Elder Brother

It had only been a few days since the news that Magnolia Lane was going to be demolished, and sure enough, surveyors with their instruments soon appeared in the alley, taking measurements. The elderly gathered around, curious, speculating and whispering among themselves.

The whole alley was caught in a subtle state of restlessness—on the one hand, longing for the promise of something better, on the other, fearful that change would disturb the tranquility of their lives.

Early that morning, Xu Mingtang stood at the entrance of the medical hall, gazing absentmindedly up at the three bold characters, "Prosperity Hall," above the door. Tang Yiyi stood beside him, looking up as well.

“Times always move forward in this cycle of renewal,” Xu Mingtang remarked with a sigh. “Prosperity Hall has witnessed a century of change here in Magnolia Lane. In the old photographs left by my grandfather, the hall still looked brand new.”

“Master, if you renovate the medical hall, it’ll look as good as new again,” Tang Yiyi said.

“I had planned to do just that this year, but now… we’ll have to wait and see. Your Fourth Uncle told me about using acupuncture for weight loss. It really is a lucrative path, but it requires a dedicated room. We’ve agreed to convert the living room upstairs into a treatment space. Your mistress and I will move to the new district.”

“I’ll be the only one living in the hall?” Tang Yiyi was a bit taken aback.

“Are you afraid?”

“I… I don’t think so,” she forced herself to reply, shaking her head.

“Heh. Your mistress complains that during the hottest month, it’s unbearable to stay upstairs without air conditioning. Once we move out, we’ll clear the entire living room upstairs, set up treatment beds and curtains, and dedicate it to acupuncture weight loss. The room we live in will be yours.”

“Oh.”

“August is nearly here—the sauna days are coming. From now on, you’ll handle your own breakfast, but we’ll still eat lunch and dinner together at the hall.”

“Alright.”

“We’ll have everything ready this week. I’ve already told Xiaobin to buy a bed.”

“Master, is it true that Magnolia Lane is going to be demolished so soon?”

“I don’t know. If we have to find a new place for the hall, it’ll have to be somewhere off the beaten path. The rent can’t be too high, or the price of medicine will have to go up, and it still needs to be accessible,” Xu Mingtang shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

Tang Yiyi watched as Xu Mingtang, hands clasped behind his back, walked beneath the three characters of Prosperity Hall and entered. She could feel the weight on his shoulders. Running a Chinese medicine hall was hard enough; preserving the legacy of a century-old establishment was even harder. Her master had always treated her so well—no matter what, she would help him.

Just then, the door to Qin’s Noodle Shop next door opened, and Qin Baike came out wearing a black baseball cap. Tang Yiyi saw him and called out, “Baige, you’re up early again?”

“Yes. I went to bed early, so I thought I’d visit the market and pick up a few things.”

“Baige, did you hear about Magnolia Lane being demolished?”

“I’ve heard.”

“Where will Qin’s Noodle Shop move to?”

“Haven’t thought about it yet. We’ll deal with it when the time comes. The official plans aren’t even out.”

Tang Yiyi nodded somberly and returned to the hall. Qin Baike, meanwhile, headed toward the river—at least in that direction, he wouldn’t run into that little troublemaker.

He pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. It was a feeble disguise for a well-known celebrity, but for someone like Qin Baike, who was only an occasional online influencer, it was enough.

He took a stroll along the riverside promenade and then made his way to the largest nearby market.

Usually, the noodle shop would stay open until midnight. Uncle Chen and Xiao Xie would clock out and go to bed, while Er Tong, if he couldn’t sleep, would start work early; otherwise, he’d sleep as well. Most nights, only Qin Baike would stay until after 2 a.m. In the morning, Uncle Chen would go to the market for the day’s ingredients and return close to noon. After getting up, Qin Baike would help Xiao Xie and Er Tong sort the goods. After lunch, while Uncle Chen rested, he would begin preparations for the evening shift.

These days, Uncle Chen had been handling the kitchen alone, so Qin Baike told him to rest after his shift and only come back for the evening opening.

Pork trotters were the ingredient they needed most, supplied daily by a regular vendor. The rest, Qin Baike picked out quickly, then browsed the spice and dried goods sections. After a while, he realized someone was following him—discreetly, but following nonetheless.

He wandered between stalls, pausing and turning several corners, then circled around and hid, watching. Sure enough, it was enough to make his teeth ache.

Xiang Qiaoting was peering around the middle of the market aisle, glancing at her phone. Qin Baike stepped out from his hiding spot, making sure she saw him, then walked out of the market.

He headed toward the river, where there were few people at this hour. The riverside promenade was lined with lush landscaping, and Qin Baike walked into a sunken garden, well concealed on three sides, open only to the river.

He set his things down and waited, blending in with the greenery. Within two minutes, Xiang Qiaoting dashed past, not seeing him at all, still hurrying forward. Qin Baike caught up in two steps, grabbed her wrist, and easily snatched her phone from her hand.

Startled, she let out a yelp. When she turned and saw her phone was gone, she tried to snatch it back, but Qin Baike held it high above his head. She jumped, clutching his arm, but couldn’t reach.

He unlocked the phone, only to find it had a pattern password. Dangling from his arm, Xiang Qiaoting saw the screen and suddenly stopped struggling, a smug smile on her lips as she let go and hopped down.

