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"Why are you crying, kid? I didn't do anything to you. Were you scared? Don't cry. Petting your fur won't scare you. Petting your ears will scare you for a bit."
"Puff!" Olivia couldn't help but laugh at her mother's childish words. "Mom, how old am I? And you still say that."
"How old? No matter how old you are, you're still my daughter. You're thirteen and still call yourself old, but you're still a child. Does it hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm much better. I just got a fright. Mom, let's go home."
"Are you okay? I'll ask the doctor if there are any lasting effects."
"Mom, I'm really okay. I don't want to stay in the hospital."
"Okay, wait. I'll ask the doctor. I'll be back soon."
Mom returned shortly after leaving. The mother and daughter packed their things and headed home. The hospital was in the county, so they had to take a bus to get home. There was a bus that would take them home right around the time they were being discharged.
As the bus passed Olivia's former alma mater, No. 2 Middle School, and watching the students in physical education class, Olivia felt as if she were a lifetime away. In her previous life, Olivia left home at the age of fourteen to attend junior high school in the county. Olivia was bright. She started first grade at the age of seven and consistently ranked among the top students. When she moved on to junior high, she even took first place in the entire township. Because of her young age, her mother worried about her leaving home to study alone, so her original plan to send her to the county school was shelved. It wasn't until her second-semester final exam, when Olivia failed all three core subjects, that her mother reluctantly sent her to the city to attend junior high school, now known as No. 2 Middle School. There, she consistently excelled. In her next life, Olivia didn't want to waste that year again.
So, seemingly casually, she said to her mother, "Mom, that's No. 2 Middle School, right?"
"Yes, I heard it has a very high admission rate, and every year some students have the opportunity to go to high school in the city!"
"That's great! It's much better than ours. I wonder what our admission rate is like."
Hearing her daughter's words, her mother's heart skipped a beat. That's right, she'd ignored it until her daughter mentioned it. In the past few years, no one from her daughter's school has gotten into high school. Isn't that a waste of time?
"Xiaoxue, do you want to go to this school?"
"Yes, but I don't know anyone there, so I'm a little scared." Olivia said this because her mother had asked the same question before, and she had refused, claiming she had no playmates. She was afraid her mother would become suspicious if she changed her mind so quickly.
Her mother didn't suspect anything, but after a moment's silence, she said, "I'll ask your uncle. He mentioned wanting Lili to go to No. 2 Middle School before. I wonder if he still wants to go."
The uncle my mother mentioned was actually her cousin, and his daughter, Dong Lili, was only a few months younger than Olivia. So, Olivia had the honor of being the older cousin, while Dong Lili had to be the younger cousin. This made Dong Lili very unhappy. Furthermore, Olivia's aunt constantly compared Dong Lili and Olivia, comparing grades in school, jobs after graduation, and later marriages. This led to a love-hate relationship between Dong Lili and Olivia throughout their youth. Later, as they grew older and more mature, Dong Lili and Olivia became close friends who could talk about anything. Just two days before the incident, Dong Lili was still complaining, "It's all your fault. Why did you get married so young? I should have told your mom when you started dating. That way I'd have peace of mind now. I really don't want to go home. My mom nags me all the time, 'Look at Olivia this way, look at Olivia that way.' It's so annoying."
Hearing this, Olivia could only smile. How wonderful it would be to not be married. No chores, no gas, no electricity, no in-laws, no need to fend for others' faces. Marriage is like a siege: you want to get in, he wants to get out.
"Xiaoxue, Xiaoxue, what are you thinking about? Kid, we're almost home. Hurry, grab your bag and head for the door," her mother called Olivia back to her senses. Olivia and her mother joined the crowd as they got off the bus. After exiting, Olivia surveyed the place where she had grown up. It was still so shabby, yet so familiar. Her father was waiting for them at the intersection.
"Dad, why didn't you get out of bed?"
"I was just saying that. You scared me to death. Your mom got the notice yesterday and went to the county. I didn't know you were in the hospital until I got back. If your mom hadn't called, I would have gone there on my motorcycle. I wasn't careful."
"Okay, forget about her. The child was scared. Let's go home."
The family of three walked towards home. Their house was not the brick and tile house of a decade or so later, but three small mud houses. Sitting in the dimly lit room, Olivia felt a sense of home and peace. It was as if her heart had been floating for all these years, like a rootless duckweed.
After dinner, Mom mentioned the idea of going to school in the county to Dad. Dad remained silent for about five minutes. Just when Olivia was feeling uneasy, he spoke up, saying, "Okay, if you want to go, go ahead. Study hard and you'll have a bright future. Don't worry about family matters, just study hard."
Although the answer was the same, Olivia felt different. In her previous life, she had only been excited, but in this one, she felt pressure and moved. Olivia's family wasn't wealthy. Farmers in the 1990s didn't have much extra money in good years, and in less prosperous times, they had to make ends meet. It was obvious that sending their child to school in the city would mean tightening their belts for the entire family.
- Writer
