I have a brother, three years younger than me. Because of the One - Child Policy, he was sent to my grandparents’ home when he was very young, for we could not afford the fine and what’s worse, my father could lose his job because of this. Therefore, he didn’t come back until he attended senior high school, the year when I was admitted to the university. However, no matter how hard we tried to show our love to him, he was cold towards us. It’s always said that “Time will cure everything”. It’s true, now our relationships are much better than before during those years, especially this winter. Maybe I can call it a mark, a mark that indicates that he truly has become a member of our family.
It seldom snowed in my hometown, but it was still very cold because the winter here is wet and it always rains day after day. This winter was no exception. Actually, it was particularly cold. The wind lashed violently against the windows and the sky cried everyday, which lasted almost a month, showing no evidence of taking a break. So, few people went out in the street. Learning from the television, we knew that it was the coldest winter in China since 1950s. What’s worse, it was reported that the transportation in many places was paralyzed, which was really bad news for our family.
My father and mother were laid off a few years ago, so we opened a small fodder shop. We need this income for my college education and my younger brother’s. However, few customers and the blocked transportation led to the low earnings. We were waiting anxiously day after day, hoping the truck with our goods would turn up immediately.
During that difficult time, my brother often went to the shop to help us. He was always the most optimistic one. When we were annoyed and anxious, he would comfort us; when we needed to deliver goods to the doorstep of our customers, my brother would go with my father. All these scenes are quite common in other families, but it has different significance for our family, because obviously, he began to accept our love and he also showed solicitude for us.
Ten days behind schedule, the truck finally came. Unloading the goods from the back of the truck is usually tiring work. It was often done only by my father, which always made him exhausted. However, this time, my brother took the initiative to help my father. I was so happy, for I saw a harmonious picture in which my family had conquered the storm together.
Yes, indeed, it was the coldest winter I had ever met, but it’s also the warmest winter holiday I had ever enjoyed.
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