Clement and I shared a room with our friend Lok Chi. She was a few years younger and a lot more innocent.

One night, we taught her that 契弟 is actually a Cantonese curse word. (It literally means “step-brother”)

“Yeah, our dad says it all the time. It means asshole,” Clement said.

The next day, Clement and I got our umpteenth fight of the trip. Lok Chi, who had always aspired to be a teacher, decided to teach us a life lesson.

“You guys need to love and help each other, not fight,” she said in front of all the adults. “You guys are real brothers. Even 契弟 would do that.”

Clement and I were mortified.

Luckily, my father took it literally. But then he chuckled and turned to Lok Chi’s dad and said, “I don’t know, man. If it’s a 契弟, I probably wouldn’t help.”