Brother Nextdoor

When Xuezhu was little, she loved to stay with the older brother who lived across from her house. He wore a light blue school uniform, sitting under the shade of a tree downstairs in the neighborhood, reading a book. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a warm glow on his handsome face, and it also settled in her heart. Even though many years later he had grown into a man in a suit, that school uniform still held all the awe of her youth. — Years later, they met again, and Xuezhu went to visit her older brother’s house. She knew she couldn’t act the same way as when she was a child—running around recklessly, touching things she shouldn’t. She quietly sat on the...