After My Brother Died, Mom Regretted It Like Crazy

Mom always said boys had to suffer hardships to grow up.

As soon as my brother and I turned ten, she drove us out to live under a bridge and forced us to eat moldy steamed buns.

She also made us pick up trash every day until we'd earned a thousand yuan. Fall short by even one yuan, and she'd beat us mercilessly.

My brother worried that I was still growing, so he secretly saved a hundred yuan to buy me a nutritious meal.

When Mom found out, she drove red-hot needles through all ten of his fingers and locked him in a freezer to reflect on what he'd done.

"You little wretch, you steal money today, and tomorrow you'll be murdering people. I'm going to make sure you remember this lesson."

By the time I stumbled back home, my brother was blue all over from the cold, barely breathing.

I fell to my knees at Mom's feet and kowtowed desperately. Only after my blood had stained the ground did she finally toss me a bank card.

"You two parasites, get lost already."

I carried my brother to the hospital, but not a single cent could be charged to the card.

Without money for treatment, my brother groaned in agony for three days and nights before finally dying, still full of resentment.

I hurriedly called Mom, but when she answered, I heard my adopted brother's smug voice:

"Hey, did you know? Mom just took me out for a super expensive steak. It cost 100,000 yuan!"

I suppressed my anger. "Transfer me the money I've earned picking up trash all these years, right now. I need it to bury my brother."

Mom snatched the phone away and said contemptuously, "You two little beasts will do anything to scam money."

"A little time in the cold can't kill anyone. And if he really is dead, we can take out his kidneys and buy your brother an apartment."

Before I could reply, she hung up.

I held my brother's stiff corpse in my arms, hatred cutting into my bones like a knife.