Another New Older Brother? - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Truly Touched by This Filial Piety

Children are absolutely the most miraculous creatures on earth.

One second, they are in low-power mode, sleeping haphazardly. The moment they get home, they are fully charged, scurrying all over the place.

Take right now, for instance. Auntie Li was trying to take Youyou for a bath, but Youyou refused no matter what. The two of them were chasing each other in a game of hide-and-seek; the child was giggling incessantly, looking happier than ever.

If Bai Wenjin hadn’t been quick enough to grab the child by the back of his collar, this game of hide-and-seek would have gone on for another half hour tonight.

Dangling by his collar, the child flailed in the air, shouting, “Big Brother, Big Brother, put me down!”

Bai Wenjin wasn’t in the mood to play. He stuffed the child into Auntie Li’s arms and gave a curt instruction: “Take Jiang You to have a bath.”

Jiang Youyou sprawled across Auntie Li’s shoulder, watching his brother’s departing back with great dejection.

Baby even gave him a finger-heart; why is Big Brother still unhappy?

Are brothers these days so hard to coax?

“Little Master, why so gloomy?” Auntie Li stripped the child and put him in the water. Seeing the little fellow—who usually loved playing with water, looking listless, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

Youyou lowered his head, patted the surface of the water twice with his small hands, and asked, “Auntie, where is Baby’s yellow ducky?”

“Right here.” Auntie Li picked up the little yellow duck from the counter and placed it in the bathtub.

As soon as the little duck hit the water, it automatically began to swim. Watching his beloved little yellow ducks floating on the water and swimming in a row, Youyou’s mood improved slightly.

He mimicked Donald Duck’s voice to tell Auntie Li about the cartoon he watched that afternoon, making her laugh non-stop.

“Auntie, did Baby tell the story well?” Seeing Auntie Li doubled over with laughter, Youyou asked expectantly.

“It’s the best I’ve ever heard,” Auntie Li replied with a smile.

Jiang Youyou asked again, “Is Auntie happy?”

“Extremely happy!”

Youyou gripped his little yellow duck, his big dark eyes darting back and forth—he clearly had a mischievous plan brewing.

After the bath, Auntie Li tucked him into bed, preparing to coax him to sleep.

Auntie Li had slept with him for the past two nights, but today Youyou suddenly refused. He buried half his smiling face in the blanket, blinked at Auntie Li, and said in a muffled voice, “Auntie go to sleep, Baby sleep by him-self.”

“The Little Master is too young; an adult has to stay with you to sleep.”

“Don’t want.”

Auntie Li tried to bargain with him, pointing to a small bed beside the big one. “I’ll just stay nearby and won’t make a sound. I’ll go out once you’re asleep.”

Jiang Youyou still refused, reaching out to push her leg. “Auntie go back to your own room to sleep-sleep.”

Auntie Li didn’t know what had gotten into the child today. She coaxed him for a long time, but he simply wouldn’t let her stay. Helpless, she had to call Bai Wenjin to explain the situation.

After hearing it, Bai Wenjin only replied with three words: “Let him be.”

From Bai Wenjin’s tone, Auntie Li realized he was in a bad mood and didn’t dare say more. Though Bai Wenjin had given the word, Auntie Li was still worried. Youyou was only three; letting him sleep alone felt wrong no matter how she looked at it.

“Auntie, Baby is sleepy. Auntie sleep.” Youyou let out a huge yawn.

Auntie Li could do nothing with this little rascal and finally turned off the light and left.

As soon as the lights went out, the sleepy child couldn’t wait to scramble out of bed.

The story he told made Auntie Li so happy; he should tell one to Big Brother too, to make Big Brother happy!

Youyou skillfully unzipped the bed guardrail and crawled out. Standing on his tiptoes, he placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open just a crack.

The light from outside poured in. Youyou looked up and locked eyes with Auntie Li, who had been hovering by the door out of concern.

Auntie Li saw him holding a book in his left hand while dragging a cat plushie by its hind leg with his right. After a moment of silence at the sight of him dragging his “whole family” along, she asked, “Little Master, weren’t you sleepy?”

Youyou was a child with an “idol burden”—he absolutely could not let anyone think of him as a liar.

His two dark grape-like eyes rolled around, and he said righteously, “Baby was sleepy. Slept for a bit and then woke up again!”

“Auntie, Baby is not lying. When Baby was asleep, I remembered I didn’t tell Big Brother a story.”

“Baby has to hear a story to sleep. Big Brother needs to hear one too.”

Auntie Li suppressed a laugh at the child’s clumsy excuse. “Oh! The Little Master is truly so thoughtful.”

Having received praise out of thin air, Youyou scratched his face bashfully.

“Do you want me to take you to the Eldest Young Master’s room?”

“Baby go by him-self.” Youyou was full of confidence. He had gone on an adventure to Big Brother’s room this afternoon; he knew the way!

Youyou walked familiarly to Bai Wenjin’s door, used his small hand to pound hard on the wooden door, and shouted loudly, “Big Brother, Big Brother, open the door for Baby!”

After some rustling sounds, the door was pulled open.

Bai Wenjin had just finished showering. His semi-dry hair hung damply over his forehead, and his glasses obscured those sharp eyes, making him look a bit gentler.

He subconsciously glanced at the time: 21:50.

Bai Wenjin frowned, looking down at the tiny Youyou. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Story-telling!” Youyou waved the book in his hand.

Thinking the child wanted him to tell a story, Bai Wenjin said coldly, “Have Auntie Li tell you. I’m busy.”

With that, he walked back to his computer desk to continue his unfinished work.

As if he couldn’t sense the mood in Bai Wenjin’s words, Youyou naturally climbed into his lap and sat down, even pushing his luck by trying to squeeze the cat plushie in with them.

