2

Chapter 2 Brothers 

Hearing a knock at the door, I was puzzled for a moment. My mother seemed to realize something and hurried to open the door, but she was still careful, opening it slowly in case it was someone bad. 

The door slowly opened, and I saw a sturdy man standing outside. My view was blocked by my mother's body, so I couldn't see clearly. 

"Sis, has your son woken up? I made this yam soup myself. He had heatstroke let him drink this and sleep for a night, and he'll be fine," the man said, handing a small kettle to my mother. 

My mother hesitated for a moment, took it, and said, "Thank you." 

The man smiled and said, "No problem, sis. Helping others is a joy. You two rest. If you need anything else, just come find me." 

As the man was about to leave, my mother asked him to wait and started rummaging through her bag. Taking this chance, I got a good look at the man: about forty years old, with a kind face, wearing a vest, rolled-up pants, tanned skin he looked like someone who did a lot of manual labor. He also wore a straw hat, so he was probably a mountain porter here. 

My mother found her wallet, took out a few hundred-yuan bills, but the man wouldn't take them. He left before she could hand them over. 

"He's a good person," my mother said with feeling as she closed the door, then came to sit by my side. 

I had heatstroke and slept for a while, but my head still felt dizzy and swollen. My mother poured out the medicinal soup from the small kettle and had me drink it, which made me feel a bit better. 

Maybe my luck was really bad today not only did I get heatstroke, but it started pouring rain outside. 

The heavy rain pattered down; even with the windows closed, I could hear it. I couldn't fall asleep for a long time, and my mother, still dressed, sat by the bed keeping me company. 

During this time, my mother got a few phone calls. She stepped away to answer them; they seemed to be work-related. She's the vice mayor, after all, and quite busy. 

Actually, she has a secretary a male secretary who also doubles as her driver but my mother rarely uses him, only calling him for work. For outings like this, my mother always brings me alone. She likes being with me, and having outsiders around makes her uncomfortable. 

My willpower gradually faded; my eyelids grew heavy, and I could barely hold on. The rain outside grew even heavier, thunder rumbling. Finally, I drifted off to sleep. 

I slept through the night, waking up the next morning. 

When I woke, I found the room empty just me, my mother nowhere to be seen. I didn't think much of it, assuming she'd gone out and would be back soon. 

But after waiting a whole hour, she still hadn't returned, which made me anxious. 

After a good night's sleep, I felt much better, so I decided to go out and look for her. But as soon as I opened the door, I saw my mother in the distance, pulling a boy toward me. 

I was stunned. 

The boy was very thin almost scrawny with messy, tangled hair, a dirty face smeared with mud, and a downcast expression. He wore no shirt, just a pair of shorts, and was barefoot, his eyes dull as my mother led him along like a walking corpse. 

I was very confused why was my mother bringing back a boy like this? I noticed my mother's expression was strange too, a bit sad. Her usually clean and neat clothes were a bit dirty, and her smooth, black hair was streaked with mud. 

I couldn't figure it out. When my mother brought the boy to me, I couldn't help but say, "Mom…" 

Before I could finish, my mother squatted down, pushed the boy in front of me, and said with a gentle smile, "Come, Zhong Niu, let me introduce you. This is Fan Fan, my son. But from now on, you two are brothers. He's older than you, so he'll be your big brother, and you'll be his little brother. Got it?" 

The boy was numb, as if he hadn't heard my mother's words. 

I looked at my mother in confusion and asked coldly, "Mom, what's going on? Why do I suddenly have a brother?" 

"It's like this…" 

"I don't want it! No! I don't want a brother!" I shouted, cutting her off before she could finish. 

My mother hadn't expected this and got a bit anxious, coming over to pull me back. "Fan Fan, don't be upset. Listen to me, okay…" 

I said angrily, "What's there to say? Mom, do you not love me anymore? I'm your only son no one else is! I don't want a brother. If he's here, I'm not; if I'm here, he's not!" 

With that, I broke free from my mother and rushed outside. 

