Chapter 5: Younger Brother

    After seeing the unpleasant view outside the window, Tang Yifei turned her attention to the bed, trying to recall from her memory where things were stored. She got down to the floor to take a look, finding mostly entertainment magazines.

    With nothing better to do, Tang Yifei picked one up to pass the time. Some pages had been marked with a pen, noting fan gatherings for the celebrities on the cover.

    The owner of the body had a childlike hope that attending these events might attract the attention of a talent scout. However, as her memories revealed, Li Yifei and Li Ying’s attempts at attending these events hadn’t been successful.

    Each time they went, they were kept outside, unable to join the main event because they hadn’t spent enough on sponsor products to meet the entry requirements.

    Li Yifei already struggled to make ends meet with her part-time job just to buy the things she wanted.

    How could she afford to spend extra on promotional items just to get into these events? Instead, she would buy a few products and try her luck in lotteries, but the chances of winning were fewer than one in a thousand.

    In those thousand people, there might be only one person winning, and neither she nor Li Ying ever had that kind of luck.

    Li Ying’s family was much better off than hers—solidly middle class, with enough money to live comfortably. Li Ying's parents indulged her more, and they had their own rooms in the house. According to Li Yifei’s memories, she preferred spending time at Li Ying’s house, although Li Ying’s mother wasn’t particularly fond of her daughter’s best friend.

    It wasn’t surprising. Some mothers want their children to have friends who are more encouraging and beneficial.

    Still, Li Ying’s mother never openly showed dislike.

    Instead, she would say things like

    ‘These apples are imported and very sweet and crisp. Yifei, make sure to eat plenty. Not everyone gets a chance to eat them.’

    Li Yifei wasn’t so naive as to not understand the true meaning behind those words. But with a friend like Li Ying, who treated her like a princess and understood her completely, she wasn’t going to let go.

    “Yifei, the porridge is ready. Come eat,” Grandma Li’s voice interrupted Tang Yifei’s reflection on the memories of the body’s former owner. She climbed off the bed and headed to the dining table, where two bowls of hot porridge were waiting, steam rising into the air and the faint aroma tempting her appetite.

    The spoons were already placed in the bowls.

    Tang Yifei glanced at the clock on the wall, noting it was almost noon, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her it was time for lunch.

    Even though she was hungry, she didn’t immediately start eating.

    “Do you need to take any medicine before eating?” Grandma Li asked.

    Tang Yifei had completely forgotten about that and quickly got up to check the medicine bag. Thankfully, there wasn’t any pre-meal medication to worry about.

    She returned to the table, sat down, and began eating the porridge. Whether it was her hunger or the fact that she’d been eating bland hospital food for over a week, Grandma Li’s porridge tasted incredibly delicious.

    Then again, the chicken soup she had during her recovery had been equally tasty.

    “If you’re still hungry, there’s more in the pot,” Grandma Li said.

    “Thank you.”

    However, by the time Tang Yifei finished her bowl, she felt surprisingly full and didn’t go for seconds. Grandma Li also only ate what was in her own bowl.

    “Don’t forget to take your after-meal medicine.”

    “Yes, I won’t.”

    After that, Grandma Li began clearing the dishes.

    “Let me wash them, Grandma.”

    After offering to wash the dishes, Tang Yifei hesitated. In her previous life, she had never washed dishes before. But seeing her elderly grandmother tidying up the table reminded her of the delicious porridge just now.

    She wanted to do something in return.

    Grandma Li paused, as if considering the offer, then nodded in agreement.

    Tang Yifei carefully carried the two bowls to the sink. As she set them down, memories from the body’s former owner regarding dishwashing surfaced, allowing her to clumsily start the task.

    Grandma Li, noticing her granddaughter’s awkward attempts, stood nearby, observing. She couldn’t help but think that the accident must have been severe—her granddaughter had seemingly forgotten even how to wash dishes.

    In the end, Grandma Li couldn’t bear it. Even though the bowls were cheap, worth only a few yuan each, they were still money. She stepped in to help.

    “Here, let me show you how it’s done.”

    She then took the sponge from her granddaughter’s hand and demonstrated how to wash the dishes. Tang Yifei watched closely, focusing intently.

    Watching her reminded Grandma Li of when Yifei was just a little girl.

    A memory came to mind of Yifei’s sweet promise from years ago.

    ‘When I grow up, I’ll help you with the chores, Grandma. I won’t let you get tired.’

    Back then, Grandma Li had smiled with pride. Now, even though she had to teach Yifei how to wash dishes again, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

    Tang Yifei felt the warmth emanating from Grandma Li, and she smiled as well. She silently vowed to do her best to take on more responsibilities and lighten her grandmother’s load.

