After finishing my piano practice, I headed home and noticed the bright lights on in Tang Shi’s yard, with a discreet silver-gray BMW parked at the entrance.
That was Tang Shi’s father’s car.
From as far back as I can remember until I finished elementary school, I was quite chubby, trailing behind Tang Shi like a round little ball with my short arms and legs.
Back then, the most common scene on the street in front of my house was Tang Shi, who was in the senior kindergarten class, running around with a ball, while I, in the junior class, cried out behind him, “Brother, wait for me—”
Every time I cried, Tang Shi would stop and wait for me to catch up. Once I did, he’d start running again, leaving me behind. I’d cry, he’d stop, I’d catch up, and then he’d run off again, and I’d cry once more…
After too many times of this, Tang Shi declared he wouldn’t play with me anymore.
One day, when Tang Shi’s dad was home, he told Tang Shi to take me out to play. I sat on Uncle Tang’s lap eating cookies, while Tang Shi stood in front of the sofa wiping his tears, “He walks so slow, and I have to carry him. Dad, I can’t carry him anymore, boo hoo hoo…”
In kindergarten, Tang Shi was my favorite big brother. When he cried, I cried too, cookie crumbs mixed with saliva all over me, “Why is brother crying waaah—”
Two kids crying together was as powerful as a nuclear explosion. Uncle Tang, a very cool man, didn’t know how to comfort us and couldn’t scold us either. He could only hold me in one arm and take Tang Shi’s hand with the other, saying he’d take us to the mall to stop us from crying.
The mall! Both Tang Shi and I stopped crying. I wiped my snot on Uncle Tang’s clothes and asked if he could buy me a toy airplane.
Tang Shi said he wanted a Transformer, and Uncle Tang agreed to both.
Uncle Tang was very tall, about six feet one, and Aunt Tang said he was on the college basketball team, very handsome.
I believed it, of course. I also knew his suit was very expensive and looked very fitting on him. A mature man is charming wherever he goes, and when Uncle Tang took us into the mall, he attracted quite a bit of attention.
Many salespeople asked which of us was Uncle Tang’s child, saying we both looked very pretty, and some even wanted to pinch my cheeks.
I cried again, burying my face in Uncle Tang’s chest to avoid their pinches.
Uncle Tang quickly held me with both arms, gently patting my back until I calmed down, but then Tang Shi disappeared.
In short, that trip to the mall was chaotic, and when Uncle Tang got back, he told Aunt Tang he never wanted to watch the kids again.
I wet my pants at the mall, and while Uncle Tang was helping me with my overalls, he told Aunt Tang, “You really have it tough watching the kids at home.”
“Uncle Tang,” I hugged his neck and kissed him, “Thank you for buying me a toy airplane and changing my pants.”
“…”
Uncle Tang took off my pants, lifted me from the sofa, kissed me twice, and turned to Aunt Tang, “How does Cheng Yan teach his kid to be so sweet?”
“Tch,” Tang Shi, playing with his Transformer on the floor, glared at me, “Little lapdog.”
Later, when Tang Shi started elementary school, he became more mischievous, and the school often called his parents. Not that I’m saying anything, but even now, Tang Shi still causes trouble at school.
Aunt Tang is too gentle to manage him, and Uncle Tang is often away, so when he does come home, he has to take on the role of disciplining Tang Shi.
He works in an office and frequently travels for business. Every time he returns, he brings me a gift.
This time was no different; he brought me a pen.
My dad was also at Tang Shi’s house. I sat next to him, opening the pen Uncle Tang gave me. He glanced at it and smiled, “Next time, don’t bring him something so expensive. Yueguang is still a child; he doesn’t understand these things.”
“It’s precisely because he’s a child that he won’t care about the pen’s value,” Uncle Tang said, asking me, “Yueguang, do you like the gift Uncle gave you?”
I put the pen away and sat next to Uncle Tang, holding his arm, “I love it! Thank you, Uncle.”
My dad shook his head, pretending to be jealous, “You’re just trying to win over my son. He’s almost becoming yours.”
Uncle Tang chuckled, reaching out to ruffle my hair.
Since Uncle Tang rarely came home, we naturally went out for dinner.
During the meal, my mom sat next to me, peeling shrimp for me and urging me to drink more fish soup.
“Fish soup is good for your brain, drink more.”
I didn’t like fish, but my mom filled a bowl for me, saying, “I’ve tasted it, it’s not fishy.”
“No,” I pushed the fish soup aside, “I don’t want to drink it.”
“What’s wrong with you? How many times have I told you not to be picky? It’s really not fishy, just try a sip.”
My mom scooped a spoonful of soup and brought it to my mouth, clearly determined to make me try it.
No matter how unwilling I was, I had to take a small sip with a frown.
“If Yueguang doesn’t like it, don’t force him,” Aunt Tang spoke up for me, “Let him choose what he likes to eat.”
With Aunt Tang’s intervention, my mom had no choice but to relent, though she was reluctant, poking my head, “You’re just being picky. You’ll never grow tall like your brother.”
I confidently pushed the fish soup to my dad, “Don’t lie to me. I learned in biology class that I’m not at the age to grow taller yet.”
“You… you’re going to be the death of me.” Unable to win the argument, my mom lightly pinched my arm and returned to her meal.
Halfway through the meal, I was full. I took a sip of juice and told my mom I was on TV.
She didn’t believe me, so I said, “Really, ask Aunt Tang.”
My juice was almost gone, and I tilted the bottle to sip the last bit, making a slurping sound with the straw.
Aunt Tang backed me up, telling my mom I was photogenic. My mom took out her phone to see, and since they were sitting together, they started whispering to each other.
My dad and Uncle Tang were chatting too. I was bored and didn’t want to eat anymore, so I told my mom I wanted to go out and play for a bit.
