My younger brother, after graduating from high school, was unwilling to work and has been living at home off our parents for years. To help him have a career, my parents set up a stationery store for him, which is located near a school, and normally it wouldn't lose money. However, he often goes out drinking with friends instead of running the business properly. The rent is paid, there is business, but he doesn't take it seriously, always acting prideful and wanting to make a name for himself online. After the stationery store went bankrupt in 2017, my brother started looking into stocks, as I frequently saw him sharing stock trading articles on his social media during that time. As an older sister, I reminded him that at his young age, he should find a job or learn a skill, and not to gamble. He casually replied that he understood, so I didn't press the matter further. On July 12, 2017, my mother's birthday, when I returned home to celebrate, I found out my brother lost around 60,000 to 70,000 in stock trading. My parents were at a loss, couldn't control him, and didn't listen to advice. He complained that working was too tiring, and if given funds to start a business, he would definitely lose everything. My dad is a retired teacher, and my mom used to work in the Women's Federation, having saved some money to buy my brother a house. Although I have nothing, I have never been jealous; my parents can give their money to whoever they want without worrying about fairness, and I also have my own career. My husband's family is quite well-off, and I really don't care much about material things. In 2018, I discovered my brother was sharing some screenshots on social media. At that time, I didn't understand, so I asked my husband, who told me it was virtual currency that could be invested in or used for gambling, and that he had friends involved in it. So, I messaged him to be practical and not to think about getting something for nothing. A few months later, he called me, saying he lost over 200,000 in cryptocurrency contracts, all borrowed online. Initially, he started with an investment of 1,000 and occasionally made 800 or 900, but after losing money, he wanted to recoup his losses, and kept investing more, putting his hopes on online loans. I scolded him but didn't help him pay back the debt; instead, I immediately informed my parents, and he resented me for not keeping it a secret. When my parents found out, they only scolded him a bit. My brother had never been punished growing up because our grandmother favored boys over girls, and whenever my parents wanted to discipline him, she would always intervene. Since my parents had used their savings to buy him a house and didn't have much left, they called me for help, asking if I could find a way to raise some money. At that time, I had just used my provident fund to buy a house, and after renovations, I didn't have much left. Although my husband had savings, I had no right to interfere, so I refused. Later, my parents borrowed over 100,000 and gave him their remaining savings, which was a one-time help. In 2019, my brother bypassed me and directly borrowed 30,000 from my husband, claiming he wanted to buy a car. My husband told me, and I called my brother to scold him, asking why he wanted a car when he didn't want to work. He said he wanted to drive for Didi (a ride-hailing service), where he wouldn't have to deal with anyone's face and could work or rest whenever he wanted. I was so furious that my face turned red and I refused to lend him a cent. He thought of it as a whim, and helping him buy a car would only harm him. I especially wanted to send him to a construction site to do hard labor; he had no masculinity at all, but my parents didn't approve of what I said, and my brother wouldn't listen. My brother continued to live leisurely, relying on our parents, who didn't want to urge him anymore because it was useless; he was born disinclined to work and not suited to be a boss, yet he always fantasized about being one. At the end of 2019, my husband's family's demolition house was completed, which was our third property. I had one unit, my husband had one, and we had a unit from the demolition. At that time, my brother approached me, saying he would temporarily take care of the demolition house, as he could rent it out and make some extra money each month. I was so angry that I didn't want to deal with him. The pandemic happened, and I was not well-informed about family matters. In August 2022, my mom called crying and told me my brother had written a suicide note and ran away. Her voice was hoarse from crying for a long time. I rushed back after driving for five continuous hours. When I saw the suicide note, my heart sank. Another debt from trading cryptocurrencies! He had mortgaged a house worth 1.1 million for 600,000, and he also had about 350,000 in online loans. It felt like the sky was falling. My parents searched everywhere for him, and he was eventually found hiding in a cemetery on the back mountain, sitting there smoking without fear. After discovering him, my dad grabbed my brother by the hair and dragged him home. Our grandmother shone a flashlight at my dad, scolding him that if anything happened to her grandson, she wouldn't live anymore. At that moment, I realized I had little say in this family, only to cooperate. My dad is a filial son, and he would definitely listen to my grandmother. Moreover, my parents have always played the roles of the strict