Chapter 5

Not far ahead lay my brother’s tombstone. Da Huang suddenly stopped, turned around to look at me. His usually gentle eyes now held a familiar warmth and tenderness, just like the way my brother used to look at me when he was alive. “Brother…” I blurted out involuntarily. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I slapped myself hard, coming back to my senses. My brother had been gone for so long—how could it possibly be Da Huang?

But the next moment, Da Huang’s expression changed completely. The gentleness from before vanished without a trace, replaced by a ferocious look that chilled the blood. It suddenly lowered its head and pushed off the ground, rushing toward me like an arrow released from a bow. I panicked and tried to dodge to the side, but it kept chasing after me, driving me all the way to the foot of the mountain. Behind me was a steep slope—if I took one more step backward, I’d fall. Yet Da Huang didn’t stop at all, continuing to charge straight at me.

I couldn’t dodge in time. It hit me hard in the chest, knocking me off balance. I rolled down the hillside. During the fall, my head hit a sharp rock. Everything went black, and I lost consciousness completely. I had no idea whether I was alive or dead. Everything around me was gray and indistinct. All I could hear were faint voices in the distance. Those voices seemed familiar, like my brother calling out to me: “Leonardo, Leonardo…”

I followed the sound and vaguely saw a familiar figure—it was my brother, Li Daniu. But I could only see his mouth moving; I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I rushed towards him. Only when I got closer did I realize it was just my brother’s shadow, so elusive it seemed like it would vanish at the slightest touch. I reached out to hug him, but my fingers passed through nothing but air. I wasn’t willing to give up. I tried again with both hands, but still, there was nothing there.

“Brother, brother! Why can’t I touch you?” I cried out in agony. The sense of helplessness—the feeling of having a loved one right before me yet being unable to even touch them—overwhelmed me like a tidal wave.

“Brother, Leonardo, please don’t do this.” The elder brother’s voice was gentle, yet also tinged with helplessness. “Brother has been gone for many years now. Have you forgotten?”

“But you’re clearly standing right in front of me!” I rubbed my eyes hard, but the figure before me remained clear. “My sister-in-law said you went away to earn money and would come back once you had enough. How could you lie to me?” I never knew the truth about my brother’s death. My sister-in-law, fearing I wouldn’t be able to bear the shock, lied to me, telling me to stay in the village, take care of her and the children, and wait for my brother to “come back”.

“Silly little brother.” My brother sighed gently, his expression becoming very serious. “I’ve come today to say something to you. You must remember this: never interfere in other people’s affairs again, understand?” He stared at me intently, his eyes filled with expectation, waiting for me to nod in agreement.

“I promise you, brother. Whatever you say, I’ll agree to it. Just don’t leave me.” I nodded eagerly. In truth, I hadn’t fully understood his words. But I knew that whatever my brother asked me to do, it wouldn’t hurt me.

A hint of relief appeared on his brother’s face as he spoke slowly, “Leonardo, listen carefully. You’re not my biological brother. I found you. That year, it was snowing heavily. I went up the mountain to cut wood. Suddenly, I heard a baby crying somewhere halfway up the mountain. Following the sound, I found you in your swaddling clothes. You were so cold that you could barely breathe. Your little face was blue with cold, and you cried heartbreakingly. I quickly picked you up and rushed home with you.”

“My family was too poor. All I could do was heat some water for you to drink and rub your body gently over and over again. I never expected you to have such a strong constitution. Gradually, your body warmed up again. By then, my parents had already passed away. I was completely alone. Your arrival brought me so much warmth. No matter how hard or poor things get, I’ll never go short of anything you need.”

My brother paused for a moment, then continued, “At that time, there was also a letter and some money in your swaddling clothes. The letter said that your family had too many children to support, so they had no choice but to abandon you. They hoped that kind people would find you and take care of you. I felt sorry for you, and since I was alone, I decided to keep you and treat you as my own brother. But over time, I realized that you weren’t very smart. I guess your brain was damaged from the cold as a baby. But even so, I never thought of giving up on you.”

After saying that, my brother stopped speaking. His eyes were filled with worry. He was afraid that if I said too much, I might not be able to accept it. I stood there, stunned, with a chaotic mind. I kept thinking over his words: My brother isn’t my biological brother, yet he loves me more than a real brother would. I’m an orphan who was abandoned, but I still have a brother who truly cares for me. Slowly, I squatted down and hugged my head. My heart felt sore and bitter. It was hard for me to accept this reality.

“Leonardo, you’re not an orphan.” My brother knelt down, gently patting my back. His voice was kind. “I’m telling you this so you know who you really are. No matter what, you’re still my brother, Li Daniu. My love for you won’t ever change.”

I looked up at my brother’s gentle gaze, and the turmoil in my heart gradually subsided. Yes, whether he’s my real brother or not, he’s still the one who saved me from the snow and cared for me. I shouldn’t dwell on unnecessary thoughts.

When my brother saw that I had calmed down, his gaze suddenly became extremely cold, and his voice was filled with anger: “Leonardo, there’s one more thing I must tell you—I didn’t die in an accident. I was murdered!”

“That day, I went to the construction site as usual to work. Suddenly, Samuel Black came looking for me. He’s always had an eye for your sister-in-law. He’d even suggested to me before that we exchange wives, but I refused outright. Since he couldn’t do anything to me, he harbored resentment toward me. He would often sneak into our house when I wasn’t there, just to peek at your sister-in-law.” My brother grew more and more angry as he spoke. His fists were clenched tightly, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. But when he saw me, he quickly regained his composure.

“That day, I ignored him. He kept trying to get close to me. I scolded him, and he left in a huff. Soon after, he brought back a few troublemakers from the village. They surrounded me and forced me to give up your sister-in-law in exchange for him. How could I possibly agree? He was like a toad trying to eat swan meat!”

“And then we started fighting. One of the thugs picked up a stick and hit me hard on the head. Blood gushed out immediately. They were all panicked, but Samuel Black became even angrier. He hit me again—because he wasn’t willing to let me live, afraid that I’d expose him. So, instead of stopping, he decided to kill me outright.”