My brother didn't do well on his high school entrance exams, and the out-of-district enrollment fee was $10,000. My biological mom came to me for help: "Maya, your brother is at the age where he needs a good education, and Mom has no other way. "It just so happens there's cash in the register at the supermarket where I work. I'll bring the money home after my shift today. You just say you stole it, and I'll call the cops to take you away. "When your Uncle Bob finds out, he'll definitely bring the money to bail you out. Once the money is paid back, you'll be fine, and your brother will have his enrollment fee." I never imagined she could be this shameless, and I flat-out refused. But she kept crying to me about how hard life was for her and my dad, begging me to help them just this once. I had finally had enough. "Why should I help? If your life is hard, is it my fault?" "Looks to me like you guys have it pretty easy having kids! If you have nothing better to do, why don't you watch more TV?" 1 My health has been poor since I was born. Getting sick twice a month, with one illness lasting fifteen days. My mom's payday and my dad's payday were basically the trigger buttons for my illnesses. My Uncle Bob always joked, "This one's a lucky charm." My parents, however, scoffed at that, especially when they found out my mom was pregnant again. Because having a second child meant a hefty fine back then, and they simply couldn't afford it. I don't know who gave my mom the awful idea, but she threw all my clothes into a tattered backpack and dumped me on Uncle Bob's doorstep. Before leaving, she repeatedly warned me: "Your Uncle Bob always says you're a lucky charm. Today, I'm giving that luck to him. "Your Aunt Sarah is a barren hen who can't lay eggs. If I give her a child, shouldn't she be eternally grateful? "Be a good girl. Your Uncle Bob married into her family; he doesn't have much say or status in that house. "You need to know your place and read the room. Don't act like you're still at home, completely oblivious." "Just stay there and get fed. Don't forget to come home during winter and summer breaks. Once your brother is born, you can help me out." After dropping those words, she took off running. She looked like the devil himself was chasing her. The door was shut tight, and because the eaves were small, there wasn't a sliver of shade on the porch. I was baking under the blazing sun for four hours. By the time Uncle Bob and Aunt Sarah came home, I was barely breathing. From afar, I heard a gasp: "Bob, what's lying on our porch?" Then came Uncle Bob's voice: "Looks like a little kid." Aunt Sarah's voice sounded a bit resentful: "You must be going crazy wanting a kid, right? Whose kid is as thin as a reed?" Uncle Bob didn't argue back, and I secretly thought to myself: "Uncle Bob really doesn't have any status in this house. I definitely can't cause him any trouble. He always seemed to like me so much." My consciousness grew increasingly blurry, and finally, all I could hear was a buzzing sound in my ears. 2 When I woke up, I felt a cool sensation underneath me. I looked closely and realized it was a bamboo cooling mat. This was a rare luxury for us back then; my parents had talked about buying one for two years but couldn't bring themselves to spend the money. I remembered what my mom had said: "Your Uncle Bob really hit the jackpot marrying into her family. He might not have the pride of being the head of the household, but he definitely has the perks. "Every time he brings gifts, they're the newest and most expensive things on the market." What reached my ears was the sound of an argument. The voices weren't loud, and the words weren't overly heated, but every sentence insisted that the child had to be sent back. "What is going on with your older brother and sister-in-law? They ignore us for a century, and even when we go back and bring gifts, they don't even look us in the eye. "Now they just dump a kid on our doorstep. If you accept this, you're a complete pushover! "Other people might not know what's going on, but do you think we don't? "When we went back for Christmas, your sister-in-law's belly couldn't be hidden anymore. She kept telling me she just gained weight. They can't even afford a decent meal in that house! "Now she's probably about to give birth! I heard the fine for having another kid is thousands of dollars now. "Your brother and sister-in-law definitely don't want to pay that, so they kicked Maya out and sent her to you!" Uncle Bob said: "Keep your voice down, don't wake the child." "Am I not speaking quietly enough? Everyone knows I, Sarah Davis, have a loud voice! I'm restraining myself as much as I can. "I don't care. First thing tomorrow morning, you're sending her back. I'm not going to vaguely raise someone else's kid!" When people feel sad, they usually miss home a little bit. But all that came to my mind was my dad's drunken stupors and my mom's complaints and angry scolding. I touched the bamboo mat beneath me, thinking: Just let me enjoy this cool, sweet dream from tonight until dawn. 3 Early the next morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, something was stuffed into my mouth. Aunt Sarah was watching me from the side, so I didn't dare spit it out. Just as I was about to swallow, she patted me: "Are you silly? It's a chewy candy, you have to chew it. "If you swallow it whole and choke to death, your mom will come looking for me for compensation, won't she?" I hurriedly wanted to say no, but because the candy in my mouth was too