Chapter 9
My younger brother sat at the dining table watching me. My older brother went in and out of the kitchen, finally managing to bring out all four dishes and a soup. I joked, "Don't you need to go back to your room and rest?"
"You're making fun of me too!" the older brother said, somewhat disgruntled. "If he hadn't interfered, I definitely wouldn't have fallen. How dare he touch me while I was making you dessert! Luckily it didn't affect anything, or you would have seen me dueling with him."
The younger brother rolled his eyes.
I chuckled. I don't know how brothers get along, or whether it's normal for a brotherhood to escalate so easily into a fight, but they've never actually done that in front of me.
It was just something a child said in anger. I picked up a piece of fish and put it in my older brother's bowl, coaxing him, "Okay, I know you're upset, so give your little brother a piece too?"
The older brother glanced at his younger brother smugly and happily placed some ginger on his plate, saying, "This piece of fish is delicious. Enjoy it, and there will be more if you want."
My younger brother's blue eyes seemed to be staring a hole through the bowl. I gently tapped the rim of my older brother's bowl with the end of my chopsticks, and when he finally quieted down, I turned to look at my younger brother: "Your brother didn't mean it. I'll name you first when we're naming you later, okay? You have to be punished for doing something wrong."
My younger brother quietly glanced at me, then suddenly moved his chair closer to me. He's like a kitten, never hesitant to be gentle when he's in a good mood or feeling good. My brother rested his head on my shoulder: "...I hate him."
"Isn't this still not a good idea?" I patiently spoke to him. "Your brother will be sad too."
"Is your brother talking about you?" the younger brother asked.
I was taken aback: "Although I could be your brother, your real brother is right here beside me. Hmm, although he's quite mischievous, you'll find him more and more considerate as you spend time with him."
I say this because when I first met them, the atmosphere between the twins was like World War III was about to break out. At the time, I thought they were mortal enemies who wanted nothing more than to kill each other. Why? Because they were barely clothed, their cheeks were stained red—I couldn't tell if it was blood or a large amount of tomato sauce—and their eyes gleamed with a eerie, cat-like light. Even their pupils seemed to have shrunk to thin slits.
I had no intention of participating in this farcical massacre; perhaps it was just a movie shoot. Besides, it was a rainy night—perfect weather for murder. The dim moonlight lacked any gentle warmth; I even suspected they were planning to unite and kill me next.
As for why I felt that way, I didn't find any cameras around, and the director and crew members were not in my sight.
"..."
Just as I was about to leave, the two of them stood in front of me, hand in hand. Even though I couldn't see them clearly, I could see the bulging veins on the backs of their hands.
I stood face to face with them, neither of us speaking. The rain soaked me from head to toe. I hadn't brought an umbrella, had no idea it would rain at night, and hadn't even considered going out at night. I only heard a cat meowing after exhausting myself with my studies. The sound was hoarse and shrill, and it still lingered in my room with the doors and windows closed.
The older brother spoke first: "Hello... kind person. Would you be willing to help us? We've left home and have nowhere to go." He pointed to a corner barely big enough for a small pet to shelter from the rain, "That's a place we can live in, but it's only big enough for one person. If you could help us..."
As he spoke, tears streamed down his face. I guessed they were raindrops, but there was nothing I could do.
I turned my gaze to the boy who refused to look up at me. Water gathered at his sharp chin. In the noisy world of rain, I couldn't hear the slightest sounds, yet it was as if I could really hear the dripping.
“Please…” the boy said.
I really have no other way.
I had a bit of a headache. Before I knew it, I had brought them home. When I came to my senses, I realized that I had asked them about their family situation, including how many relatives they had, whether they had run away from home or something else.
They had even taken a shower.
I'm done washing up too.
“Then I’ll act as your guardian for now, though it won’t have any legal effect.” I pulled out a piece of paper that I found at the market here; it’s said to have the power of words. “Then sign this. I’ve written the terms: no fighting, no making too much noise, be obedient, and don’t cause trouble. I’ll take good care of you.”
After I told him I'd "spent a fortune to buy parchment with the power of words," even my younger brother looked at me with pity. I didn't care and just smiled: "Why aren't you signing? Are you scared?"
“Thank you for giving us this opportunity.” The older brother picked up the pen first. “We will definitely do as you say. This cozy room and the delicious meals were all provided by you. We will never forget this kindness. If needed, I am willing to go through fire and water for you, and my loyalty will last a lifetime.”
I touched my ear, thinking that my brother not only always used honorifics, but his way of speaking also made people blush. Is this what they call "uniform fetish"? It's kind of novel.
My younger brother always spies on me from the shadows. Right now, he snatches the pen from me and says angrily, "You should behave yourself too."
I couldn't understand what he was saying.
My brother quickly covered his mouth: "Don't talk nonsense." He smiled at me, "He's sick, I'm sorry to have offended you. He's like this for at least two-thirds of the month, and the onset is very unpredictable. If you need anything, just talk to me directly."
The younger brother struggled a few times but couldn't break free. I saw his hand below try to attack his older brother's waist, but he was subdued at a speed I couldn't see. I silently looked away: "You two go and rest. I'll take you to buy new clothes tomorrow."
My brother smiled, his eyes narrowing. He deftly dragged his younger brother towards the bedroom, not forgetting to say goodnight to me as he did so.
I sat alone on the sofa for a while; the pledge was still on the table. It was ordinary, as ordinary as a useless piece of paper, probably worn out from being there for so long, that no one wanted to use it. If you could doubt it, probably no one would doubt that it had once been used to wipe a sheep's rear end. Could this be considered a kind of "parchment" paper?
I folded it up and casually put it into a cabinet where odds and ends were stored.
Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I don't have any clutter at all. Fortunately, since then, I've put any clutter I have there.
My gaze swept over the cabinet, which I had locked from the outside; no one could open it without the key. I said, "Look, back then, your brother was worried there might be something dangerous on the paper, so he signed it before you did, don't you remember?"
The younger and older brothers' expressions contorted, forcing them to eat faster to relax their facial muscles.
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