Before I Went to School

: Zhaodi

Before I left for school, Mrs. Young brought my cousin to our house, acting high and mighty.

"What's the use of a girl going to school? You might as well just marry into my family. I'll give you a bride price of a full 20,000 dollars."

Everyone tried to convince my mom to marry me off, but she insisted on sending me to school.

I was away for five years, and my mom was ridiculed for all five of them.

They said my education would ultimately just benefit another family, and that after five years, I still hadn't turned into some golden phoenix.

Until I came to take my mom away.

During the New Year, I drove her back in a luxury car. My mom, dressed in designer brands and wearing a diamond ring the size of a pigeon's egg, was absolutely ecstatic.

"Isn't this diamond dazzling? My daughter bought it for me! Surely there isn't anyone who *doesn't* have a big diamond ring from their daughter? Surely not, right? Surely not?"

1

My mom's name is Jodie Shaw.

It was obvious she had always been the unloved child.

When my mom was a little girl, she was very pretty, well-behaved, and sweet.

As it happened, a couple who taught in the city wanted to adopt a daughter.

Mrs. Young and Mr. Young had originally planned to give my mom away. They could even get a good price for her.

But my mom was smart, even as a child. On the day she was supposed to be given away, she cried and screamed nonstop.

The couple couldn't console her, and growing tired of the fuss, they sent her right back.

Gritting their teeth, Mr. Young and Mrs. Young had to return a duck and 20 dollars.

"You worthless girl! You're just not fated for a good life!"

Mr. Young was seething with rage.

My mom later told me that Mr. Young had been ready to strangle her to death.

But then Mrs. Young got pregnant again.

Mr. Young said, "Don't give her away just yet. She can help take care of Timothy."

That's right, Timothy Young.

Before my Uncle Young was even born, Mr. and Mrs. Young had already asked the most educated person in the village to pick out a name for him.

They pinned all their hopes on this unborn son.

And that's how my mom survived.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Young's second pregnancy resulted in another girl.

After some further trouble, Mr. and Mrs. Young gave away my other two aunts.

Finally, four years later, Mrs. Young gave birth to my Uncle Young.

And so my mom, at a very young age, had to shoulder the burdens of the entire family.

Her first and foremost duty was to take good care of my Uncle Young.

Not only that, but she also had to work in the fields to lighten the load for Mr. and Mrs. Young.

She also had to help Mr. and Mrs. Young with their business making fried dough twists.

Because of all this, my mom had to drop out before even finishing elementary school to work on the farm.

Later, when the fried dough twist business was no longer sustainable, Mr. and Mrs. Young opened a small shop out of their home.

My mom, once again, could only stay home and help.

She had no real education; the extent of her 'higher learning' was making change at the family shop.

But my Uncle Young was different.

He was the apple of Mr. and Mrs. Young's eye. They would have given him the moon if he'd asked for it.

Mr. and Mrs. Young even had to beg him to go to school.

Although Uncle Young's grades were the worst in his class, he even had to repeat two grades in elementary school.

But Mrs. Young still believed that he was the family's great hope.

My mom was desperate to learn and would sometimes secretly look through Uncle Young's schoolbooks.

But Mrs. Young discovered her.

Mr. Young took a rope and hung my mom from the persimmon tree in the yard.

"Steal! That'll teach you to steal! How dare you touch your brother's things?!"

My mom cried until she fainted, pleading that she knew she was wrong.

Feeling she hadn't learned her lesson, Mr. and Mrs. Young left her tied up all night before finally taking her down.

My mom almost died that night.

Life went on like this.

Mr. and Mrs. Young continued to play favorites, but my mom was already satisfied.

'At least I wasn't sold off,' she thought.