My mother's face darkened again. She cast a vicious glare at me and said, "She wouldn't dare! You are shameless! Kneel here tonight and reflect!"
Then she turned to my cousin and said, "Violet, you're always so obedient. I've spent so much money for her to learn painting, and what for!"
"Aunt Clara, don't be angry. Annie is still young and can be taught."
"I can't be bothered! You are so understanding. If only she were half as obedient as you..."
Their voices faded. As I watched their retreating figures, close as mother and daughter, the pain in my heart slowly disappeared.
I'd already known that my mother favored my cousin.
Sometimes I wondered if I was really her daughter. If not, why did we look so alike? But if I was, why was she so harsh and cruel to me?
She always said she'd done so much for me, that everything I had was because of her, that my life belonged to her, so she could scold and beat me at her will!
Fortunately, I would soon no longer owe her anything.
When my cousin Violet came to live with us, I was only thirteen. She wore tattered clothes and cried in my mother's arms.
I later learned she was my mother's older sister's daughter. My mother's sister had eloped with a poor scholar against the family's wishes, thinking she found true love. But he turned out to be a gambler and drunkard, who tried to pawn his wife when he had no money. My mother's sister narrowly escaped with her life and entrusted her daughter to my mother on her deathbed.
My mother, feeling sorry for Violet who had suffered a lot, treated her with great affection. Even my usually stern father told me, "Annie, Violet has had a hard life. You should be more considerate of her."
I nodded.
I was the only child and had always been lonely. I was happy when my cousin came.
But gradually, I realized my cousin wasn't as kind as I imagined.
In public, she always acted scared of me, timid and compliant, but in private, she would pinch me. If I fought back, she would cry and complain.
After many incidents like this, my mother believed I was secretly bullying her.
Once, she deliberately fell into the lake in front of me. When I tried to save her, my mother rushed over and slapped me hard!
My face was turned sideways from the blow. My ears were ringing, and I experienced a moment of deafness.
It hurt so much.