Difficult To Raise Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Music

It wasn’t until that face disappeared from his sight that Jiang Jin turned around, feeling quite pleased.

“Hey, what were you looking at? That smile is so cheap.” Someone hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him back. Jiang Jin stumbled, then turned to see a familiar face. It was He Siyu, his classmate from Kindergarten through elementary school, whom everyone called Little Fatty.

He laughed and pushed him away, “Get lost.”

He didn’t bother with the person behind him, simply walking away with the others.

Little Fatty caught up, asking curiously, “You still haven’t told me what you were looking at.”

“I was looking at my brother,” Jiang Jin thought of Jiang Ran and couldn’t help but smile again, a small dimple appearing on his cheek.

“Looking at your brother makes you smile.” Little Fatty didn’t understand. “When I see my brother, I want to cry.”

“That’s because you’re naughty,” Jiang Jin said dismissively.

“No, it’s not. You don’t know, my brother is terrifying. He yells at you and you almost disappear. Last weekend I used his phone to play games, and when he found out, he almost broke my leg. He’s really scary when he’s angry.” Little Fatty shivered his plump body, speaking with lingering fear.

“My brother is different,” Jiang Jin said.

“How is he different? Your brother doesn’t beat you when he’s angry?” Little Fatty looked unconvinced.

“My brother is handsome,” Jiang Jin thought for a moment, then said seriously. “He looks handsome when he’s angry, and he looks handsome when he beats me too.”

The young man was starting to grow taller now; the baby fat on his face had almost completely disappeared, and the clear contours of a young man were beginning to take shape. The way he smiled into the morning sun looked like a richly colored oil painting.

Little Fatty looked at him, couldn’t help but rub the goosebumps on his arm, and said sincerely, “You are beyond saving.”

Jiang Jin scoffed, “What do you know?”

They both had brothers, but there was a difference between brothers. In Little Fatty’s eyes, his brother was just an elder who liked to control and lecture him.

But in Jiang Jin’s heart, Jiang Ran was the only family he had in this world, the person he had trusted and been close to since his ignorant childhood. He had learned to call him Gege even before he knew his own name.

*

The growth of a young man seemed to happen in an instant. One day, while Jiang Ran was tidying clothes at home, he suddenly noticed that Jiang Jin’s pants were too short.

Jiang Ran was just muttering to himself that he needed to buy the child new clothes when he turned around and suddenly realized how much Jiang Jin had changed compared to when he was little.

His formerly soft and pale body was starting to show the outline of muscles. His legs had become long and strong, and his small back had broadened. The most obvious change was his face; if he had once carried the round, fleshy look unique to children, that feeling had now completely faded.

Jiang Ran stared blankly at the person in front of him. The soft little dumpling from his memory was long gone. Jiang Jin had shed the soft cuteness of childhood, his features now carrying the clean, sharp look of a young man. He truly was no longer a child who needed someone to hold his hand while walking.

A complex emotion of melancholy rose in his heart. It felt like only the blink of an eye, and the little radish head who used to constantly follow him around, crying and acting spoiled when wronged, had completely vanished.

Jiang Ran said with a hint of sadness, “Little Jin has grown up.”

Jiang Jin smiled at him, looking smug. “Ge, in a few more years, I’ll definitely be taller than you.”

“You little brat, you still have a long way to go,” Jiang Ran rubbed his head.

Jiang Jin slapped his hand away indignantly, pouting, “I will definitely be taller than you, Ge. Just wait.”

The gentle morning sunlight hit the side of his face, illuminating the bright spark in his eyes clearly. Jiang Jin looked at Jiang Ran without blinking and promised seriously, “I’ll protect you then, Gege.”

Jiang Ran chuckled. He patted his head, thinking, this is still his childish little brother.

*

As a teenager, Jiang Jin gradually stopped clinging to Jiang Ran all the time like he did when he was little. He began to have his own world, spending more time on things he liked.

He especially loved listening to music. No matter where he went, he always had a pair of white headphones plugged into his ears, playing unknown music, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Once, Jiang Ran finished cooking and called out “Dinner’s ready” several times without getting a response.

He walked into Jiang Jin’s room and found the teenager leaning against the desk, head slightly bowed, completely immersed in the music. He hadn’t even heard Jiang Ran enter.

Jiang Ran worried that wearing headphones for so long would damage his ears, so he stepped forward and forcefully pulled the headphones off.

The music instantly flooded the room. It was a vibrant, life-filled piece, not soothing at all.

In the midst of this almost noisy sound, Jiang Jin slowly turned his head. He frowned and said in a very impatient tone, “Ge, what are you doing?”

That was the first time Jiang Jin had spoken to Jiang Ran in such a tone, like a bucket of cold water instantly poured over Jiang Ran’s heart.

He was used to Jiang Jin’s spoiled behavior, his attempts to please, and his unconditional reliance on him. He was completely unable to adapt to this sudden change.

A sour feeling of grievance welled up in Jiang Ran’s heart, but he suppressed his emotions and spoke as calmly as possible, “The book says it’s best not to wear headphones for more than two hours a day. Even if you love listening to music, you have to take care of your ears.”

