Chapter 2 — Fourteen Days of Vegetarian Dumplings

When we arrived at my grandfather's house, it was already dark. They had also been eating and drinking for a long time. Four people surrounded their grandfather, talking and laughing. When they saw me, everyone's talking suddenly disappeared for a moment. Mom frowned at me. “Why are you here now?” “Can't call a car.” "OH." She didn't ask me how I got there or why my shoes were so muddy. Whether the payment is enough or not, she doesn't care at all. She just said "oh" and then looked away, continuing to chat with her younger brother and sister. Dad came over and gave me a bowl of noodles. “Eat it, I purposely saved it for you.” A bowl of vegetarian noodles, sprinkled with a little bean sprouts on top. I saw their posts on social media. There are ten dishes, enough chicken, duck, fish, meat and seafood. I don't expect them to keep a portion of each dish for me. But I didn't expect that what they left for me was just a bowl of noodles. Grandpa suddenly looked at me and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. “How old is Lai Lai?” Dad's face looked a bit blank. Mom stopped for a moment and said nonchalantly: "You're seventeen years old, and next year you'll take the university entrance exam." Grandpa laughed. “Already a big girl.” "That's right, I'm about to get married. Soon I'll become a member of another family." Mother casually continued, as if this sentence had been repeated thousands of times in her heart. Dad looked at me and then turned around and shouted: "What are you talking about? Big sister is still here." Mom's face looked a bit embarrassed. “Isn't it okay to make a joke?” She looked at me, her eyes containing deeper calculations. "Eldest sister, my parents won't let me get married so early. My younger brother and sister are still young, after graduation I have to help the family for a few years." "After I go to college, my parents will give me living expenses, but I have to register for a state-sponsored pedagogical major. After graduating, my daughter became a very good teacher." Where is good? I don't need to say it. The good thing is that you don't have to pay tuition. The good thing is that when you say it out loud, it sounds glorious, helping them to flourish. The good thing is that I will obediently stay under their control and listen to them for the rest of my life. “I don't like being a teacher.” "Mom, come over here, there's a puppy here. I like it very much. My sister and I want to bring it home." My brother's voice rang out at the same time as mine. Mom stood up and said, "I'm coming," as if she had never heard what I said. The noodles have completely swelled. The chopsticks were stuck inside, like prey tied tightly by ropes. My lips moved, stubbornly saying again: "I don't like being a teacher." “Eldest sister, you must listen.” Dad left this sentence and then got up to see the puppy. More than half an hour later, five of us and one dog returned home. On the way home, dad bought the puppy a nest. Mom bought him food and teething bars. At night, the dog nest is placed in the living room. Because she was afraid she would panic on the first day, her sister even put a small nightlight next to it. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. The bathroom is full of puppy bathing supplies. In less than two hours, his belongings appeared everywhere in the house. To me, it's more like a member of this family. After taking a shower, I pushed the door open and walked out. As a result, I saw the puppy peeing on my school bag. Inside there is also a winning notice
eunuch. “Nguyen Bao, stay away.” I quickly walked over, lightly grabbed the back of its neck and pushed it aside. But in the next second, my younger brother who was watching TV next to me rushed over and pushed me down, his face full of disgust. “Why do you bully my dog?” I was stunned for a moment then crawled up from the ground. "I'm not bullying him. He urinated on my schoolbag, I'm just stopping him." “Your torn bag should have been replaced a long time ago, don't blame your dog.” He hated looking at the briefcase on the ground, used his foot to pick it up and throw it in the trash. Then he hugged the dog and turned around to go into the bedroom. A "bang" sounded. The sound of the door closing echoed three times throughout the house. It was like a slap to my face. I picked up my school bag from the trash, used a wet towel with alcohol to wipe it over and over again. A shadow fell over my head. "If you don't need to clean it anymore, just buy a new one." Mom took a casual look and gently sentenced the briefcase to death. I plan to leave in two days, I don't have time to buy anymore. I said nothing. She looked at me and suddenly took out an old fan. "Don't sleep in front of the door anymore, it won't be good if you make someone else stumble." The little emotion that had just risen in my heart immediately disappeared. “I know.” The next day, I went out early in the morning to get a bank card. In the afternoon, I went to a party with my classmates. After taking photos together, they gave me many small gifts. "Study God, when you come to Kinh City, don't forget us." "Our city's genius appears only once every ten years. You don't know how much the underclassmen admire you. Many people asked us to get your autograph." My face was a little red, and I even broke my rule to drink a little wine.