“Get down.” Bai Wenjin frowned, his tone not very pleasant.

Youyou held up the picture book and said in a milky voice, “Baby will tell you a story.”

“I don’t want to hear one right now.”

“There was a doggy, his name was Bubu, one day…” Youyou flipped the book open and started telling the story to himself.

Bai Wenjin took a deep breath and glared at him. “Jiang You, do you want a beating?”

Youyou pouted his lips, looking aggrieved. “Baby is telling Big Brother a story.”

Bai Wenjin glared at him. Youyou wasn’t afraid at all, staring back at Bai Wenjin with innocent, wide eyes.

Bai Wenjin decided to treat him like air and continued working. Youyou faced the book and began to narrate with even more emotion.

Bai Wenjin actually had strong focus. But no matter how strong one’s focus, having a little loudspeaker chirping away next to you meant that snippets of stray sentences still found their way into his ears.

After listening to a couple of lines, something felt off. He glanced at the contents of the picture book and then listened to Youyou’s story.

He was speechless.

This wasn’t reading a story; it was clearly looking at pictures and making things up—complete nonsense.

Bai Wenjin pressed his hand against his aching brow, intending to endure it. But when Jiang Youyou misread “flying in” (feiru) as “flying man” (feiren), Bai Wenjin couldn’t hold back; his chest vibrated slightly with a laugh.

This little illiterate.

The little loudspeaker suddenly went quiet, eyes wide with wonder. Bai Wenjin immediately pulled a straight face, pretending to be serious. “What are you looking at?”

Youyou suddenly covered his mouth with his small hands, laughing so hard his teeth showed and his eyes curved into little crescent moons.

“Big Brother smiled!” He pointed at the curve of Bai Wenjin’s lips, his voice sweet and crisp.

“I didn’t.” Bai Wenjin immediately reverted to a cold face, stubborn as a dead duck.

“Hehe, Baby tells a story, Auntie smiles, Big Brother also smiles. Baby is amazing!” Jiang Youyou was triumphant, dancing in his lap.

Bai Wenjin decided to clarify, lest the child become too arrogant. “I didn’t smile because of your story; I smiled because you read the word wrong.”

“You are a little illiterate who doesn’t go to kindergarten; you don’t even know a few characters.” He couldn’t help himself and poked the child’s chubby cheek with his index finger.

Although Youyou liked Big Brother, he wasn’t happy about being called illiterate. “Baby is not ‘literate; Mama taught Baby many words!”

“Oh?” Bai Wenjin raised an eyebrow. He pointed randomly at the character for “divide” (fen) and asked him, “What is this word?”

Jiang Youyou identified it carefully and said with conviction, “Grandpa!” (gong)

“Wrong.” Bai Wenjin flicked his forehead with a finger. He picked up a random piece of paper and elegantly wrote two characters in regular script: one for “divide” (fen) and one for “grandpa” (gong).

He pointed to the one on the left and taught him: “This is fen, for ‘divide’.” Then he pointed to the right: “Gong, as in ‘rooster’ (gongji).”

“Rooster—do you know what that is?”

“Know! The chicken-chicken that doesn’t lay eggs and goes cock-a-doodle-doo.”

“Quite smart, even knowing a rooster doesn’t lay eggs,” Bai Wenjin teased.

“Mama taught Baby!”

Bai Wenjin rubbed his head and patted the child, who was incessantly chanting “Divide for divide, public for rooster” like a mantra. “Alright, go back to sleep. I need to keep working.”

Jiang Youyou hugged his waist and slid off his lap. Standing against his leg, he asked, “Big Brother, are you happy now?”

It was an out-of-the-blue question, but it gave Bai Wenjin a start.

The child reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to pat Big Brother’s head the way his brother patted him. But he was too short, so he settled for second best and patted Bai Wenjin’s shoulder.

“In the future, if Big Brother is unhappy, tell Baby. Baby will tell you a story, and then Big Brother will be happy.”

Bai Wenjin’s body leaned back slightly, half his face hidden in the shadows at the edge of the lamplight. He reached out from the darkness and very gently stroked Jiang Youyou’s head, his voice very soft. “Thank you. Jiang Youyou.”

“No thanks needed.” Youyou pressed his small hand onto the large hand on his head. The yellowish lamplight cast a warm glow on his face; his eyes were bright and clear, as dazzling as stars. “We are family.”

Bai Wenjin stared at him for a long time, so long that Youyou became confused and scratched his face. “Big Brother?”

Bai Wenjin smiled, straightened up, and bathed in the warm light with Youyou. He pulled Youyou back into his lap, and with his other hand, he spread the copy of Butt Detective on the desk. “Tell Big Brother one more story.”

“Big Brother, Baby’s eyes want to go to sleep.” Youyou had felt his eyelids becoming very, very heavy long ago; he had used all his strength just to keep them from closing while talking to his brother.

“Just a short one. Big Brother wants to hear it.” Bai Wenjin held the child tight, his chin resting gently against the boy’s head.

Fuzzy, soft, yet so powerful.

Hearing Big Brother’s request, Youyou struggled for a while before sighing. “Okay then, only one! Baby has to sleep early, or I won’t grow tall.”

“Mmh. Thank you, Youyou,” Bai Wenjin replied softly.

Youyou flipped through the book and spent two minutes carefully selecting a short story about planting the sun. He kept in mind to finish quickly; after only a minute, his voice grew smaller and smaller. Before long, he let out a tiny snore, and a bit of drool dripped onto Bai Wenjin’s hand.

Bai Wenjin had a germaphobia. But at this moment, he didn’t seem to feel anything strange. He silently pulled the child deeper into his embrace, resting his head gently against the boy’s back. Listening to the steady breathing, he let out a long, long sigh.