Chapter 3 — Cotton Slippers Arrive Late

Everyone's eyes simultaneously fell on Vuong Lam. Limited edition kitten heel leather shoes, plaid jacket from a luxury brand. At that moment, my mother grabbed me and pulled me into the room. She grabbed my collar, her eyes red: "Good girl, accept it. Is it okay for you to accept it?" "Your sister is about to take the fifth grade exam. She is the one who will become a pianist, her life cannot have stains." So my life can have. So she knew it wasn't me who stole the money, but she still forced me to confess. The first time she spoke to me gently like that, it was to force me to bear the blame for her eldest daughter. My heart felt like it was pierced by a sharp blade over and over again. Pain to the point of numbness. I removed her fingers one by one, unexpectedly burst out laughing: "Okay, Mom. I accept." "I will accept." Tears in her eyes fell a little, dripping into my palm. I pushed her out first, walked through the door, walked in front of Aunt Vuong and bowed my head. "Auntie, I'm sorry. I will transfer the money to you." I did not use the word "pay", but used the word "transfer". It was the ultimate stubbornness to protect my self-esteem. Seeing that, Vuong Lam sneered contemptuously: "Isn't it okay to receive it early? You just have to pretend!" She rolled her eyes, turned around and went into the room. Vuong Lang Huy followed behind her. He looked at me, said nothing and then entered the room. Mom helped Aunt Vuong and took her home. The neighbors quickly dispersed. "You really looked at the wrong person. Dogs that don't bark actually bite people more fiercely..." At six o'clock in the evening, they calmly acted as if nothing had happened and went out to eat hot pot together. Before leaving, Vuong Lam knocked on my door. I didn't reply. She was angry, kicked the door of the room: "She stole money herself and was caught, and still dares to act angry. How disgusting!" Not knowing where the courage came from, I immediately responded: "Whoever steals, that person knows!" "You!" She whispered a word and left the house. The house was momentarily quiet. I held the phone, calculated the time, and determined they were gone. I immediately got out of bed and pulled out my suitcase. After tearing off the corner of my only family photo, I took the thousand yuan I had just borrowed from my homeroom teacher and went to the high-speed train station. The admission notice was pressed against my chest. The teacher's words kept ringing in my ears: "Vuong Nguyet, you can't decide your background, but you can change the rest of your life. I believe in you."The moment the train roared. I know I am free. 4The National Defense University is located in the Northwest region, and it takes more than ten hours to get there by train. I slept along the way. All around were the sounds of breathing, snoring and the roar of the train, both near and far. But I slept extremely well. There were no nightmares, no voices urging me to make breakfast as if demanding my life, no one forcing me to bow my head and admit that I was a thief. That night I borrowed money from my homeroom teacher. He helped me find a job in the alley behind the National Defense University. It's a coffee shop, the owner is a former student of the teacher. Food included, accommodation included, and in charge of looking after the store, one thousand eight hundred yuan a month. The shop owner was also very honest. When he called, he said directly: "The salary is not high, but the time is free. When I'm not busy, I can read books. When I enter school, I can work three shifts with other students." Hearing that, I hastily agreed: "Okay, that's very good. Don't worry, I will definitely work hard." Thus, during the four years of university, tuition, other expenses and living expenses are all exempted. I also have income from a part-time job. No need to spend money, every penny earned is mine. I don't need to advance someone's electricity, water, or gas bills, and then a few months go by, that money

Just like that, no one mentioned it anymore. There's no need to help someone in an emergency or pay for piano lessons. The New Year's Eve money that had been diligently accumulated over the years was immediately wiped out. In the end, when I repeated it, I only received one sentence: "Every year, Mom pays your tuition and exam fees, takes a little money from you, and you still calculate the details with me!" "Besides, your sister is not an outsider. You are your biological sister, it is only natural that you sponsor her for piano lessons." Vuong Lam's pocket money is ten times more than mine. Her money is used to compete, eat, drink and have fun, buy formal dresses and designer bags. Now that you've spent it all, using my money has become a matter of course. She didn't have money to spend, so stealing, stealing, and making me the scapegoat became a matter of course. Thinking back on those things, I am no longer heartbroken. If your heart hurts to the point of numbness, you won't feel it anymore. When I left, I deleted everyone, only the family chat group had not left. I want to check it out. How long did it take them to discover that their youngest daughter had suddenly disappeared? One day. Two days. Three days. I stayed at the coffee shop for a week, learned how to grind coffee powder, how to foam milk, and how hot water to use to make coffee. But in that family chat group, no one mentioned me even once.