那一夜，星星比以往更亮
遗失的记忆
就在我刚刚出生的那个深秋夜晚，我的妹妹出生了。我记得那天晚上没有月亮，只有漫天的繁星。我和我的家人在医院外候着，我爸爸焦急地在电话里接受着家里其他人的关切。我记得医院的走廊里传来频繁的叮咚声，是其它孩子的降生声。那天我没有睡觉，直到清晨，我妈妈脸上露出了依然带有几分疲惫和催眠的露笑。我记得我们在回家的车上讨论妹妹的名字。我强烈建议并辩护着“妮妮”这个名字，这样我的妹妹就是我的“小妮子”了。从那天晚上，我的妹妹就悄悄地融入了我们这个大家庭。
停驻的时间
2001年的那个夏天，我失去了妹妹。我那时候才18岁，没有想到我们竟然会失去她。我记得当我听到她的叫声的时候，是晚上十点多。我在房间里度过了不止一周的时间，感觉自己被抓住呼吸一样，没有任何反应。我的脑海里全是妹妹的影像，我想起我们小时候上学、一起玩耍、一起闹腾的时光。我想起她的眼神，那里面有着惊奇的光芒。一切的一切，怎么会那么残忍地消逝？我的家人和我整整花了一年时间走出了这段阴霾，但是失去我的妹妹，那个宝贝，仍然是我内心深处的一个刻疵。
永不遗忘
我的妹妹走后，我开始学习接纳生命、珍视生命和坦然面对生命。我越来越发现，我们是多么脆弱、多么不可控。无论是生命和爱情，都是如此宝贵又脆弱。我从我的妹妹那里学到了生命的无限赞美之美，学会了珍视时间、坦然面对困境、找寻生命的真谛。妹妹走了，但她留给我的东西，乃至她在世时的一切，都是永远的珍宝。每当我想起她，我的心就会因为那一夜星星比以往更亮这个想法而平静下来。因为这是我认为伴随着她离世的，是她和我之间永存的、那夜晚星空的记忆。
That Night, the Stars Shone Brighter Than Ever
Lost Memory
On a deep autumn night right after I was born, my little sister was born. I remember the night well; there was no moon, only countless stars filling the sky. My family and I waited outside the hospital, my father anxiously answering calls from the others at home, as frequent chimes echoed down the hospital corridors—announcing the birth of more children. I didn't fall asleep that night. It wasn't until dawn when my mother's face flashed a tired and hypnotic smile. I remember us discussing my sister's name on the car ride home. I strongly suggested and defended \"Nini\" for her name, so my little sister would be \"my little Ni Zi\". And from that deep autumn night on, my little sister quietly became part of our big family.
Paused Time
In the summer of 2001, I lost my sister. I was only 18, and couldn't have fathomed that we would lose her. I remember hearing her cry past 10 pm. I spent more than a week in my room, feeling like I had stopped breathing and completely unresponsive. Images of my sister flooded my mind, memories of us going to school together, playing together, and being rambunctious together. I remembered her eyes, sparkling with surprise. How could everything just be so cruelly gone? It took my family and me a year to journey out of that darkness, but losing my sister, that precious gem, remains a scar deep inside me.
Never Forget
After my sister left us, I started to learn to accept life, cherish life, and face life with equanimity. I began to see how fragile and uncontrollable we all are, how precious and vulnerable both life and love are. I learned the boundless beauty of life's ode to praise from my sister and how to cherish time, face challenges, and find the true essence of life. Even though my sister left, what she left me, everything she had done when she was here, and all the memories are forever my treasures. Whenever I think of her, I calm down, recalling how that night the stars shone brighter than ever. It's what accompanies her passing, a memory of the starry sky between us.
