He Was Sent Away at 28 Days. Fifty-Eight Years Later, His Brother Was a Head Shorter.

A Head Taller

It didn't rain in Haining that day.

The car stopped at the door. Father got out. His foot touched the ground first, and only then did he look up. An old man stood at the door. It was his second uncle. The two didn't speak right away. The son stood behind and saw that they looked first at each other's brow bones.

The brow bones matched. So did the corners of the eyes. The curve of the nose looked like it had been cut from the same mold.

The son said, "They look alike."

He didn't say it loudly. Everyone nearby heard.

Father had been sent to Shandong to be fostered when he was only 28 days old. Twenty-eight days. Too short to remember anything. He grew up in Shandong. He ate the food, spoke the language, and his body took the shape of the place. Fifty-eight years later, he returned to Haining, Zhejiang.

His older brother was waiting at the door.

His brother was a head shorter. When they stood side by side, the top of his brother's head reached just below his ear. His brother raised a hand and measured against the top of his head, and laughed. The younger brother lowered his head and laughed too. Someone nearby took out a phone to take a picture.

His brother said, "You're so tall."

The younger brother said, "Brother, you're thinner than in the photo."

His brother said, "The photo was taken last year."

The younger brother said, "You were thin last year too."

Both laughed.

They went inside. The table was round. Dishes were set in a circle. The older brother told the younger to sit inside. The younger told the older to sit at the head. In the end, the older brother sat at the head, and the younger brother sat beside him.

The older brother poured tea. His hand shook a little. The tea reached the rim of the cup and stopped. The younger brother took it and drank a sip.

The older brother said, "Shandong is cold."

The younger brother said, "Zhejiang is cold too."

The older brother said, "It snows where you are."

The younger brother said, "Not this year."

The older brother said, "It will next year."

The younger brother said, "I'll come next year."

The older brother said, "Good."

The son sat across from them, watching them talk. Father had lived in Shandong for fifty-eight years and spoke with a Shandong accent. His second uncle spoke Zhejiang dialect, which Father couldn't quite understand. His second uncle slowed down. Father nodded. Sometimes Father looked at his son, and his son translated a sentence. His second uncle laughed. Father laughed too.

When they laughed, the similarity in their brows and eyes was even clearer. When Father laughed, the corners of his eyes turned down. When his second uncle laughed, the corners of his eyes turned down too. One laughed in Shandong, one laughed in Zhejiang, at the same angle.

Halfway through the meal, the older brother stood up, walked over to the younger brother, and measured their heights again.

The older brother said, "What did you eat to grow?"

The younger brother said, "Pancakes."

The older brother said, "Pancakes are that powerful?"

The younger brother said, "And scallions."

The older brother said, "We eat rice here."

The younger brother said, "I eat rice too."

The older brother said, "Then why are you still so tall?"

The younger brother said, "Maybe the water in Shandong is good."

The older brother said, "The water in Zhejiang is good too."

The younger brother said, "Then why didn't you grow taller, brother?"

The older brother froze for a moment, then laughed. The younger brother laughed too. Everyone at the table laughed.

After the laughing, a short silence.

The older brother sat back down, picked up a bite of food, and put it in the younger brother's bowl. The younger brother said nothing and ate it. The older brother picked up another bite.

The younger brother said, "Brother, I can help myself."

The older brother said, "Eat."

The younger brother said, "Okay."

He ate. The older brother watched him eat. When the younger brother finished, he poured tea for the older brother.

The older brother said, "You filled it to the brim."

The younger brother said, "Full is better."

The older brother said, "Full is hot."

The younger brother said, "Then I'll pour less."

The older brother said, "No need. Full is full."

The younger brother put down the teapot. The two looked at the cup. Steam rose from the rim.

In the afternoon, someone suggested a family photo. Everyone stood at the door. The older brother stood on the left, the younger on the right. The photographer said, "Get closer."

They got closer. The older brother looked up. The younger brother bent his knees.

The photographer said, "Don't bend your knees. Act natural."

The younger brother stood straight. The older brother looked up again.

The photographer said, "Brother, look at the camera."

The older brother looked at the camera. The younger brother looked at the camera too. The shutter clicked.

After the photo, the older brother said, "Come to my house for dinner tomorrow."

The younger brother said, "Okay."

The older brother said, "Come early."

The younger brother said, "Okay."

The older brother said, "Bring your son."

The younger brother said, "I will."

The older brother said, "Then see you tomorrow."

The younger brother said, "See you tomorrow."

When the car drove off, the older brother stood at the door. The younger brother watched him from the car window. The older brother raised a hand, measured his own head, then measured toward the younger brother. The younger brother laughed in the car.

The car turned the corner. The older brother was still at the door.

The son sat beside his father and saw his father roll the window down a little. Wind came in. Father said nothing. The son said nothing either.

The car moved forward. Trees by the road receded.

Father rolled the window up. The son saw his father's hands rest flat on his knees. Fingers together.