Chapter One, A Little Brother

Fu Kun was momentarily stunned; the child's eyes were filled with tears, on the verge of overflowing.

The child has fallen silent again, and Fu Kun's patience has vanished in an instant for the second time. What is wrong with this child!

"Pepper is scolding me!" Sun Wei stuffed the book into his backpack and ran over, "Also, your teacher Yang asked me to go to your house."

My name is Fu Kun. Fu Kun recalled the children in the first and second grades at school and thought that perhaps he did not smile kindly enough, so he smiled again and asked, "What is your name?"

The child did not speak, but simply lowered their eyelids and continued to eat the shrimp chips.

"Alright, just a little bit," Fu Kun thought he looked a bit pitiful like this, so he softened his heart, "I will go knead the dough, do you want to come and play?"

The dormitory area of the bus company consists entirely of tube-shaped buildings, lacking separate toilets and kitchens. At the end of the workday, the communal kitchen in the building becomes crowded with people, and the entire building is filled with the aroma of cooking.

Sun Wei remained silent, bending his back and forcefully pedaling a few times, causing the bicycle to suddenly lurch forward

It is ... ... one, two, three. The child lowered his head and shrank back a little.

I know, I feel particularly close to this child when I am with Lao Fu, whether we talk or not, it feels intimate," the mother said softly, "So well-behaved, whether he likes to talk or not, he will gradually adapt in the future. My family can also provide him with a companion. Kunzi has a good temperament, like a little dog, wagging his tail whenever he sees someone.

So now this child suddenly wants to cry, he becomes anxious all at once, not knowing what is happening, nor what to do. After holding it in for a long time, he finally says: "Can you knead dough? I will teach you how to knead dough."

"Nonsense! Your father and I have visited him before, and we both feel quite connected to him. He will gradually get better," Mother said as she hugged him. "Besides, we have a little dog at home."

Aunt Li was still mumbling something behind him, but Fu Kun was too lazy to listen any longer. The aunties in this building were all like that; whether it was Aunt Li, Aunt Zhang, or Aunt Chen, they cared more about other people's affairs, no matter what it was, than their own. If something happened in someone else's family, they would discuss it more enthusiastically than anyone else, both openly and secretly.

Today was acceptable, it snowed. Sun Wei rode slowly, and although the handlebars trembled continuously, at least he did not fall.

Sun Wei rode his bike and brought Fu Kun to the edge of the bus company dormitory area before getting off the bike. Fu Kun leaned on the bike seat and asked him: "Are you still going to my house to call my parents?"

I was taken aback for a moment as I looked at the splint on my right arm; however, I was quite willing to eat dumplings.

After a moment of daze, he slowly raised his head to look at him

"Good, Kunzi, is the younger brother cute?" Aunt Liu gently touched Fu Kun's face

As Fu Kun was nearing home, he saw several people from Class 4 walking and chatting by the roadside. Suddenly, someone called out to him: "Fu Kun!"

Fu Kun's home is on the third floor. As he bounded up, cradling his arm, he happened to run into his neighbor, Aunt Li, who was carrying a pot into her house. Upon seeing him, Aunt Li stopped, holding the pot aloft, her eyebrows dancing on her forehead, looking at him with a mysterious expression: "Kunzi, someone has come to your house."

As the children lined up passed in front of Fu Kun, they all looked at his right arm, and one child even shouted, "Your arm is broken!"

Hmm, Fu Kun's eyes were fixed on a segment, and he finally began to feel something about suddenly becoming an older brother. He walked over and spoke in a very serious tone, "Fu Yijie."

Mom, is that child going to live with us?" After Aunt Liu was sent away, Fu Kun finally seized the opportunity to ask downstairs

"Well, they said to have your mother come to school tomorrow. I guess this time it will be quite difficult for you to avoid it," Sun Wei said as he hung both of their backpacks on the handlebars. "Shall I take you?"

Upon hearing what Aunt Li said, he suddenly became excited. Did he bring his sister back?

"Snot has splattered all over my face," Fu Kun exclaimed.

The child took out the hand that had been tucked in the pocket, touched the shrimp chip bag with his fingers, and then withdrew it again

Sun Wei was taken aback and looked at his shiny cuff: "Impossible! It has all been absorbed into my sleeve!"

