The paper on the bottom of the shoe

A fourteen-year-old Ethan.

Three Jettas with papered-up windows.

Thirty days in a month.

Thirty-three children.

Ethan was taken to the police station for a statement. Noah had to be separated from him and felt anxious. His first question was, "Bro, should we tell them the truth?"

The officer found it amusing. "If you're not going to tell us the truth, who else are you going to tell?"

"The Rye Town police said the same thing," Ethan replied. "So, what happened?"

"Don't worry. Now that you're here, we'll report it to the higher authorities. Go ahead, tell us."

Ethan and Noah told them everything. From BJ city, they headed south the whole way, through HB province, crossed SD province into HN province, and then turned into HB province. "Originally, we were supposed to go through SX province into SC province, but they said it wasn't safe. And we were eventually supposed to go to GD province, so we chose HB province instead."

Ethan spoke logically, detailing the route and the methods of human trafficking.

The young officer who was taking the statement gasped when he heard about Ethan's involvement with human traffickers who made children work in the mines.

"I know it's illegal, but I had no choice. Either I was trafficked or I died."

"To make up for it, I'm willing to provide the exact details of these thirty-three children."

Ethan took a sheet of paper and began writing, starting with the children he met when he first got into the vehicle and ending with the ones he hadn't sold by the time he was arrested. It took more than an hour, and when the police confirmed for the third time if there were any omissions, Ethan finally lost his patience, "I said nothing is missing. There's nothing!"

Noah finished his statement earlier than Ethan and waited anxiously for him to finish. "Bro, what do we do now?"

Ethan rubbed his temple. "This should be the end of it. The officers will send us home soon."

"…Home?" Noah asked, "Go back to BJ city? The orphanage?"

"I don't want to go there either," Ethan whispered, draping his arm over Noah's shoulder. "That's why I didn't tell them."

"Didn't tell them what?"

"That we have no one else."

"Bro, I don't get it." Noah looked confused. "What do you mean? We don't have anyone."

"We have an older sister on the household register," Ethan said. "Vivian, she lives in Han city, doesn't she?"

"Ah! So, you decided to stay in HB province... But will Vivian take us in?"

Ethan was about to speak, but the conversation was interrupted.

An officer came out of the interrogation room and gave Ethan an address. "We found your sister's place."

Ethan nodded. The officer then offered to drive them back, but Ethan firmly refused. Seeing that the two kids were still on edge, the officer relented. "We've arranged bail for you. You won't be detained, but what happens next depends on the notice you receive."

Once they left the police station, Noah asked, "Why didn't you let the officers drive us?"

Ethan answered evasively. "I lied earlier and said Vivian was our guardian."

Noah didn't understand these things, and honestly, what would a ten-year-old understand? Ethan explained as simply as he could, "But she isn't our guardian. Only relatives over eighteen who can support us are required to take us in."

"So, you mean Vivian will say she can't afford to take care of us?" Noah thought for a moment. "Maybe we can do it ourselves. I could work, play the piano..."

Too naive. Ethan only realized in these dire moments that his younger brother's foolishness was different from his own.

"Have you ever seen a place that hires child labor? We're too young, and we don't have the education to go out and earn a living. Do you want to be sent back to BJ city as an orphan again?"

"Do you think anyone will pay a ten-year-old to play the piano? You'd have to do illegal work. Do you think you can avoid being deceived? We've survived this long by deceiving others. What do you think those unscrupulous employers will do to you? Do you know how many child workers are exploited and abused every year?"

Noah's eyes filled with tears.

Ethan suppressed his emotions and said seriously, "We need a guardian, someone who can take care of us."

"I'm sorry, bro. I'm so useless, I can't think of any solutions. I just drag you down."

"You're just sick. You haven't gotten better yet." Ethan noted that Noah had been having a recurring fever.

"Rest for a bit."

Ethan guided him into a nearby convenience store. They bought a loaf of bread and a bottle of water, finishing it quickly before asking for directions.

By dusk, they finally found Vivian's address, an old apartment building in an old neighborhood, everything smelling of dust.

"Bro, do you think Vivian will agree to be our guardian?"

It was hard, Ethan thought, but he had no choice. "She will."

Noah leaned on his brother and fell asleep.

Back to the present, after Ethan finished explaining everything, Vivian let out a cold laugh.

"Why should I?" she said, holding her forehead. "Why should I take care of you? You're so ugly, thinking so highly of yourselves."

