I was reborn.

The corn in the pantry turned red. My mom, Linda, thinking it was a good omen and wanted to give them to my nephew, Zed.

When I found out, I burned the corn and the pantry.

Linda slapped me because of ruining Zed's luck.

My brother and his wife, Jeremy and Amanda, beat me until I died.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Linda was going to give the red corn to Zed.

1

Linda said, "With these corn, Little Zed will be smarter."

Linda holding the corn with both hands, her eyes gleaming.

In the basket, some corn had turned red.

I was still in a daze.

Linda slapped me hard. "What are you staring at? Go make the corn!"

My face stung with pain as I came to my senses. I looked at the kitchen where the red corn were boiling.

I realized I had been reborn.

Suppressing my excitement, I quickly started working.

She looked at me with contempt, her eyes full of disdain. "Girls are such good-for-nothing! You earn just 2,000 dollars a month, eat and live in my house. Useless!"

I took a deep breath, swallowing my bitterness.

As the aroma of the corn filled the room, Zed returned from a day out with his parents.

Amanda, hands on her hips, barked orders at me.

"Lisa, serve us some food. I'm starving."

I slowed my steps, trying to resist.

Jeremy slapped the back of my head, making me dizzy.

"Move faster!"

I hurried, afraid of being beaten if I was too slow.

The family sat comfortably at the table, chatting and laughing.

I huddled in the corner, feeling like an outsider.

To them, I was worth less than a maid.

My parents kept piling steak into Zed's dining plate, telling him that eating the red corn would make him smart and bring good luck.

Jeremy slowed his eating. "What's with these red corn?"

Linda lit up, "Some of the corn in the pantry turned red. I heard it's a good omen. Eating these will bring good luck and prosperity!"

Jeremy and Amanda hesitated, looking at me. "You work in a hospital. Do you know why the corn turned red?"

I shook my head, staying silent.

Gordon waved it off. "Don't worry. Red corn don't just appear. It must be fine."

Amanda sneered, glaring at me with undisguised hatred.

"You just wasted three years in school! You are a good-for-nothing!"

I kept my head down, eating pickles quietly.

They lost interest in me.

I have never enjoyed any love because, in their eyes, I was always not a family member.

After the high school entrance exam, my parents secretly changed my application. I could have attended a top high school, but I ended up at a vocational school that didn't charge tuition.

When I found out the truth, I cried my heart out, clutching the admission letter and reading it over and over again.

My parents, seeing my breakdown, looked slightly guilty and awkwardly held my trembling hand.

"Lisa, why should a girl study so much? Besides, your brother needs money for his work. You understand, right? Vocational school is good. You can get a job in three years and start earning money."

I couldn't understand why my brother, who was working, still needed financial support from our parents.

I couldn't understand why my education was a burden to them.

That's when I finally understood what gender discrimination was.

With tears in my eyes, I nodded and packed my bags for vocational school. I enrolled in a nursing program that guaranteed job placement and spent three years living independently.

Life was like this, one wrong step led to another.

During those three years, I worked hard, earning scholarships, doing part-time jobs, saving every penny for tuition and living expenses.

Every time Linda called, she would plead, "Lisa, Jeremy is getting married soon, and we're short on money."

Despite my struggles and the burden of family needs, I felt guilty spending my own hard-earned money.

After graduation, I was assigned to work at a county hospital.

Without enough savings to rent a place, I had to move back home.

When I wasn't working, I was treated like a servant—washing all the clothes, doing all the chores.

They still called me a good-for-nothing.

Silently, I put down my fork and prepared to go back to my room.

"Lisa, stop right there!"

Jeremy's cold voice stopped me.

"You're 19 now. Amanda was already with me at your age. You need to find a man soon. You can't live with us forever."

He patted my Zed's head with a proud look. "Don't worry, everything at home will be yours.

"Lisa, I met an old workmate in town today, the one who stayed at our place a few days before. Ethan, do you remember him?

"His family got four houses from the government. They're rich. I showed him your photo, and he's interested."

I forced a smile, hiding my true feelings.

Ethan was a gambling, drinking, and womanizing man Jeremy hung out with when he worked.

When I was studying, he stayed at our house for a while.

The first time Ethan saw me, he looked at me lecherously.

One night, he sneaked into my room and groped me. I wasn't having it and smashed a lamp over his head.

The next day, I packed my things and returned to school, far away from this mess.

I thought he must have hated me ever since.

A bastard asked his sister to marry another bastard.

I stood still, calmly speaking, "Do you remember what he did to me?"

Amanda quickly smoothed things over. "Oh, your brother is doing it for you. Ethan doesn't even look down on you!"

Her eyes gleamed with shrewdness as she revealed the real reason. "Besides, if you marry him, we can get a house for Zed. He won't have to worry about finding a wife in the future!"

Zed, grabbing my clothes. "Auntie, I want to get married!"

I looked down, smiling, hiding the mockery in my eyes. "Alright! I promise you have a house to get married."

At the dinner table, they laughed and planned after my marriage.

I ignored them.

That night, I cried, letting go of any hope for family.