My brother left home in the middle of the academic banquet.

That night, he took a hard seat train heading north. Before the start of the school year, he first worked at a construction site, then worked as a private tutor. Surprisingly, he managed to save enough tuition fees on his own without touching the money his parents had deposited into his bank account.

I heard people say that before the start of the school year, my brother lived in the narrowest room in the basement in Beijing, just enough space for a bed.

Thinking about my brother sleeping in the dark basement made me burst into tears.

That day, after my brother left, his grandfather slumped in his chair, murmuring, "I drove the child away..."

He pitifully rubbed his tired red eyes, his previous dignity vanished without a trace.

I hurriedly ran into the kitchen.

By the big stove where the fire was burning, my mom was squatting on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

Someone had already told her what my brother had said.

I anxiously shouted, "Mom, Mom, why didn't you speak up? You were deceived into this marriage, you are not a third party!"

My mom smiled bitterly, "But I also don't know if she left because of me... When you were born, the grass on her grave had just started to grow..."

Aunt Zhu patted my mom's shoulder and sighed.

My intuition told me that my mom was not a third party.

Perhaps my brother's mother passed away first, and then my dad met my mom.

As long as we clear up the misunderstanding, we can borrow a car to go bring my brother back, and then we can all stop arguing and properly finish my brother's academic banquet.

I gathered my courage and walked up to my dad, saying to him, "Dad, let's talk."

He gave me a cold look and snorted, "Go, what business do you have here?"

He lifted his glass and said to someone else, "Come, let's continue drinking!"

I was left hanging on the side, and at that moment, I resented my dad deeply.