“What’s one plus one?” On the highway, my brother Sam suddenly asked. I hesitated. “It’s…” Before I could finish, my mother flew into a rage and slapped me hard across the face. “I have a master’s degree. Your father has a PhD.” “Your brother is a math prodigy who gets perfect scores every time, and you have to hesitate over one plus one? You’re nothing but a useless waste!” My cheek burned. Terror flooded my chest. I shook my head, crying: “Mom, please don’t hate me. I’m not useless. Sam said-” But she wouldn’t listen. She pushed me out of the car “A piece of trash that inherited nothing but inferior genes doesn’t deserve to sit in the same car as us. Walk home yourself!” I ran after them desperately, but my parents drove off with Sam anyway. A massive truck came speeding from behind. Suddenly, my body felt light. I caught up to their car. “Mom, Dad, I’m not useless! My teacher called me a young artist and said everyone has their own strengths!” “A child’s stride is is roughly between 0.3 and 0.5 meters.” “I did the math for you. From here to the highway rest stop, you only need to walk 3,000 steps.” “This is your punishment, but it’s also meant to activate your potential. Since you’re not naturally clever, it’ll help you fit into our family.” Once Mom finished, she turned and got into the car without a second glance. I ran after her. “Mom, don’t leave me behind.” The car window slowly rolled down. Mom just tossed a small camera out from inside the car. “This is the latest cloud camera. It’ll record you, so don’t try to slack off and skip counting.” “Be careful on the road. You can only walk in the emergency lane.” Mom left those final instructions, and the window immediately rolled back up. I watched helplessly as the car drove away. The taillights grew dimmer and dimmer until they completely disappeared into the darkness. “Mom, it’s so cold.” The weather lady on the forecast said today’s temperature was 10 degrees below zero. But Mom forgot to give me my coat. I held up the little camera dejectedly and spoke to the lens. “Mom, I’m not useless.” “I’m the best at drawing in my whole class. My teacher said that’s called having different strengths.” But the camera lens couldn’t talk back. I sniffled and held back my tears, then started counting seriously. “1, 2, 3…” But it was so cold. Even the warm breath I exhaled seemed to turn to ice. I counted slower and slower, and my steps got smaller and smaller. When I reached 1,000, my legs felt as heavy as two big stones. I tripped over something and fell to my knees. The pain shot through me instantly. My whole body hurt. I apologized to the camera lens through my tears. “Mom, I’m sorry. It really hurts too much. I’ll just rest for ten counts.” Our family often played counting games. Success brought rewards, failure brought punishment. Sam always got the rewards. I always failed, and Mom would punish me for ten counts. Ten slaps on the hands, ten spanks on the bottom. I used to think ten counts was so slow, but now it felt so fast. When the ten counts ended, I struggled to get up from the ground. I moved my legs bit by bit. The blood from my knees soaked through my pants, and every step hurt so much. I gritted my teeth. Just 1,970 more steps and I could get back to our hometown. My grandparents were waiting for us at the reunion dinner. But my body grew colder and colder. White spots seemed to drift before my eyes. I cried toward the camera. “Mom, I don’t think I can keep going.” She didn’t answer. Then a blinding light flooded in from behind me. I had wandered into the middle of the road without even realizing it. When I woke up, I suddenly realized my body had turned weightless.
