"I talked it over with Xiao Zhen and asked him to stay home by himself."
"Xiao Zhen was little then, and he was really clingy."
"Not like now..."
The woman in a white down jacket glanced at the boy in a wool hat.
She looked like a helpless mother whose child had grown up and gotten too big for his britches.
The boy in a wool hat: ...
"Xiao Zhen didn't want me to leave him home alone."
"I offered him all kinds of things, like bringing him tasty snacks when I got back and telling him a story that night..."
"As long as he stayed home quietly by himself."
"And didn't tell Mom and Dad that night that I'd left him home alone."
"I promised to do whatever he wanted."
"But no matter how much I tried to persuade him, he wouldn't agree."
"My friend kept calling for me from outside."
"I got impatient."
"I wanted to just leave."
"After all, I only had to get back before Mom and Dad got off work."
"As for stopping Xiao Zhen from telling on me to Mom and Dad..."
"I'd find a way."
"But Xiao Zhen grabbed my clothes."
"He looked like he was about to cry."
"When I saw him like that, I couldn't bring myself to leave."
Though she seemed like the kind of big sister who was pretty harsh with her little brother,
she'd actually been the one who looked out for him most, ever since they were little.
"But I really wanted to go out and play..."
They were kids, after all. Who could resist the temptation to go out and play?
"While I was fretting over what to do, a brilliant idea came to me."
"I told him I had a new