Chapter 3: Mom

The beginning of her fate, the Lord began from this moment.

The story began simply, and in truth, quite melodramatically. Two women gave birth at the same hospital, and in the end, the babies were swapped. Twelve years later, the Xu family found their daughter.

The real young lady returned home, while she, the fake one, returned the identity that belonged to someone else, along with an unwilling self.

There were no foreign cars, no foreign-style houses, and none of those pretty dresses. There wasn't even a father; there was only a mother and a very poor home. She held the cup again, drinking the water inside sip by sip. The taste of water boiled in an iron pot had a peculiar flavor—salty and strange—but she liked this cup of water as if it were the finest spring.

It moistened her throat, her voice, and her life.

She could hear the ticking sounds in her ears; the old-fashioned clock was still running, ticking away in this house that still held the atmosphere of the nineties. Outside, there were the sounds of life already stirring, and the scent of food wafting in.

The lock on the outer door clicked, and a woman walked in. She looked to be in her thirties, very thin, her hair tied back loosely with a rubber band.

When she turned around and saw Liu Liang sitting at the table, she froze for a few seconds before smiling—a smile that seemed to carry a hint of ingratiation.

"Liangliang, are you hungry? Mom will go make you dinner. I bought some meat today; I'll make you dumplings, okay?"

Liu Liang blinked, and the moisture in the corners of her eyes was blinked away along with it.

She stood up, still holding the cup, and placed it in front of the woman.

The woman looked at the cup in Liu Liang’s hand, not knowing where to put her own hands, instinctively wiping them over and over on her clothes.

"Is this for me?"

Liu Liang nodded.

Only then did the woman take it, bringing the cup to her lips. She hesitated for a moment, but still lifted it and drank.

The warm water touched her lips; the temperature was just right, and there was no strange taste.

Her nose felt sour, and her eyes turned red without reason.

The water was finally not scalding, and there was nothing strange added to it. She knew this child resented her; if this could make her daughter feel a little better, she would do anything.

She was an incompetent mother who couldn't provide her daughter with the life she had at the Xu family, so anything was fine, as long as the child could feel a little better.

Zhou Lanping set down the cup and smiled at her daughter. No matter how tired she was outside or how many grievances she suffered, the smile she gave her daughter at home was always like this, even when she was dying.

"Mom is going to make you dumplings."

After saying this, she took the meat from the table into the kitchen, thinking she should move faster so the child could go to school soon.

In the small kitchen, she washed the meat in water, kneaded the dough, rolled out the wrappers, and mixed the filling. Soon, dumplings shaped like little ingots appeared on the cutting board.

She suddenly turned her head and saw Liu Liang standing at the doorway, staring at her without blinking.

"It'll be ready in a moment."

She smiled at her daughter again, her hands moving even faster.

But Liu Liang just stood there, as if she hadn't seen her for a long time, or perhaps she was reminiscing, feeling sentimental, grateful, and a myriad of other emotions that Zhou Lanping could not understand.

How much depth could a twelve-year-old child have? How much complexity? But what was hidden in Liu Liang’s eyes now was the loss of long-lost time, and the vicissitudes of life under the coldness of the world.

Zhou Lanping brought out a large bowl of dumplings and placed it in front of Liu Liang.

"Eat. There are more in the pot."

Liu Liang lowered her head, looking at the white, plump dumplings in the bowl, with a few cilantro leaves floating on top. A special aroma wafted up, making her swallow involuntarily. It had been a long time since she had eaten such delicious dumplings.

Unable to help herself, she picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a dumpling, and impatiently took a bite. As a result, the bite scalded her mouth, but she couldn't bear to spit it out. Even though her mouth was burned, she swallowed the dumpling.

When she took the second bite, she learned her lesson and knew she had to blow on it before eating.

She blew on the dumpling again and again. Only after it had cooled down did she put it in her mouth, eating until both her cheeks were puffed out.

She raised her face, the dumpling still in her mouth.

Zhou Lanping stared at her daughter, her smile like the early spring sun—warm and gentle. No matter how good or excellent other children were, or how much glory they brought their parents, they weren't her own child.

In her eyes, her child, even if she was flawed in every way, was still her child. She was her only daughter in this world. It was her fault; she was incompetent and couldn't give her a better life.

Liu Liang picked up the bowl and placed it in front of Zhou Lanping.

"Do you want to eat?"

Zhou Lanping suddenly covered her mouth, quickly turning her face away, and secretly wiped her tears with her sleeve.

"There are more in the pot. You eat these; Mom will go get some."

She had forgotten to serve herself a portion, sitting there the whole time, fearing that her daughter wouldn't be used to the dumplings she made. After all, the Xu family was a well-known wealthy household; their food and daily necessities were naturally much better than what she could provide.

Every time, the child would eat reluctantly. Even if she was careful and meticulous, the child would either throw the bowl away or dump the food. She had been worried just now: what if the child threw the bowl again? Should she go to the restaurant and buy some dishes for her?

Eating at the cafeteria all the time was really draining her salary, and she would have to wait a while for the next paycheck. But it didn't matter; she would just eat less in the future and she would get by.

Fortunately, the child had eaten. Zhou Lanping brought out her own portion of dumplings. There weren't many; she ate little, and the rest would suffice for the evening.

But why did she feel like today's dumplings were exceptionally delicious?

On the other side, Liu Liang finished the last dumpling. Just as she habitually reached out to pick up the bowl, a hand reached out and took the bowl directly from her.

"I'll wash it."

Zhou Lanping held the bowl, seemingly terrified that Liu Liang might do it herself.

Liu Liang’s fingertips paused slightly, and then she put her hands behind her back. She actually wanted to say that she didn't throw bowls anymore; she had grown up and changed.

But it seemed Zhou Lanping didn't think so.

And Liu Liang herself hadn't thought about changing anything.

Anything abnormal is a demon; she didn't want to be treated like a monster.