As time passed, I gradually realized that we were different from other kids.
Other kids had their parents pick them up and drop them off at school, but me and my little sis… hmm, me and Yao Xi could only take the bus home by ourselves after school.
And the task of escorting Yao Xi fell on my shoulders as the “big brother.” For this, I always got out of school earlier than Yao Xi and waited for her at the school gate. It was a special privilege I’d applied for. Well, how should I put it? Maybe it was because my grades had improved by leaps and bounds? Ever since I mastered the written language here, one day, the homeroom teacher gave me special praise in class, saying this kid had finally “figured it out” and was first in every subject.
And so, I took the chance to explain our special situation: unlike other kids, we didn’t have parents picking us up. What if something bad happened to my little companion?
From that moment on, the responsibility of picking up Yao Xi fell to me, the “big brother.” Even though I was only a year older than her, it was the first time I truly understood what responsibility felt like in real life.
When Uncle found out, he bought me two more Optimus Primes, and got Yao Xi three little Cardcaptor Sakura figures. Actually, I didn’t really like Transformers, and Yao Xi didn’t seem interested in Cardcaptor Sakura either. Uncle, however, looked at us both in astonishment, and that day, he dragged both me and my sister to watch Cardcaptor Sakura DVDs for a while, then Transformers, enthusiastically pointing out the characters on TV, clearly more excited than either of us.
Of course, it was a happy day.
That night, I fell asleep hugging my “uninteresting” Transformer.
But when I woke up, my Transformer was gone.
I searched the entire room and couldn’t find it, but I did discover a pink hair tie of my sister’s at the door.
At that moment, I knew I would never see my Transformer again.
The agreement between my sister and me continued. When Uncle was around, I called her “sis,” and she called me “big brother” in such a sweet, affectionate way that it warmed my heart.
When Uncle wasn’t there, she would occasionally glare at me, but she’d still come running into my room. Since I’d been chosen as the class monitor, and her grades were only average, she’d put on a proud face and say, “If I hadn’t taught you how to read, what would you be so smug about, you dummy… dummy Lin Mo!”
Honestly, I’ve always been curious why she wouldn’t let me call her “little sister.”
Sometimes, when I’d run into her at school, I’d always greet her as “Classmate Yao Xi.”
I remember one day, Uncle came home really late, but when he came in, he made quite a racket. That was unusual—Uncle was always careful not to wake us, but this time it seemed intentional.
Sure enough, he woke both of us up, his face full of rare anger, though not directed at me, but at Yao Xi: “Daddy heard you don’t call Lin Mo ‘big brother’ outside, is that true?”
Yao Xi, still groggy, immediately looked crestfallen, putting on an innocent act: “No, Daddy.”
“If you’re not telling the truth, Lin Mo, you say—has this happened?”
I looked into Uncle’s angry eyes and lied for the first time: “No.”
Uncle’s expression was strange, a mix of comfort and helplessness: “You’re a good big brother, but at times like this, you shouldn’t cover for her.”
“Xi Xi, you’re still young. You don’t understand Daddy’s good intentions, but there’s one thing I hope you understand—Lin Mo is a member of our family, he’s your big brother. Daddy won’t allow you to disrespect him.”
“No, Xi Xi really likes big brother…”
“Show me your hand.”
That day, Yao Xi cried a lot, but I think she was mostly putting on a show. Uncle’s palm-smacking wasn’t even as strong as his usual head pats.
But because of this, I realized something.
Uncle was a good man.
He meant well, but maybe he didn’t consider that a little girl Yao Xi’s age just couldn’t understand all this. All she knew was that, for the sake of an “outsider,” her father had punished her.
After that, she didn’t talk to me for days. Still, we went to and from school together. Sometimes, I’d secretly save the little allowance Uncle gave me. Though it wasn’t much, after a few days I could buy a bottle of orange soda.
Then, on a certain day, I’d hand it to her.
After drinking the soda, she muttered softly, “I hate you… tattling to Dad…”
I didn’t argue, but I remembered that my sister liked orange soda.
From then on, every few days, I’d buy her a bottle.
She seemed to get used to it, and whenever she saw me, her first reaction was to stretch out her hand, waiting for me to open the cap.
Only when she drank soda did she really feel like a little sister. If things went on like this, I thought, maybe we’d grow closer.
Time ticked by bit by bit.
In fifth grade, I heard my classmates talking about Pokémon trading cards, and I thought they were really cool. I drew all kinds of little monsters with a ballpoint pen in my notebook, cut them out, and luckily, my drawing skills weren’t bad.
This was my little secret.
But one day, my sister crawled into my room and discovered the “Pokémon” cards I’d hidden in my backpack. She mercilessly laughed at me. I didn’t understand—was she laughing at how “poor” I was? Or how childish?
She handed them back to me.
“Have you finished your homework?”
“It’s done!”
I knew she hadn’t touched a single word. I wanted her to go back to her room and do her homework, not snoop into my “little secret.”
But instead, she stuffed the hand-drawn cards into her little dress pocket and said, “They’re pretty. Can big brother give them to me?”
I was a little surprised, but of course, if she liked them.
That night, after finishing my homework, I worked hard to draw even more cards. It turned out I wasn’t the only one who liked them—my sister did too.
I drew even more, to give to her.
But, but—
The next day, when I got to class, my classmates mocked me mercilessly.
They even went through my bag.
For the first time, I fought back.
None of them could beat me—I made them all cry, but I cried even harder.
Because of this, Uncle was called to school.
That was also the first time that, at the little shop by the school gate, I hesitated between buying cards and buying orange soda.
But the shop owner, seeing it was me, handed me a bottle of orange soda.
When Yao Xi appeared, she naturally took the orange soda from my hand. Seeing me staring at her, she blinked her big innocent eyes and said, “Lin Mo… I can’t open the cap…”
Late that night, Uncle knocked on my door.
I thought Uncle wanted to ask why I fought with my classmates, but instead, he ruffled my hair, then mysteriously told me to close my eyes.
When I opened them, I saw a stack of brand new cards, including some super rare holographic ones—worth tens of thousands of times more than the ones my classmates had.
“You’re a real man. If anyone dares trample on your interests, your hobbies, or your dignity again, don’t hesitate—kick them hard.”
“Uncle is proud of you.”
My eyes turned red.
The stacks of cards were like the bonds I’d formed here. I used a ballpoint pen to draw out my own world, and someone told me that in your world, you’re not alone.
Even without a pen, you can still draw a world filled with warmth.