My family’s dog was getting married, and my mother informed me to come home for its wedding. Perhaps if it weren’t for the dog’s wedding, my mother would have likely forgotten I was her daughter. After returning home, I saw that my brother and sister had prepared gifts for the dog, while I hadn’t prepared anything, so I gave it $200. My mother’s face instantly turned cold. “Just $200? Do you think we’re beggars? I shouldn’t have even let you come back!” My father said I was always so poor, while my brother and sister glared at me with utter contempt. This scene was exactly like my previous life, except in that life, I was emotionally fragile and committed suicide by taking pills. But in this life, I wouldn’t make such a foolish decision. Seeing their coldness, I said, “If that’s the case, I’ll leave now.” As I stood up to leave, my mother’s eyes suddenly reddened. She softened her tone, pretending to be kind, and said, “Fine, I’ll keep quiet. It’s just that you haven’t come home for several Christmases, and now you only give $200. Do you even care about your father and me at all?” I asked, “Walter and Elise’s gifts are also worth only $200, why don’t you criticize them?” My mother became anxious. “You’re different from them. They’ve always been at home, while you only come back occasionally!” My brother Walter Cobb snorted coldly, “For so many Christmases, you’ve never cared about Mom and Dad. Even the family dog treats them better than you do!” My sister Elise Cobb said, “Rachel, they are our parents. You should be nicer to them. Mom and Dad don’t expect you to give a lot of money, but since you finally came back, you should at least give them a gift. It doesn’t need to be too expensive—but a diamond necklace at the very least, don’t you think?” My mother smiled appreciatively at Elise. “Elise always cares about me the most.” In my previous life, on the day of the dog’s wedding, I spent all my savings buying a $20,000 gift for the dog, a five-carat diamond bracelet for my mother, and a $10,000 watch for my father. I naively thought that if I actively approached them, they would finally love me, but the harsh truth proved that I was simply unwanted and unloved—nothing I did would ever matter. The diamond bracelet I gave my mother appeared on Elise’s wrist the very next day, and the watch I gave my father was proudly worn by Walter. Despite being their child just like the others, I was the only one they refused to love. The Christmas when I was three, my mother said they couldn’t take care of three children, so they abandoned me with my grandmother in the countryside. At first, they would visit me and my grandmother during holidays, but later they stopped coming even for Christmas, only making hollow calls that lasted less than a minute. Later, my grandmother passed away, and I didn’t even have money for school. I desperately contacted them, hoping they could support me through college, but they claimed the family was financially struggling and hoped I would understand. I hadn’t seen my parents since then; it was as if they had completely erased the existence of their own daughter from their lives. If it weren’t for the dog’s wedding this time, I’m certain they still wouldn’t have contacted me. Bringing my thoughts back to the present, I coldly told them, “I’m leaving now.” My maternal grandmother quickly took my arm and said, “Rachel, your parents just care about you. You haven’t been home for a long time. For the sake of my famous homemade spaghetti, please stay with your parents, even if it’s just for one night.” That Christmas when I was ten, my grandmother was very ill. I took her to the hospital, spending $3,000 on medical expenses over three days.
I called my parents to ask for money, but they accused me of trying to scam them. Later, my paternal grandmother (奶奶) called my parents, but they still claimed they had no money and told her to ask their other son instead. Eventually, I had no choice but to go to my maternal grandmother’s (外婆) house, not far from my paternal grandmother’s. After much pleading, my maternal grandmother, who was struggling financially herself, scraped together $3,000 for me. I’ve always been grateful to her. So, for her sake, I agreed to stay tonight. My mother brought over the white dog. It was medium-sized, wearing a wedding dress with a bride’s tag pinned to its chest. She happily introduced me, “Rachel, this is our family’s new member. Her name is Snowy, and she’s going to be Coal’s wife.” My mother has always loved dogs, while I don’t. My grandmother once told me that my dislike for dogs was precisely why my mother sent me to the countryside. But my parents claimed they couldn’t take care of three children, so they had to send me to my grandmother’s. In reality, my parents had been raising dogs since I was born. They’d rather spend their energy taking care of dogs than raise me as well. I forced a smile. Elise suddenly came over and pulled me upstairs. “Rachel, let me show you Coal and Snowy’s wedding suite. Mom decorated it so beautifully and cozy.” She led me to a bedroom with masculine energy and plenty of light on the second floor. The room was large and airy, with expensive-looking carpets covering the floor. Elise pointed at the white and pink rugs and explained, “Mom custom-ordered these online. They’re so expensive—$15,000 for both pieces. And that little sofa cost $8,000.” I smiled faintly, my gaze falling on the photos on the wall. An entire