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The night breeze is slightly cold, mixed with the water vapor from the waterfall, and touches the skin wetly.Lin Duoduo stretched out his hand towards the fire, stared at the beating light, and slowly spoke:

"I am the second eldest child in the family. I have an older sister named Lin Yiran, and a younger brother named Lin Haoran." She paused, and the corner of her mouth curved in a self-deprecating arc, "You should know just from the name - I am superfluous."

"So I was treated like an outsider, even a servant, since I was a child. I had to serve my sister well, give in to my younger brother at all times, and always obey my parents' orders. At that time, I didn't even know what "help" and what "reward" meant. I justI know "commands" and "punishments," and I have to do whatever they order me to do.If I do something wrong, I will be beaten and scolded; if I do something good, it is natural.I have always felt that my life should be like this - superfluous, cheap, free to be beaten and scolded, and irrelevant."

The firelight danced briefly, casting a bright and dim shadow on her face.

"I remember one time, my mother had to work overtime and arranged for me to cook. I was about six years old at that time. My sister and brother were playing outside, and my father was watching TV. I was holding a kitchen knife bigger than my face and cooking in the kitchen on the bench. It was the first time that I prepared so many ingredients by myself. I was so busy that I cut my hand with one knife.

Blood flowed all over the floor, but what I felt at that time was not pain, but fear.I was afraid that I would be scolded or beaten if I delayed in cooking, and I was even more afraid that they would not give me food. The feeling of being hungry was really too painful.So I just grabbed some flour and applied it to the wound, and continued working."

She raised her left hand, and the slanting scar on her index finger glowed a faint silvery white under the firelight.

Shangguan Cheng’s eyes fell on the scar, and a picture emerged in his mind involuntarily——

A thin and small girl squatted tremblingly in front of the stove. Blood flowed all over the floor along her fingers. But she didn't dare to scream or cry. She just grabbed the flour bag in panic and pressed the white powder on the wound.I'm afraid that if I don't cook well, I will be severely punished.

"It's a pity that I still couldn't prepare that dinner. Some of the dishes were undercooked and some were too bland." Lin Duoduo sighed imperceptibly.

"My parents had a big argument first, and then they got angry at me. They threw my bowl and slapped and kicked me. My sister and brother also pointed at me and scolded me. Finally, my parents took my sister and brother out to eat, leaving me alone at home."

Shangguan Cheng could not help but clench his palms, as if he could see the skinny girl, with all the pain in her body, being left alone at home.How sad and scary it must be.

However, Lin Duoduo said: "I was quite happy at the time," she smiled indifferently, "because they asked me to clear the dining table before leaving, which meant that I could eat the entire table. I could eat whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted. I was very full that night and very satisfied."

Her tone was as calm as if she was telling someone else's story, but Shangguan Cheng's brows were getting tighter and tighter.I wanted to say something to Lin Duoduo, but I felt that the other person might not need comfort. Page (1/3)