big, I couldn't get a word out and instead drooled a few drops. Aunt Sarah probably found me disgusting, stepped back a bit, and tossed a few more candies my way: "If you feel dizzy, eat one." She pointed to a tin can behind her: "They're all in there. Put two in your pocket before you leave." It was a deep red tin box with a beautiful holiday design on it. It was a famous brand, the kind families usually only bought during the holidays. My mom bought a box one year. I would sneak one every few days, sneak one every few days. Before the holidays even arrived, it was empty, and my mom gave me a good beating for it. After that, we never bought them again. I only remembered the mouth-watering sweetness. I chewed hard a few times. It was still just as fragrant and sweet. It felt like all my worries were just being chewed up and tossed to the back of my mind. Right before lunchtime, I heard Uncle Bob say: "After lunch, I'm going to my brother's house." Was he going to send me back? But Mom said that wasn't my home anymore, otherwise, my little brother wouldn't be able to be born. I couldn't help but look at the candy tin again, wondering if I could grab two more before I left? Aunt Sarah was probably just being polite; nobody likes a greedy kid. Sure enough, Uncle Bob said: "Maya, why are you still chewing candy right before lunch?" I thought he was going to scold me, but then he said: "It's fine if it's right before lunch, but remember to brush your teeth after eating candy next time. Cavities hurt like crazy." 4 I nervously finished my lunch that day. I thought I would lose my appetite from worrying, but the sweet and sour ribs were just too good. Even though the flavor was strong, it was different from what I remembered. I ate four or five pieces in a row. By the time I remembered my mom's instruction to "eat less when you're at someone else's house," it was too late. Aunt Sarah clicked her tongue, and I quickly put down my chopsticks. But then she said to Uncle Bob: "Bob, your brother's family lives way too rough. Don't they ever feed the kid meat?" "The kid has been sick a lot. Our Maya has a weak constitution, and they can't save much money." Aunt Sarah rolled her eyes: "How much does a cold or a fever cost? You just listen to their excuses; they just want to get money out of you. "The kid can eat this much, how bad can her health be? They're saving up to have a son, how could they not have money saved? "Just wait and see, they'll build a new house within two years." Uncle Bob glanced at me and said to Aunt Sarah: "Don't talk nonsense in front of the child. Eat up, Maya. Isn't your Aunt Sarah's cooking just okay? "Next time, Uncle Bob will show you his skills; you won't even want to look at these ribs!" Aunt Sarah ignored him: "I'm not talking nonsense. Only you treat kids like idiots; they know exactly what's going on. "Hurry up and finish eating and get out of here. Don't come back until things are sorted. It annoys me just looking at you Smiths." Since my last name was also Smith, I quickly scarfed down the food in my bowl. Uncle Bob, also a Smith, was even faster than me. He threw his chopsticks down and said to us: "Wait here, I'll be right back. Don't cook dinner; it's a waste of food." 5 I watched longingly as Uncle Bob hopped on his bike and sped away. I only had one thought in my head: Did he forget to take me with him? Aunt Sarah tapped the table and asked me: "Is the sweet and sour pork bitter?" I nodded honestly: "It's bitter, but the meat is very savory." Aunt Sarah also threw down her chopsticks, with the exact same expression as Uncle Bob: "Wait here. Your Uncle Bob will be right back. When he gets back, I'll make you a fresh batch." I watched her stand up to clear the table, about to dump the remaining ribs into the trash. I quickly, with lightning speed, scraped them all into my bowl. "Aunt Sarah, I can still eat it. I think it's delicious." While clearing the bowls, Aunt Sarah muttered: "How did that bad apple of a family produce such a clever kid? Why does our Bob always get the short end of the stick when he's such a good guy!" That afternoon, Aunt Sarah and I didn't do anything. We just sat on the porch without eaves, waiting for Uncle Bob all afternoon. The weather was cooperating; it wasn't a blazing sun like the day before. Instead, there was a gentle breeze from time to time, which was quite pleasant. I cautiously asked Aunt Sarah: "Are there crops in the field? I can help plant and harvest." I raised my arm to her: "Don't let my skinny arms and legs fool you; I'm really strong and I'm great at chores." Just then, someone walked by the door carrying soybean stalks, and I immediately added: "I know how to shell soybeans too. I'm fast and good at it. I'm not afraid of the itch, and I'm not afraid of the fuzzy caterpillars." Aunt Sarah didn't say anything, just kept staring straight ahead until a figure appeared at the end of the road. It was Uncle Bob pedaling his bike back! He was holding something up in his hand, shouting towards us: "It's done!" 6 I didn't know what he meant by "it's done," but he looked very excited, and even Aunt Sarah couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling. She tucked a reddish-brown booklet into her pocket and said: "Let's have lamb hotpot for dinner tonight. My dad bought a sheep from the market, had it butchered, and told us to come pick it up." Uncle Bob laughed, walked up to me, and ruffled my hair: "Let's go. I'll take Maya to Dad's place and tell him the news." I was still in a state of confusion, completely