When my older brother first appeared, I was five years old and was being bullied by the landlord's son.

He was pulling my braids and dragging me on the ground, saying it was a game.

The concrete scraped my leg, causing a sharp pain.

I cried so hard that I couldn't catch my breath.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Let her go, or I'll beat you!"

A stranger, a big brother, walked over and threw the little army to the side.

My mom, who was napping, was awakened and came downstairs from upstairs.

The big brother lowered his head and softly called out, "Auntie."

My mom didn't respond to him, she carried me upstairs.

She locked the door, didn't go out herself, and didn't allow me to go out either.

When it got dark, dad came back and said hesitantly, "Xiao Zhe is here."

Seeing no response from mom, he softened his tone, "Suxin, after all, Xiao Zhe is my son, Xiao Yu's brother..."

Dad said that the sixth grade in the village school has been disbanded, and he wants his brother to take the entrance exam for the new private school in the county, because with a rural household registration, he can't attend a public school.

Entrance to the private school requires an English exam, but there are no English classes in the countryside, so they brought his brother over for extra lessons during the summer vacation.

My mom looked around and said, "In such a small space, tell me, where will he sleep?"

Dad rubbed his hands, "It's okay, I'll set up a bed for him in the storefront, boys can endure a little hardship."

And so, my brother stayed.