Big Brother / Da Ge / The Unknown

Chapter 8

As the elder brother, Wei Qian couldn't agree with this tedious method of education. He preferred a straightforward approach, scoffing coldly, turning his head to give those two troublemakers a noble, chilly glance, and said heartlessly: "Did I ask for your opinions? Do you two think you have the right to say 'no'?"

His words, firm and authoritative, silenced Wei Zhiyuan immediately. Song Xiaobao, who was just going with the flow, also quickly backed down, not causing any more trouble. Even the boy who couldn't be consoled stopped sobbing all of a sudden, inexplicably no longer daring to cry.

Wei Qian put Wei Zhiyuan down at the school entrance, gesturing towards the elementary school with a nod of his chin, speaking with a tone as if granting amnesty: "Go in."

Song Xiaobao took a few steps, then looked back to see Wei Zhiyuan still standing there, hesitating, and stopped as well.

Wei Qian, completely out of patience, frowned at Zhiyuan: "What’s with the rebellion? What do you want?"

Wei Zhiyuan stiffened his neck and remained silent, Wei Qian scoffed coldly: "Go or don't, I'm not begging you. If you're so capable, then run away."

Wei Zhiyuan instinctively took a step back, not afraid of his brother getting angry, but dreading his cold, mocking indifference.

Wei Qian, tired of indulging his whims, turned and walked away.

Wei Zhiyuan felt extremely wronged inside. All along, he had tried hard to get closer to this person, to do more for him, but it seemed no matter what he did, it was never appreciated. His brother always seemed like someone he could never please, always leaving him with a view of his retreating back, even a smile was a rarity.

Suddenly, Wei Zhiyuan lunged forward and bit Wei Qian's wrist.

Wei Qian instinctively pulled his hand back, and the young boy's sharp teeth struck against his wristbone. Wei Zhiyuan suddenly let go, and when Wei Qian looked down, he saw the boy spit out his first baby tooth.

Wei Zhiyuan's expression was one of utter shock; no one had ever told him about losing teeth. He could understand teeth being knocked out, but for one to fall out on its own was beyond his comprehension.

In Wei Zhiyuan's understanding, arms and legs could be cut off, and cutting them wouldn't kill you, but would they just fall off on their own?

Standing there shivering, Wei Zhiyuan stared blankly at his fallen tooth, his face showing a mix of shock and fear, reminiscent of someone in a TV drama who just learned they have a terminal illness.

Wei Qian was amusingly distracted by his bizarre expression, nearly losing his composure and breaking into laughter. He turned away, laughing as he left, even forgetting to be upset about the bite.

Wei Zhiyuan was annoyed and confused, and to make matters worse, Song Xiaobao, ever the instigator of chaos, saw the whole thing and began to dramatically exclaim, "Oh no, your tooth fell out! You must be deeply poisoned, your days are numbered!"

Wei Qian had spent five dollars on an old TV someone had thrown away, fixed it up, and recently, Song Xiaobao had been watching wuxia films on it, picking up a bunch of nonsensical jargon.

Unintentionally spoken, yet taken to heart, Wei Zhiyuan turned pale upon hearing these words, instinctively looking for Wei Qian, only to find him gone. Suddenly, a deep desolation overwhelmed him; feeling like a ghost, he was aimlessly dragged into the school by Song Xiaobao, thinking to himself, "I'm going to die."

Wei Zhiyuan stopped resisting going to school with Wei Qian — he was going to die, after all, so all struggles seemed pointless.

During that time, Wei Zhiyuan often woke up in the middle of the night, sitting up in darkness, feeling his other teeth becoming increasingly loose, convinced his days were numbered. He endured the torment and sting of imminent separation from life, greedily gazing at Wei Qian's peaceful sleeping face, as if wanting to imprint his brother's image in his mind to carry to the next world.