弟兄 (Brothers)

The Public Welfare Bureau had always had little official business to attend to. Several clerks in the office were, as usual, chatting about domestic affairs. Qin Yitang held a water pipe and coughed until he was out of breath. Everyone had to fall silent. After a long while, he raised his purplish, swollen face, still panting, and said:

"Yesterday, they started fighting again, from the main hall all the way to the entrance. No matter how I shouted, I couldn't stop them." His lips, adorned with a few grayish-white beard hairs, were still trembling. "The third brother said that the money the fifth brother lost on government bonds shouldn't be covered by the family account. He should pay it back himself..."

"You see, it's all about money again," Zhang Peijun said generously, rising from his worn-out reclining chair, his eyes glowing kindly in their deep sockets. "I really don't understand why brothers should be so nitpicky. Isn't it all the same in the end?..."

"Brothers like yours are rare indeed," Yitang said.

"We simply don't haggle over things. We treat each other equally. We don't let money and property weigh on our minds. That way, no conflicts arise. Whenever I hear of families quarreling over division, I always tell them about our situation and advise them not to be so calculative. Elder Yitang, you just need to guide your sons a bit..."

"Oh, no... nowhere..." Yitang shook his head and said.

"That probably won't work either," Wang Yuesheng said, then looked respectfully into Peijun's eyes. "Brothers like you are truly rare. I've never encountered such. You simply have no trace of selfishness at all. That's not easy..."

"They fought from the main hall all the way to the main gate..." Yitang said.

"Is your younger brother still busy?" Yuesheng asked.

"Still eighteen hours of classes a week, plus ninety-three compositions to grade. He's simply overwhelmed. But he's taken leave these past few days. He has a fever, probably caught a chill..."

"I think we should be careful about this," Yuesheng said gravely. "Today's newspaper says that seasonal illnesses are prevalent..."

"What kind of seasonal illness?" Peijun asked in alarm, hastily.

"I can't say for sure. I remember it's some kind of fever."

"Fever?" Peijun suddenly grew anxious. "Who reported it? What did the paper say?"

"I didn't read the paper myself, so I don't know. But I think it might be scarlet fever. I've heard scarlet fever is quite severe lately. A slight neglect could be fatal."

"Ah! Scarlet fever!" Peijun cried out involuntarily, his face instantly turning ashen.

He stood up from his chair, glanced out the window, then sat back down. "What should we do? Jingfu is breaking out in a rash and has a fever. I'm afraid it might be scarlet fever..."

"Scarlet fever? That's terrible. He needs to be isolated, and given serum injections..." Yuesheng said, his face also changing color.

"Jingfu has many children, and the burden is heavy. If anything happens to him, what will we do?" Peijun's voice trembled slightly.

"We should hurry and call a doctor to examine him."

"A doctor? Western or traditional Chinese? Western medicine is expensive, Chinese medicine is slow..." Peijun paced back and forth in the room, wringing his hands.

"I think Western medicine is better. It's faster," Yuesheng said.

"Western medicine... I've heard serum is very expensive. One injection costs over ten dollars..."

"That can't be helped now. Life is what matters!" Yuesheng said loudly.

Peijun nodded and went to make a phone call. He first called Dr. Putnam's clinic, but the line was busy. Then he called another Western doctor, but was told that he wasn't making house calls today. Sweating profusely in anxiety, he finally decided to consult a traditional Chinese doctor.

He invited the traditional Chinese doctor Bai Wenshan. Bai Wenshan felt the pulse and said it was just a rash, not scarlet fever, and prescribed some medicine. But Peijun still wasn't at ease. That night, he kept watch over Jingfu, watching him burn with fever and talk deliriously. His heart felt as if it were on fire.

He thought that if Jingfu died, he would have to raise Jingfu's children himself. The burden would increase, and life would become difficult. He even thought of his own future and felt fear.

The night grew deep. Exhausted, he sat by the bed and dozed off fitfully. He had a dream where Jingfu died, and his own children and Jingfu's children were fighting over things. He shouted to stop them, but the children wouldn't listen.

He woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat. He looked at Jingfu, who was still asleep, breathing more steadily now. He felt his forehead. The fever seemed to have subsided.

Day broke, and Jingfu woke up, saying he felt better. Only then did Peijun breathe a sigh of relief.

A few days later, Jingfu recovered. Peijun returned to his normal life, but he always felt something amiss in his heart. Remembering the scene from his dream, he felt ashamed.

He said to himself, "How could I have such a dream? Am I really a selfish person?"

But then he comforted himself, "Dreams are the opposite of reality. I actually love Jingfu very much."

However, from then on, he was no longer as confident as before. He felt that something in his heart had been exposed, even though others didn't know.

The colleagues at the Public Welfare Bureau still praised the harmony between the brothers. Peijun merely smiled and said no more.

Walking home, with the setting sun casting his shadow, he felt an inexplicable loneliness.

He thought, "Brothers, brothers-so this is what it comes to."

But then he recalled his own anxiety during Jingfu's illness. That anxiety was genuine, proving that brotherly affection was also real.

He resolved not to dwell on those troubling thoughts anymore. He wanted to have a good night's sleep.