A Sister’s Burden, A Brother’s Resolve

“Little brother, is your summer homework still not done? I’m terribly bored.”

He had endured his sister’s incessant nagging for a full half-hour. Upon entering his room, she had brazenly claimed his bed, engrossed in his comics and playing on his game console.

“Do you want me to teach you?”

“You should have offered that half an hour ago,” Yi Chang replied. He held no affection for these assignments, nor could he ever. If Yi Shi were willing to help, it would be a godsend.

“How was I supposed to know you’d be so slow?” she retorted, flipping off the bed. She leaned over Yi Chang’s shoulders, peering down at the problems in his summer homework. “Good heavens, you’ve gotten half this page wrong! Were you even trying?”

“No,” he answered with blunt honesty. “I just want to finish quickly and get it over with.”

“Oh, you,” Yi Shi chuckled helplessly, her eyes brimming with affectionate indulgence. “What will you do if you can’t find a job later? Do you expect your sister to support you?”

“Why not?”

Yi Chang’s face was utterly serious; the question was sincere. Yi Shi laughed, amused by her brother’s occasional lack of common sense and his knack for saying the most amusing things.

“If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to support you for life, little brother.”

“Wouldn’t that be exhausting?”

“Who knows?”

“…Then forget it,” Yi Chang decided, burying his head back in his homework. “You’re blocking my light, sis. Go back to bed and play your game.”

Yi Shi broke into a wide, toothy grin. Her brother had just uttered something incredibly endearing.

She cherished him deeply and hoped he felt the same affection for her. The care she offered was reciprocated, and even without words, her heart felt a comforting warmth.

****

Night fell. From their parents’ room, only their father’s snores could be heard, while their mother seemed busy with some work.

Yi Shi carefully slipped out of her room, approaching her brother’s door. She saw Yi Chang sitting on his bed, still awake. The young boy was in his sleepwear, which was simply his inner clothes after shedding his outer garments.

“Still awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Yi Chang replied. “Why are you in my room? Did you leave something behind?”

Yi Shi, clutching her pillow, climbed onto her brother’s bed. The two children, separated by four years, nestled close together. Yi Chang was slightly taller than most boys his age, allowing her to rest her head on his with a gentle tilt. “I can’t sleep either.”

“Is that so?” Yi Chang murmured softly. “Are you thinking about something sad?”

“Yes, something very sad.”

Through their clasped hands, Yi Chang felt his sister’s fear. Her shoulders trembled. What could possibly cause such distress?

“I dreamed you both left me without a backward glance,” she confessed. “I dreamed I was abandoned, utterly alone. No matter how loudly I cried out, no one turned to look.”

People vanish unexpectedly. Even if it isn’t death, they can suddenly disappear from one’s life. Yi Shi, after all, had already experienced the separation of death.

“I won’t leave you, nor will I abandon you,” he vowed. “I will always listen to your voice, watch your every move, and never let you be lonely, Sister.”

Years suddenly welled in Yi Shi’s eyes, but she fought them back fiercely, determined not to cry.

Long ago, she had lost her mother and learned she was partly to blame. After countless nights of weeping, she had sworn never to cry again.

Yet, she couldn’t uphold that vow. She still harbored a deep fear, a profound anxiety, of the inevitable solitude that life demanded.

She knew her brother possessed an unusual maturity, and she felt ashamed to be so vulnerable before him. But she was powerless; she couldn’t dispel this terror on her own.

She placed her pillow beside Yi Chang’s and pulled him down to lie with her. “Let’s sleep together, okay?”

Yi Chang gazed at his sister, one of the most important people in his life. A myriad of thoughts swirled within him, but deep in his heart, he made many decisions concerning Yi Shi.

“Mmm, go to sleep,” he murmured. He gently ruffled Yi Shi’s hair and held her in a long embrace, ensuring not a single tear could escape her eyes.

****

A few days after summer vacation ended, Yi Shi could no longer bring herself to smile. Each day she was consumed by dread, all because of a man.

