21 Pandora’s Box

A lean adult and two little kids were sitting around a dark wooden table. Before the two children were warm ceramic bowls containing healthy rice porridges with bits of chicken and green onion. The girl was sloppily digging in the meal as if there was no tomorrow while the boy awkwardly ate in small and slow bites.

"How's the food, my baby Yi Fei?" Mr. Mo asked.

Mr. Mo was sitting in front of Yi Fei, watching her with a fatherly love. Mr. Mo grabbed a napkin and delicately wiped the food off her tiny mouth. He paid absolutely no attention to the little boy beside her.

Mrs. Mo shortly came in, carrying a bowl of porridge.

"How was school?" She asked in a laid-back manner.

Mrs. Mo let out a tired sigh as she finally sat down on one of the chairs. It was always tiring to cook a satisfying meal for her children, but she constantly cooked their three meals a day out of love. Consequently, she developed a bad habit of always cooking more than enough even when she was just eating alone. And as usual, there were some leftovers.

"Good," Yi Fei answered back. "We wrote some poetry and Brother Yi Fan shared me his ice cream!"

Yi Fan fervently coughed. No one was suppose to know that.

"Ooo, really? You did that, Yi Fan?" Mrs. Mo's eyes sparked as she stared at the little boy. Before she realized it, Yi Fan became so mature and considerate. "I raised such a good son!"

Yi Fan blushed slightly, lowering his head to hide his embarrassment. Yi Fei thoughtlessly smiled at Yi Fan's flustered expression.

"Yi Fan, how old are you now? 8? 9?" Mrs. Mo asked rapidly. Her hand suspiciously went inside her pocket and grabbed whatever was in there.

"8..." Yi Fan muttered, clearly shy.

"Hmmm... my baby Yi Fan is turning nine this year. Luckily, I prepared beforehand." Mrs. Mo said dubiously. Suddenly, she took out her hand, surprising the family with a tiny little box. "I got you an early birthday gift!"

The box was decorated with frilly strings and a checkered patterned wrapping. The abrupt appearance caused Yi Fan quietly exclaimed in glee, making him unable to control his grin. He secretly looked at Mr. Mo for his approval, wondering if he could accept it or not. Mr. Mo only blankly stared at the box, showing no reaction, and Yi Fan took it as a yes.

"Thank you, Mom!" Yi Fan genuinely said, immediately grabbing the tackily-wrapped present out of Mrs. Mo's hand. He swiftly hid it under the table so no one would try to take it away from him. Though if The Man asked... Yi Fan would obediently turn it in.

Yi Fei and Mrs. Mo were ecstatic at Yi Fan's reaction. Yi Fan seemed really down since they were at the hospital, so they were truly happy that they could cheer him up.

"What did you get him?" Mr. Mo asked without a hint of malice.

There was nothing wrong with this question, a man was simply curious about his son's present. However, Yi Fan knew that this box might not be in his hands by the end of the night. This was the same question The Man always asked on events like Yi Fan's birthdays. Depending on his mood and the value of the present, The Man took away Yi Fan's gifts when he didn't feel like Yi Fan deserved them. Of course, Mr. Mo usually did this behind the scenes or provided some excuse for the crowd.

"It's a secret!" Mrs. Mo playfully beamed. "Between my son and me!"

"Even me?" Yi Fei followed up with a pout. She gave her mother puppy-dog eyes, terribly curious to know what's inside.

"Only if Yi Fan tells you," Mrs. Mo readily winked at Yi Fan.

Yi Fan dearly held the box, wondering what was inside. It was like a Pandora Box, enticing you to open it with its mere existence. He definitely wanted to look at it all by himself and then teasingly gloat to his sister later in private.

This wasn't because he merely wanted to experience the feeling of keeping a gift to himself. Yi Fan just didn't want to show The Man the gift in case The Man would be angered or take away the gift.

After many years, Yi Fan already learned to not be selfish and to always think about his sister first. In fact, he never thought of not sharing the gift with Yi Fei.

However, Yi Fan never got to let Yi Fei see what's inside the box. Indeed, a Pandora Box is forever a Pandora Box. What lies inside only cause harm.