My lighter body quickly caught up to my parents. They were resting at a service area with lots of delicious food on the table. Mom was urging Sam to drink some hot water. “It’s too cold today. You must drink some hot water.” Sam reluctantly took a sip. I quietly swallowed, wanting so badly to drink some hot water too. “Mom, I want some too.” I timidly begged, but Mom remained completely indifferent. She fed Sam water and gave Sam fruit. She seemed unable to see me at all. I held back my sadness. Just then, Dad suddenly raised his hand to look at his watch and frowned. “We’ve been waiting at the service area for an hour. Why hasn’t Chloe arrived yet? I hope nothing happened to her.” My heart lifted with joy. Dad-he finally remembered me. “Dad, I met a really big truck. I was too tired to run, and that truck-” I wanted to tell Dad loudly. But Mom said impatiently, “Dylan, it’s only two kilometers. It’s not that far.” “If it were Sam, he would’ve run here already.” “She’s always been lazy since childhood. This is a good chance to let her exercise!” Sam nodded. He wasn’t just good at math-he was athletic too. “She’s already slow. If she doesn’t get some exercise, what are we going to do when she’s always sick?” He snorted coldly. Sam often mocked me. This time in the car, he suddenly asked me a math question. He just wanted to laugh at how stupid I was. Before, I would always grin at Sam foolishly, never holding grudges. After all, he was my brother. But this time I was a little angry. I yelled at him. “I am not! Sam is so mean!” If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been kicked out of the car. Dad hesitated. He looked at the thick fog outside, then his brow gradually relaxed. “A two-kilometer walk takes adults 20 to 35 minutes. Considering external factors, it’s normal for a child to be a bit later.” Hearing Dad’s words made my heart feel heavy. I’d been sickly since childhood, getting winded after walking just a few steps, let alone walking 3,000 steps in such cold weather. But they seemed to have forgotten. They decided to wait a little longer. They waited another hour, until Sam got impatient. He pestered Dad to drive. Just then, a couple walked in. Their conversation interrupted Sam. “We left at dawn on purpose, but there’s still a traffic jam.” “That accident just now was really terrible. I heard the kid’s brains were splattered everywhere. It was just a child…” At those words, Dad trembled violently. Mom panicked too. She quickly opened her phone. She saw the little dot still moving on her phone and breathed a sigh of relief. The next second, she became angry again. “The camera I bought not only records video but also has GPS tracking.” “Look, she’s moving fast right now. She definitely got a ride and is playing victim. She doesn’t listen at all!” “We’re not waiting for her anymore. Let’s leave now. If she’s so capable, she can have whoever’s driving her take her home!” Hearing this, I became anxious. “Mom, that’s not true.” “I didn’t. That’s an ambulance, not a ride I found.” But Mom couldn’t hear me. She bundled Sam up tightly and pulled Dad to the car to go home. I cried as I followed my parents’ car. The ambulance siren seemed to get closer and closer, but Dad hit the gas and exited the highway. The car soon arrived at my grandparents’house. I rushed toward them feeling wronged, but passed right through them.
New Year was my favorite time every year. The New Year gathering meant I could see my grandparents. But now I felt so sad. My tears wouldn’t stop flowing. Grandma rushed to the back seat and lifted Sam out first. Then she looked into the car again. “Where’s Chloe? Why isn’t Chloe in the car?” “Grandma, I’m here.” I sobbed and tugged at Grandma’s sleeve. Mom said impatiently, “She’s riding with someone else.” “Come on, it’s freezing out here. Sam sat in the car for so long-he’s cold and hungry. Show some concern for your grandson.” Mom’s words immediately silenced Grandma. She looked at Dad. When Dad nodded, she sighed and stopped asking. “Alright, alright. I made apple pie. Try some.” Mom, Dad, and Sam all ate with relish. I clutched my stomach, about to cry. After walking for an hour, I was exhausted and starving. What I wanted most was Grandma’s apple pie. “Chloe loves apple pie. I even saved some especially for her.” Grandma said with a smile, standing up to look out the window again and again. I sniffled. I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. After everyone finished eating and Grandma cleared the table, she still hadn’t seen me arrive and finally couldn’t help asking my parents about me again. “Why isn’t Chloe here yet? Whose car is she riding in? Why didn’t you all come together?” The living room suddenly fell silent. Dad hesitated. “Soon, I think. She should be here soon.” His uncertain answer puzzled my grandparents. “Whose car is Chloe riding in? Just call and ask. She’s been gone so long-aren’t you parents worried at all?” Dad pushed up his glasses but looked at Mom. Mom angrily opened her phone. my grandparents stretched their necks expectantly. I looked too. She frowned and opened her phone. Seeing that the camera’s GPS showed it wasn’t far from my grandparents’ house, she said, “Fine. She’ll be back in five minutes.” my grandparents wanted to look closer, but Mom immediately closed her phone. “While we’re back, I need to tell you something important.” “Chloe’s about to start first grade. You can’t keep spoiling her anymore. It’s very bad for her future development.” Mom’s tone was extremely stern. I hid behind Grandma in fear. Mom loved smart children. She was always gentle with Sam. But I was too stupid. Mom was always angry. Once I scored 59 on a math test, and she was so furious she slapped me. “Are you even my biological child? How can you be this stupid?” “You got such simple addition and subtraction wrong? What’s in your brain?” To make me learn math well, she frantically created study plans for me. Study a year’s worth of math, do math problems. If I couldn’t learn, she’d hit my palms. Grandma couldn’t stand it and would speak up for me. This time was the same. She said quietly, “Jennifer, I think teaching children shouldn’t be too forceful. Chloe is still young…” Before she could finish, Mom cut her off sharply. “Mom, do you know that Chloe now has to hesitate even when asked what 1+1 equals?” “When Sam was her age, he could already solve third-grade math problems!” Grandma’s face turned pale. In the corner, Sam was secretly laughing. I rushed forward anxiously. “Mom, I didn’t hesitate! It was Sam!” “Sam said 1+1 doesn’t equal 2!” I didn’t understand, but when Sam asked again, I hesitated. But Mom couldn’t hear my explanation. “Everyone, look! Isn’t this Chloe’s coat?”
