Times have gradually gotten better, and she didn't want her daughter to suffer anymore. Girls in the city dress so beautifully; she couldn't let her daughter look so shabby.
"I have clothes to wear; there's no need to buy any for me. Instead, think about my sister, let her dress a bit nicer. She's already so grown up. If she dresses beautifully, she might find a good husband. Also, my brother, he's still in school, give him some pocket money from time to time. Dad's been wearing that grey coat for over a decade, patching it up time and again. It's been a while since you got something new for yourself, hasn't it?"
Xiaocui, when she was younger, was just a kid in the eyes of her family, with no say in anything. She could only listen to whatever her parents told her, who never really took her input seriously on any matter.