"Fan Fan! Stop! You stop right there!" My mother shouted behind me, but I ignored her and ran out. 

I was furious, running fast. Because it had rained hard the night before, the stone path was slippery. I slipped and fell, landing hard on my butt, tears welling up from the pain. 

The pain, plus my mother bringing back a strange boy, made me feel even more troubled and upset. 

Actually, I knew why I felt this way: I was afraid the boy would steal my mother's love. 

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I just sat there, and passersby gave me strange looks, like knives. I thought, in their eyes, I must look like an idiot. 

I waited a long time, but my mother never came to find me, which made me even angrier. 

Suddenly, I stood up, eyes flashing coldly, fists clenched. I would go back no matter what, I'd make my mother send that boy away. I would never let him come to our home. 

Never! 

So I turned and headed back to the little inn, thinking of all sorts of ways as I went. 

At the door, it was closed but not locked. I pressed the handle and listened at the door no sound inside. Was no one there? Had my mother sent the boy away? 

Delighted, I opened the door. No one was in the room, but I heard the sound of running water from the bathroom, making my heart sink again. 

I walked over with a grim face. The bathroom door wasn't fully closed there was a gap about a foot wide. I stood there and looked inside. I saw Zhong Niu standing there. 

"Huh?" I was surprised. Why was only Zhong Niu there? Where was my mother? 

Zhong Niu stood there numbly, like a wooden post, eyes dull like a puppet. He wore only a pair of shorts, barefoot, looking just like those war-torn children from Syria on the news. 

At first, I was angry with him, but seeing him like this, I couldn't help but feel a bit of pity he seemed so pitiful. 

If it were me, I'd probably be even worse off. 

As I thought this, suddenly I heard a voice from inside: "Zhong Niu, take off your shorts. Auntie… will give you a bath." 

Mom? 

That was my mother's voice! 

I thought my mother wasn't there, but she was inside, probably blocked from view by the door. 

Zhong Niu seemed not to hear my mother, standing motionless, ignoring her. 

After a while, I heard my mother sigh softly and say, "Zhong Niu, even though your father is gone, don't be afraid. Auntie will take care of you and won't let you suffer anymore. Come, take off your clothes and have a bath you'll feel better." 

I wanted to rush in, but after hearing my mother's words, I froze. Zhong Niu's father was gone? Was that why my mother brought him back to adopt him? Who was his father? Could it be… 

I thought of the kind middle-aged man from last night he must have been Zhong Niu's father. 

His father had died! 

Suddenly, I felt sympathy for the numb boy. Anyone would be like this in his situation. 

Although my mother was vice mayor and usually cold to everyone, I knew she was very kind. Maybe that's why she brought Zhong Niu back. 

Thinking this, I felt relieved and understood my mother. 

Maybe because Zhong Niu stood there motionless, after more than a minute, my mother's delicate hands reached out and gently pulled down his shorts. 

My mother let out a startled cry I didn't know why she was so surprised, but her voice was full of panic and shock. I couldn't see her face, but I saw that Zhong Niu wasn't wearing underwear, so when my mother pulled down his shorts, his large penis was exposed. 

Zhong Niu's penis hung limply, much bigger than mine. I estimated it was at least 15 centimeters long, while mine was only seven or eight centimeters, so his was much longer. 

And that was when it wasn't even erect when a man's penis is erect, it grows by at least a third. 

I was shocked that Zhong Niu's penis was so long and thick much more impressive than mine. That's when I understood why my mother cried out. Maybe she always thought mine was too small, so seeing such a big one surprised her. 

It was hard to believe Zhong Niu was so skinny, yet his thing was so thick and long. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover. 

My mother paused in the bathroom, as if suppressing her surprise, while Zhong Niu stood there, unmoved, letting my mother do as she pleased. 

"Sigh, let Auntie help you bathe," my mother said from behind the door. 

Then, my mother bent down and helped Zhong Niu take off his shorts completely, leaving him standing there naked, fully exposed to the air and to my mother's eyes.