wall with masculine energy was covered with growth pictures of the black dog. It wasn’t human, yet it lived better than most people. Elise noticed my gaze and deliberately walked over to enthusiastically introduce each photo. “This is Coal when he was just born. Mom bought him from a pet store. We invited many relatives for a party that day, but you were far away in the countryside, and our parents didn’t want you to tire yourself out, so they didn’t ask you to come back. “This row shows all of Coal’s birthday photos. He’s quite the glutton and loves premium cream. Mom spends most of her salary on him. “These are photos from each of Coal’s veterinary check-ups. Mom takes him for a physical every three months.” Although I was already keenly aware that my parents didn’t love me, seeing how devotedly they raised a dog while I, their own daughter, had never celebrated a birthday, never had a medical check-up, and never worn clothes they bought me, shattered my heart into pieces. However, I couldn’t express this, and there was no one to hear about my unfair childhood experiences. As always, I silently swallowed my grievances, pretending nothing had happened. Elise looked me up and down with a smile, feigning friendliness while being utterly cruel. “Rachel, aren’t you working now? Buy some nice clothes instead of always wearing these cheap things. Dad’s a department manager now, and Walter’s started his own business. You should consider their dignity.” Elise wore designer clothes, while I was dressed in ordinary sportswear. The gap in our fortunes wasn’t about clothes—it was that I wasn’t loved by our parents, while she was adored. She stood in front of me, brimming with superiority, but she didn’t know I didn’t envy her at all. Walter came down to call us for dinner. Everyone else was using the family’s regular dinnerware, while I was given disposable utensils.
My mother smiled and said, “Rachel, you rarely come home, so I overlooked it. Next time, I’ll prepare proper cutlery for you.” This was the third time I’d heard this excuse—once when I was 8 at Christmas, again when I was 16 after my grandmother died at Christmas, and now at 22. The first two times, I felt hurt and dejected. This time, I just smiled and said, “It’s fine. Disposable cutlery works well.” At least it was clean and sanitary, unlike their dishes that had been used to feed the dog. I hated dogs, and I hated them too. After dinner, I made an excuse to leave. Walter mocked me, “You’re just a waitress. How busy could you possibly be?” In their eyes, I was nothing but a waitress with no prospects. I remained silent, allowing them to flaunt their arrogance before I even touched my spaghetti. A few weeks later, Walter and Elise came to the restaurant where I worked and saw me at the front desk. Elise remarked condescendingly, “Rachel, I can’t believe you’ve been promoted from waitress to cashier! With only a middle school education, are you sure you can handle it?” Walter sneered, “She’s not that stupid. Anyone can work a cash register. Rachel, recommend some signature dishes for us.” Just then, a kitchen staff member rushed over to me and said, “Ms. Cobb, the chef says we’re running low on beef. He wants the manager to handle it, so I came to ask you.” I responded, “I’ll place an order with our supplier immediately.” Elise and Walter stared at me in shock, unable to believe I was the manager. Elise said, “Rachel, when did you get promoted? Why didn’t you tell us? I feel like you don’t consider us family anymore.” Walter scoffed, “No wonder she was so arrogant at that family gathering, talking back to Mom like that. She’s just the manager of a small restaurant, yet she’s so full of herself!” I calmly replied, “If you want to eat, please take a seat inside. I have work to do.” Walter snorted again, “See? So arrogant.” I simply said, “Yes, indeed.” Walter’s face turned red with anger, and he left with Elise without even eating. My mother texted me: [Rachel, how could you disrespect Walter and Elise? They went to see you with good intentions. How could you be so cruel? Apologize to Walter and Elise.] I ignored the message. During the following Christmas, none of them contacted me, and I didn’t reach out to them either. Then one day, my mother and Elise suddenly showed up at the restaurant looking for me, but by then I had already resigned. She finally found me, grabbed my hands, her eyes reddening. “Rachel, I’ve been looking for you for so long. Why haven’t you contacted me? Don’t you know how worried I’ve been?” Her words were full of concern for me. If I hadn’t been so disappointed in her already, I might have wavered at this moment. Elise’s attitude toward me had also improved significantly. “Rachel, why don’t you move back home and share a room with me? Mom and Dad are worried about you living alone.” I politely declined. “No need. I’m used to living alone.” After chatting for a while, my mother finally revealed her true purpose. “Rachel, you need to help your sister with something.” I became wary. “What can I do for her?” My mother squeezed my hand. “Weren’t you a manager at a restaurant? The owner is a promising young entrepreneur who celebrates Christmas. Your sister has taken a liking to him and wants his phone number.” “She’s your only sister. You can’t refuse. If Elise marries a wealthy man, you’ll feel proud too.” I laughed inwardly. Me, setting her up with a boyfriend?
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