She put down her backpack, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to cook.
"I'll make some late-night snacks," she said.
Mom did not respond. She continued furiously, treating the girl as if she were thin air.
Zhu Qingyue put on her apron for herself and headed for the kitchen.
It was only when the girl turned on the tap and picked up the chopping board to prepare the vegetables that she seemed to remember something and asked the woman in the living room:
"Oh, what shall we have for dinner tonight? Um, how about tomato and egg noodles?"
As always, there was no response.
The young girl didn't mind. She hummed a familiar tune, cheerfully preparing the evening meal for the both of them.
*
Hours later.
After washing up and taking care of the household chores, Zhu Qingyue returned to her bedroom once more.
The class monitor changed into a cute pink bunny pajama set and sat at her desk to do homework for a while. Soon, the clock struck twelve.