He wanted to say, Ge is doing this for your own good, but the words caught in his throat when he saw Jiang Jin’s cold face, and he swallowed them back.

Jiang Jin’s eyes were blazing. He said irritably, “I know. Can you just not interrupt me when I’m listening to music?”

Jiang Ran tightly gripped the headphones in his hand, turned around without a word, pulled open the door, and walked out.

The moment the door closed, he felt something in his heart shatter. His little brother had truly grown up and started to have a world he didn’t want him to disturb.

Jiang Jin didn’t come out for dinner that night. He was still sulking. Jiang Ran knocked on the door, but the room was eerily quiet, without a sound or a response.

He stood at the door for a long time, finally softening his voice to say, “I left food for you in the pot. Remember to heat it up if you get hungry.” Then, he turned and went back to his own room.

They should have started sleeping in separate rooms a long time ago, Jiang Ran thought silently, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.

Jiang Jin used to cling to him, saying he was afraid of the dark and insisting on squeezing into one bed. He couldn’t refuse and had to indulge him. But now, they weren’t children anymore. It was time for them to have their own spaces.

The next day on the way to school, Jiang Ran told He Qian about the incident. After entering High School, He Qian was still at the same school, just in a different class. They would eat lunch together, and since Jiang Ran’s classroom was much closer to the cafeteria, he would help him get his food first.

He Qian picked up a dish and said, “That’s because your brother has hit puberty. Kids in their rebellious phase, you know? Their temper flares up quickly and fades just as fast. They’re hard to manage, so don’t take it to heart.”

Jiang Ran was a little sad. “He used to be very obedient.”

He Qian comforted him, “It will be fine once he gets past the rebellious phase.”

Jiang Ran didn’t know what to do because he had never gone through a rebellious phase. Since childhood, he had been accustomed to being sensible and accommodating. He simply didn’t know how to handle Jiang Jin’s change.

Seeing that Jiang Ran was still down, He Qian thought for a moment and said, “It’s a good thing he’s not clinging to you anymore. You should spend more time focusing on yourself. Your world can’t just revolve around your brother.”

Jiang Ran lowered his eyes, poking at the rice in his bowl repeatedly. He knew He Qian was right, but for so many years, he had revolved around Jiang Jin. How could he not be sad when his brother suddenly stopped being close to him?

The bowl of rice was almost poked into a sieve. He Qian laughed and changed the subject, “It’s my birthday this weekend. How about you come help me celebrate? I’ve invited some friends. We can have some fun together.”

Jiang Ran snapped out of his thoughts and finally stopped poking the rice. He agreed almost without hesitation, “Sounds good.”

After school, he returned home. Old Man Chen had already prepared dinner. Hearing the movement, he waved at him, “Little Ran, come quickly and eat.”

Now that he was in High School, he had morning and evening study sessions and not much free time, so he couldn’t cook.

He had originally planned to eat at school, but when Old Man Chen found out, he threw a fit, insisting on cooking for the two brothers. Jiang Ran tried to pay him for the food, but he refused to take it. When his stubbornness flared up, he even scolded Jiang Ran severely, saying he was treating him like an outsider.

Jiang Ran had no choice but to let him do it, though he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

He looked around the house but didn’t see Jiang Jin, so he asked. Old Man Chen said, “He finished eating and went out to play with his classmates. Said he’d be back later.”

Jiang Ran acknowledged it and didn’t worry.

That evening, Jiang Ran finished showering and returned to his room, only to see an extra pillow on his bed. The pillow looked extremely familiar. He knew whose it was without having to think.

Jiang Ran paused slightly, picked up the pillow, and threw it out. Less than five minutes later, his bedroom door was stealthily opened a crack.

Jiang Ran lay in bed and heard a slight sound, but he ignored it, pretending not to hear anything.

The room was quiet for a while, then Jiang Jin softly called out, “Ge.”

Jiang Ran still didn’t respond. He thought with some amusement, is Jiang Jin going to come over and act spoiled and tearful like he did when he was little? Just as he was thinking this, a clear instrument sound suddenly reached his ears, somewhat muffled yet ethereal.

Jiang Ran turned around in surprise and saw the blossoming young man leaning against the black wooden door, holding a guitar he’d gotten from somewhere, seriously strumming the strings.

The teenager was wearing a loose white T-shirt, his hair slightly messy. The fluorescent light shone on him, making his features exceptionally clear.

His slender fingers danced on the guitar strings, and an unfamiliar prelude gently flowed out—a very soothing melody. Then, his lips parted slightly, and he began to hum.

Jiang Ran didn’t know when his brother had learned to play the guitar, or that he could sing so beautifully.

The teenager’s clear voice sounded very pure when he sang, reminiscent of a bright night sky. The lyrics and melody connected perfectly, and every note in the song was precisely hit, so beautiful it was almost intoxicating.

Jiang Ran looked at the young man before him, his gaze tightly following his fingertips and his features. The shock in his heart was no less than when he first heard Jiang Jin call him “Ge” years ago.

My little brother is glowing, Jiang Ran thought, unable to suppress the feeling. He is too dazzling.