Please Like Her 05 – Stealing radishes, oh, stealing radishes
Actually, for Xiao Mi, this kind of thing has happened countless times.
When her grandma is in a bad mood, her grandma would blame her, saying that the problems in the family are all because of her. Her grandma would call her an unlucky star who brings bad luck to her parents and family. Her grandma even says that one day she might even bring bad luck to her grandma.
At times like these, her little brother would go to their grandma and comfort their grandma, saying, “Xiao Li will protect Grandma.”
It’s just like what happened earlier, clearly young but hypocritical to the point of disgust.
But Xiao Mi doesn’t believe those words.
In her memory, even though her parents worked away from home year-round, they never missed her birthday or important holidays.
Her Dad would take out a beautiful Barbie doll from a snakeskin pocket on his clothes, as if it were a treasure, and say, “Just like our daughter, both are little princesses.”
Besides that, there would be nice new clothes and delicious snacks.
While her Dad and Mom would always wear the same patched clothes.
Although she lived in the impoverished lower village, even the children from the upper village envied her.
Grandpa and grandma would complain a bit at the time, saying her parents were too wasteful with money, but her Dad would happily say, “We’re saving all our wages, not a penny spent in vain!”
Because the money to buy her gifts was earned by her Dad working an extra job after working long hours at the construction site every day.
Her Mom would change her into beautiful clothes, comb her hair gently, and tell her, “Dad and Mom are working hard outside, Xiao Mi needs to behave at home. When Dad and Mom earn a little more money, Xiao Mi can come to the city to live with us and go to school.”
Later, her Mom got pregnant, and her parents had a heated argument with her grandparents.
Grandpa and grandma really wanted a grandson and were overjoyed when they found out her Mom was pregnant again. How could her parents even think about not having the child?
But her parents were not very willing.
“Our family is so poor. Having a second child means he’ll have to suffer with us.”
“We were supposed to take Xiao Mi to the city to study next year. If this child is born, all the hard-earned savings will be gone.”
Then her grandparents cried and shouted, “You want to abort this child that’s already in your womb? This is killing! Tigers don’t eat their own cubs. How can you bear to kill your own child?”
Her parents looked conflicted.
At this moment, Xiao Mi summoned the courage to walk out of the room.
She reached out and touched her mother’s belly, saying, “Mom, please give birth to a little brother or sister. Xiao Mi will help take care of them with Grandpa and Grandma. It’s okay to go to the city later.”
She didn’t want her family to argue.
So later, the child was born, and she had a little brother.
But for some reason, her grandparents, who had been fairly nice to her before, suddenly seemed like completely different people. They revolved around her little brother all day long, almost as if they couldn’t see her existence.
Xiao Mi felt a bit lost.
But it was okay because at times like these, her Mom would hold her hand and tell Xiao Mi that she was always her Mom’s favorite child.
After giving birth to her little brother, her Mom stayed in the village for more than a year, which was the happiest time for Xiao Mi.
She could be with her Mom every day, and her Dad came back more often than before. Even though they ate meat less frequently, she still felt very happy.
Until her little brother was weaned, and her Dad came back again, this time to take her Mom away, to continue working in the city.
At this moment, she was also at the age to start elementary school.
Her Dad and Mom had completed the enrollment procedures for her at the village school, feeling a bit guilty as they touched her face. “Xiao Mi, you have to wait for Mom and Dad for two more years.”
Before leaving, her Dad and Mom were going to the town to buy her a beautiful school bag. Her Mom reminded her, “The children in the city are very good at studying, so Xiao Mi, you have to study hard in the village, strive to be the top student, or else you won’t be able to keep up with the other kids when you go to the city with Mom and Dad.”
Xiao Mi nodded obediently. “I will definitely get the first place.”
Her Dad asked her again, “Do you want to come with us? Choose your own new school bag.”
But at that time, Xiaomi waved the new textbooks she had received in advance. Even though she couldn’t read, seeing the illustrations in the textbooks made her very happy. She said, “It’s okay for Mom and Dad to choose. Xiao Mi wants to start learning in advance! That way, I can get the first place in the future!”
Xiao Mi later regretted it.
If she had agreed to go with her Dad and Mom at that time, maybe everything would have remained in the happiest moment forever.
But later, she heard from the villagers that during the car accident, her Dad sacrificed himself to protect her Mom and died on the spot. In his hand, he held tightly the only family photo of the three of them. Her Mom, on the other hand, was rushed to the hospital and died after several hours of rescue. On the way to the hospital, she only said one sentence.
“It’s a good thing… it’s a good thing that my Xiao Mi didn’t come.”
At that moment, she felt ashamed of her selfish thoughts once again.
Because she had been loved and because she always remembered that love, Xiao Mi knew that none of this was her fault.
Her grandma’s blame was just an inability to bear the pain, a need to find someone to blame, and she was the chosen one.
Children her age were the same. Some even threw stones at her and laughed, saying, “My grandpa says you’re a disaster, stay away from me!”
Even the smartest and most sensible child would have a moment of self-doubt in the face of countless accusations, but after regaining their composure, they would wipe away their tears and continue to study hard with determination.
She had to study hard, she had to always be the best, she had to get into college, to live up to her parents’ love and expectations.
This was the first time someone other than herself had told her that none of this was her fault.
The hand on her ear was warm, and it simultaneously revived her heart that had been accused countless times and had turned cold.
Xiao Mi held onto Shang Lu’s hand and at this moment, she no longer felt the same hysterical anger as before. She just shook her head and told Shang Lu, “I’m fine.”
Only then did Shang Lu slowly release her hand. Despite the pain in her knee, she stood up and helped Xiao Mi up from the ground.
It was Grandpa Qi who finally intervened, and Grandma Qi stopped scolding, but she still muttered under her breath, “This family is cursed to have such a child!”
Shang Lu still held Xiaomi’s hand and said directly, “Since you dislike Xiao <i so much, then let this child go with me.”
Grandma Qi was stunned, not expecting Shang Lu to say such a thing. Naturally, she refused, “No matter how unlucky she is, she shares the blood of my son. How can she leave with a stranger like you?”
Grandpa Qi was a smarter person. He gently pulled his wife and signaled her not to speak. He wore an expression of helplessness and said, “Are you joking? We’ve raised this child for so many years, and we’ve spent a lot of money on her. It’s not easy to raise her to this age. Now that we’re old and the young one is too young, what are we going to do in the future?”
He might as well have written ‘we want money’ on his face.
[Let me translate for everyone. We’ve spent a lot of money raising her all these years. We’re counting on her to take care of us in our old age. You can’t ignore us.]
[Before, I thought this grandpa was reasonable, but now it seems he’s even scarier than the grandma… This kind of person who smiles on the surface but is calculating inside, it feels terrifying to me.]
[He must see Shang Lu as a famous star who is rich. Giving Xiao Mi to her might earn more money than getting Xiao Mi married. He wears his intentions on his face.]
The plot points always make me glad that my country has child protective services that can be called in that situation.
Same, man, same. And at the very least, most people, even in the countryside, would understand the importance of letting even daughters get educated for free up to the university.
No words.
What a bunch of devils 🤮