Chapter 3 — Mother and Twin Daughters

Mother favors my younger sister. In our entire household, whenever there was even a shred of delicious food, she would invariably hand it all over to her. She even forced me to go work at the market stall, and if I ever refused, displeasure and coldness would follow.

Every single word struck like a heavy, calculated blow straight to my face. I parted my lips, yet for a moment, absolute silence trapped my voice inside. I knew that what the child uttered was not entirely a fabrication. Our family was genuinely impoverished. She had indeed once come to the market stall to wipe down the wooden tables. And it was true that I could no longer lavish her with the unconditional, singular devotion of a traditional mother, casting everything else aside just to place the world at her feet. Yet she had ruthlessly stitched those fragmented truths together, transforming them into a venomous blade. The floating streams of comments before my eyes danced in a chaotic frenzy. Look at that, the older sister is starting her act. This is the exact feeling. Lying as a child means growing up to harm people. Mother, you had better abandon her right now, take the younger sister and leave while you still can! I clenched my fingers until my knuckles turned stark white. Suddenly, Keyu drew a notebook from her schoolbag.

This is my diary.

She thrust the notebook forward. I glanced down; the pages were filled with clumsy, trembling handwriting. Mother does not like me. Mother only loves the younger sister. I want to return to father's home. Chen Jingxuan looked straight at me, his eyes overflowing with undisguised triumph.

Le, did you hear that? It is not that I am snatching the child away, but that the child herself rejects you.

Weeping softly, the girl turned and walked in his direction. Xinghe abruptly raised her head, her complexion pale to a frightening degree. I stretched out my hand, but failed to hold Keyu back. The child went and stood right beside Chen Jingxuan. In that exact fraction of a second, my entire field of vision bled into a glaring, blinding crimson.

I did not collapse right there on the spot. It was not because I felt no pain. It was simply because Xinghe was still standing right beside me. The little girl's hands were clenched so tightly that her fingernails were practically digging deep into her flesh. She gazed at Keyu, then turned to look at me, her expression fraught with a desperate terror, as if she feared I might suddenly turn my back on her eldest sister and, in doing so, abandon her as well. I drew a deep, shuddering breath and spoke up.

I would like to submit additional evidence.

Chen Jingxuan instantly knitted his brows.

What kind of petty tricks are you trying to pull now?

The mediator looked directly at me.

What evidence?

Before I could formulate a response, Xinghe suddenly raised her hand.

I have it.

Every single eye in the room shifted toward the young girl. From the very bottom of her schoolbag, Xinghe extracted a small, battered voice recorder. It was the cheap little device I routinely used to tally our accounts at the market stall, its plastic exterior thoroughly scuffed and worn from daily use. I had searched everywhere for it over the past two days, never imagining she had quietly taken custody of it. Her voice remained remarkably small and timid.

Father and grandmother taught older sister how to lie.

Chen Jingxuan’s expression shifted violently. My mother-in-law shrieked at the top of her lungs, launching into a furious tirade:

You ungrateful little wretch, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?

Terrified, Xinghe trembled violently, yet she refused to retreat a single step. The mediator instructed an attendant to accept the recorder. Within moments, the grating voice of my mother-in-law echoed loudly through the quiet room.

Just keep telling your mother that she is biased, that she forces you to do heavy labor, and that she never lets you eat your fill. Keyu, you need to be clever about this. Your father now has a son to support; if you do not fight for yourself now, nothing in this world will ever belong to you.

Following that came the smooth, persuasive tones of Chen Jingxuan.

Your mother has no money, and following her will only lead to a life of hardship. If you want that gorgeous princess bedroom you have always dreamed of, just say exactly what father taught you to say. Pay no attention to the younger sister; she is not cut from the same cloth as us.

As the recording finally fell silent, an absolute stillness settled over the room. All the color drained entirely from Keyu's face. She stared at Chen Jingxuan, lingering traces of moisture still clinging to her cheeks, though her crying had abruptly ceased.

Father, did you not promise that as long as I spoke those words, you would bring both me and younger sister back home?

A flicker of stark impatience crossed Chen Jingxuan’s features.

What does a child know about these things? Grown-up matters are none of your concern, so stay out of it.

That single callous sentence carried far more weight and devastation than any scolding I could have ever delivered. Keyu stood frozen in place, as though she were finally awakening to the cruel realization that she had merely been a pawn, ruthlessly exploited for another's gain. With a sudden, desperate motion, she turned and sprinted back, hurling herself directly into my embrace.

Mother, I was wrong. I did not mean to abandon you. I only wanted father to love me, too.

My tears threatened to overflow. Yet, forcing myself to remain steady, I gripped her shoulders and gently urged her to stand upright.

Keyu, desiring a father's love is never a crime. But you cannot use that desire to inflict wounds upon your mother, nor can you cast your younger sister aside to achieve it.

Weeping softly, the child nodded her understanding.

I will never dare do it again.

It is not a matter of daring or not daring; it is something you must never do at all.

By the end of the proceedings, the outcome of the dispute was no longer subject to debate. Both children would continue to reside with me, while Chen Jingxuan was legally mandated to remit monthly alimony. Furthermore, he was ordered to clear all previous financial arrears in full. As we stepped out of the courthouse, Chen Jingxuan’s expression was thunderous and profoundly ugly. Passing by Xinghe, he dropped his voice into a venomous whisper:

So young and already resorting to secret recordings—you are just as sly and insidious as your mother.

Before I could open my mouth to hurl a furious retort back at him, Keyu lunged forward, physically placing herself between him and Xinghe.

You are not allowed to speak to my sister that way!

Chen Jingxuan let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

Just a moment ago, you were crying and declaring that you wanted to come live with me.

Though Keyu's eyes were swollen as large as walnuts from relentless weeping, she stiffened her neck defiantly.

I do not want to anymore.

This marked the very first time Keyu had ever stepped forward to shield Xinghe from harm. Once we safely returned home, I did not let the matter slide with gentle platitudes. Instead, I instructed Keyu to meticulously tear out every single fabricated page of that deceitful diary, one by one, before sitting down to write anew. Not to draft a punishment or a letter of contrition, but simply to record the unvarnished truth.