“Go ahead,” my mom said, her attention still on her phone, “Just don’t go too far.”
I ran to the hotel terrace to enjoy the breeze. There was a resting area, and the girl behind the counter asked if I wanted a drink.
I declined and found a spot to sit, comfortably stretching my legs and gazing at the stars.
Summer nights are truly pleasant, with fluffy white clouds slowly drifting across the dark blue sky.
After a busy day, the sun had set, and the night sky belonged to the stars and the moon.
I emptied my mind, preparing to count stars like in a romance drama, when suddenly, Tang Shi’s face appeared among the stars above me.
“…”
What on earth, I glared at him, “What are you doing here?”
Tang Shi chuckled, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placing one in his mouth.
While searching his pockets for a lighter, he casually said, “I’m worried your pig brain might not find its way back later.”
Click!
The flame flickered in the night breeze, swaying as Tang Shi lowered his head slightly, cupping the flame with his hand to light the cigarette.
Tang Shi took a drag and told me to sit tight and not wander off.
He went to the snack counter and returned with a sausage.
“Here.”
I glanced at the cigarette in his mouth, took the sausage, and was about to take a bite.
“Are you stupid,” Tang Shi grabbed my wrist, “You have no sense, it’s fresh off the grill, won’t it burn your mouth?”
We were close, and as he spoke, the smoke wafted onto my face. It wasn’t unpleasant. I was still curious about his cigarette, so I asked if I could take another puff.
Tang Shi nodded, holding the half-smoked cigarette to my lips.
Remembering the near-death experience from last time, I cautiously took a small puff, holding it in my mouth, not daring to inhale or exhale.
“Why is your expression so funny?” Tang Shi brushed my bangs aside, telling me to exhale, “Kids shouldn’t smoke.”
I blew the smoke in his face, defiantly, “You’re only a year older than me, stop acting like an adult.”
Tang Shi shielded his face with the hand holding the cigarette, telling me, “Even a second older is still older.”
I took a bite of the sausage, still feeling a bit indignant.
The wind picked up on the terrace again, and the wind chimes hanging under the snack counter’s awning jingled softly.
After finishing the sausage, I wiped my hands, put on my T-shirt hood, and pulled the strings tight, asking Tang Shi if I looked like Spider-Man.
Tang Shi said, “You look like a fool.”
“You’re the fool,” I retorted, taking off my hood and pushing him, demanding an apology.
“I think you’re rebelling.”
Tang Shi pressed my head down, got up from his seat, and started tickling me.
I shrieked, trying to escape with my chair, the wicker chair thudding against the floor.
Everyone came to the terrace to enjoy the breeze, and a bit of noise only added to the relaxed atmosphere.
A little girl nearby, swinging her short legs and tilting her head, told her mom, “The big brothers are so childish.”
“Did you hear that!” I dodged Tang Shi’s hands, annoyed, “Childish!”
My dad and Uncle Tang had been drinking, so Aunt Tang drove us home.
My mom sat in the front seat, playing on her phone. I guessed she was telling everyone about her precious son, me, being on TV.
Because as she scrolled through her phone, she suddenly said, “Wait a minute, isn’t that your deskmate next to Yueguang?”
She turned to look at me, asking if I had used her makeup on my deskmate.
There was no hiding it now. I could only nod and say apologetically, “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“…Forget it.”
My mom turned back, still talking, “But you know, that Yuan Ziyi girl is really tall, standing next to you, she’s half a head taller, isn’t she?”
I knew the answer to this one, quickly defending my height, “She was wearing high heels.”
“I see…”
My mom nodded, tapping her fingernails on the side of her phone absentmindedly, lost in thought.
My dad, after drinking, became quite talkative. He told Uncle Tang he was going to buy a gold frame to mount my TV appearance photo on the wall.
“Hmm,” Uncle Tang said, “That sounds nice.”
My dad wanted to say more, but Uncle Tang, annoyed, said, “If you’re going to talk, just talk, don’t shake me, I’m going to throw up.”
Aunt Tang, hearing the commotion in the back, sighed softly, “They’ve had too much to drink. When we get home, I’ll make some hangover soup and have Tang Shi bring it over.”
“Oh, there’s no need for that,” my mom waved her hand, “We have hangover pills at home.”
Aunt Tang disagreed, “Those aren’t good if taken too often. It’s no trouble, I’ll have it ready quickly.”
Once home, Aunt Tang parked the car at the gate, and Tang Shi and my mom helped pry my dad off Uncle Tang. I reached out to help, “Let me, you go support Uncle Tang.”
My dad recognized me and was quite pleased, kissing my cheek, “My son is so good.”
He gets emotional after drinking, and I supported him inside, feeling a bit helpless.
Inside, my mom changed into slippers, washed a towel, and came over to wipe my dad’s face, asking me to help take off his jacket.
My dad refused to take it off, asking my mom, “Honey, do I look handsome today?”
My mom laughed, hitting him lightly with the towel, “You rascal.”
“Our son takes after me,” my dad said proudly, even after being hit, rubbing my face, “He’s so cute because he takes after me.”
“Yes, yes,” my mom quickly wiped his face while he was distracted, “He takes after you.”
Aunt Tang’s hangover soup was ready quickly. Tang Shi brought a bowl over, and my mom coaxed my dad into drinking it, asking Tang Shi to help her get him to the bedroom.
Tang Shi helped my dad up from the sofa, and my dad gave Tang Shi a hearty pat on the shoulder, saying, “Tang Shi is handsome! Not like your dad, who’s wasted his looks!”
He hit pretty hard, and Tang Shi’s arm shook from the slap, nearly dropping my dad.
My mom and I exchanged a glance, feeling embarrassed. My dad always spouts nonsense after a drink… Uncle Tang is clearly very handsome too!