"Fang Ruoruo, your parents are gone. They don't want you anymore."
"Fang Ruoruo, your mother picked you up from the garbage dump."
"Fang Ruoruo, look, your mother prefers little boys, not you."
"I've never seen a child as disobedient as you."
"You cry when you're just teased? You really can't stand being teased, kid."
"If it weren't for you, your mother would have found someone to marry long ago."
These words are what Fang Ruoruo remembers very clearly, and they come from her aunt Li Xue.
Fang Ruoruo remembered from a very young age that her father and mother separated, and her mother took her to her parents' home, while her father seemed to have disappeared from her life.
Her mother always asked her to be a sensible child, so Fang Ruoruo developed a cautious character. She lived with her mother Li Mei in her grandmother's house. Her grandmother's house was very big because it was made up of several courtyards connected together. They said that this was how a family should help each other. Since Fang Ruoruo was born, she always heard them say that their mother was blind and had to follow her father. Is she okay now?
My mother just lowered her head and smiled.
They didn't have their own house, so their grandmother arranged for them to live in the yard of their aunt's house.
My aunt gave birth to three sons in succession, so she always holds her head high during family gatherings. She always likes to talk about random things. Don't ask, because if you do, she'll tell you it's all for your own good.
Mom often said that relatives are all family. Fang Ruoruo knew that Mom was working hard, so she didn't want her to be sad. She just endured it and it would pass.
However, her mother had to go out to work, so she had to be entrusted to her aunt's care. Living under someone else's roof wasn't a pleasant experience. Fang Ruoruo always had to eat leftovers, and the little girl had to learn to sweep, mop, wash dishes, and do laundry. Her three cousins were each more spoiled than the other: the eldest cousin snatched her homework book to make paper airplanes, the second cousin stole her half-earned change to buy game cards, and the youngest cousin deliberately poured ink on her only skirt. Her aunt always smiled and tried to smooth things over: "They are all children. As their elder sister, you should be more considerate."
She only later learned that her deceased father gave her mother child support every month, which her mother in turn gave to her grandmother and aunt. The money was more than a local nanny could earn. But her aunt kept complaining to relatives, "Ruoruo, that child, grew up eating and wearing my clothes. Without me, she would have starved to death." Her mother constantly insisted, "Relatives are family," so she swallowed her frustration, learned to read people's expressions, learned to shut up immediately when her aunt frowned, and learned to pick up her cousin's leftovers and finish them in silence.
But this did not save her from suffering. Whenever the family had a meal, she was always the one sitting in the corner, and sometimes even had to stand. She herself was also a hot topic among relatives.
"The little girl doesn't like to be clean," but she doesn't have that many clothes at all. The reason they are dirty is because she has to help with the housework, and her mother only occasionally praises her by saying "I understand."
"You're stupid and don't do well on exams." Her mother said this to her relatives. The relatives looked at her in strange ways, which made her feel very uncomfortable. Fang Ruoruo didn't understand why her mother seemed to be standing opposite her.
"Maybe he ate it, but he just ate it without pooping, tsk tsk tsk." This was what my aunt said. Her voice was very loud. When my mother heard it, she also agreed with a smile. Fang Ruoruo could only lower her head and silently eat the rice in her hand.
She didn't do well in the exam because in order to not make things difficult for her mother, she had to give in to her cousins and take on housework within her ability.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
