Chapter 1 — Three Thousand Miles Away From Family

To congratulate my twin sister and I on finishing our university exams, the whole family decided to go to Europe for a graduation trip. At the airport check-in counter, my dad took my passport and plane ticket, but not mine. His eyebrows furrowed tightly into the shape of a cross. He searched for a long time before suddenly remembering and patting his forehead hard. "Oh, when I asked the secretary to book the plane ticket, it seems that dad forgot to tell me your name." His sister immediately pulled the sleeve of her childhood friend, her eyes quickly filled with tears. "I'm sorry, it's because I urged dad too quickly. Or I won't go anymore." To Vien shielded him from behind, his eyes looking at me with boredom. hate without hiding it. "What does it have to do with An An? If you can't go, that's fine. Isn't it normal for you to stay at home?" Mom walked over and conveniently took the specially designed travel bag from my hand and gave it to my sister. "Tich Nguyet, don't be angry with dad. Or go home first, next time we will definitely take you with us." She didn't even ask how I was carrying such heavy luggage. I watched their backs hurriedly walk towards the security checkpoint, for the first time without shedding a tear. "Yes, I'm not going anymore. Wishing everyone a safe journey." They flew to Paris, and I turned around and went into the terminal for domestic flights next door. In the bag was an admission notice that no one had ever seen. Actually, the school where I passed the exam was a military and defense academy three thousand miles from home. Three thousand miles, just far enough. … On the day I filled out my application, I didn't tell anyone. The political verification form needed a parent's signature. I chose my dad's busiest afternoon to give it to him. At that time, he was sitting in front of the computer processing the tuition bill for An An's aptitude test preparation class. He picked up the pen to sign his name without even looking at the title. The health check and interview were held in the provincial capital. I told my family that I was going to a classmate's house to stay for two days. No one asked which friend it was. When my phone screen lit up, I was sitting on a hard plastic chair in the domestic departure hall, taking the last bite of bread. In the chat group "Dear family" a photo appeared. An An held the champagne-colored boarding pass and held up two fingers to pose for the camera. To Vien hugged his shoulder and smiled brightly. Right after that was a voice message from her mother: "An An's first time sitting in business class, she couldn't help but be happy." Dad sent a thumbs up symbol. Four people, no one mentioned me, no one asked if I had come home or not. Only An An sent me a private message, with a smiley face added at the end of the sentence. "Sister, I'm drying a new dress on the balcony. When you get home, please put it away for me, don't let it get wet in the rain." My finger stopped above the message input box for a moment. "Okay." After sending this word, I pulled up to review the conversation with An An. In the conversation history of the past three years, the words he's said to me can only be divided into three categories: Helping me get delivery, helping me submit my homework, helping me tell my parents that I'll be home late. Each sentence begins with the words "help me". The loudspeaker rang out announcing the start of the flight to Van Thanh. I listen to the name of that place. That is where the National Defense Science and Technology University is located. The admission notice is kept in a waterproof bag in the deepest compartment of the backpack, placed with the household registration transfer paper. The day the admission notice was sent to the house, Dad was busy organizing a party to congratulate An An on being accepted into To Thanh University. The living room was filled with balloons, and on the cake was written the words "Wishing An An a bright future". The delivery staff rang the bell three times, and I ran down to sign for it myself.

