The rake is my brother

1.

Back then, every few months, Tien would bring home a girl and introduce her to me with just one sentence: “This is my girlfriend!”. Every time, I would smile shyly like a girl and reply with just one sentence: “Hello, sister!”. The first girl wore a short skirt, white skin, tall, a face as beautiful as the full moon, and a honeyed voice: “Hello, sister! Tien’s brother is so handsome!”. The second girl wore a long skirt, had a perfect figure, a slightly flirtatious face, and a slightly stuttering voice: “Wow! My brother is so cute! Let me shake his hand!”. The third girl wore a tank top, a bit smaller, a gentle face, and a gentle voice: “Tien has a younger brother as handsome as a movie actor!”…

Every day my parents were busy with work at the company until dark. I was in charge of cooking and housekeeping. Tien played around all day, every day. When he got bored, he would come home at any time. My parents complained all the time and then gave up.

One day, while Tien was having a good time, I approached him and asked: “Where do you have so many girlfriends? Aren’t they jealous?” My playboy brother replied dryly: “I have a contract with a company that rents girlfriends!” I thought I had misheard: “What do you mean?” Tien laughed: “It’s a place with many beautiful women. You go there, choose a girl, sign a contract to rent a girlfriend with agreed terms, then take her out, that’s it!” I was like someone from another planet: “Is there such a thing?” Tien flicked his cigarette ash skillfully into the ashtray at the head of the table, and continued to laugh: “Do you want to rent a girlfriend? I’ll help you!” I jumped up: “Oh no, I find it strange just hearing about it!” After saying that, I ran away.

Yen and I have been in love for over a year now, but we have only kissed each other and not gone further. She is in her second year of the University of Fine Arts, and still has two more years to go before graduating. After graduating, she will still have to worry about finding a job. That means the day we can get married is still far away. So, I have not dared to bring her home to meet my parents. While holding hands, she worriedly said: "When will our relationship ever bear fruit?". I joked: "You have been embargoed for so long, how will it bear fruit?". Yen angrily scratched my back with her sharp fingertips, causing me to ache: "People are waiting and worrying about the future, but you are just teasing me!". I cried out: "Stop! Stop! I am scared! I am scared! It hurts so much!".

Tien and I are 2 years apart in age, living in the same family, in the same era, but our thoughts and lifestyles are completely different. Tien worships the philosophy of enjoyment "better to have a moment of glory and then suddenly fade away...". As for me, I am like a young old man. Many times my parents looked at me and commented with some reassurance: "Luckily this family still has Tu who lives with ambition and standards, otherwise we wouldn't know what to do!"

I started learning how to manage the company from the simplest things. My father seemed pleased with my enthusiasm and intelligence. “We planned to hand over the company to you and your brother to run so we could rest and enjoy our old age, but your brother is a person without any ambition. We can only rely on you! Don’t disappoint our expectations!”, my father said.

2.

"If you go out at night too much, you will eventually meet a ghost", that common saying applies to my brother Tien. A person who sees love as a joke is in love, and the person he is in love with is a "prostitute". He brought a beautiful girl home and asked my parents to marry her immediately. Looking at the girl dressed revealingly, with blue eyes, purple lips and a flirtatious look, my mother was shocked but still did not show her disappointment. She asked: "What is your name? Where are you from? Where do you work?". The girl was not shy at all: "Yes! My name is Huyen, from Nam Dinh, currently working as a manager for the restaurant Mua Xanh, ma'am!". My mother pressed on: "The manager is the owner of the restaurant, right?". The girl was confused: "Yes! I am a cashier!". Turning to my brother Tien, my mother clearly said: "As your parents told you before, our family runs a business, when you get married, you need to know a little about business, have business management skills. Huyen is just a simple cashier, how can she help you with the company's work? Don't you understand?

There were only three people on the sofa. My father avoided me. I watched from the next room. At this moment, Tien seemed to be unable to control his emotions. He replied to my mother:

- Huyen is a cashier, which is also a business, so why do you look down on her like that? My parents insisted that I get married, now that I have chosen my soulmate, why do you object?

Mr. Tien is indeed a vagabond and a vagabond in life, but I have never seen him have such a defiant attitude towards his mother.

