My cousin Whitney Barnett finished her SAT exam and asked me for a hundred thousand dollars.
She said all the other sisters rewarded their younger sisters, so she wanted one, too.
I flatly refused in the group chat: [I said I would reward you, but I can't give you what you're asking for.]
But my mom Rosalind replied: [It's okay, I'll give you the money you want.]
The next second, I was kicked out of the family group chat by Rosalind.
——
In the family group, Whitney sent a long message that specifically mentioned me.
[Cordelia, you promised to reward me, so I want a hundred thousand dollars. Here's why.]
[First, after the SAT, I want to go shopping for dresses.]
[Second, I want to buy clothes for my boyfriend because we want to wear matching outfits.]
[Third, I want to travel with my boyfriend, but we don't have any money.]
[Fourth, there are expenses while traveling...]
Whitney added: [Cordelia, I already promised my boyfriend. You wouldn't want me to be embarrassed, right?]
I was furious at Whitney's shamelessness.
[I said I would give you a reward, but you send me a list and demand a hundred thousand dollars? Do you even have any shame?]
Whitney replied with a wronged expression: [But you promised me a reward.]
I replied: [My reward is for you. What does your boyfriend have to do with me? You just finished the SAT and you're already dating?]
At that moment, my uncle, Sherman Barnett, who had been silent in the group, finally spoke up.
He messaged: [It's perfectly fine for Whitney to date. What's wrong with her wanting to find a good husband early on? Besides, we can't expect Whitney to wait until she's old to get married.]
Sherman's comment was a jab at my own unmarried status.
Whitney sent a smug emoji.
I couldn't take it anymore and replied: [Then why don't you pay for your daughter to go on vacation?]
Sherman replied with his usual obstinacy: [That's between you and my daughter. It has nothing to do with me.]
At that moment, my grandfather spoke up.
He sent a voice message saying, "Cordelia, I only have you and Whitney as granddaughters and only your dad and Sherman as children. You should love each other and help one another in times of trouble. Whitney is your sister; as the older sister, you should help her, right?
"I know many people are influenced by the internet nowadays, and family ties seem to be weakening, but I believe our family should still get along. Cordelia, you're a good girl. You wouldn't be the kind of person who forgets about family as soon as you become an adult and start working, would you?"
Just as I finished listening to my grandfather's voice message, I received another voice message from my grandmother.
With a choked voice, my grandmother said, "Cordelia, you know Sherman has had a hard life. When Whitney was just born, her mom ran off with another man. Now that you're working, you should help Sherman's family more. Your grandparents will always remember your contributions...
"If you really don't want to, then just give Whitney eighty thousand dollars, and I can help cover the remaining twenty thousand."
My grandparents' words made me feel sick.
I wanted to retort, but considering Rosalind, I had to swallow my anger.
2When I was young, my father passed away from overwork.
My mother was depressed every day and even had thoughts of ending her life.
I studied hard and eventually got into university.
I took my mother to the city where I was studying.
My mother was in poor health and could only do some light work.
While going to school, I worked part-time.
I worked so hard just to earn enough money for tuition to continue my studies.
When I finally graduated, I had managed to save up some money and was ready to buy my own house.
I thought I could take good care of both myself and my mother.
I wanted to work hard to provide my mother with a worry-free life.
But my mother was getting older and couldn't adapt to the fast pace of the big city.
Moreover, my grandparents were also aging and needed care.
So, my mother returned to our hometown.
She placed a high value on family. She often said that without relatives, it would be difficult to do anything in the future.
Besides, Rosalind lost her parents when I was very young.
In the years since my mother returned home, she became closer to my grandparents.
Sometimes, I would encourage my mother to remarry.
But my mother was too soft-hearted.
Whenever she thought about remarrying, my grandparents would cry and beg her to stay.
They said they had already lost their eldest son and couldn't bear to lose their daughter-in-law.
They said their younger son was useless, and if my mother left, they would just be waiting to die at home.
So, my mother chose to stay in that house and remained a widow.
Every day, she not only took care of my grandparents but also helped look after Sherman's daughter.
Sherman's daughter was my cousin, Whitney.
I knew that if I lost my temper, it would make things hard for my mother.
But I wasn't someone to be easily bullied.
While I couldn't directly yell at people, I could be sarcastic.
I sent a message: [Grandpa, isn't Uncle Sherman's wife gone because of his gambling? Besides, Uncle Sherman is in good health now; Whitney wanting to travel shouldn't be my responsibility, right?]
My grandfather replied: [Sherman hasn't worked in years. Where would he get the money?]