He was a scoundrel, a figure who had once dominated the senior grades of their school.

The senior he had pursued for two years ultimately graduated without choosing him. Immediately after his third year of high school, his attention shifted to the prettiest girl in junior high: Yi Shi.

The man, with overbearing arrogance, confessed his feelings to Yi Shi in the junior high section, essentially forcing her into submission.

Yet, Yi Shi rejected him, citing her need to prioritize studies, thereby saving him ample face.

But just how shameless could this man be? He relentlessly bombarded her with messages from burner accounts on his phone.

He would bring his cronies to block her path home from school every day, hailing her as “Big Sister-in-law” the moment they saw her.

He delivered food to her daily and even threatened other boys to keep them away.

As time passed, the girls who already envied Yi Shi’s natural beauty and academic prowess began to revel in the situation. They spread rumors that Yi Shi was already with the senior, while the boys, intimidated by his threats, dared not intervene.

Consequently, Yi Shi found herself utterly alone. Despite having done nothing wrong, she was left isolated, and the fears deeply rooted within her began to fester.

Still, she refused to yield to the senior.

Until the man decided to target her brother.

****

“What am I going to do?”

Yi Shi broke down, weeping uncontrollably before her brother. “How can such a person exist? I truly don’t know what to do anymore.”

Yi Chang gently wiped away her tears with his fingers, but they only flowed more profusely, utterly marring her beautiful face.

Yi Shi was not a decisive person. She believed her brother was far more mature than her, and whenever she felt helpless, she would rely on him rather than making her own decisions.

In this situation, what was Yi Chang feeling? What thoughts occupied his mind?

“A-Chang,” his sister pleaded, “help me.”

His gaze was fixed entirely on his sister, now a tear-stained wreck. He couldn’t comprehend why the world refused to be gentle, why teachers and classmates turned a blind eye to such matters.

No one wanted to get involved, no one wanted to take responsibility. Was his sister truly to endure all this for no reason?

Yi Chang summoned his resolve, a determination he had forged long ago, the moment he first took his sister’s hand.

“I’ll handle it, Sister.”

“How will you do that?” She widened her beautiful eyes, staring at him.

“I have a way,” he assured her. “I won’t let him bully you, nor will I let him bully me. So just rest assured. Once I’ve handled it, you’ll be able to study peacefully and play with your friends, just like before.”

Yi Shi nodded, then collapsed into her brother’s embrace. He held and comforted her until her sobs finally subsided.

He silently gazed into the distance, his plans meticulously laid.

****

“What did you tell Dad?” She clutched Yi Chang’s collar tightly, her head bowed, her voice a hushed whisper. She struggled to control her breathing, desperate to keep any more sobs from escaping. “Why would he suddenly make me transfer schools?”

“I told him about your grades and the teaching quality of this school,” he explained. “I suggested he let you attend a better school, and he agreed.”

“But what about you?” A sharp pang went through her heart. “Why aren’t you transferring with me?”

“It would be too much trouble for Auntie to have two children move in,” Yi Chang said, forcing a casual expression. “Besides, my grades aren’t good enough for that school.”

“No, that’s not what I meant! I didn’t want you to help me like this!” she cried out. “I can’t leave you alone here; that brain-dead man will definitely…”

“It’s fine,” he interjected. “He won’t do anything to me.”

In Yi Chang’s eyes, his sister was no longer merely his sister; she was just a little girl. And at this moment, this little girl was deeply confused and profoundly hurt.

“No, this isn’t right.” She started crying again.

“You’re trying to trick me again! He won’t let you off the hook, I know it! You knew he was going to target you, yet you provoked him.

“What were you thinking? Now you want me to transfer, but what about you?”

Her fists pounded against Yi Chang’s chest. The blows were neither painful nor irritating, yet they were enough to break both their hearts.

“I’m going to tell Dad! I’ll reveal everything that man did! Dad will surely get justice for us, and the school will definitely…”

Tears welled anew in Yi Shi’s eyes. She straightened her posture, striving to maintain the dignity a sister should show before her brother.