unaware of what had happened, standing there blankly without reacting. Aunt Sarah said from the side: "We can't call her Maya anymore; it sounds terrible. Maya, Maya, Maya... I think their miserable lives are because of this name!" Uncle Bob laughed good-naturedly: "The name on the family register is the one you picked before." After saying this, he patted my head: "Then let's call you Stella. Bright and shining. From now on, the three of us will live a beautiful life." Stella? What a beautiful, bright name. When my mom called my name before, I didn't think there was anything weird about it. But after I started school and learned phonetics, I realized she was mispronouncing it. I corrected her many times, but she never changed it. Sometimes she would impatiently snap at me: "That's just my accent, I can't change it. Stop bothering me with such trivial things." When Aunt Sarah opened the family register to show me my name, she suddenly froze. Before I could see what was wrong, she said to Uncle Bob: "Didn't we agree yesterday to only change her first name and not her last name?" Uncle Bob was still smiling: "I married into your family. It's so hard for us to have a child; of course, she has to take your last name. "Besides, I think Davis sounds better than Smith. Stella Davis, what a bright name." That day, Aunt Sarah kept staring at Uncle Bob, her eyes brighter than the stars outside. 7 That night, I went to Aunt Sarah's childhood home. It sounds far, but in reality, it was just one wall away. Usually, if you spoke a little louder, you could hear everything perfectly from the back. We had just finished talking about going to get the lamb when a shout came from over there: "What do you mean 'pick it up'? I'll just cook it here and you guys can come over and eat!" The tone of voice was exactly like Aunt Sarah's. As soon as we walked in the door, the energetic grandpa said: "Little girl is so shy, not even greeting anyone?" I hurriedly called out "Grandpa." He seemed quite happy and magically pulled a red envelope from his pocket: "Here, a welcome gift." I froze, and Uncle Bob was equally surprised: "Dad, when did you prepare this?" "With you two yelling so loud, I could hear you from two miles away. Did you bring the family register? Let me see." Uncle Bob immediately turned around and left. Aunt Sarah didn't stop him; she just pulled the reddish-brown booklet from her pocket and handed it to Grandpa. The old man's eyes instantly welled up: "This is great. This is a good name too. You two finally have a child. Now you can really enjoy life." I still didn't have a strong sense of reality. I didn't quite understand what the family register meant for me until Grandpa said: "From now on, you'll live with your Uncle Bob and Aunt Sarah, and you'll take care of them when they're old, understand?" I nodded quickly, and Aunt Sarah waved her hand dismissively: "I'm not expecting that. Did you keep me around just so I could take care of you in your old age?" Grandpa glared, his beard puffing out: "Is that the same thing? You can't have kids, and your health isn't good. "If I didn't keep you close, you'd be tortured to death by your in-laws!" "Exactly. My personality is just like yours. Raising a child isn't just an insurance policy for old age; I just love kids." When Uncle Bob ran back in, groaning, "Oh no," and saying he seemed to have lost the newly issued family register, the few of us couldn't help but laugh together. 8 The lamb hotpot was so incredibly delicious. I dreamed of eating it for days afterward, smacking my lips every morning when I woke up. Seeing how much I craved it, Aunt Sarah had Grandpa make me a bowl of lamb noodle soup. I was sitting in the living room, eagerly devouring it, when my mom walked in. Her eyes were sharp; they lit up instantly, and she called out to me. "Maya, Mom wasn't wrong, was she? Sending you here was for you to enjoy life. Looks to me like you're eating better here than at home." I moved the noodle bowl away from her. She seemed unable to stand the smell and almost gagged. I quickly moved the noodles further away, afraid she would contaminate my food. "Mom's due date is approaching, you need to come back with Mom. It's summer vacation, so you can take care of Mom during her postpartum recovery, and also help turn the soil in the fields. "You can come back when school starts. After all, your Uncle Bob and Aunt Sarah both have to work; they're factory workers and don't have time to take care of you. It's boring for you here anyway." Just as I was at a loss for what to do, a vigorous shout came from next door: "Is Stella home?" I immediately answered "Yes," which also answered my mom's blurted question, "Who is Stella?" Under her astonished gaze, I hurried outside. When I returned, I was holding freshly made cornbread and stir-fried vegetables. My mom found it even more unbelievable: "Didn't you just eat noodles? How can you still eat all this cornbread?" I whispered: "Aunt Sarah and Grandpa both said growing kids get hungry fast." My mom scoffed: "Must have too much money to burn! Hurry up and pack your clothes to leave with Mom. My stomach is starting to hurt; if we wait any longer, I'm afraid I'll give birth on the road." "Your Aunt Sarah keeps this place clean and tidy, and gives you good food. If I don't come get you soon, you probably won't even know where your real home is." For once, I talked back: "This is my home. Aunt Sarah said people on the same family register are one family."
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