The day before the college entrance exam, my family drugged me with sleeping pills and locked me in the basement.
I knelt and begged my aunt, crying until my voice was hoarse, pleading with her to let me go take the exam.
My parents had passed away when I was very young, but I excelled academically. Getting into a prestigious university would be effortless for me.
This was my only chance to change my fate—I couldn't miss it!
But my aunt slapped me across the face.
"Crying like you're mourning someone? It's just an exam. What's so great about going?"
"Your cousin performed terribly in his high school entrance exam—he barely missed out on getting in! Now the family doesn't have enough money. I've already accepted Old Liu's bride price on your behalf. Tomorrow morning, you're marrying him."
"Old Liu is someone who knows how to cherish a woman. If his wife hadn't died early, do you think you'd even stand a chance?"
Old Liu from next door?
He's old enough to be my father! He smokes, drinks, and beats women. His previous wife couldn't endure his abuse and committed suicide by drinking pesticide!
Then there's my cousin—he's been a terrible student since childhood and has no shot at getting into high school.
Now they're selling me off just to secure their precious son's high school admission!
*
"We can't keep this child. Our family can't afford to raise her. Take her back to wherever you brought her from."
"Where am I supposed to send her? I'm the only relative she has left in this world. Zhou Qin, the child is so pitiful, and you're a mother yourself—can you really bear to see her end up on the streets?"
"Doesn't her father's family have people who can take care of her? They can surely afford to raise one child. With the state our family is in, raising just Xiao Bao already feels impossible, let alone taking in a freeloader. If you factor in tuition and living expenses, my son and I will be left drinking northwest wind to survive."
"I've called Shen Li's family several times, but they all say he doesn't exist. I think she's really an orphan—not some rich second-generation kid. Back then, he lied to my mother to be with my sister, claiming he'd run away from home after arguing about joining the army. Besides, Shen Li was a martyr. Children of martyrs don't need you to raise them. The state supports them—their school fees are entirely waived, and every month there's a pension payment. You just need to put some food in her mouth and provide her with a shelter from the elements. An'an is very well-behaved. She won't cause you trouble."
"What? There's a monthly pension payment?" Zhou Qin's shrill voice pierced the ears.
Five-year-old Shen You'an sat expressionlessly on the living room sofa, listening to the argument in the bedroom. A faint trace of mockery flashed through her pitch-black, glass-like eyes, a look completely out of place for her tender age.
Her thick lashes fluttered downward, casting a pale blue shadow beneath her eyelids. They perfectly concealed the emotions in her gaze, making her seem calm and obedient.
At the mention of the pension, Zhou Qin immediately softened her stance, "Well, she can stay. After all, she's your biological niece; blood ties are thicker than water. But she can't be a freeloader—she'll have to help out with the housework. I'm already exhausted taking care of my own child, and now you want me to bear the burden of another? Do you want me to drop dead?"
Zhang Jian snapped back irritably, "An'an is only five years old—don't go overboard."
"Five years old is not that young. She should already be sensible. It's not my fault she has no parents. If I'm feeding her, she ought to be grateful. I'm not running a charity here." Zhou Qin picked at her newly done manicure, her almond-shaped eyes filled with venom.
Zhang Jian slammed the door angrily. Seeing Shen You'an sitting obediently in the living room, he let out a sigh, walked over, and patted the little girl's head, "An'an, I'm sorry you've had to endure this."
Shen You'an looked up. Her eyes were astonishingly beautiful, like deep pools that one could never see the bottom of.
Zhang Jian froze, feeling a chill in his heart.
An'an used to be a very lively and adorable little girl. After Shen Li's death, An'an had fallen seriously ill. When she recovered, she became much more withdrawn, and Zhang Jian had not seen her smile since.
Perhaps her father's death had been too traumatic for her, Zhang Jian thought, his sympathy for her growing.
"Uncle, I'll be starting first grade when school begins. Daddy said he wanted me to attend Lanya Primary School." Shen You'an's voice, still tinged with childishness, was calm and serene.
Lanya Group was the city's most prestigious aristocratic educational institution, encompassing primary, middle, and high school divisions. It boasted the finest teaching faculty, and its students were all either wealthy or influential. Naturally, the tuition was exorbitantly expensive.
Zhang Jian had wanted to respond that ordinary families like theirs could never afford a school like that, but then he thought of his late brother-in-law. From his usual demeanor, he seemed to possess an air of refinement and an extraordinary upbringing. Perhaps the idea of sending his daughter to an aristocratic school wasn't entirely outlandish.
Still, it was a private academy for the elite. Zhang Jian, a mere bank clerk, had no connections that could get a child admitted there.