Qin Baike looked at the face before him—so like his own—and gritted his teeth. “You set a pretty complicated password, didn’t you?”

“Thirteen strokes. If someone’s slow, it’d take them seventeen or eighteen tries to learn it.”

“You took pictures of me.”

“I did not! I was just taking pictures of veggies at the market—how was I supposed to know you’d end up in the shot?”

“What do you think would happen if your phone accidentally fell into the river?”

Her face suddenly shifted to panic. She lunged at his arm, trying to grab her phone. “Give it back! It’s a birthday present from Dad—give it!”

After a fruitless struggle, realizing he had no intention of actually tossing it, she stepped back. “Go on, throw it! Dad says you’re soft-hearted—I want to see just how soft.”

“This phone doesn’t have much storage, does it? If you want to keep a lot of pictures, you must have a memory card.” With that, Qin Baike started to open the back cover.

Now she was truly at a loss. She held out her hand. “Give it to me! I’ll delete them—okay?”

Qin Baike handed the phone back. She quickly drew the password pattern—indeed, a dazzling sequence. She opened the photo album, but Qin Baike snatched it back. “I’ll delete them myself. You watch.” He started deleting, working backward from the latest images—over a dozen in total.

There were the most from the spice stall. The last one was him entering the market; before that, it was a selfie of Xiang Qiaoting with her parents, all three using a cute cat-face filter.

He handed the phone back, picked up his things, and turned to leave.

Xiang Qiaoting ran a few steps ahead, suddenly spun around, and snapped several photos of him in quick succession, laughing triumphantly. But as she turned to flee, she tripped and fell flat, her phone skittering far away.

She struggled upright, sitting on the ground. In her shorts, both knees were scraped and bleeding. She opened her mouth and wailed in pain.

Qin Baike stopped before her, sighed, and knelt down to blow on her knees. After a while, her sobs faded. He asked, “Can you walk?”

“It hurts,” she whimpered.

“I’ll carry you to Prosperity Hall for some medicine and disinfectant. Or I could call your dad to come carry you.” He picked up her phone and handed it to her. Seeing the cracked screen, she pouted and started crying again.

“Don’t be upset. I’ll get you a new screen. Don’t tell Dad—he won’t scold you.”

She gazed at him, eyes brimming with tears, and nodded. She struggled to her feet. “I’ll walk to the medical hall myself. You fix my screen, and don’t tell Dad.” With that, she slipped her phone into his pocket and hobbled away.

Qin Baike walked slowly beside her, watching her break out in a cold sweat from the pain, but she gritted her teeth and didn’t utter a sound. He offered his arm, “Hold on to me, lean your weight on me.” She looked up at him, hesitated, then took his arm, finding it much easier to walk.

As they neared the mouth of the alley, he asked, “Does it bother you if people see us this close?”

She shook her head, a little dazed. “I don’t know.”

Qin Baike glanced at her. “Alright then, hold on.”

The two entered Prosperity Hall together. Xiang Qiaoting sat while Tang Yiyi treated her wounds. Before they were finished, Xiang Shengli burst in from outside.

Seeing Xiang Qiaoting’s injured legs, he asked with concern, “How did this happen?”

She glanced at Qin Baike, lowered her head, and murmured, “I was running too fast. Luckily, my brother saw and helped me back.”

That one word—“brother”—left everyone present momentarily stunned. Qin Baike said, “I’ll be off, then,” and strode away.

Xiang Shengli watched his departing back, tears welling in his eyes.

Tang Yiyi and Xu Bin stood at the entrance, watching Xiang Shengli carry Xiang Qiaoting home, never expecting she would be the key to breaking the ice between Qin Baike and his father.

Xu Bin sighed, “Having a sibling to squabble with must make life so much more lively.”

“You want a sibling that much? Or do you just not want to inherit Prosperity Hall?” Tang Yiyi teased.

Xu Bin replied, a little annoyed, “I just want to be myself, not carry too much. My parents’ expectations are already a lot. Anymore, and who knows who I’d be?”

Tang Yiyi joked, “Xiaobin, your rebellious streak isn’t strong enough. You should break all the shackles and run from Prosperity Hall to live the life you want.”

Xu Bin clicked his tongue. “Even rebelling takes skill. I don’t want to suffer, don’t want to be burdened, and don’t want to play up to anyone. Can I really find more comfort than I have here? Here, I can at least do what I want. Yiyi, I really admire people like you. Every step you’ve taken, you’ve earned with your own effort.”

“I’m not as impressive as you make me sound.”

Xu Bin looked at her and shook his head. “There’s a saying—‘A woman, beautiful and unaware of it.' It’s about silly girls like you.”

“…Alright, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Tang Yiyi forced a smile.

Xu Bin tapped her forehead. “You should focus on acupuncture for weight loss, then teach me when you’re done. This is the most seamless fusion of traditional medicine and business.”

“Is it really that great?” Tang Yiyi rubbed her forehead.

Xu Bin nodded. “Absolutely. If you set a reasonable price and charge by the course, it’s safer than diet pills, easier than exercise, and helps regulate your metabolism and hormones. If you wanted to lose weight, which would you choose?”

“It’s true—and with no side effects.”

“My dear junior, I have high hopes for you.”