Guo Tian Di’s childhood memories are almost nil. He only remembers having a grandmother who held him, saying she would take him to find his mother. After handing him over to an aunt, his grandmother walked away without looking back, as he cried heartbreakingly.
The aunt told him, “Don’t cry. Grandmother didn’t even turn her head. Who are you crying for? Tears are only useful for those who care about you.”
On the train, Guo Tian Di proudly narrated his life experiences to Guo Yingying. In that moment, he didn’t seem like a teenager, but rather an old man who had weathered life and come to terms with his past.
Years later, Guo Yingying thought that optimism and open-mindedness were the only windows that God had opened for Guo Tian Di.
Standing at the exit of Beijing Station, they were slightly bewildered by the bustling crowd. Skyscrapers loomed everywhere, and an overwhelming yet exciting aura hit them.
Guo Tian Di felt his roots were here, and he decided to stay.
The siblings stumbled through life, taking numerous detours, but eventually settled in Beijing.
Nearly 18, Guo Tian Di, tall and robust, easily found work at a restaurant near the train station, which provided room and board.
Guo Yingying was of school age, and Guo Tian Di had to consider her education. After much inquiry, he learned about a primary school in Beijing’s county designed for children of construction workers.
For Guo Yingying’s schooling, he became a proud construction worker, doing the dirtiest and most tiring jobs, living in the simplest of rooms, eating the cheapest boxed lunches, and having virtually no personal expenses.
He felt like a beast of burden, working non-stop just to survive, but for his sister, he was content to be one.
Guo Yingying excelled academically, and her good grades brought a brilliant smile to her brother’s face, giving her a great sense of achievement.
When Guo Yingying was admitted to a key junior high school, Guo Tian Di switched jobs numerous times just to keep up with her schooling.
Rent and basic necessities were expensive. Despite Guo Tian Di’s frugality, life was still financially tight.
Guo Yingying grew up overnight, standing tall and elegant like a budding lily. Her outstanding beauty shone despite her shabby clothes, which unfortunately marred her lovely face.
Guo Tian Di wanted a better life for his sister.
He needed money, more money.
Not willing to steal or rob, he could only sell his physical strength. He found an underground club that hosted bare-knuckle boxing, where he could make a month’s wages in one night.
His job was to throw fights. More an actor than a fighter, his role involved swaggering onto the stage, spouting bold words, dazzling in the first few rounds, then getting brutally beaten and timing his fall.
He and the club owner agreed that any hits were fair game as long as they avoided his face.
He feared Guo Yingying finding out.
On weekends, he hid his bruises and greeted his sister with a happy smile, showing her only his best side, keeping his troubles and scars to himself.
Once, after earning some money from getting beaten up, he stepped out of the club and saw a rat scurry from a drain, feeling as if he and the rat were alike, both skulking in the shadows.
Suddenly, a man ran past him, darting into a dark alley.
Soon after, several robust men with long sticks rushed past in pursuit, evidently chasing the first man.
Screams echoed from deep within the alley, chillingly loud against the quiet of the night.
Moved by a sense of justice, Guo Tian Di picked up a brick and stealthily entered the alley.
The cries grew clearer and more desperate, interspersed with curses.
He listened briefly and learned that the assailants were loan sharks, beating a man who had borrowed money and lost it all in underground boxing bets. The man pleaded for a few more days to turn his luck around.
Guo Tian Di was shaken, realizing his indirect involvement.
The club, aside from earning money from ticket sales, profited mainly from rigged gambling—a complete scam with Guo Tian Di as a key part of it.
He suddenly recognized the unintended harm he had caused.
The next day, he told the club owner he was quitting.
He thought of it as just a job, like dishwashing at a restaurant, no contract, easy to leave with a simple goodbye.
But when three fighters surrounded him, he realized he had underestimated the situation. How could someone privy to their secrets be easily let go?
Guo Tian Di needed to earn enough to buy his freedom—500,000 yuan, an astronomical sum for him.
He resisted temptations and decided to earn money honorably.
During his time fighting, he had secretly trained hard. Though beaten, he had gained solid skills and could soon hold his own.
Half a month later, he officially entered the ring. The club owner, perhaps gambling big, matched him against a three-time champion from Thailand, a formidable opponent.
If Guo Tian Di won unexpectedly, the owner would profit hugely. If he lost, the loss was negligible.