The crowd had dispersed when Fu Kun finally saw Sun Wei running out of the school, waving his backpack. In the midst of his run, he accidentally dropped a few books, and he hurriedly bent down to pick them up.

Fu Kun leaned against the door without moving, and Aunt Liu smiled at him, continuing to speak softly to her mother: "You all know, he particularly dislikes talking. When people come to choose, they see that he looks cute and want to take him home, but no matter how you try to coax him, he won't say a word, and then they all lose interest, fearing that he won't be close to his parents in the future..."

Without the obstruction of the mask, Fu Kun could hear the nasal tone in his voice, but the child kept his head down, so Fu Kun could only see the tip of his upturned nose. Thus, he simply squatted down in front of him

It was not until his mother saw Aunt Liu off that he came to his senses, glanced at the child being held by his mother on the sofa, and chased after her.

"I don't believe it." The child continued to eat the shrimp chips without looking up.

Do you have a little chicken? Fu Kun teased him

Ah? A segment? Fu Kun stopped in his tracks and turned back, saying, "What kind of name is this? I am still halfway there."

Fu Kun suddenly remembered that his parents had been discussing since summer about bringing home a younger sister for him. They even took him to an orphanage once. Although he did not understand why they wanted to adopt instead of having his mother give birth to another child, he had been looking forward to it. However, after waiting for more than half a year without any news, he had completely forgotten about it.

He was filled with confusion, but he never found the opportunity to ask questions from the conversation between Aunt Liu and his mother.

"I won't go," Sun Wei said, wiping his nose with his hand, and then, in a show of camaraderie, waved his hand, "You can handle it yourself tomorrow."

"Yijie." A tender voice came from behind, somewhat timid.

"What a little cutie, you really look like a girl," Fu Kun exclaimed after getting a good look at the child, "You are much more beautiful than Xu Jiamei."

The child spoke as if afraid of disturbing someone, always in a very soft voice, probably because he had been covering his mouth with a mask, but his voice was quite adorable. Fu Kun, very interested, walked back in front of him, wanting to coax him into saying a few more words: "Who has the surname 'One Two Three'? Can you read?"

A few people from Class Four nearby joined in the commotion: "Fu Kun! Your wife is calling you!"

"Yijie," Mother sat down beside him and said, "From now on, this will be your home. You will be called Fu Yijie, and that will not change, alright?"

Fu Kun glared at him, baring his teeth with a fierce expression: "If you shout again, I'll break your thigh!"

The child stood there silently, just looking at him

However, the last sentence from Aunt Li was still swept into his ears, Aunt Li said, a child has come to your house

Fu Kun lowered his head and tapped the splint on his right arm, breathed onto his hand, and no longer looked at the children. He was waiting for Sun Wei, who had been taken to the office by Teacher Hu after school and had not come out for a long time

The child did not speak, nor did he eat the shrimp chips anymore; he simply stared at his own hands and after a long while, he nodded his head.

The child finally uttered a sentence that exceeded two characters

"Are you coming to my house?" Fu Kun frowned and stamped his foot, "Are you looking for my mom?"

The line of children fell silent, each one pushing forward with their heads down, quickening their pace. Fu Kun was considered the troublemaker among the three, a terrifying figure for the younger ones.

The child nodded slightly, and the pom-pom on the hat swayed along with it

He is not interested in any of this; it's just that someone came to the house. Since they have come, they have come. He knows that if someone comes to the house, he can tell the teacher tomorrow that his mother cannot come to school.

Ah? Fu Kun was taken aback and immediately thought of the little girl named Jiang Xin from Xu Jiamei's class. It was said that her parents had also abandoned her, and she lived with her grandparents. Every day, she dressed like a little beggar, wearing the same cotton coat throughout the entire winter, so dirty that the color was unrecognizable.

He pondered for half a day: "So, are we adopting him?"

Is there anyone with the surname Yi? Which Yi are you referring to

"I'm starving!" Fu Kun pushed open the door to his home, tossed his backpack inside, and, as was his habit, called out in a prolonged voice.

The child stared at him, seemingly a bit bewildered, and then lowered his eyelids to look at the floor, remaining silent

Do you have it? The child looked up at him and quickly lowered his head again

Fu Kun was too preoccupied to protest against his mother constantly saying that he was like a little dog, and he still hadn't quite understood the implications of what Aunt Liu and his mother meant.