I responded: [Then Whitney is being unreasonable. Uncle Sherman is broke, yet she's still thinking about using money to have fun with her boyfriend. Doesn't she care that her dad is lonely at home with nothing to do? We should live according to our means.]
[When I first started university, I had nothing and relied on working hard to finish my studies. Whitney is just as capable; she can do it, too!]
[And anyway, I only make three thousand dollars a month. How could I possibly give out a hundred thousand dollars? You're asking for too much!]
Whitney realized she wouldn't be getting any money from me.
She got directly angry.
In the family group, she started throwing sarcastic comments my way.
She messaged: [Cordelia, stop pretending to be poor. Aunt Rosalind said you've bought a house in the big city.]
[Since you bought a house in the city, giving me a hundred thousand dollars should be a piece of cake for you.]
[Besides, we're family. If you won't give me money, are you planning to save it for strangers? If you ever need help, don't blame me and my dad for not coming to your aid! Cordelia, don't forget. Aside from Grandpa, my dad is the only man left in the family!]
Whitney's words infuriated me.
I felt like she was hinting at my father's death.
I immediately began to retaliate.
I messaged in the group: [Whitney, what exactly are you proud of? Are you boasting that my dad is dead while yours is still alive?]
[If your dad is so capable, why don't you ask him for money? Why are you bothering me?]
[You know your dad can't provide, so why not at least treat me with a little respect? Who are you trying to impress with your arrogance?]
[Even my dad has passed, he would always be your father's older brother!]
Whitney replied: [Cordelia, just wait. Your mom is here cooking for Grandpa and Grandma, and Grandpa has already criticized your mom for not raising you well! If you don't apologize to me today, just wait to see your mom get scolded!]
I replied: [I can't believe how malicious you are. If my mom gets scolded, will that make your family rich? You're really ridiculous!]
Whitney stopped responding.
Just as I was enjoying my outburst,
my mother's message in the group felt like a bucket of cold water poured over me.
She said: [Whitney, Cordelia is just playing around with you! Don't take her too seriously.]
[She hasn't had anyone to discipline her for years while I've been away, so she doesn't know how to behave. You're right.]
[Don't worry, if Cordelia doesn't give you money for the trip, I will! I keep my promises!]
I stared blankly at my mother's message.
I instinctively wanted to ask where my mother was getting the money from.
Every month, I deposited an extra twenty thousand dollars into Rosalind's account on top of her living expenses, asking her to keep it safe for me.
Because I trusted Rosalind, I had never asked how much she had saved.
A month ago, when I bought the house, Rosalind transferred seventy thousand dollars to me.
At that time, she even expressed her guilt, saying she felt useless and that with the money I sent her, that was all she had.
She said she felt sorry that she couldn't help me more while I was struggling in the big city.
But before I could say anything, I saw a system message.
[You have been removed from the group chat.]
3Seeing that message, my anger flared up instantly.
I wanted to ask Rosalind what she was thinking.
The first call didn't go through.
The second call still didn't connect.
By the third call, no one picked up.
I felt my heart sink.
I had bought Rosalind her phone.
I knew she had blocked me.
But now, I had to go to work.
I could only suppress my anger and focus on my job.
When I was in school, I wanted to study painting.
But because we were poor and the costs were too high, I couldn't afford it.
Instead, I noticed the development trend in e-commerce.
So I switched to studying that.
As soon as I graduated from college, I entered the live-streaming industry.
I looked good, was outgoing, and had a knack for conversation.
Before long, I achieved some success in live streaming.
After saving a bit of money, I started my own business.
With my skills, I became a well-known influencer.
I continuously gained experience while live streaming.
Thanks to that experience, I made quite a bit of money.
I also bought an apartment in the big city.
I longed for a home of my own.
Ever since my dad passed away, my grandparents favored Sherman even more.
No, from the very beginning, they had favored Sherman.
Without a grandson, they placed great importance on this youngest son.
To them, men were the most important.
They viewed women as mere helpers at home and accessories to men.
While Rosalind was back in our hometown, she worked tirelessly like a beast of burden, taking care of everyone.
It wasn't until I went to college that I could finally bring her away.
When I bought the apartment, I specifically told Rosalind not to tell anyone about it.
I mentioned that if she was willing, I would bring her to live with me.
Rosalind outright refused, saying she preferred the slow-paced life back home.
I thought, since she didn't want to come, then fine.
But I never expected her to spill the beans about my apartment purchase!
I streamed for no less than ten hours a day.
I was completely exhausted.
During my streams, I kept my phone on silent.
I had to maintain my best state.
After finishing a live session, I glanced at my phone.
I saw ten missed calls from Rosalind.
After much consideration, I decided to call her back.