Guo Tian Di fought with all his might and won, but at a great cost: two teeth knocked out, a broken nose, and seven fractured ribs. He was sent directly to the ICU after the match.
Before losing consciousness, he worried about his sister, fearing he couldn’t keep his ordeal from her anymore.
When he woke up, Guo Yingying was holding him, crying torrentially. He had been unconscious for a month, barely surviving multiple resuscitations.
The nurse told him that during that month, Guo Yingying had barely left the hospital room, caring for him tirelessly, moving everyone with her devotion.
Learning that his sister had skipped school to care for him, Guo Tian Di almost fainted from frustration, “Who am I doing all this for? It’s all for you. If you don’t go back to school, all my suffering is for nothing. Get out, go back to school.”
Tears streaming, Guo Yingying softly called him “brother” and calmly broke the news, “We might have to part ways. Remember Teacher Shen? He has a friend who wants to adopt me.” Her voice was full of remorse.
Guo Tian Di was stunned, about to ask, “You agreed?” But her tone of apology was answer enough. If she hadn’t agreed, why the remorse?
He smiled genuinely, “That’s great news.” He showed no signs of reluctance.
The adoption process had just started, and the adoptive parents hoped Guo Yingying would move in gradually to adjust. Guo Tian Di personally took her to her new home.
The adoptive parents, childless and of an age that made raising young children difficult, wanted a child like Guo Yingying. Both had stable jobs, representing the typical middle class. Guo Yingying was set to live a prosperous and happy life, with her own room, no more running outside at night to use the restroom, new clothes, and rides to school in a car, never again feeling inferior among her peers.
He was sincerely happy for her, happier than if he had been adopted himself.
Thinking their sibling bond was at its end, he tried not to disturb her, satisfying his longing by watching from a distance at her school gate.
Years of reliance had made her feel like his true sister, the only family he had. Now alone, he sat in his cramped room, feeling utterly empty, as if he were the only person left on Earth.
The loneliness hurt more than his seven broken ribs.
At that moment, he realized it wasn’t he who had saved Guo Yingying, but she who had saved him. His face smiled brightly, but his heart was shattered. Guo Yingying was the thread that stitched his heart back together, giving him a new lease on life.
He regretted sending away his only family.
Suddenly, a knock on the door pulled him from his reverie.
Who could it be at this hour? He glanced at his watch—six o’clock, Guo Yingying’s time to get out of school. Could it be her? Impossible.
As he opened the door, he thought he was dreaming.
“Brother, I saw your car downstairs and knew you were back,” Guo Yingying said, her smile as bright as any other day coming home.
Guo Tian Di was dazed for a moment, then pinched his thigh. The pain was real; this was no dream. Overwhelmed, he hugged Guo Yingying, repeatedly calling out, “Sister, sister.”
Guo Yingying mysteriously shut the door, pulled a bulging bag from her backpack, and with a shake, an array of treats spilled out onto the table.
Fruits, snacks, pastries—packaging alone indicated they were upscale, items Guo Tian Di had never even seen before. Guo Yingying had “stolen” them especially for her brother.
Guo Tian Di ate and cried, his empty heart instantly filled. The feeling of being cared for by family was truly wonderful.
He wanted to ask her to come back, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He couldn’t yet provide a wealthy life for her and didn’t want her to suffer with him any longer.
Just wait, he thought. Once he had enough money to buy a small apartment, afford expensive fruits and chocolates, he would bring his sister home.
He resumed his old job, boxing for money, steadfastly refusing to fight in rigged matches. Although it paid less, his conscience was clear.
But fate seemed to mock him.
As he walked home one morning, the sky turning the pale color of fish bellies, the streets deserted, a shadow suddenly rushed towards him.
His first thought was, could this be another person hunted by loan sharks?
The shadow approached, abruptly pulling out a knife, its blade gleaming coldly. Before he could react, the twenty-centimeter blade pierced his abdomen.
In the dim morning light, he recognized the face of the man chased by loan sharks.
This time, before losing consciousness, his mind flashed to a face—not Guo Yingying’s but that of an aunt who had once bought him orange juice. The memory was too old, and he had long forgotten her face, but now it appeared vividly beautiful, her stunning features etched deeply in his mind.
He always felt that this aunt was his mother.
