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My Sister Has Love Brain
墨書 Inktalez
Once on the train, Manman wore a worried expression. She had never spent a night on a train before.
And a journey lasting a whole day and night—was she really expected to endure it?
Chen Qi opened a bucket of instant noodles and tossed one to each of us, speaking with his mouth full.
"My parents sent me to stay with my aunt so I could focus on my studies. I've been taking trains with her since I was little. If she hadn't fallen ill this year, she would have definitely come to see us off."
Manman nodded, pushing her bucket of noodles away slightly; the sight of greasy food made her feel nauseous.
"You must have a deep bond with your aunt. It must have been tough for you to study away from home all these years."
I could tell Chen Qi was trying to play the sympathy card, hoping Manman would feel guilty and overlook his less-than-ideal circumstances.
But I wouldn't let him get away with it.
"Your aunt is in the hospital? Why are you going home alone for the New Year? Don't you need to take care of her?"
Chen Qi's words became somewhat vague.
"She's in good health and will recover. Besides, if I don't go home, the elders in my family will definitely miss me and won't be able to sleep well."
Manman looked at him with a sympathetic expression, as if thinking, "He really is filial," but I wasn't going to let up.
"Doesn't your aunt want to come home just because she's not here?"
"My aunt has been married for a long time..."
Chen Qi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. When he looked up, he was happily eating by himself while we hadn't had a single bite. He didn't feel embarrassed at all; instead, he seemed a bit irritated.
"Why aren't you eating instant noodles? Can't you get used to it?"
I stopped the vendor and ordered two boxes of lunch, feigning surprise.
"My sister has never eaten these things because her health isn't good. Don't you know that after being together for so long?"
Manman, fearing we might start arguing again, quickly explained.
"Chen Qi is a straightforward guy; he usually doesn't care about these things. Yuan Yuan, don't take it to heart."
I let out an "oh," and left the carriage to let them have some time alone.
Time on the train felt particularly long, especially during the Spring Festival Travel Rush when it was crowded and chaotic.
It was impossible to rest properly in the hard seats, and in a state of fatigue, it was easy to develop misunderstandings with those around you.
Such close proximity often revealed a person's true nature.
I discussed with a kind-hearted woman, who agreed to let me use her bunk during the day while she stayed awake.
I insisted on giving her a hundred yuan, which made me feel justified in taking the rest I needed.
When I finally woke up, refreshed, it was already evening. I returned the bed to the woman and found the two of them looking exhausted.
Manman put down her phone (which had no signal anyway) and asked me with concern, "Where did you go?"
"I found an empty bed and took a nap," I replied.
I deliberately left out the details about the woman; sudden good fortune would only make Chen Qi feel worse.
Chen Qi couldn't help but yawn. Seeing me looking full of energy, she let out her pent-up frustration on me.
"You went to sleep alone? We came together, so we should stick together! If there’s an empty bed, we should take turns resting!"
"It was your choice to go back to the village for the New Year, and you booked the tickets yourself. Why should I bear the consequences of your actions?"
Manman quickly grabbed my wrist, worried that Chen Qi might get angry.
"Alright, Yuan Yuan, Chen Qi is just worried you'll get lost and is concerned about your safety. We have six more hours until we arrive; let's just hang in there a little longer."
Night was quickly falling, and every bed was occupied. Even if they wanted to swap places, they couldn't find anyone to do so.
The two of them were exhausted, while I felt wide awake after sleeping all day.
Just as Chen Qi was about to doze off, I suddenly slapped him on the shoulder.
He jumped in surprise, staring at me with wide eyes.
"What are you doing?"
I deliberately shrank back into Manman's embrace, putting on a look of "he's so fierce, I'm so scared."
"I just wanted to remind you that we have a lot of valuable items in our suitcase. You should stay awake tonight and keep an eye on the luggage, so we don't lose anything."
Chen Qi looked like a bull trying to suppress his anger, while Manman also shrank back a bit, appearing hesitant.
"That... doesn't seem right. How about we take turns watching it?"
I yawned and instantly collapsed onto the table.
"No way, I can't hold out any longer. You two can take turns. If anything goes missing, you both will have to compensate me."
That night, I heard Chen Qi cursing me under his breath.
Manman, timid as always, occasionally defended me but seemed to lack the courage to stand up for herself.
This made me reflect on whether our family’s excessive pampering of my sister had turned her into someone so easily manipulated.
The next morning, when the train finally arrived at the station, I stepped off feeling refreshed, while Manman and Chen Qi, with dark circles under their eyes, struggled to carry their heavy luggage, lacking any spirit.
After the train ride, we took a bus, then a car, and finally endured an hour on an ox cart before reaching the village entrance.
There was still a distance to Chen Qi's home from the village entrance. Manman, wanting to look good, hadn’t worn hiking shoes like I did, and her feet were nearly blistered from the journey.
Having never experienced such hardship, she pouted and looked utterly unwilling.
She tugged at Chen Qi's sleeve, her eyes red like a little rabbit.
"I'm not feeling well these days; can you carry me?"
Chen Qi rolled his eyes in annoyance, clearly having run out of patience during the long trip.
"Stop being so delicate; the village girls are out working in the fields. You don’t want to give the elders something to laugh about."
I seized the opportunity to stir the pot.
"Yeah, Sister, Chen Qi has been on the road for so long; she must be exhausted. Don't make things difficult for a weakling."
Just as Chen Qi was about to scold me, a plume of green smoke erupted beneath her feet.
I caught a whiff of sulfur, and not far away, a group of children was running around, giggling.
Without hesitation, I scooped up Manman and pulled her far away from the smoke.
"Bang!"
"Ah—!"
Manman still looked shaken. She had been afraid of firecrackers since she was little. Fortunately, our neighborhood had banned them since the early 2000s, but in Chen Qi's hometown, she had to endure them.
I glared at those little brats, who were still grinning mischievously.
"Apologize right now! Who taught you to throw firecrackers under someone else's feet?"
Manman took several deep breaths but hadn't fully regained her composure yet.
The children laughed and ran off. I was about to chase after them when Chen Qi stopped me.
"Forget it, they are just kids, and all from the same village. It's not a big deal, right, Manman?"
Manman looked at him in disbelief, then jumped down to the ground, sniffing back her tears, filled with grievances.
Seeing this, Chen Qi quickly pulled her into his arms, launching a gentle offensive.
"Come on now, crying during the New Year isn't lucky. The kid leading the group is my uncle's son. We'll go find their parents later; there's no need to argue with children."
I couldn't help but gag a little. Wasn't Manman afraid of greasy guys? How did she end up with such a boyfriend?
"Yuan Yuan, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, I get car sick."
Chen Qi didn't believe her. In his eyes, the gentle and obedient sister was only acting out because I had stirred her up.
In my novel, I portrayed myself as a vicious sister who looked down on poor boys and tried to break up couples.
"You get sick on an ox cart too?"
"The ox cart is fine; I mainly get sick from the cows and horses."
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