Chapter 1 — A Dao Didn't Return

When filling out the college entrance exam application, the homeroom teacher sent a notice to the group: 【This year the school code and score levels have changed a lot, it's best to buy the latest copy of the book "Enrollment Plan".】 【Price is ninety-eight yuan, the bookstore will restock for the last time this afternoon.】 I looked towards the locked drawer in the corner of the living room. Always keep the family's emergency money in there. Mom said she was afraid that when her parents were busy, her younger brother and sister would not have money after school after school. But the key, dad has, mom has, younger brother and sister also have. Only I don't have it. I asked my mother in a low voice: "Can you give me a hundred yuan from the drawer to buy a guidebook for filling out wishes?" Mother was polishing my brother's shoes, not even raising her head: "That money is for my younger brother and sister to use when they have urgent matters, not for me to buy useless books." Dad said even more directly: "Does filling out wishes cost money? If you want to swindle money, you have to find a better reason." As soon as he finished speaking, his brother took the key. took out the bag, expertly opened the drawer and took out two hundred yuan. "My classmate invited me to go to the escape room, I also ate out at night." My sister also took one hundred and fifty yuan, saying she wanted to go get a manicure with her friend. I stood at the dining table, the zigzag cracks on the screen of the old phone in my hand seemed to stretch straight into my heart. That night, I borrowed the old version of the document from my classmate and filled out my wish to go to the school farthest from home. I used to think what I was missing was a key to open the drawer. Only now do I understand, if I don't have the key, then I should go to a place that will never lock the door on me. ……“Are you done filling out your wish?” The next morning, while eating breakfast, Mom asked while peeling shrimp for Tham Di Ninh without looking up. “It's done.” “If you don't buy a book, you can still fill it out.” Dad put down his chopsticks and looked at me with a smile that didn't smile: “I told you yesterday you just wanted to cheat money to spend.” I didn't say anything, just bowed my head and slowly took a bite of the bread in my hand. The old version of the book that a classmate lent me last night had all the edges curled, and there were a few pages inside that had been soaked in water. The field codes blurred together into a black patch. I strained my eyes to distinguish for a long time, my eyes hurt but I still couldn't see. The system continuously displays red text 【Invalid code】. After more than a dozen tries, the school name finally appeared on the screen. I finished the remaining bread in a few bites then stood up to leave. Mom finally raised her head and frowned at the untouched cup of peanut oat milk in front of me. "I made it for you, why don't you drink it?" "You're the only picky eater in the house. Look at Di Ninh and Tieu Tri, they can eat everything and how easy it is to feed them." I have a peanut allergy and have reminded my parents many times. But they thought I didn't like eating peanuts, so they deliberately made an excuse. So every morning there was a cup of peanut oat milk in the house, and they even stared at me and asked me to drink it all. To put it nicely, it was to correct my “ugly picky eating habits.” As for why Tham Di Ninh and Tham Tri are not picky eaters? Because there are never dishes on the dinner table that they don't like. I sat down again, picked up the cup under my mother's eyes. The warm liquid slid down his throat, carrying with it a strong smell of peanuts. I drank it all in one gulp then put the cup on the table. "There, can't you still drink it?" Dad snorted and laughed. I didn't answer, turned around and went back to the room. In the bottom of the drawer is an allergy blister pack. I skillfully took out two pills, did not drink water, but swallowed them straight down. Not long after, my father's voice rang out outside: "Tham Tri Dao, just finished eating and did you hide in your room?" "It's been so gloomy all day, I don't know who it is." He knocked on the door. "Go out and wash the dishes." I said.