Does this child need to stay at their home

What is one, two, three? Fu Kun originally planned to ponder for a while to see what the character was, but he did not expect it to be so simple. For someone like him, who can only write a few characters correctly besides his own name, this character is the most favored.

"Stop throwing me into the ditch again." Fu Kun climbed onto the back seat. Sun Wei did not have a car; usually, Fu Kun would ride and take him. After his hand was injured, it was Sun Wei who took over. However, in just four days, Sun Wei managed to throw him into the ditch once a day, his skills were even worse than Fu Kun's when he was riding without handlebars.

"It's settled then," Mom clapped her hands, stood up, and walked towards the door. "We'll have dumplings for dinner tonight. I'll go chop the filling, Kunzi, you go knead the dough. Your dad will be back a bit later today, so let's get started first."

As soon as school was out, it started to snow, and it had been like this for several days. Fu Kun crouched next to his bicycle, biting the zipper of his down jacket, trying to block the biting north wind that kept pouring into his collar.

Who are you?" Fu Kun picked up the backpack from the ground and threw it onto the dining table

What is it?" Fu Kun did not understand and interjected.

I am not a puppy!" Fu Kun protested

Why is it taking so long! Fu Kun slowly stood up; after squatting for a while, he felt as if he was about to freeze into a robot, always thinking that as soon as he moved, his body would creak and crack.

Is this a ... ... little girl

He was sent to the welfare institution, but others who wish to adopt prefer younger ones. He is not young enough and is not very talkative, so no one is willing to take him home

"If there is no meat, then I won't eat it?" Aunt Li looked at him and continued to lower her voice, "Your family came..."

A segment remains silent, seemingly asleep, with its head bowed down towards its own backpack, the pom-pom on the hat also drooping forward.

"Where can that be? I have discussed it with your father for a long time. You are too young, so I didn't say much to you. Come here," the mother pulled him to the side of the corridor on the first floor, "Let me tell you, this child is particularly pitiful; his mother doesn't want him anymore."

"Have you taken off your mask? Isn't it stuffy?" Fu Kun bit the bag with his teeth, used his left hand to pinch the opening and tore it open, then pulled his hand over and poured the shrimp chips into his hand, "Go ahead and eat."

Aunt Liu walked over and took the child's hand: "Yijie, from now on this will be your new home. Do you like this older brother?"

But just as he was about to step out the door, the child called out in a slightly louder voice than before: "Yijie."

Fu Kun is very troubled by the fact that someone cries in his presence. Regardless of who it is or why they are crying, as long as they cry while being with him, everyone will point at him and say, "Fu Kun, you are bullying someone again"

When Mom came out from the inner room, Fu Kun was bowing his head, preparing to unbutton his waistband. She was taken aback and exclaimed, "What are you doing! What kind of madness is this!"

"Are we stopping?" Sun Wei turned his head to ask him

The small metal buckle on the backpack hit the table with a slight sound, but the child seemed startled and suddenly recoiled, a hint of panic flashing in those wide, round eyes.

Ah? Fu Kun widened his eyes. In fact, he wasn't that taciturn, and he was quite cute. How could he not be able to send it out?

Hmm! Mother nodded.

Fu Kun turned his head to look at the child, who resembled a doll. He bent down and smiled at the child, asking, "What is your name?"

Fu Kun will quickly send your wife home

Understood, Fu Kun took the backpack off his shoulder, held it in his hand, and dragged it on the ground as he walked home, saying, "Someone is coming, don’t you have anyone at home? Always saying that."

Fu Kun!" Xu Jiamei called out again when she saw that he did not respond

Yes, "Fu Kun stood up and majestically patted his own crotch, "It's right here."

I just want a younger sister..." Fu Kun corrected his mother, but a younger brother is still a younger brother, "I thought you all had forgotten about this matter.

I have a cold, the child lowered his head, took off his mask and stuffed it into the pocket of his cotton jacket, pinched a shrimp stick and put it into his mouth, "Thank you, brother"

The child still remained silent, staring at him with wide eyes

"You are truly disgusting," Fu Kun said as he mounted the bicycle, pedaling a few times with one hand on the handlebars. He let go of the handlebars and waved his hand while riding, "You should head back soon."