Dad and Grandpa went to get the luggage. They found my coat. Grandpa held up the coat, looking confused. “If Chloe rode with someone else, why is her coat in your car?” Dad frowned, also seeming incredulous. “Jennifer, when you made Chloe get out of the car, you didn’t give her a coat?” Mom panicked, her eyes shifting. “I… I forgot.” “And Chloe too. She’s old enough-she should know to put on her own coat.” Hearing Mom’s complaint, I felt wronged and hugged myself. Mom kicked me out of the car. She didn’t give me any chance to resist. The bone-chilling cold seemed to return. In this warm, heated room, my body kept shivering. “What?” “On the highway, you kicked Chloe out of the car?” Grandpa’s voice immediately rose in accusation. Grandma clutched her chest. “Are you insane? In weather ten degrees below zero, leaving a six-year-old child alone on the highway-how could you do such a thing!” “What if… what if something happened…” Mom immediately cut off Grandma. “There won’t be a ‘what if.’ I told her to walk in the emergency lane. There’s no danger!” Mom seemed to be trying to comfort Grandma. She even opened her phone. “Look, Chloe’s GPS is still moving. Nothing will happen.” But my grandparents didn’t believe her. They insisted on going to the highway to find me. I shook my head crying, my heart aching. “Chloe’s already back. Please don’t fight…” Sam suddenly ran out. He looked like he’d discovered something new. “Mom, look what I found!” I looked at what he was holding and wanted to snatch it away in fear. But Mom grabbed it first. She seemed to have found powerful evidence to turn things around. She pointed at the thing in her hand and questioned my grandparents. “What is this? You’re such good grandparents to Chloe! Spoiling her so she won’t amount to anything!” “Thank goodness I raised Sam myself. Look how excellent he is-first in his grade, perfect math scores. When it was time to move up, every school fought to have him!” “What about Chloe? She’s useless! A waste that you spoiled!” Her words stabbed into my heart one by one. In the picture of our family that I’d drawn, Sam and I held hands while my parents held ours. We all had big smiles on our faces. I’d titled it “A Happy Family.” “What future is there in drawing? I want them to get into NYU! To have a good future!” She was about to tear up the family portrait. I rushed over begging. “Don’t! Mom, don’t!” “I’ll be good. I’ll study hard. I’ll never draw again.” The next second, Mom ruthlessly tore the picture to shreds anyway. Her face twisted as she yelled at my grandparents. “Do you know how much pressure there is in society now? Degrees are so devalued, and you still spoil her. What will she do when she enters society?” My grandparents’ faces went pale. They looked at my father. He adjusted his glasses. “I also believe Chloe should focus on her studies, not waste her limited energy on meaningless things.” His words broke me completely. Through my tears, I felt myself slowly floating upward. Mom, Dad, I wasn’t the child you wanted. Please don’t be angry. Sam will become your pride… The doorbell rang suddenly. Mom went to answer it, muttering, “That must be Chloe. I told her to walk three thousand steps, but I bet she barely took one!” But outside stood two officers in uniform. They held a bloodstained camera and a photo from the accident. “Excuse me,” one of them asked. “What is your relationship to the child holding this camera?”
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