The girl looks young and is about the same age as Thomas, around 18 or so. She looks at Eunice with
bleary eyes, but the next second, she panics and hides behind Thomas, asking, "Is this...?"
Evidently, neither of them expect her to come today. They are underdressed and look like they just had
sex.
Eunice is shocked. Thomas never tells her that he is in a relationship. The siblings' family is poor.
Eunice drops out from school to work, so that she can pay her mother's medical bills and Thomas'
tuition. Thomas understands his sister's sacrifice, so he studies hard and never causes any trouble for
her.
But now he has brought a girl home and they just slept together. Eunice turns her gaze away from the
girl to avoid further embarrassment. Thomas is a boy after all. She turns around and drags her luggage
into her bedroom, saying to the couple who are confounded, "Put on your clothes first."
Thomas watches Eunice enter her room and heaves a sigh of relief. He turns around to look at the girl
and says, "Let's go in and clean up."
The girl looks awkward. Entering their room, she complains softly, "Why didn't you tell me your sister
was going home? How embarrassing...."
"My sister went on a business trip a while ago and didn't tell me she would be back today. I didn't
know!" Thomas is even more dumbfounded than she is. How shameful it is to be seen by his own sister
that he is with a girl at home. "Alright, she's seen us anyway. Hurry up and tidy up."
As he speaks, Thomas bends down to pick up the used toilet paper and condoms on the floor. He
quickly rubs them into a ball and tosses it into the trash can. He only relaxes when he ties a knot on the
trash bag.
Eunice closes the door right after she enters her room. She can't get that unexpected picture out of her
head. Looking around in the small room that is less than fifteen square meters, she sighs and sits down
on her small single bed. Everything feels so familiar and old.
She has lived in this apartment since she was born for 22 years. Her father died while she was a senior
middle-school student. Since then, there is more room in it, and the siblings have been living here until
now. She never found it tiny before, but staying with Byan abroad has made her think otherwise.
She laughs self-deprecatingly despite herself. A person's heart might stay the same, but his mind
surely can be changed by the environment.
Their doors are wooden in an old-fashioned way with merely a latch on each one, and they aren't
soundproof. So, she can hear her brother and the girl cleaning up next door.
Eunice is surprised to find this nerd has a girlfriend and even brings her home. She knows Thomas is
an adult now. However, as his sister, she feels it hard to accept.
Just now, she didn't even have the courage to check his room, because she was afraid she might see
something unbearable. That is why she chose to go into her room first to give them time to tidy up.
About fifteen minutes later, she hears a faint sound of a door being opened and closed. A few seconds
later, Thomas says through the door, "Sister, she's gone."
Eunice stands up and takes a few deep breaths before opening her door. Looking at the empty living
room, she glances at Thomas, who is timidly avoiding her eyes, and walks to the small sofa to sit down.
She points at the single seat opposite her and says, "Sit down as well."
Thomas knows he has done something wrong. His hands behind him, he says with a bent back, "No,
no need. I'll just stand."
Eunice emphasizes her suggestion, "Sit down!"
Thomas does what he has been told. He droops his head to avoid her gaze and stutters after a long
while, "Sister, I, I know I've made a mistake...."
Eunice lets out a deep breath and suppresses her anger, saying, "And what is that?"
"I shouldn't be dating now."
"What else?"
"I shouldn't have taken her home."
Eunice sees that he feels guilty. She looks around the living room and then back at him, saying,
"Thomas, you've been a good boy, so Mom and I trust you. I know you want to have fun because
you've just been admitted to your dream university. You are under less pressure, but that doesn't mean
you can mess around."
Their father died while they were kids, and their mother has been in poor health. Eunice has to take
care of everything in this family. An elder sister is like a mother. Thomas is four years younger than her.
To him, she is not only his sister, but his elder.
Scolded harshly by her, Thomas feels a little aggrieved. "Sister, I'm not messing around. I've liked this
girl since we were in high school. She was an art student in our class. We decided to be together after
we got into the same university."
Eunice frowns and asks, "An art student?"
"Yes. She majors in music. She excels at singing and playing the piano." His face is filled with pride and
joy when he talks about this girl, which suggests he is serious about her.
Eunice is still reluctant to approve this relationship, so she asks with a poker face, "Where does she
live?"
"Hill Compound, River Street," Thomas replies without thinking. Then, he looks up and asks anxiously,
"Sister, why are you asking about this? Are you going to look for her?"
Eunice slaps her phone on the table and raises her voice, "No need. If you bring her home a few more
times, her parents will come to me!"
Thomas is shocked by her voice and scratches his ear. He would do that when he is nervous. "Sister,
we are in love. I didn't force her to do anything. It's not as serious as you think."
"You are in love? Alright, then let me ask you. Do you think you should take responsibility for her after
you brought her home? You two are just students, and you still need me to pay for your tuition. What
are you going to do when it comes to you to pay things for her?" Eunice don't want him to feel the
pressure of life, but now she has to warn him about it, "Thomas, you have to be responsible for this girl.
It's not like I want you to break up, but I hope you can figure out whether you are mature enough to
face the consequences before you do anything that might hurt her."
She knows full well what it means for a girl to fall in love, be in a relationship, and lose her virginity.
Thomas is a man, but he has to have a sense of responsibility whether he is 18 or 28.
Evidently, Thomas cannot understand what she means, but his pride is hurt by her words. He blushes
and retorts, "I am poor. But I don't have the right to love someone because of it? I will work part-time in
college, and I will pay my tuition myself after the first semester. Sister, I know my situation. But do I
have to give up the girl I like because of this?"
Eunice closes her eyes solemnly and then opens them again. "I don't want you to give up. I just want
you to take this relationship seriously. I know you are a good man. But Thomas, taking responsibility is
not as simple as you think. I want you to be more cautious, understand?"
Thomas stares into her eyes and shakes his head angrily. "Sister, it's not that I don't understand. I just
don't want to be as tired as you."
Eunice is astonished by his words. "What did you say?"
"For so many years, you've been sacrificing yourself for me and mom. I know this family can be
functioning thanks to you. But every time you came back at night, you looked so depressed. I love you,
but there's nothing I can do. I know how you have been shunning yourself from all the good things in
life and burning yourself out. You have been smiling less and less, and every day you have new things
to worry about. Nonetheless, you have never asked anyone to share your burden. Sister, your life is
miserable. I don't want mine to be like yours!"
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