My mother was angry. She bent down, pulled out a drawer, took out a stack of photos and threw them on the table:

- Do you think I'm a stupid old woman that you can deceive me however you want? Is your girlfriend a cashier?

Mr. Tien turned pale when he saw the photos. I guessed that these were probably sensitive photos of Mr. Tien's girlfriend entertaining prostitutes. As for Mr. Tien's girlfriend, she looked surprised. My mother was really clever. Perhaps after Mr. Tien came back to ask for Ms. Huyen's hand, my mother had someone secretly follow her movements. I anxiously followed the developments. With clear evidence accusing his girlfriend of being a prostitute, I felt sorry for Mr. Tien. I didn't know how he would deal with my mother.

My crazy brother regained his composure but seemed to have taken a beating so he softened his voice:

- Mom! Have mercy on us! Huyen has been pregnant with me for over a month!

I thought my mother would be confused. But her voice was cold:

- Okay! I'll call someone to bring the pregnancy test here so we can talk!

Saying that, she took out her phone and called someone to bring a pregnancy test to the house. When Tien's girlfriend heard my mother finish speaking, she immediately stood up and stormed out the door. Tien used his last trick, but still couldn't beat his mother, so he angrily pushed the table and kicked the chair and left to follow Ms. Huyen. In the following days, we inquired about him and learned that he rented a house with Ms. Huyen, but after a while she left him and went to have an affair with someone else.

3.

My parents assigned me the position of Deputy General Director of the family company. The days of struggling with housework were over. Sister Hao was the relative chosen by my mother to be the housewife. She was a girl, very good at cooking and attentive to all members of my family. So I used my expertise in business administration to help my parents steer the company.

Then one day, Tien returned home after a love affair, looking exhausted and dejected. His father told his mother: “Don’t blame your son for the past! The whole family should act as if nothing had happened. The pain of life will wake him up! I believe that our son will know how to stand up stronger and more courageous!”

I love Tien so much! The more I love him, the more I try to treat him tactfully. I know he feels guilty about the mistake he made, and even a little pity from his parents and me will hurt him even more.

Every day, Tien reads books, and when he is interested, he stretches out his canvas in the back garden and delves into painting. Tien has had a talent for painting since he was a child. He won high prizes in art competitions when he was a student. Once, Tien suddenly asked me: "Is your girlfriend a painter?". I was surprised: "Huh? How do you know Nhung?". My brother smiled gently: "She is the best student in the applied arts department, specializing in graphics. That is a profitable department in this market economy!"

I was confused: "You know Nhung well, right?". Mr. Tien did not answer my question but continued to affirm his understanding of my girlfriend: "She is beautiful, gentle, when you bring her home, my parents will immediately like her!". I did not expect Mr. Tien to care about me so much. I looked at him to thank him. My father is very thoughtful. The words he told my mother were very effective. Mr. Tien was not criticized or scolded by his family members, and did not feel abandoned after his mistake. My parents were very happy! The family atmosphere was warm again.

One day, my family was preparing dinner when Ms. Hao walked in from the door and whispered: "Uncle, aunt! We have guests!" My father quickly said: "Please come in!" Oh my! Seeing the guest with a little girl, I was shocked. And it wasn't just me, my parents and Mr. Tien were all stunned when they saw that the uninvited guest was Ms. Huyen. I looked at my niece, startled, thinking to myself, could this be Mr. Tien's daughter with Ms. Huyen? The beauty who had once driven my brother crazy smiled with a confident gaze: "I came to visit our family so suddenly, didn't I, uncle and aunt?" My mother pointed to the empty chair: "Sit down!" The girl sat down, her voice elegant: "I've been married for four years. This is my daughter!" Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. My parents and Mr. Tien also breathed a sigh of relief. Ms. Huyen whispered: "I came here to visit my family and apologize to you and Mr. Tien for what I did in the past. Honestly, I was pregnant at that time, but I did not use the test to pressure you two because it was not Tien’s blood… In desperation, I was lucky to meet my current husband. He was the one who encouraged me to keep the fetus. Children are not guilty of having to suffer the mistakes of adults!”

Ms. Huyen had just finished speaking when she left. Mr. Tien jumped up and was about to follow. My mother stopped him in time: "Stop it, son! Let her be in peace."