My parents have always favored my younger brother. They used all the money I sent them for their retirement to subsidize my younger brother.

That was not enough. They even planned to marry me to a divorced old man for 660 thousand dollars.

Because of this, I had a falling out with my family and stopped giving them any money.

Unexpectedly, my father had an accident and died while working on a construction site. Everyone blamed me for causing my father's death.

***

This year, my mother called me early to ask if I had booked a train ticket to go home for Christmas.

I felt a warm feeling in my heart. After drifting away from home for so many years, I still missed my family.

But at this point was the one earning the most in the family. My parents still relied on me for their retirement, so I couldn't afford to take a break.

I was 29 years old this year, and my younger brother was one year younger than me. My parents couldn't wait to have a second child after giving birth to me.

My younger brother and I grew up together. When we were young, I was always bothered by my parents' favoritism. But later, they sent me to high school and university, while my younger brother didn't even finish high school. So I stopped caring about the favoritism in terms of material things.

My parents were urging me to get married in the past two years, but at this time, they were focused on my nephew, because my sister-in-law had given birth to a second child, and they no longer urged me.

My parents worked hard and exhausted themselves in the earlier years, and they hadn't been working for the past two years. I felt sorry for them, so I sent them three thousand dollars for living expenses every month.

I hurriedly returned home on Christmas' Eve, and my mother and sister-in-law had already prepared a table full of dishes. The whole family was waiting for me to have dinner.

My nephew and niece cheered and asked me for gifts. They didn't wash their hands and started eating until they got the gifts they were satisfied with.

Love Actually was playing on the TV, and the whole family gathered around the table. This warm scene cannot be felt by those who were struggling outside.

In order to earn more money, I had been working two jobs every day. During holidays, I had to find part-time jobs for more money. I was already physically and mentally exhausted.

At the dinner table, I was thinking about telling my family that I wouldn't go to another city for work next year. My parents would be able to receive their pension in two years, and then I could find a job in our city and live a stable life.

Everyone had drinks, and the atmosphere at the table was just nice. I was about to speak, but my sister-in-law's words stopped me.

"Mandy, you don't usually come home, and there's something I don't know if I should say during the Christmas.

"As a family, there's nothing that shouldn't be said. Just say it, Agnes." I didn't think too much about it.

"Here's the thing. Prices have been rising rapidly in recent years, and your parents are getting old and sick. You are rarely at home, so it's me and Michael who take them to the hospital. It really costs a lot.

I didn't want to ask, but Michael also felt embarrassed to say it," Agnes looked hesitant, "so I'll get to the point. The monthly allowance of three thousand dollars is a bit too little."

I was a bit surprised. I considered myself generous to my family. I rented a house and ate outside, which didn't exceed three thousand dollars a month.

My parents lived at home and didn't have to pay rent. They usually cooked themselves. What high expenses could there be? If they really went to the hospital, why didn't I know about it?

"Have they been hospitalized recently? Why didn't you tell me? I bought insurance for them, and most of the hospitalization expenses can be reimbursed," I said to my parents.

My mother had been silent tonight, wanting to say something in response, but my sister-in-law interrupted, "It's not a serious illness. They have some minor health problems at this age, and it's been a hassle for me and Michael to take care of them."

"Agnes, how much do you need?" I hesitated to ask.

"To be honest, it should be at least five thousand dollars a month. Everything is so expensive now, and it's not cheap to cook nutritious meals at home." My sister-in-law nudged her husband with and said, "Right, Michael?"

"Right." My brother lowered his head, ate his rice, and replied softly.

It was then that I noticed that except for my sister-in-law, everyone was a bit silent today.

I was a bit hesitant and did not directly agree with my sister-in-law. On the one hand, I thought the family's expenses were not high, and there shouldn't be so much spending at home. On the other hand, I needed to have some savings in my hands to feel at ease.

If my parents' living expenses increased by two thousand, then I couldn't save any money even if I worked two jobs every day.

"It's inappropriate to talk about it at table. Let's eat first and talk about it later," my father said, trying to smooth things over with his wine glass, but I knew it was not that easy to let this matter go.

After dinner, my mother cleaned up the storage room for me. I rarely came home, and my original room had been given to my nephew.

Fortunately, there was a small room specifically for storing miscellaneous items in the house. My mother cleaned it up very neatly, and I usually stayed here when I came back.

After making the bed, my mother didn't go back to sleep. Instead, she sat on the edge of the bed, hesitated, and looked at me.