He is shy. When your father and I went to see him, we teased him for an hour without him saying a word. "Your mother doesn't want him. He probably doesn't remember clearly, but he must have some feelings about it. Aunt Liu said that when he was sent to the welfare home, he only had a name, not even a surname. That year, all the children sent to the welfare home were given the surname Fu, so he also took the surname Fu. However, when they grew up, they all knew that this was not their real surname.

"This little sesame seed," Fu Kun laughed, turning his head to shout into the inner room, "Mom! Whose little girl is this!"

Is it a boy? Not a younger sister? So this means that this is not the younger sister brought back?

"Yes, didn't we discuss this? Don't you also want to have a younger brother? You even urged us to go and pick one up for you." Mom smiled.

"Fine, say it or not, you can just stand there." Fu Kun's patience vanished in an instant as he straightened up and turned to leave. Playing with this child was less appealing than kneading dough.

Fu Kun stared at the child standing by his dining table. The child appeared quite small, not even reaching his chest. Dressed in a red cotton jacket and wearing a hat, a few short strands of bangs peeked out from underneath the hat. The child's face was covered with a mask, giving the appearance of a small round ball, and they carried a small backpack. It was difficult to distinguish whether the child was a boy or a girl, but the large eyes gave the impression of a little girl. Dressed in a red cotton jacket and wearing a hat, a few short strands of bangs peeked out from underneath the hat. The child's face was covered with a mask, giving the appearance of a small round ball, and they carried a small backpack. It was difficult to distinguish whether the child was a boy or a girl, but the large eyes gave the impression of a little girl.

Then I will take my leave, in any case... Aunt Liu pulled my mother to the door, her voice very low. Fu Kun chased after them and heard Aunt Liu sigh, "Everyone who adopts wants a baby, it's easier to raise a child who doesn't remember anything. This child was already one year old when his mother abandoned him..."

Would you like to eat shrimp chips? Fu Kun took out a bag of Mi Mi shrimp chips from his pocket and handed it to him

I also think so; he talks quite a lot with Kunzi

"Hey, what is there to doubt about this?" Fu Kun laughed, having spent a long time finally managing to take off his down jacket and toss it aside, "Let me show you."

"What a little girl," the mother finally opened the door to the inner room and poked her head out, "It's a little boy. Mom is talking to Aunt Liu, you go and knead the dough first. We will have dumplings for dinner tonight"

Hello, Aunt Li. Fu Kun reached out to lift the pot lid and took a look; it was a pot of cabbage, which did not interest him much, so he covered it back up.

"Well, he just doesn't like to talk, it takes a long time before he says a word." Fu Kun scratched his head

Then if he remains silent, will you send him back

"You need to stop and go back yourself." Fu Kun mumbled indistinctly while biting the zipper.

Fu Kun stared at him for a while: "Yi Jie?"

Fu Kun did not respond, and my mother was not in the living room. However, there were others in the living room. Is this the child that Aunt Li mentioned?

After listening to his mother speak for a while, Fu Kun felt a bit dazed. Following his mother home, he saw that a portion of the shrimp chips in his hand had already been finished as he entered the door. He found himself sitting on the sofa, holding his backpack and looking down.

Hello, Aunt Liu. Fu Kun, feeling a bit shy, chuckled and greeted Aunt Liu, who had just walked out following his mother.

No wonder he only refers to himself as a fragment, Fu Kun has finally understood one thing

The younger children are all lining up as they walk out of the school gate. Fu Kun, a fourth grader, no longer needs to line up. Although he was still in those lines last year, he now feels particularly proud, sensing that he is no longer on the same level as these little kids.

Fu Kun did not turn his head; he could recognize that it was Xu Jiamei's voice, the most beautiful girl among the three of them. It is said that her family has relatives in Taiwan, which is why they gave her a name that could easily be distinguished from names like Li and Dan.

"Use your left hand then. Don't you claim to be able to fight with both hands and conquer the world? If not, why don't you play with your younger brother for a while first?" After saying this, Mom closed the door again

Child

First drink some water to cushion it! The voice of my mother came from the inner room, "Mom has something to do here."

The child did not speak, nor did he move, just staring at Fu Kun.

child

"Go away, stop making a fuss." Mother patted him

Isn't it a younger sister? Has it really turned into a younger brother?