When I returned, everyone around the table was clinking glasses of juice. Mom glanced at me. "Did you pass the exam too? Which school?" When I said the name of the school, no one at the table reacted. An An tilted her head and asked: "Where is it? I've never heard of it." To Vien has been An An's boyfriend since high school, and the two families have had a close relationship for many generations. Since he was young, he ate at our house more often than at his own house, and he was never polite when talking. He snorted. "Probably some third-rate university. With Tich Nguyet's achievements, it's good that a school accepts her." He gave the first piece of cake he just cut to An An, then turned to look at me. "Oh right, Tich Nguyet, is your school's tuition expensive? If it's expensive, tell your aunt and uncle. An An still has to spend money to prepare for the aptitude test, don't put too much of a burden on the family." Dad put down his chopsticks, his voice revealing. looking tired. "Okay, after all, raising one child is raising, raising two children is also raising. Don't make your brother unhappy." No one asked more, no one looked up, and no one knew what those six words meant. University of National Defense Science and Technology. The highest school in the whole army, early enrollment, only twelve people in the whole province. That day, I stood in the corner of the living room holding a cup of warm water, watching An An open her gifts until the wrapping paper was thrown all over the ground. From beginning to end, no one asked me to sit down and eat a piece of cake. There was a line in front of the boarding gate. I turned off the notification of the "Dear Family" chat group, pulled the old suitcase until the zipper was rusty, and stood up. In the international departure area, the four of them were flying to Paris. At the domestic departure area, I went to Van Thanh alone. Two opposite directions. From today, life is the same. When scanning my boarding pass, the staff looked at my personal information, and the finger gliding across the screen suddenly stopped. She raised her head and looked at me again. "You are a student enrolling at the University of National Defense Science and Technology, right?" I nodded. A sincere smile appeared on her face. "Very good. Wishing you a bright future." Open future. Still the same four words. This is the first time someone told me. After the plane took off, I leaned against the window and closed my eyes. Things that happened a long time ago kept flashing in my head. An An and I are twins, but since we were young, no one has ever mistaken us. He resembles his mother, has round eyes, likes to laugh, has a sweet tongue, and is loved by others wherever he goes. I look like my father, my face is cold, I don't speak much, and whenever relatives gather, I cower in the corner. When we were kids, our neighbor aunt often teased us, saying An An was like a candy, and I was like a pill. After listening, my mother just smiled and nodded, never speaking out to refute on my behalf. Three years ago, An An and I were both placed in the key class in the class placement exam. The homeroom teacher called home to tell the good news. Her mother's voice echoed throughout the living room, so loud that the whole floor could hear it. "An An is so good, I'm taking you out to eat steak this weekend." After hanging up the phone, she walked past my room, her steps stopping. "Tich Nguyet, are you also in the key class?" I raised my head from the exercise book, the hand holding the pen gently clenched my fist. "Yes." She said "oh" once, as if she was just saying "oh" confirmed something that was not worth worrying about. "That's just fine, normally you should help An An study more math. She's studying in the wrong subject." From then on, three evenings a week I sat in An An's room and taught functions and derivatives to her. An An was lying on the table yawning, her phone hidden under the textbook to watch short videos. I had just finished giving a lecture, but he didn't even look up. "Okay sister, I'm sleepy. Sister

Go home." The final exam results were announced, I ranked third in the whole grade, An An ranked one hundred and twenty. The score sheet in my mother's hand was crumpled until it was wrinkled, her knuckles were so hard they turned white. She stared at me. "What kind of teaching are you doing? He's dropped twenty places." I opened my mouth, but couldn't say a word. An An stuck her head out of the room, her eyes filled with tears. "Mom, I can't blame you, it's because I'm stupid." Mom immediately hugged An An, gently caressed her back with her hand, turned around and threw me a sentence: "From now on, you don't need to teach anymore, I'll sign up for a private teacher for An An." One-on-one teaching, four hundred yuan per lesson. And my free effort for more than half a year was paid for. Math with one sentence: "You don't need to teach anymore." Starting from that semester, An An's overtime tuition doubled. Money in the house became tight. One day during dinner, my father put down his chopsticks and looked at me. "Tich Nguyet, you don't need to study for your advanced English class on the weekend. The tuition is not cheap, you can read the books yourself." I said okay. That same weekend, An An's dance class, piano class and private class did not stop for a single session. In the eleventh grade, the school selected students to participate in the physics competition, the homeroom teacher came to me. "Giang Tich Nguyet, your physics performance is the most stable in the whole grade, the school wants to nominate you to participate in the provincial competition."The registration fee plus the training fee totaled two thousand eight hundred. When I returned home that day, I stood at the door changing my shoes for a long time. Finally, I pushed open the living room door and walked in. Dad sat on the sofa watching An An's dance video, and Mom was stewing bird's nest in the kitchen. I stood at the kitchen table, put the registration form on the table, and said the amount of money. "Two thousand eight hundred yuan? What does a girl or child do when participating in a physics exam? It can't be used as rice." Mom walked out with a bowl of stew and glanced at the paper. "That's right, next year An An still has to spend money studying for her art exam. You also have to sympathize with your family." The registration form lay on the table all night. The next morning, I put it away, folded it neatly into four and put it in my diary. After that, I worked for three more months at a milk tea shop next to the school. Every day after school, I washed cups and mopped the floor until ten o'clock at night. I collected the registration money penny by penny. The day I won first prize in the provincial competition, I stood in front of the school gate holding the certificate and saw my father's car parked on the opposite side. Tim I jumped slightly, thinking he was coming to pick me up. The car door opened, An An jumped out, holding the tablet he had just bought in his hand. "Dad, thank you. I will definitely try to learn to draw." Dad smiled, patted his head and started the car, not even looking at me once. The first prize in the contest could help me reduce my admission score under the self-directed admission program. But I didn't use it. Because my official test score was enough. Enough to enter the school whose name they were too lazy to look up. The air conditioner in the plane's cabin was a bit cold, so I pulled my uniform jacket tightly on me. In my pocket was a transfer paper. The police station's password and seal were stamped neatly and squarely. From today on, I no longer have any relationship with that house. When I landed in Van Thanh, my phone rang. It was a private message from An An. "Sister, have you put your dress away?" After the plane landed, the message was sent two hours ago. I didn't answer quietly, put it in the side compartment of my backpack and followed the flow of people out of the arrival hall. August in Van Thanh was both hot and muggy, the air was sticky.