Chapter 4 — I Give My Mother a Fever Reducing Drink During Pregnancy

6

Healing is like a bottomless pit, no matter how much money you pour in, you can't fill it. The doctor said very clearly: cerebral palsy can only be improved, it cannot be cured. But how much improvement there is, even doctors cannot guarantee. My father and grandmother seemed to have accepted their fate. My mother was still unwilling, always insisting that my sister could definitely be cured. I knew my chance had come, so I immediately started to act obedient and please my grandmother.

“Grandma, I picked up some firewood, let me boil some water for you, so your hands won't get cold while washing clothes.”

“Grandma, when I grow up, let me wash all the clothes in the house, you just need to rest.”

"Grandma, the chicks have been fed and the piglet's cage has been cleaned. Let me help you look after my sister."

But my mother was not happy when she saw me hanging around my grandmother to please her. After hearing what I said, she immediately screamed shrilly:

"You evil-minded comet! Who let you touch your brother? Get out of here! Damn you, stay away from my son!"

I don't mind being scolded or beaten. I just glanced at my grandmother, my eyes were timid, then continued to help. If you can help then help, if you can't help then try to help. At first, my grandmother scolded me, but with someone working to help, she became more at ease, and was even happier to send me around like a horse. The number of times I was beaten was noticeably less. My mother looked at me with increasing dislike. She couldn't stand the fact that I was pleasing my grandmother, and still resented the fact that I didn't give her medicine. But she knew very well that the medicine was taken by her grandmother, and she didn't dare blame me, so she kept finding other ways to torture me. As the days went by, my younger brother - a child who neither cried nor smiled - became a tragedy that the whole family did not want to talk about but had to face every day. Especially every time I see children of the same age in the village running around, jumping into the arms of adults and cooing. My mother had a gloomy face all day, and occasionally she was scolded by her grandmother. Grandma still remembers about medicine, so she doesn't hit her anymore these days, but my dad is different. Working as a construction worker all day was tiring, coming home and having to see unpleasant scenes, his temper became more and more irritable, and then he vented all his anger on my mother. I heard many times, my father beat my mother and scolded her for her craving for food. Just a few steps away, she had to brave the rain to go to the village to wait for her husband. If it weren't for that, his son wouldn't be so bad. That's right, my father is a filial son, how can he dare blame his grandmother? In the village, people began to advise me to abandon my brother and give birth to another child. But you're so big, so white and chubby, how can you bear to throw it away? Furthermore, my mother's health was weak, she had to nurse her second child for ten years, and it was unknown when the third child would arrive. Someone dared to speak about it, my mother got angry once, and from then on no one dared to mention it again. Relatives also began to avoid my house, afraid of being borrowed.

7

At the same time, my outstanding academic achievements were gradually praised by the villagers in front of my parents. But of course, they didn't care at all.

"What's the point of a girl studying so much? Won't she eventually get married? When she knows how to work, let her drop out of school, and still dream of being happy at school?"

When I was eleven years old and in fourth grade, almost all the housework fell on my shoulders. Dad I couldn't bear to let my brother get involved in anything, so every few days I packed up and went to the city. I just hope my younger brother has a chance to improve, at least he can pass on the lineage. The money in the family just disappeared, and for the past two years my father has always carried a gloomy look. My mother also works for a company in the district, coming home in the morning and coming home in the evening, earning less than two million per month. But even so, both of our salaries combined weren't enough to cover a few hospital trips for my brother - it was literally a bottomless pit. It wasn't until my younger brother was four years old that he could walk, couldn't speak clearly, had bewildered eyes, always had snot running down his nose, and his chin was wet. The children in the village all called him "idiot", he didn't understand and could only laugh innocently along. As for me, in addition to studying and doing housework, I also bring home the little money I get from picking up bottles. Besides buying her a lollipop, I gave the rest to my grandmother. I studied very well, ranked first in every subject, was diligent, and treated my younger brother very well. I also know how to occasionally drop sentences like: "When I pass the university entrance exam, I will take you to see the best doctor, who will definitely cure you." – deliberately let grandma and dad hear. After hearing this, they were satisfied and immediately stopped thinking about forcing me to drop out of school. But I know that's not enough. In the second semester of fifth grade, based on my previous life's memories, I participated in the district-level elementary math competition and won first prize. The reward was six hundred dong, I gave it all to my grandmother, in return I was praised for the first time in my life.

“Well, Thu De, you have to try your best to study well, from now on your younger brother will depend on you!”

Of course I nodded vigorously, but how could I be sincere towards the person who contributed to turning my previous life into hell? I hate him, even though in this life he's just an idiot. My younger brother is actually very afraid of me. I didn't hit him, I didn't curse him, I just looked at him with cold, sharp eyes like a knife. He didn't want to be near me, but he missed the candy in my hand. Therefore, in front of me he is always obedient. My grandmother and father thought my relationship was good, and their view of me was no longer that of a "comet" like before. I told them: being valedictorian at the district level will get a reward, but passing the university entrance exam will get even more rewards - for the current house, that's a huge number. My grandmother was careful to ask people again and again. When he knew what I said was true, the way he looked at me was completely different. I know that in this life, she will never mention making me drop out of school again.

8

When I was in 6th grade, a smile began to appear on my father's face. He left the house a little groomed, and his whole body looked brighter. I coldly observed, calculated the time, it probably wouldn't be long before my family would be "happy" again. I started to pay attention to my mother - the person who was like water and fire to me. In this life, the positions between me and my mother in the house seem to have been reversed. Thanks to me, all the beatings I had to bear in my previous life now fell on her. Even though there were only two of us at home, I was never at a loss. Whenever my mother hit me, I would go crazy, run out, and make a fuss for the whole village to know. My father hated losing face, so after slapping me, my mother couldn't help but get angry contagious.

“You eat well every day and are free from work, so why do you always have to find trouble with her?!”

See, studying can still change some things. I was still waiting to see the good show, but I didn't expect it to happen to my mother first.