"Mandy, have you been tired all these years outside?"

My mother had asked me this before, and I never said I was tired in order to reassure them. But at this point, I suddenly felt a bit aggrieved.

"Yes, mom. I originally planned to come back next year and find a stable job at home. I don't care about the salary, as long as I'm not starving."

I still spoke my true feelings, but in our small town, I was afraid I couldn't even guarantee a monthly income of three thousand dollars if I came back.

My mother patted my hand and said, "It's okay to be tired. Don't take Agnes' words to heart. Your dad and I can still do odd jobs to support ourselves."

"Why are you still working? Is three thousand dollars really not enough for you?"

I was worried when I heard that they were still working. My parents had always been frugal. How could three thousand dollars not be enough? If there was really a major event like hospitalization, my sister-in-law would have told me earlier. My parents were also unable to handle such matters.

Even the annual medical insurance and pension insurance were bought by me. I really couldn't think of any major expenses. Where did the money go?

I wanted to ask more, but when my mother saw that I wanted to dig deeper, she quickly waved her hand and said, "That's not true. We're not working anymore. Go to sleep, my dear."

It was too late, and I couldn't keep asking my mother. I probably won't be able to get much information from her. If I wanted to know the real situation, I had to ask the relatives at home.

After coming a long way and staying up late for the Christmas Eve, I was really tired. When I was about to fall asleep in bed, I faintly heard an argument coming from my brother's room. The two rooms were far apart, so I didn't hear clearly and fell asleep.

I slept until noon on Christmas. When I woke up, I went straight to have lunch. At the dining table, my sister-in-law didn't mention anything about money, but both my brother and sister-in-law didn't look good.

After eating, I made an excuse that I was too tired and went back to my room without even cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks.

"Look, she even doesn't help with the dishes..."

I heard my sister-in-law complaining softly behind the door, but I didn't pay attention. Every time I came home in previous years, I was busy with housework, and she didn't say anything nice to me.

After thinking about it, the only person I could ask for information was one of my cousins. She just graduated from university and had such a lively and cheerful personality that everyone liked her. She was one of the few relatives I had been in contact with.

Although she didn't come home often, she couldn't resist gossip and love to inquire, so she was well-informed.

[Shirley, can I ask you something?]

[Mandy, just ask. I am the information station of our Village. Nothing can escape my eyes.]

I couldn't help but smile, as if I saw my cousin's proud look. She was indeed likable, much better than my dull personality.

[It's nothing serious. I give my parents a monthly living allowance of three thousand dollars. But this time when I came back, Agnes keeps saying that the money is not enough, and my mom doesn't seem to have any money in her hands. Can you secretly ask your mother if my mother has been sick recently? Is she hiding it from me not to worry me?] I edited the message and sent it on WhatsApp.

[Ah, you give so much every month. Doesn't your younger brother give anything?]

[My younger brother just got married and has more expenses. As his older sister, I have to take care of our home more.]

[Okay, leave it to me. I will definitely find out what your family has been up to in the past two years and tell you when we meet.]

[Thank you.]

I was planning to talk to her tomorrow, but my cousin called me in less than half an hour.

"Mandy, let me tell you, I can't wait until tomorrow. Do you know that none of the living expenses you sent has spent on your parents? Agnes has taken it all.

Your parents have never been to the hospital, and they are in good health. Your father even went to do odd jobs.

Your brother still doesn't have a decent job or work hard...

How can they be like this? It's not easy for a girl like you working outside..."

My cousin kept talking for a long time. Most of it was about my parents favoring my brother and my brother's lack of ambition. I couldn't listen anymore.

"You have to take care of your younger brother. He is still young."

"We supported you to go to college, but your brother didn't even go to high school. You have to take care of him in the future."

"When your brother gets married, let him have this house."

…

From childhood to adulthood, I had listened to my parents' words. For more than 20 years, I had been accommodating and protecting him, not because I liked him very much, but because I was grateful for my parents' upbringing and I was willing to do it.

I didn't expect that my younger brother, who was in his late twenties and a father of two, couldn't even support his own family without buying a car or a house.

My younger brother wasn't even responsible for our parents' expenses, but they all thought what I did was never enough. How much should I offer?

I had tried my best to take care of the whole family. Should I have to exhaust myself?

After hanging up the phone, I hid in my room and cried for the whole afternoon. Even when my mother asked me to come out and eat fruit, I didn't go out. I just made an excuse of being too tired and continued hiding in my room.