immediately responded and quickly left. In the living room, my parents have finished changing their shoes. Tham Tri was also wearing a backpack, looking down at his phone. "Mom, I want to change to a new phone." "Buy me another pair of sneakers, the other pair are not comfortable." His phone was just changed half a year ago. In the shoe cabinet there are still three pairs of new shoes that have not yet had their tags removed. But mom just smiled and said: "Okay, I'll take you to see it this afternoon." Tham Di Ninh also took dad's arm. "Dad, I want to buy some dresses to wear to travel during summer vacation." Dad immediately nodded. "Buy a little more. Girls have to dress beautifully." Only I held the greasy dishes on the table and walked into the kitchen. "Dao Dao." Mom suddenly called my name. My steps stopped, a little hope rose in my heart. I'm about to go to college, and there are a lot of things I need to buy... But my mother pointed at the living room floor. "I'll take your younger brother and sister out. After washing the dishes, I'll clean the floor." "Can you still stand seeing how dirty it is? Your daughter is not clean at all." I lowered my head and looked. Those were the muddy footprints Tham Tri left last night when he didn't change his shoes and ran straight to the bathroom. "I know." I withdrew my eyes in disappointment and went into the kitchen. Amidst the sound of rushing water, I heard the door open, then close, then open again. I peeked out of the corner of my eye. That's when I realized my dad was back. He didn't look at me but walked straight to the master bedroom door, reaching out to try the handle. Confirming he couldn't open it, he turned around and walked to the corner of the living room. He bent down to try pulling the locked drawer twice, the locking latch banging against each other made a very light sound. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. As if he finally remembered that I was still in the kitchen, he raised his head and looked at me. "Wash it clean, don't be lazy." After saying that, he quickly left the house again. The door closed again, leaving only the sound of running water in the house. This is not the first time parents have done this. In the past, every time they left me home alone, they carefully checked me over. Is the bedroom door locked? Is the drawer locked? Sometimes even the wardrobes and cabinets on the balcony, they have to look a few more times. As a child, I always felt very strange. Obviously there are people in the house, why are they still afraid of thieves sneaking in? But now, eighteen year old me has the answer. What they were wary of was not the thief, but me. Luckily I'm about to leave. From now on, they won't have to worry about me anymore. 2 After washing the dishes and mopping the floor, it was almost noon. I returned to the bedroom and took out the stack of notebooks at the bottom of my desk. My university entrance exam score was quite good, and a few students in my junior class wanted to buy my notebooks. At first I didn't want to sell it. But I need money even more. In the end, the six notebooks were sold for a total of two hundred yuan. On the way home with money, passing by the grocery store, I couldn't help but buy an ice cream. Two bad. But it was the first thing I bought for myself this summer. Unexpectedly, when I opened the door with my ice cream in my mouth, my parents were already home. Mom's eyes immediately fell on my hand. "Where did you get the money to buy ice cream?" I tightened my grip on the wooden stick and said in a low voice: "I earned money by selling notebooks." Mom seemed to have just heard a joke. "Sell notebooks?" "Who would look for you to buy notebooks? Lying would have to make it look a bit."During twelfth grade, they were busy taking care of Tham Di Ninh and Tham Tri, and never attended a single parent-teacher meeting of mine. After the results came out, no one asked me how many points I got. Therefore, they did not know that I scored six hundred and eighty points. Not valedictorian. But it is indeed a very high score, enough to get into a good university. Just as I was about to explain, my mother stood up

got up and walked over, grabbed my arm. During the struggle, the two hundred yuan in my pocket fell out. Mother seemed to have caught evidence and immediately picked up the money. "That's great, Tham Tri Dao. When you were young, you refused to learn good things, now you know how to steal money!" "No!" I was so nervous that my voice trembled. "That's money from selling notebooks!" "Still speechless?" Mom raised her hand and pointed at me, her eyes filled with disgust. "You really were taught badly by your grandmother." "She stole the chicken, I stole the money. The house leaked from the roof."In my head, There was a buzzing sound, I suddenly raised my head. "Don't talk to grandma like that! She's not a chicken thief! Mommy isn't..." A slap rang out, cutting off my words before I could finish. "Who taught you to talk to adults like that?" Dad grabbed my arm, pulling me back to the room. "Reflect yourself carefully." "When you know you're wrong, you can go out." I leaned against the door, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor. My face hurts, my stomach hurts too. From noon to evening, no one called me out for dinner. It was extremely bustling outside. At times, the sound of Tham Di Ninh's piano was heard, intermittently playing a newly learned piece of music. His mother stood next to him and praised him: "Our Di Ninh is truly talented." A moment later it was Tham Tri playing the guitar in the living room. Dad smiled and said: "Not bad, already in shape." Their laughter passed through the door. Like a blunt knife, blow after blow cuts my body. The next day, the door finally opened. Mother stood at the door, looking down at me from above. "Have you thought this through?" I stood up with my hands on the wall, so hungry that my eyes were dark. "I didn't steal money." Mother sighed, as if extremely disappointed. "This child, why are you still stubborn until now?" "Your father found a job for you so you can experience how difficult it is to make money." "When you know how hard it is to earn two hundred yuan, you won't steal money anymore." I wanted to shake her hand away but no strength left. All I could do was let her drag me downstairs and put me in the car. The car stopped outside a construction site. The sun was so intense that it was blinding, and the dirt on the road was exposed until it turned white. Many workers were shirtless, walking back and forth transporting things next to steel bars and piles of cement. Mom pushed me. "Go ahead. You don't have to do it for long, you'll earn enough for two hundred yuan." The construction site foreman looked at me and then back at his mother. "Is this your daughter?" "This skinny, and it's still a girl, can you bear to let her do this?" Mother pretended to be heartbroken and helpless. "I also can't bear it. But she stole money, what do you tell me to do?" The foreman's eyes looking at me immediately changed. I opened my mouth. "I didn't steal." The voice was too small, quickly drowned out by the rumbling machine next to me. Mom is still saying: "My family has two more children, each of them has a future." "The youngest daughter has studied piano up to eighth grade, and the teacher praises her every day." "The son is also very excellent, a member of the school's football team, healthy and active." When mentioning Tham Di Ninh and Tham Tri, she told them clearly like the back of her hand. Even what rank did Tham Di Ninh score last time, and how many goals did Tham Tri score in each match, she remembers clearly. It wasn't until the foreman casually asked: "What about this older child?" "Aside from stealing money, how is his academic performance?" Mother's words suddenly choked. After a long while, she stammered out a sentence: "It's normal." "Since he was young, he lived with my mother in the countryside, no one took care of him, and his mind was not quick. He scored more than four hundred points on the college entrance exam, and he was fine to study at a local college." I bowed my head and didn't say anything more.