Chi Yaoyang's eyes wandered around the room, and suddenly he noticed some movement under the bed.
He squatted down, lifted the covering sheet, and found a small corner.
In this corner lay an older child who looked younger than his actual age.
His thin figure and worn-out clothes made him look even more miserable.
"Who are you?"
Chi Yaoyang asked the child.
"I'm the older brother and I have to protect my younger brother." The child smiled slightly childishly but firmly.
"Why are you here?"
Chi Yaoyang continued to ask.
The elder brother lowered his head, his eyes dimmed a little, and he answered helplessly: "We have no home anymore... Mom and Dad... They are gone, leaving me behind. I must protect my younger brother and prevent him from getting hurt."
Chi Yaoyang was shocked. This child's experience was far more cruel than he had imagined.
He reached out and gently patted his brother's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll help you. Let's get out of here together and find a safe place."
Chi Yaoyang looked around and noticed some old toys scattered around the room that looked broken.
Chi Yaoyang was sitting on the edge of the bed when his little brother suddenly pounced on him and hit him with his fist.
The older child quickly grabbed his wrist and comforted him softly.
"Little brother, please don't hurt your brother."
The older brother said gently, his hand gently holding the younger brother's fist.
The little brother was still struggling angrily to hit Chi Yaoyang, his brows furrowed. There was a cut on his hand, which looked very painful.
Chi Yaoyang noticed this immediately.
"Your hand is injured." Chi Yaoyang said with concern and took out a piece of clean gauze from his pocket.
"Leave me alone!"
The younger brother shouted angrily.
Chi Yaoyang was not angry or annoyed, but remained calm and composed.
"I know you're angry. But beating me won't solve the problem. Maybe it would be better if you let me bandage your wound."
The little brother didn't react for a moment, but then turned around and reluctantly showed his wound.
Chi Yaoyang gently wiped the blood from the wound and carefully bandaged it with gauze.
His movements were skillful and did not cause more pain to his little brother.
"Thanks."
The younger brother whispered.
Then, Chi Yaoyang began to observe the house.
Chi Yaoyang frowned slightly, his eyes fell on the wall in the room which was covered with photos.
These photos record the growth of the two children, with pictures of them playing together and cuddling each other.
But all of these photos show a completely different person from the bad-tempered little brother he is now.
Chi Yaoyang continued to play games with the older children, but he occasionally looked up at the special photo on the wall.
He began to ponder this strange and confusing situation.
"Brother, what's wrong with you?"
The older children noticed the confusion in Chi Yaoyang's eyes.
Chi Yaoyang shook his head to wake himself up from his thoughts.
"It's okay, I just feel like there are a lot of good memories here."
The older child smiled and said, "Well, we two brothers used to have a lot of fun."
When Chi Yaoyang heard him say "brothers", more questions arose in his mind.
Why is his little brother so indifferent to him?
Did he once have a brother he didn't know about?
But Chi Yaoyang did not ask these questions immediately.
He decided to observe first and learn more about the situation before making a judgment.
Time passed quietly during the game, and the photos on the wall gradually became supporting roles in the interaction between Chi Yaoyang and the older children.
However, Chi Yaoyang could not suppress his curiosity about the person who was absent.
"Did you have fun with that person when you were little?"
Chi Yaoyang suddenly asked.
The older child stopped playing the game and his eyes became dim.
"Yes, when we were little we played together every day and took care of each other."
Chi Yaoyang stayed in the house until noon, and the two children kept watching his movements.
He felt helpless. There was a shortage of supplies here, and apart from the stockpiled vegetables, he had nothing more to give.
“This is all we have now.”
Chi Yaoyang put away the carrots and potatoes he had taken out after careful consideration and said, "We can only eat these vegetables first, and then eat meat when the situation gets better."
The little brother stared at the vegetables in Chi Yaoyang's hand with wide eyes and said dissatisfiedly: "I don't want to eat these! I want to eat meat! Eat meat every day!"
Seeing this, the little brother quickly comforted him: "Don't be angry, we can eat a lot of delicious food when I come home."
Chi Yaoyang looked at the two children's intertwined emotions and complex expressions, and he understood the feelings of the two children.
The little brother cried for a while, but finally accepted the carrots and potatoes that Chi Yaoyang gave him.
Although there was still some dissatisfaction in his eyes, he knew that he could only eat these vegetables now.
After the two children slowly finished their vegetables, they continued to play.
The little brother happily took a potato as a ball and ran around chasing his older brother.
The eldest brother deliberately let the younger brother chase him until he could not breathe.
Chi Yaoyang looked at the smiling faces of the two children, and an indescribable warmth surged in his heart.
As night fell, the pitch-black darkness enveloped the ruined house.
Only the faint street lights on the wall illuminated the empty staircase, casting a pale and cold light.
Chi Yaoyang looked at his watch. It was already six o'clock in the evening.
The little brother then stood up, said he was going home, and walked slowly back home.
He walked alone in this desolate and silent place, as if he was the only one left in the world.
Chi Yaoyang followed behind him, silently observing his back.
The little brother's steps seemed a little weak, and he stopped from time to time to catch his breath.
The stairs were silent, with no other sound except the tiny sound of their footsteps.
The night wind blew fiercely across the two men's clothes, which were covered in dirt and dust.
Finally, the little brother stopped at the end of the stairs and opened a door on the right.
Chi Yaoyang followed him in and saw a dim room.
The house on the third floor looked a bit shabby. There was nothing inside except a huge bed in the middle.
The room was simply furnished, with a few faded paintings hanging on the mottled and peeling walls.
The little brother walked into the room on the green carpet, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
He lay gently on the bed, and his tense expression slowly relaxed.
Chi Yaoyang stopped behind him, curious about the environment in the room.
The little brother's body began to grow gradually, and gradually became as tall as Chi Yaoyang.
His face became pale and tired, with sweat on his forehead. The bed sheet was wrapped tightly around him, as if restraining his freedom.
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