For the first time, we stepped into an apartment building. It was a brand new building. We saw an elevator for the first time. The apartment was small but exquisite, it had three rooms and two living rooms. We were filled with a sense of novelty and curiosity.

  I felt cramped in and uneasy, but at the same time there was a sense of anticipation.

  This new home meant that our family of four could be reunited under a roof!

  When we were in primary school, even though our parents came back often, they were not constantly around after all. It was inevitable that our relationship would be distant.

  Everything in the city was new to us now!

  However I adapted very quickly.

  The only thing I could not get used to was—


  having to sleep in a separate room from Dongyu!

  “Dongyu, you’ve already grown up and are about to become a big boy. You can’t sleep with your sister anymore!”


  Mother lectured us in a prim and proper manner, “In the past, it might not have been a big deal if you slept on the same bed! But now, Dongyu is in middle school and is already 13 years old. You are also 10 years old. You should try to be independent! Chun Chun, tonight, you will sleep in your own room alone!”


  Her tone was almost commanding and there was no room for protest.

  I stared at her blankly, feeling an odd uneasiness towards the idea of sleeping alone.

  “I don’t want to!”


  My head immediately shook like a broken drum. I hugged Dongyu tightly and refused to let go. “I don’t want to sleep separately from Brother!”


  “Outrageous!” Dad muttered, “He’s not a child anymore! Dongyu is already grown up, how can he sleep on the same bed as you all the time? Ridiculous!”


  At the time, I didn’t understand why they would separate us.

  Because back in my hometown, Dongyu and I had always shared the same bed.

  I was used to sleeping with my arms around him. I certainly wasn’t used to sleeping alone.

  But how would I have understood then?

  Dongyu was thirteen years old and was at the age of puberty. This development did not only refer to the development of height, weight, and vocal cords, but also the most important part of a youth’s development—sexual development.

  My knowledge of the subject was as good as zero, so I had no idea why my mother was so obsessed with ensuring we slept in separate rooms.

  The first night we slept in separate rooms, I lay in bed, hugging the covers, but tears kept falling.

  I was a highly imaginative child. Without Dongyu by my side, my imagination ran wild. I felt like there was a face stuck to the window, and someone was hiding under the bed. Outside the door, there seemed to be someone staring at me like a tiger watching its prey.

  It was as if I was surrounded by enemies.

  In the darkness of the night, fear gripped me, I didn’t even dare to put my foot on the ground, afraid that there was a hand under the bed that would grab my foot at any moment and drag me into the endless abyss of hell!

  Eventually, I cried in grievance and muttered to myself how my mother could be so heartless and cruel.

  Then, I fell asleep in a daze.

  The next few days were even more miserable. After my mother left the room, I quickly turned on the lights. It was as if as long as I turned on the lights, the strange and evil spirits would retreat!

  I don’t know where I got such a silly idea. The world of a child is always so innocent.

  Of course, turning on the lights to sleep made me feel more at ease.

  However, the next day, my mother would inevitably find out that I had left the lights on overnight and I’d be severely reprimanded.

  One night, I tossed and turned, finding it hard to fall asleep. So, I crept into Dongyu’s room.

  Just as I opened the door and tiptoed in, I saw Dongyu lying on the bed, on his side, his back facing me.