Chapter 1 — Ten Children?

I have nine blonde brothers. No one is my biological brother. I myself was also picked up and raised by my grandmother. Some of their parents passed away early, some are in prison. She took them all home. At that time, they fought, skipped school, and were bad kids according to neighbors. She once said:

“As long as you are willing to change, you will still be a good child.”

Later, they really changed. Some people open car repair shops, some people become chefs, some people become bosses. During the university entrance exam, I passed Tsinghua University. The nine brothers hugged each other and sobbed after getting drunk. I blame them for losing face. Elder Chu Tranh wiped away his tears and said:

“People like us can also raise a student from Thanh Hoa or Bac Dai.”

01 The day to check university entrance exam scores is right at the hottest time in the middle of summer. The loud sound of cicadas outside in the yard makes people restless. I held an old phone and waited for the results. To wait for this moment, all nine brothers returned. The old main house, more than ten square meters wide, was filled with people. Nine grown men held their breath, surrounding the old phone in my hand. At exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, the university exam score lookup system officially opened. I logged into the "Tieu Tuong University Exam" application, entered my registration number and password. The website takes a long time to load. The nine brothers stood behind, even the sound of breathing was trying to be softer. Finally, the lookup page appears. But there are no scores above. There is only one line of notification: 【Your achievement ranking is in the top group in the whole province. Specific information has not been announced at this time.】 The house was silent for a few seconds. Elder Chu Tranh was the first to frown.

“What does this mean?”

“Why can other people check points, but An An can't?”

Mr. Bay took out his phone:

“Is it because her phone is so old that the page hasn't loaded yet?”

Mr. Chin Lam Xuyen took the exam card and compared each number on the screen.

“The registration number was not entered incorrectly.”

“What does it mean to have no points?”

“In the end, was the test too good or did the system fail?”

Everyone has their own words, the more they talk, the more panicked they become. Only I stared at the words "ranked in the top group in the whole province", vaguely guessing something. But I don't dare say it. At that moment, my phone rang. The calling destination is displayed as Beijing. The nine brothers immediately fell silent. I answered the phone.

"Hello, are you Trinh An?"

“I am a teacher in the Hunan province admission team of Tsinghua University.”

“We know your university entrance exam results and want to talk to you about your aspirations and major selection.”

I held the phone tightly, momentarily speechless. Elder Chu Tranh stood closest, clearly hearing every word on the phone. But he still couldn't believe it.

“Ask someone.”

He lowered his voice and reminded me:

“Ask if it's a scam.”

The teacher on the other end of the line heard it, laughed, and asked me to write down his name and contact method. I can also ask the homeroom teacher to verify my identity. Not long after hanging up, the homeroom teacher called again. Her voice was so excited that it trembled:

"Trinh An, recently the admissions teachers of both Thanh Hoa and Bac Dai contacted the school."

“My achievements are in the top group entire province so the lookup page does not display specific points.”

“The admissions teacher will come to school quickly. You and your family absolutely should not go anywhere far."

The house fell silent again. Mr. Hai Tran Thuc muttered and asked:

“Both Thanh Hoa and Bac Dai want to take over our An An family?”

The homeroom teacher laughed on the other end of the line.

“That's right.”

“Now it's no longer a matter of whether she passes the exam or not.”

“It's about which school she plans to choose.”

After the call ended, the nine brothers still stood motionless. They looked at me and then at the old phone with the paint peeling off, no one dared to speak first, as if if they just opened their mouths this dream would wake up. Finally, Elder Chu Tranh raised his hand full of motor oil and used force to wipe his eyes.

“I know.”

Just after saying those four words, tears fell from his eyes.

“Our An An family is not inferior to anyone.”

The emotions that had been pent up all afternoon finally burst out. Nine men who usually bled and sweated without making a sound were now hugging each other tightly, crying until there was no trace left. Elder Chu Tranh cried the loudest. Mr. Hai Tran Thuc stood next to him, wiping his tears and sniffling. Mr. Ba and Mr. Bay hugged each other's shoulders, tears flowing freely. I sat on the chair, watching my brothers cry in a group, I couldn't help but blame them for losing face. Elder Chu Tranh used the back of his calloused hand to wipe his red eyes and choked up as he said:

“People like us can also raise a student from Thanh Hoa or Bac Dai.”

She was still sitting at the door enjoying the cool air, the leaf fan in her hand suddenly stopped. She used a stick that had been polished over the years to tap hard on the blue tile floor, emitting a crisp sound.

“What about ‘people like you’?”

Her voice was not loud but extremely sharp, carrying a majesty that had been trained over the years. The crying in the house immediately stopped. The nine brothers simultaneously turned their heads to look at her. On her old face was a calm smile. Her eyes glanced at each person in turn:

“You are all good people.”

02 She did not arbitrarily pick up nine children and take them home. She never did anything just because she was in the mood. When she was young, she worked as a cook in the kitchen of a city children's welfare camp all her life. After retiring, she became a foster carer, officially registered by the residential area. Every brother in this yard was full of injuries when he came here. Elder Chu Tranh's parents passed away early. Relatives in the family fought over real estate to the point of landslides, but no one was willing to adopt him. Hai Tran Thuc's father had to go to jail for injuring others. After that, his mother completely disappeared, leaving him alone to starve in an empty house.