At the dinner table, Karen picked up a drumstick and put it in my bowl for the first time.

　　"Mia, eat more, please. SAT is coming up soon. Wish you all the best."

　　Thomas snorted and said, "She's so stupid. Don't expect too much from her!"

　　Karen glared at him and stroked my hair. "Mia is beautiful. Even if she doesn't study well, she can still live a good life."

　　My mother frowned slightly and said, "It's still good to study in a community college. She can also study further as she like in the future."

　　My grandmother slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Why does she have to keep studying? While she is still young, get her a rich husband. And she should ask for more betrothal gifts to ease the burden on our family."

　　Hearing this, I just wanted to laugh. "It's not a problem for my mother to support me to go to college. Why do I need to relieve your burdens by sacrificing my happiness? On the other hand, you don't have any blood ties with my mother. After all, you have taken advantage of her for so many years. Don't you feel ashamed?"

　　Will's expression changed instantly, "You're being so rude to talk to your elders like that!"

　　Will looked fierce. Every time he got angry, I was so scared that I would hide behind my mother and didn't dare to speak.

　　But at this point, I didn't give in to him. "Oh, really? Who do you think you are? My mother is the bread winner here. How can you call yourself an elder to me when you don't make your own money. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

　　Karen immediately sobbed and said, "Mia, you think you're big enough to be so rude to us, huh? I invited you to dinner out of kindness, and wanted you to eat something good. But now you're cursing us!"

　　I smiled at her, "Karen, I'm very grateful that you invited us for dinner. If it's really just a simple meal and nothing else to ask from my mother, I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life."

　　Karen stopped crying to peep at me and my mother.

　　My grandmother stood up and tried to smooth things over. "Oh, we're family. No more quarrels. Mia, you can go to school as you want. I'm with you."

　　The corners of my mother's mouth curled into a smile. This was the usual trick of this family. It seemed that they really wanted to help us.

　　When we were almost done eating, Will and Karen looked at each other. In the end, Karen stood up and said, "Mary, Thomas has graduated from college. He has found a good job. If he can get in, it will be very beneficial to our family."

　　I put down my chopsticks and said, "Karen, this is why you invited us to dinner, right? How much do you want?"

　　Before Karen could speak, I continued, "Last time, you made some bread and asked eight hundred in return. This time, you cooked us chicken. You need more money, right?"

　　Thomas glared at me and poked the rice in his bowl hard.

　　Karen smiled awkwardly and said, "Uh, yes, we need five thousand for Thomas' deposit."

　　3.

　　The meal ended on bad terms. I pulled my mother to leave. My grandmother was so angry that she scolded me for being ungrateful.

　　"Mom, this is all your hard-earned money. Do you really expect him to repay you in the future?"

　　My mother was making shoes. Her eyes were getting worse and worse, and she couldn't even see the things in her hands clearly under the light.

　　"We're a family. I don't need him to repay me."

　　I sighed helplessly, "Mom, you think we're a family. Have you ever got anything from them?"

　　After a long silence, she said in a low voice, "Your father is gone. We have to take care of his family for him."

　　I knew that as long as my father didn't show up, my mother would never give up on this family.

　　However, I didn't know where my father lived at this point. If I directly question my grandmother, I will definitely alert her.

　　However, I would never let my mother give the money to them.

　　Early the next morning, Thomas went to work in the downtown. Because he didn't get the money, he didn't treat my mother and me well.

　　I didn't care, but my mother felt a little guilty and gave some allowance.

　　In the evening, my grandmother came to have dinner with us.

　　I was going to the downtown for SAT the day after tomorrow. The school booked a hotel for us.

　　My grandmother came at this time. I didn't forget that she threw my admission card into the drain in my last life, which made me unable to take SAT.

　　My grades were not very good. And I didn't want my mother work so hard. I didn't feel sad about it. So I naturally dropped out of school to work.

　　My mother was so angry that she fell seriously ill.

　　I looked at my grandmother's kind smile. Before I found my father, I had to let my mother knew they didn't deserve her kindness.

　　"Grandma, don't worry. The teacher said I was able to go to college. Just the tuition is a little high. I can surely make more money if I graduate from college. If Thomas doesn't get paid well, there's still me."

　　Although my grandmother was smiling, she forced it. She was thinking good for Thomas, while she pretended to be nice to me. Her expression was not natural.

　　It was time to sleep. She wanted to sleep with me for a night, since I was leaving home soon.

　　She had never made such an unreasonable request in her life.

　　Even when I was sick and had a fever, she had never taken care of me for a day.

　　Sure enough, my admission card disappeared the next morning.

　　4.

　　My mother searched the entire house, but she couldn't find it.

　　I looked at my grandmother and asked, "What were you looking for in my book last night? You left in a hurry after you found it."

　　My grandmother's expression remained cool. She snorted and said, "Oh, you're doubting me. Is this how you educate her?"

　　My mother glanced at me. She knew that I would not lie, nor would I frame my grandmother. She could only plead, "Where did you put Mia's admission ticket? This matters with her future. How can you do this?"

　　My grandmother knew that she couldn't hide it anymore, so she stopped pretending. "I threw it into the stinky ditch. So what?"

　　My mother's body swayed, and she ran out like a madwoman. I hurried over to hug her, "Mom, you can't find it. Even if you can, it can't use anymore."

　　My mother shook her head firmly, "No, I'll find it for sure."

　　I had no choice but to persuade her, "Mom, let's go downtown first. I'll go find my teacher. She should have a way."

　　My grandmother immediately rushed out and asked, "Why did you go to the downtown without he admission ticket?"

　　"What does it have to do with you, if I spend money on my daughter?" This was the first time that my mother had shouted at my grandmother. "I didn't ask for a penny from you. Even if Mia is admitted to college, I won't ask money from you. Why did you hurt us like that? This is a big deal for her. But you ruined it."

　　My heart ached. I hugged my mother's trembling body, trying to give her some strength.