Shengliver’s Note: The letter is brimming with the writer’s affection for the brother.

I have witnessed your growth since you were born. I saw you in a bundle. I held you in my arms. I helped you with the first steps when you were toddling around.

With time going by, you have grown into an active healthy boy. A problem, unfortunately, is affecting you: you were born with poorer-than-average eyesight. As a result, you had to wear a pair of corrective lenses even when you were still a toddler. To protect your eyesight against further deterioration, you are banned from using any electronic conveniences like the TV, computers or mobile phones. That deprives you of a lot of pleasures in modern life, but there is no other way, brother. I still remember that the first time you pleaded with me to turn on the telly for you, tears welled up in my eyes. I would like to have done you the favour, but I could not. Eventually you overcame the lure of those devices. From then on, I, from time to time, bought you paper books which I thought would do you good. And now you have formed a good reading habit.

I’m glad that you are a top student in your class. Your Chinese teacher has praised your neat handwriting in class many times. I am proud of you, brother. At times, you still make mistakes, which I think is part of your growing pains. Child as you are, you can understand a lot of what I said to you. How I wish you could stay smart, innocent and optimistic forever! Boys tend to fall prey to bad habits more easily than girls do, so I hope you can steer clear of them as you are growing up. Once you get hooked on something, you can’t help yourself.

What I am keen to tell you is this, brother: No matter what might happen around you, what you can do is follow your heart. It’s of great significance to learn to tell good from bad. Thinking of all the latent evil forces around, I wish you would never grow up, brother.