“I… I really should have aborted her back then! I shouldn’t have given birth to her! We can’t afford to have such an insensible daughter!”


  “Mom, please, don’t send me away…”


  I begged Dongyu in a hoarse voice, “Brother, I don’t want to study abroad. I begged Mom, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Brother… Does Dad not want me anymore? Does Mom not want me anymore too?”


  “It’s useless whatever you say! I’ve already made arrangements with your aunt! When she returns, I’ll send you away!”


  With that, she stood up and walked towards her room.

  Dongyu suddenly dropped onto his knees. He couldn’t hold it in anymore and broke down, crying uncontrollably. “Mom! I want her! Even if you don’t want her! I want her! Even if the whole world doesn’t want her, I want her! If you send my sister away, I swear I’ll never forgive you!”


  “Disgraceful thing! Silence!”


  My father slapped him on the face and pointed at him angrily. “Take back your words!”


  “I want her!”


  Dongyu was unbelievably stubborn. “You can’t send her away!”


  Bam!

  He got another slap.

  I cried and clung on to my father’s pants. “Dad, stop hitting him! Stop hitting Brother…”


  But my father didn’t even look at me. He glared at Dongyu, his eyes bloodshot.

  My father and brother confronted each other’s gaze for a long time. Dongyu then said again with great clarity, “I want her!”


  Bam!

  “I want her!”


  Bam!

  …


  I don’t know how many times my father slapped him that day. Perhaps it was to establish his authority as the head of the family, or perhaps he felt that Dongyu was too stubborn and he wanted to tame the boy.

  However, Dongyu was more stubborn than I thought.

  Even though his face was flushed red, he kept repeating, “I want her!”


  …


  “I want her!”


  …


  “I want her!”


  …


  That night, Dongyu was locked away on the balcony while I was being locked up in my room. I leaned against the window and looked at him kneeling on the balcony.

  He had his back to me and was facing away from the house. The cold wind was getting stronger, but I couldn’t get out. I couldn’t get to his side and kneel with him in the cold night air.

  For the next few days, I was locked up in my room. My mother prepared three meals a day and brought them to me. Other than that, the door was locked from the outside. I had no way of coming into contact with the rest of the world.

  I was isolated like a dangerous psychopath.

  Until one night, someone suddenly unlocked the door from outside.

  I sat up in bed, alarmed and on guard.

  I thought my mother had opened the door and was about to send me away in the night, but it was Dongyu who walked into the room.

  He had a small bag slung over his shoulder. When he saw me, he put his finger to his lips and shushed me.

  “They’re all asleep!”


  He walked in and shut the door lightly behind him. Then he walked over to my bed and whispered, “I stole the keys and some money. I’ll take you away from here, okay?”


  “You’re taking me away?”


  I was stunned and stared at him for a long time. I couldn’t believe that these words came out of Dongyu’s mouth.

  “Where are we going?”


  “Anywhere is fine!”


  Dongyu held my hand tightly and smiled encouragingly. “Xiachun, leave this place with me. Even if they don’t want you, I do. I’ll stop school and look for a job to support you, okay?”


  I was even more stunned. Tears welled up in my eyes.

  “What nonsense are you speaking?”


  “I’m not speaking nonsense! I’ve been thinking about this for the past two days.”