and lenient parent, essentially spoiling him. Once home, we discussed how to repay the debts and how to redeem the house. My grandmother said she could provide 200,000, which was her savings over decades and part of what my grandfather left after passing. She wanted me to redeem that house, and my parents agreed because they believed that without a house, my brother would never get married, and their wish for grandchildren would be dashed. I looked at the mortgage documents my brother owed and found that to redeem the house, besides the 600,000 principal, we would also have to pay about 100,000 in various penalties. So, we needed 700,000 to redeem that house. Initially, my parents wanted my husband to sell that demolition house, thinking that having two houses was enough, and selling one to help family was fine. But they didn't know that the demolition house was given by my father-in-law, and even brothers should settle accounts clearly; how could that be possible? I told them that I couldn't make that decision, and they could ask my father-in-law, but they were too embarrassed to ask. Later, my husband proposed a plan: helping him wasn't out of the question, but they would need to clear the mortgage loan, transfer the house to my husband, who would then rent it out to cover the losses, or if my brother paid off his debts in the future, the house could be transferred back. My husband is a lawyer, and he understood these matters well; I agreed. Although my parents were very reluctant, they had no choice but to agree as repaying the debts was urgent. After over three months of negotiations, the loan company initially opposed greatly but eventually cooperated to complete the transfer. The mortgage loan of 600,000 was paid off, along with 120,000 in interest and penalties. My husband made at least dozens of trips to handle this issue, with each trip taking 5 hours, a round trip totaling 10 hours. Who can understand the hardships involved? Once everything was settled, my husband rented out my brother's house for 1,500 a month, bringing in 18,000 a year. After the 2024 New Year, my brother brought his girlfriend home for the holidays, and the house was decorated to welcome them. After dinner, my parents began to reason with me emotionally and logically, urging me to convince my husband to transfer the house back to my brother. We had already put in 720,000, and we had only collected a few thousand in rent. Moreover, my husband took out all his savings of 350,000 to help my brother, while the rest of the money was pooled with my in-laws to preserve that house. My parents believed that the house should be transferred back first, get the tenant out, and let him get married first. They thought my brother could slowly pay back when he started working. I know my brother's character all too well, so I firmly rejected the idea. My dad immediately called my husband, suggesting that my brother write a note and he would be the guarantor. My husband directly refused, making it clear that my brother wanted the house but didn't want to pay back. My brother's girlfriend found out he had no house, and the next day she left him. The whole family shifted the blame onto me, cursing me for being greedy, saying many hurtful things. Our 80-year-old grandmother directly lay on the ground, refusing to get up until I agreed, and the cursing grew louder. I didn't even have time to pack my things and drove away immediately; staying in that house for even a second felt suffocating. Around July 2024, my brother incurred at least 500,000 in debt from trading cryptocurrencies. At that time, he said to sell the house, deducting the amount we had paid, with the remainder going to him. I asked my parents, but they ignored me, so I had to sell the house. After negotiating with the tenant, I even compensated them 2,000, or else they wouldn't want to move. By this time, the housing prices had already dropped significantly, and no one was interested even at 1.1 million. My brother was eager for money and asked me to lower it to 1 million, but it still wouldn't sell. He lowered the price seven or eight times, and in September, it finally sold. After taxes and commissions, we only received 910,000. I raised 250,000 to transfer to my brother, which was essentially a huge loss. Although we collected some rent, it was only 18,000 a year, and we had actually put in 720,000 while only receiving 660,000 in return. My husband said, let's not dwell on it; selling the house would ease our minds. In October, my mom called angrily, scolding me without any reason until I cried. She hurled every imaginable curse at me, saying I knew my brother was a gambler but still sold the house to give him money? I was truly heartless, trying to kill him. At that time, I had clearly messaged them about this, but they ignored me in anger; can I be blamed for that? My brother lost the money from the house sale and still has over 500,000 in debt. To this day, my parents haven't sent me a single message, nor do they urge me to come home during holidays like before. But I believe that with the passage of time, they will eventually realize I was right. They have invested their whole lives in my brother, and sometimes I jokingly ask my mom if raising a daughter can't ensure a comfortable old age? She says both the palm and back of the hand are flesh, claiming they don't favor one over the other. But they have already shown me through their actions that I can be discarded at any time in their hearts.