away her tears, "Don't cry." He said.
? The little girl, however, pushed his hand away, let go of his voice, "hands and feet", and sat down on the floor.
? The boy squatted down, "Don't be afraid, no one is bullying you here - if someone bullies you next time you come I'll beat him up hard!" He gritted his teeth and said, "No one bullies you here with mom, ah. Mommy says the people here are nice and no one will bully you or laugh at you."
? "No, I don't want to stay here. I don't want mommy, I just want you, I just want you and daddy. I want to go home, the people here are not nice, I want to go home."
? "But go back they will bully you." The boy clenched his fists.
? "No, no one bullies me." The little girl shook her head back and forth.
? "Yes, Ming grabbed your pigtails and Soldier grabbed your candy."
? "No, I gave it to him."
? "It was clearly a grab, I saw it." The boy stood up in exasperation, raising his voice.
? "No, it wasn't robbery."
? "It was robbery."
? The boy shrugged off his sister's hand and walked back, pulling the suitcase up and moving on.
? The little girl was in a hurry. "Brother! --" she jumped up, stuttering.
? The boy doesn't look back.
? "Don't you dare not want me don't you dare not want me, I'll tell Dad. You're the one who bullied me, you and mom bullied me! --"
? The boy still ignored her.
? She suddenly turned around and sprinted towards the middle of the road.
? The boy sensed something bad, glimpsed her darting diagonally, and was busy letting go of the box handle and running over, "What are you doing? Come back, come back!"
? The road was wide and quiet, no cars or pedestrians. The little girl sat on her butt on the ground, bawling, waving her arms and shaking her legs; her braid spread out, and the dust rose to her clothes.
? The boy tugged at her arm, "Get up, get up." He looked down the road to the empty corner not far away, as if a sedan would rush out there at any moment, "Get up!"
? The little girl was ironed and riveted, became very heavy, did not respond, just cry only.
? "Get up!"
? "No! No! No! I won't!"
? "Get up and I'll take you home again."
? "I won't, I won't."
? "You get up first, get up and I'll take you home again, you get up first! - - Get up or I'm leaving."
? After a lot of struggling and crying and talking, the little girl finally stopped crying and stood up. The boy patted the dust off of her and straightened her matted hair; walking away and looking at her.
? She stared at her brother pitifully with big dark eyes, eyes full of anticipation and questioning.
? "Say yes and take me back?" She said.
? The boy grunted and turned back toward the boulevard. After a few steps - he stood, turned back, and took off the book bag from his shoulder, "Take it." He said, continuing to walk towards the boulevard.
? A white shadow swished into the little girl's arms. She was confused, then delighted, and wrapped her arms tightly around him, eyes glowing and mouth curling up; following quickly.
? On the boulevard, the boy pulling the box crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. The little girl's schoolbag clattered in her lap.
? "Brother, your fish don't change the water for days, will they die?"
? "Brother, what is the name of the flower you dug for me last time? It has bloomed several times again."
? "Brother, did you finish the homework your teacher assigned you? Will you be punished?"
? "Mom's home is so beautiful!"
? "Brother, will daddy feed our pigeons when we're not there?" The little girl worries.
? "Hey," the boy laughed, thinking of something, "I've sprinkled grain all over the roof; they'll have food, and probably eat it with gusto. --Don't you tell Dad about my scattering grain."
? "Oh. No, I won't tell."
? "Only," it was the boy's turn to worry, "will Daddy slaughter the pigeons while we're gone?"
? "Yah, let's get back."
? After a night on the train, in the early hours of the morning, arrived home. Pushing open the door, my father sat at the dining table in the middle of the hall, bottles of wine, bowls, plates, peanuts, but the air was not as strong and pungent as in the past.
? "Dad, we're home." The boy said carefully, emphasizing the word "we".
? The father looked as if he hadn't noticed, his eyes sweeping over the siblings. He waved his hand, "Go to sleep, you're tired from the train ride." His thoughts were far away.
? "Nim early and you're drinking." The boy grumbled disgruntledly, as he took off his shoes and socks and replaced them with slippers.
? The sister yawns even.