Chapter 2

2

I hand the bowl to my grandmother, and she grabs it roughly.

"Cheap trash, you only learn when you are beaten! If you dare to slack off again, I will deal with you properly!"

She carefully pours the soup into a bowl and turns to me with a glare.

"Go call your parents and your brother to eat!"

I obey.

My father and mother are working in the fields, and my younger brother is playing with the other village kids.

"Dad, Mom, Tyler! Grandma says it is time to eat!"

Back home, I serve the rice and scrub the table clean, waiting for the soup to be served.

"Why is this brat so diligent today? Doing chores without being asked?"

My mother glances at me, confused.

"She likely provoked me today and is trying to suck up to us!"

My grandmother points a crooked finger at me.

"She insisted that the ginseng the shaman gave me was poison and wanted to throw it away! Such a waste. You really gave birth to a drain on our resources!"

My grandmother's taunts make my mother's expression sour.

She slams the table and yells at me.

"Get out and stand by the door! You are not eating tonight!"

I stand up silently and walk out.

I offer no explanation and no plea for mercy.

I know that because of my birth, she has been mistreated by my grandmother for years.

My grandmother even once suggested my father should find another wife because my mother only gave birth to a daughter.

Only after Tyler was born did her life become easier.

Thus, she treats my brother like a diamond and me like dirt.

If child abandonment were not a crime, she would have tossed me into the river years ago.

"Enough, just eat! Why are you arguing?"

My father, the only adult male in the house, has absolute authority.

When he speaks, no one dares to challenge him.

"Fine, fine. Forget the brat. This is high-quality ginseng. Son, drink it while it is hot to get your strength up."

My grandmother serves my father a large bowl and turns to my brother with a doting smile.

"Our little treasure gets some too. Grandma boiled this just for you. Drink up so you can grow up big and strong!"

I stand outside, watching the happy family through the window. My heart remains calm.

The trauma of my previous life has destroyed any hope I once had for family affection.

After dinner, they all go to sleep, leaving me to clean the kitchen on an empty stomach.

As I finish and head to my room, I hear a strange sound coming from my brother's room.

It is faint, and if the house weren't so quiet, I would have missed it.

I glance at his room with cold indifference and go to sleep in my own bed.

They brought this upon themselves.

I will never be soft-hearted again!