“This society is cold and indifferent,” he stated. “Effort goes unrewarded, a minority bullies the majority, and those in charge never truly listen to our voices…”

All Yi Shi had ever wanted was to study diligently, earn money, and support her family, ensuring that even if her brother didn’t achieve great success, he could still live well. That was all; such a simple desire.

Yet, it was met with a brutal blow from reality. Must such a small wish—to live together with her brother—be crushed? Did the world truly have to be this cruel?

“I’m sorry. Truly, I’m sorry…” Tears streamed unchecked down her face. “I shouldn’t have pushed this onto you. I shouldn’t have asked for your help. I’m the older sister, I’m four years older than you, I… I… should have…”

Yi Chang couldn’t understand why his sister was apologizing. She was the best sister in the world, and furthermore, she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“It’s all my fault,” she sobbed, completely broken. “Mother died because of me. You’re being bullied because of me. I should never have been born. It’s all my fault, all my fault…”

“Never apologize for your existence, Sister,” Yi Chang whispered, carefully drawing her into his embrace—the most cherished hug Yi Shi had ever known. “Everything I want to do for you is simply what you’ve already done for me, nothing more.”

Then, Yi Shi’s whimpers turned into unrestrained cries.

****

A few days before Yi Shi successfully completed her transfer, Yi Chang arranged to meet the man who had been harassing her. Nothing else happened; he simply uttered a single sentence.

“Does hurting others make you proud, you beast?”

After Yi Shi transferred, the boys who had once called him “little brother-in-law” and protected him vanished. He was left to be beaten, insulted, and coerced by the man and his cronies.

Meals he had just bought were casually knocked over. He would be trapped inside the restroom.

Walking down the street, he would be dragged into alleys. There were even accomplices in his class, who provided his whereabouts in exchange for influence among their peers.

Even so, every time Yi Chang saw the man, he offered nothing but immense contempt. Even when beaten until his head bled and his face was bruised and swollen, he still scorned the man before him.

“You’re just an animal, one that happens to look human and happens to speak human words.”

Faced with Yi Chang’s taunts and insults, the violence against him escalated. As time went on, the man forgot why he was even beating him, merely wanting to see him beg for mercy.

The violence against Yi Chang was no longer confined to school grounds. Every holiday, the man would seek opportunities to catch him outside, bringing outsiders to punch and kick him, accompanied by verbal abuse.

However, still fearing legal repercussions, he never dared to escalate the violence further.

Ultimately, in the man’s graduation year, his reckless behavior didn’t wait for the school to handle it. Instead, it was exposed by an eyewitness from outside.

When the police arrived at the school, Yi Chang actively cooperated with the investigation. The evidence accumulated over more than a year was overwhelming.

In the end, the man was sentenced to five years in prison.

This was what Yi Chang could do for his sister. For her sake, he sought the meager justice and equality that remained in this world.

All the instigation and endured humiliation up to this point had been to make the man more arrogant and conceited. The more he believed his victim wouldn’t resist, the crueler he became.

The school’s indifference and neglect had only fueled his arrogance, ultimately leading him to his deserved fate.

What Yi Chang had endured thus far hardly painted him as a victor. Yet, he didn’t need victory. He merely wanted to see that man utterly defeated. He deserved to be hurt just as he had hurt others, to be ruined and lose everything—that was his rightful outcome.

This was everything Yi Chang did for his sister.

****

“This truly makes one…” Dorothy pressed a hand to her chest. “I don’t know what to say.”

She looked at Yi Shi, who sat before her, then glanced in the direction where the story’s protagonist currently was. It turned out that truly understanding someone could be such a painful experience.

“We’ve talked for quite a while,” Yi Shi said, checking the time on her phone. “I should take Yi Chang home. This bubble tea is on me. Oh, and please, don’t tell Yi Chang about any of this. He doesn’t remember it anymore.”

Dorothy quietly watched from the second floor as Yi Chang emerged from the hair salon, got into his sister’s car, and drove away. Her emotions lingered, refusing to settle as she watched them depart.