To be fair, Noah and Ethan weren't ugly. They were standout children. Noah took after Mrs. Blackwood, with wide, doe-like eyes, pure and delicate. Ethan resembled his father, with deep-set eyes, slanted like phoenix eyes, dark as magnets. But their appearance had nothing to do with whether Vivian would take them in.

"You only need to take care of us until we're eighteen," Ethan corrected. "Just take care of me until I turn eighteen. Once I'm an adult, I can go out and work."

"Eighteen? I'll take care of you until you're 108 if you like. You're dreaming, Ethan. Go ahead and keep dreaming!" Vivian was too lazy to argue. She fumbled for her keys and opened the door. "Get lost now. If I find you here tomorrow, I'll call the cops."

Ethan continued, "Then relatives will come looking for us, and they'll give you the support money."

Vivian finally stopped, interested in the mention of money. "Support money? How much?"

"…How much do you need? We can talk about it when we get inside."

"Get inside? I'm not letting you in," Vivian teased him. "Do you think I believe you have some rich relative who can help? Do you think I'm Qin Shi Huang?"

She continued to open the door. "Don't be so stupid. If there was anyone, they'd have come by now. You've found me here, which means no one is taking responsibility for you."

This was all within Ethan's expectations. Vivian wasn't a good person, or even if she were, if she were suddenly asked to bear the responsibility of two children, she'd hesitate for a moment. Ethan didn't expect anything from her, but this was his last chance.

"…Vivian!" The boy's face darkened. "You don't want to take care of us? At least return our family's money."

Vivian paused in the act of closing the door.

"What do you mean? Are you here to ask for money?"

"The day it all happened, you took our family's belongings. That's theft. How much did you take? You must return it all, or we'll take you to court."

"You say you have money to buy a car, but no money for us? Who's going to believe you don't have the means to take care of us?"

"Ah, you know some law," Vivian said with mock admiration.

"Ethan, listen, I don't care how many fools you've tricked outside, but your big sister will always be your big sister. If you want to take me to court, go ahead and sue those servants who aren't even family. They stole much more. Do you think you can blackmail me with this? You're too naive, Ethan. I won't give you a penny."

She poked him in the chest. "I won't give you or your brother a single cent! Now get out!"

Ethan froze in place.

At that moment, his face drained of all color.

His last bargaining chip had been ruthlessly crushed.

It took Ethan a long time to realize that no matter how down or up he was in the outside world, in front of Vivian, he was always, and would only be, that helpless boy standing under the motion-sensor light.

The door slammed shut.

The last light was snuffed out.

Only Ethan's heavy breathing remained.

And a future with no hope.

Ethan carried his brother back onto the street.

Noah's illness seemed to be getting worse.

"Bro..." he whispered, "I'm a bit tired... sorry... did we not talk well... Is Vivian still unwilling to take us in?"

"It's fine." Ethan remained calm, even though they were at the end of their rope. "We'll find another way. We won't go back there."

"Bro... am I useless?" Noah said. "If it comes to that, just leave me behind. I've always been like this, weak and always causing trouble for you. I never help you at home, and I can't help you out here. You're smart, you'll figure something out."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan put him on a park bench. "Are you burning up again?"

Noah's forehead felt hot.

"I'll go to the police station," Noah said. "The police will send me to the hospital, and when I'm better, I'll go back... back to BJ city."

"Go back to being an orphan?" Ethan frowned. "Noah, that's not happening. We'll figure something out. Just rest for a bit."

"Resting won't help..." Noah gave a weak smile. "Back at home, I just held on with medication. They always said that behind my back... Bro, I don't want to drag you down. Please just leave me at the police station."

Ethan couldn't bear it.

He took his brother to a clinic for an IV.

Noah felt a little better after the drip, but the medicine didn't work, and those small clinics were only for minor illnesses. Noah's health hadn't been good for a while. They'd seen countless doctors in BJ city without finding a cure, and it made no sense to think they could fix it now.

Eventually, Ethan had to admit that they had run out of money.

They sat on the steps, eating their last piece of bread and drinking their last sip of water.

Ethan had to resort to doing illegal work. Noah suddenly remembered. "Don't I still have the money you hid in my shoes?"

Noah bent down to take off his shoes, and Ethan watched him with a complicated expression. When Noah took off his shoes and saw the white paper on the soles, he froze.

"...It's all gone." Ethan closed his eyes. "I lied to you."

Hope. The future. Just white paper at the bottom of a shoe.

It gave them empty expectations, a reason to keep going.

In the end, it only gave them a harsh reality.

Ethan finally broke down and cried.