My name is Shen Ling. I'm an ugly duckling from a village in Guangzhou.
Ever since I can remember, my parents have been fighting every day. However, a woman's strength is still inferior to a man's. My mother has always been beaten by my father.
I was young then and didn't know why they argued and fought every day. I once tried to go over and persuade them, but when I cried and said "stop fighting", my father turned on me.
Ever since then, every time they fought, I would squat in a corner and tremble as I watched.
Later on, my mother left the family because she couldn't stand his beating.
A year later, my mother returned to the house with a child. Ever since then, I have had a sister named Shen Qiong.
My parents cared a lot about this sister, unlike how they treated me. They would either beat me or curse at me.
Father and Mother got along well for a while before things went back to the way they used to be.
Finally, when I was six years old, my mother left me again. From that day onwards, I entered hell.
My father vented all the dissatisfaction he had towards my mother on me. At the age of six, I was beaten black and blue.
As for my sister, my father treated her very well. It was as if he had given all his love to her. My sister had also inherited my parents' disgust towards me. I had never had that kind of sisterly relationship with her, and she would even cheer our dad up when he hit me.
At home, I never dared to compete with my sister because I knew my status. Even the big yellow dog in front of the door received better treatment from my father.
However, my sister would often pretend to be pitiful in front of my father and say that I had bullied her. Then, she would watch as our father beat me up. At that time, Shen Qiong was like a little demon to me.
As for my peers in the same village, I never got the chance to interact with them. I was imprisoned at home by my father and had never met anyone other than my father and sister.
These days lasted until the winter of my eighth birthday.
That day, I was punished to stand in the courtyard.
A woman arrived in the courtyard. That woman said that she was my aunt and had come to see me and my sister.
That night, my father welcomed my aunt warmly and even went to the small shop to buy a roasted chicken. However, I could only eat their leftovers on a stool on the side.
After dinner, my father asked me to wash the dishes. I obediently took a stool and placed it under my feet as I washed the dishes seriously.
I heard my father and the woman in the room discussing something. Soon, my father shouted, "Impossible! No one is allowed to take that slut away!"
I understood. That aunt was here to take me away. After all, my father would call my sister Little Qiong but would always refer to me as "a slut".
I didn't know where my aunt would take me, but I was very happy to know that she wanted to take me away. I was happy as long as I could escape from my father's evil claws.
I had never been so nervous. I had never yearned for something so badly. As I washed the dishes, I secretly listened to the commotion in the house.
"I can give you some money as compensation," my aunt said.
"I don't think this amount is enough." My father seemed to have calmed down and began to negotiate with my aunt.
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Isn't it enough for you to have Shen Qiong by your side? This is all I have. Do you want it or not?!" My heart sank when my aunt refused my father's negotiation behavior.
"Who said I wanted your money? As of now, you should be doing the same dirty work as that woman, right? Stay with me tonight and I'll agree." My father said that he didn't want money, but his words made me hopeful again.
"Tch, I thought you were going to ask me for something else. So this was what you wanted. Sure. I've long heard from your wife that you're quite good. I've always wanted to give it a try."
My aunt giggled as she agreed with my father.
At this moment, I was unprecedentedly happy. I could finally escape this hellish place.
The next day, my aunt and I rode to the city.
I looked out the window curiously at the passing scenery. These were all things I had never seen before. Even the small bus I was riding was new to me.
I looked out the window at the scenery, filled with curiosity and excitement. Over the years, I had been like a bird locked in a cage and had never seen the outside world. Of course, I might not have lived as well as a bird, because birds don't get beaten for no reason.
The moment I got out of the car, I felt like I was finally free. However, at that moment, I didn't know that I had gone from one hell to another.
"Aunt, where are we going?" I looked up and asked the person who said she was my aunt curiously.
"To find your mother, of course," my aunt said very gently.
"Really? Can I see my mom now? Can I live with my mom now?" I asked excitedly.
"Perhaps, yes," my aunt replied uncertainly.
"Aunt, what did you say?" I asked her curiously.
"Oh… It's nothing." My aunt didn't tell me at that time. It wasn't until many years later that I learned that she was insulting my parents.
My aunt didn't want to say anything else. She flagged down a taxi and brought me into the car.
Soon we arrived at my mother's house. It was an old building. It was very old and run-down, but it was much better than my home in the countryside. I thought my mother was doing well here.
Aunt had the keys to this place, so we went straight into the house. The living room was chaotic, and all kinds of clothes were thrown on the ground.
My mother wasn't in the living room. At this moment, I heard my mother's intermittent scream from the bedroom. It reminded me of my father's violence.
I wanted to go over and take a look, but my aunt stopped me and whispered to me that my mother was fine.
After waiting for a while, my mother finally came out. However, it was obvious she had just put on her clothes, and her hair was disheveled.
Behind her was a man with golden-framed glasses. This man looked weak and frail, but he gave off a gloomy feeling.
"I've brought your daughter back. What you do next has nothing to do with me." With that said, my aunt walked out without waiting for my mother's answer.
"Mom, now that I'm here, does that mean that I get to live with you in the future?"
As soon as I saw my mother, I opened my mouth impatiently.