    Throughout the afternoon, while Grandma Li cleaned the house, Tang Yifei followed along, observing what needed to be done. Each time she offered to help, Grandma Li would scold her lightly and send her to rest, reminding her that she had just recovered from an illness.

    Tang Yifei obediently complied.

    Not wanting to cause her grandmother further worry, Tang Yifei returned to her room, though it didn’t feel right to call it hers yet.

    She realized Grandma Li was probably right. The moment she saw the bed, she felt exhausted. So, she lay down, facing the window. Though the view wasn’t particularly pleasant, there was nothing she could do, and soon enough, she drifted off to sleep.

    Tang Yifei woke up to the sound of voices outside. She opened her eyes and slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard. A familiar-looking young boy’s face peeked into the room.

    Li Yifei’s younger brother, Li Yifeng, had clearly inherited their mother’s good looks, Tang Yifei noted.

    “You’re awake, huh? Come on, hurry out and have some fried chicken!”

    Li Yifeng called out, eager to get his sister, who still had bruises on her face and was not as beautiful as usual, out of the room.

    There were times when he didn’t like that his sister was so pretty. Behind her back, the older boys never spoke well of her.

    Yet she seemed to bask in their flattering words.

    He couldn’t quite remember when it happened, but at some point, the bond between the siblings, once close, had begun to fray. His sister started demanding more, chasing unrealistic dreams of becoming a famous actress.

    When he heard about his sister’s accident, which left her unconscious for days, his heart sank. Even worse was that they couldn’t hold anyone accountable for what happened. The car that hit her was not at fault—she had fallen into the road herself.

    The girl who had caused the incident showed no remorse, claiming that Li Yifei had simply slipped.

How heartless could a person be?

    Seeing his parents working overtime and Grandma Li having to stop her small business to care for his sister, he also began working part-time at a restaurant. Despite being underage, the owners of a family friend’s restaurant allowed him to work to help earn some extra money for his sister’s medical expenses. It wasn’t much, but having a little money saved up was better than nothing.

    Now that his sister had recovered and he was told by their grandmother that her memory wasn’t quite the same. Since he had been busy working, he didn’t know exactly what her memory issues were like, having only visited her twice in the hospital.

    His sister got out of bed and looked for a comb, then began brushing her hair—still as concerned about her appearance as always.

    “Don’t forget to take your medicine before eating,” Grandma Li’s voice called from the other room.

    “Yes.”

    His sister replied calmly, without her usual irritation. Li Yifeng liked his sister better like this. He quickly fetched a glass of water for her.

    “Thank you.”

    She said it when she took the glass from him. How long had it been since he last heard those words?

“No problem. It’s my job as your little brother to take care of you.”

    He wasn’t sure, but it seemed like he caught a look of genuine gratitude in his sister’s bruised face.

    Normally, if she had even the slightest pimple, she would have thrown a fit. Maybe the hospital didn’t have any large mirrors, and that’s why she hadn’t fussed about her appearance yet.

    Tang Yifei watched as her brother took the glass she had used and washed it at the sink, then placed it neatly in the dish rack. His actions were so smooth and practiced.

    She felt a wave of emotion wash over her, touched by his simple, thoughtful gestures.

    He was really a dependable little brother.

    This clashed with the memories of the body’s previous owner, who often seemed dissatisfied with her brother. Tang Yifei chalked it up to her teenage hormones. With a brother this considerate, what could Li Yifei have been unhappy about?

    Tang Yifei moved to sit at the dining table, where the smell of lightly golden fried chicken filled the air. The chicken drumsticks, sprinkled with white sesame seeds, were neatly placed in two boxes.

    “Wait another 15 minutes before eating. If you’re bored, you can watch TV.”

“Grandma, won’t waiting just make us hungrier?” Li Yifeng asked.

    “If you eat now, the medicine won’t work properly. And behave yourselves while I’m gone—I’m off to the traditional medicine shop,” she instructed.

“Okay.”

“And don’t eat the chicken before it’s time! I’ve counted the pieces.”

    Tang Yifei couldn’t help but laugh at that. She didn’t believe for a second that Grandma Li had counted the pieces, and judging by Li Yifeng’s expression, neither did he. Still, after Grandma Li left, he didn’t sneak any chicken.

“Did you buy this chicken?” Tang Yifei asked.

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

Li Yifeng looked a little awkward after being thanked again.

    “It’s no big deal. The shop owner was kind enough to give me a discount. You need something nourishing.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

    The exchange between the siblings was brief, but inside, Tang Yifei’s heart swelled with warmth. If her parents were still alive, would she have had a little brother like this? It would be, right?