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墨書 Inktalez
It began when the uncle with the surname Jia came to visit my mother. I thought it was perfectly normal; my mother said he was her high school classmate and mentioned that he attended her wedding to my father.
But as time went on, I started to feel that something was off. Every time Uncle Jia came over, my mother would prepare a feast, more excited than when my father returned from the Provincial Capital to reunite with us!
Then one day, he came over again, and I was awakened from my afternoon nap by their voices. They were discussing how my father would be coming back from the province… I felt happy: finally, Dad would be with us more often!
However, my mother’s words left me confused. She asked Uncle Jia, “What do you think?” What did my father's job transfer have to do with Uncle Jia? But then Uncle Jia’s next words struck me like lightning: “You should come work for me as Vice Principal of the Township… What can he do now? Haven’t you been looking forward to being together openly?”
They were involved in a melodramatic relationship! That day, my mother asked me to stay home to do my homework and review my lessons. She said she was going to see Uncle Jia, and I quietly followed her, only to witness them holding hands as they entered a hotel!
The peaceful life I had known was shattered by those closest to me. How pitiful my father was! He worked diligently, rising from an ordinary teacher to positions in the township, county, city, and province… even becoming a leader. He sent most of his salary home every month, and whenever he returned, he busied himself cooking for us, helping my mother with chores, tutoring me with my homework, and taking me out for fun…
What they were doing was unfair to Dad. I chose to live with my mother, even though Uncle Jia made me feel sick! My mother told me they were true love! I believed that part; however, this kind of true love before divorcing my father was immoral!
The Jiang family also had a boy my age whom they asked me to call brother. In this town, the Jiang name held considerable weight; under his protection, his son Jia Tiantian was a reckless troublemaker. He had a group of tattooed friends who pressured boarding students into buying them cigarettes and drinks.
They committed many misdeeds but managed to keep them suppressed at school. I never expected that one day they would extend their poisonous hands toward me.
I never expected that my mother would play such a weak and pitiful role in all of this. In her diary, she not only recorded Jiang Xiaoli's infidelity but also the bullying that Tiantian faced in the Jia household and at school. The people who bullied her made my blood boil.
Pancakes were my mother's best dish. Whenever my dad wanted them, she would always oblige, but now she worked tirelessly in this house without complaint. Everyone makes their own choices in life; before, my dad spoiled her, but now she had to watch Old Jia's mood and curry favor with Xiao Jia. I couldn't understand what she was after.
Breakfast consisted of milk and pancakes. After taking a sip of the milk, I immediately spat it out.
"Jia Tiantian, how did you come back? Is the milk my dad bought that bad?" Tiantian shouted.
"First of all, my last name is Hu, not Jia; second, you know exactly what my milk tastes like," I retorted without backing down.
"Tiantian, you're being so unreasonable. We're all drinking the same milk; I'm really disappointed in you!" my mother scolded me.
"Why don't you try it?" I pushed the milk towards her.
"Auntie, since little sister doesn't want to drink it, let's not waste it. After all, it's not easy for my dad to earn money," Tiantian pretended to pour the milk into her cup and took it into her room.
"Look at how she acts like she has an older brother every day; you..." My mother scolded me in frustration.
Old Jia remained silent. He knew what kind of person his son was and could guess that he tampered with my milk, yet he said nothing. His thoughts not only disgusted me but also frightened me.
Not only had vinegar been added to my milk, but there was also a lot of salt in it. That little pervert often sneaked into my room to take my underwear, leaving behind traces of a man before quietly putting them back!
I cried to my mother about it, but she brushed it off lightly: "Boys go through a phase of curiosity and exploration towards the opposite sex during puberty; don't take it to heart..."
Is that even a reasonable response? That pervert was outright being a lewd creep! My mother turned a blind eye; I couldn't possibly go to Old Jia about it. The Jias weren't good people either. On International Women's Day, when school let out early, I returned home to find him tangled up on the sofa with a woman, both of them disheveled.
Later, he threatened me, "Mind your own business, kid!"
There were also rumors that he had more than one woman outside. Not only that, but under his influence, the school uniforms and meals for the elementary students in our town were generating huge profits!
Teacher Jiang noticed something was off with me and called me out to ask. I had never shed a tear at home, but in front of Teacher Jiang, I cried.
"From now on, eat what you can at home. If you can't, come to school. That little restaurant across the street is run by my grandmother; just tell her what you want to eat... If you want, you can also stay at my place. It's just me and my grandmother at home."
Teacher Jiang was also an unfortunate person; her husband had spent all their savings on medical bills before leaving her. At that time, she could have remarried but chose to stay for her frail mother-in-law.
The issue of meals was resolved, but bigger troubles followed. My mom asked Teacher Jiang to arrange for Jia Tiantian and me to sit at the same table so I could help him with his studies.
However, Jia Tiantian was not only a poor student but also a terrible person—one of the worst kinds. During class, he doodled in his book, listing his "work plan": getting his "little brothers" to buy him cigarettes, getting another classmate to buy him drinks, having someone else recharge his game currency, and asking yet another classmate for money to spend...
"Dare to talk back? I'll tear your mouth apart!" he threatened me. "My dad said that your dad used to be an official he couldn't mess with, but now he's just a fallen phoenix—no better than a chicken... Anyone can step on him! If you dare to speak out, I have a thousand ways to make your life miserable!"
Those who commit wrongful acts will ultimately meet their demise. His extortion of classmates eventually got out, and he believed I was the one who reported him: "Since you didn't take my warning seriously, don't blame me for being rude!"
During geography class, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my leg and couldn't help but shout out, "Ah!"
The Geography Teacher turned around and asked, "Hu Tiantian, what's wrong?"
"Teacher, Jia Tiantian poked me with a compass!"
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