Rebirth to Save Myself

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In the darkness, no one knew what the light spoke, not even Su Xia, its object of affection, was asleep. The tear stains at the corners of her eyes proved that she had cried herself to sleep; looking back on the past ten years, there was nothing that could bring her joy.

The next day, there was a loud knocking on the door, bang bang bang, bang bang bang.

Su Xia struggled to open her eyes. She was prone to swollen eyes after crying, and she had cried herself to sleep last night, so her eyes were now so swollen they were barely open.

The knocking continued.

"Who is it?" Su Xia asked tentatively.

"Oh, you're home. I'm from next door. Your family is looking for you. Come out." A moment later, the sound of the door next door closing could be heard.

Family? Su Xia opened the door with a puzzled look and found her mother sitting in the living room. Surprised but also warmed by her mother's presence, she asked, "Mom, why are you here so early? You didn't even call to let me know so I could have picked you up. Would you like some water?"

"Su Xia, how dare you ask me? You hung up on me yesterday and won't answer my calls after that. Are you trying to rebel? Tell me, what's the deal with that 500,000?" Su's mother launched into a tirade with her loud voice, disregarding the fact that there were other people in the house.

Then the door next to her opened again, and the girl poked her head out and said, "Could you please keep your voice down? The living room is a public area. If you want to talk about family matters, please go to your room."

"It's none of your business! How rude! How did your mother raise you?" Su's mother berated the girl.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we'll go back to our room now. Mom, please keep your voice down. We're not at home, you'll disturb others." Su Xia apologized to the girl while pulling her mother into the room.

"How dare you talk to me like that? I guess you've gotten too big for your britches after being away for a while. Let me tell you, Su Xia..."

"Mom, shall we go back to our room and talk?" Su Xia lowered her tone and looked at her mother in a soft, pleading voice.

"Hmph." Su's mother shook off Su Xia's hand and turned to go into the house.

Su Xia apologized to the neighbors a few more times before entering the house. She then saw her mother standing at the foot of the bed, a bag slung over her shoulder, coldly watching her. She forced a smile and asked, "Mom, why are you standing? Please sit down; you must be tired from your journey."

Su's mother just snorted coldly, neither replying nor sitting down, and just stared at Su Xia.

Seeing her mother's expression, Su Xia knew her mother was waiting for an explanation. Her mother had always been like this; whenever Su Xia did something wrong or upset her, her mother would coldly stare at her. When Su Xia couldn't take it anymore, she would beg her mother to speak and forgive her. But what had she done wrong this time? She had hung up on her mother yesterday without even explaining why she wanted 500,000 yuan.

However, yesterday, as soon as she mentioned 500,000 yuan, Su's mother started cursing. She didn't even have time to explain why, and she hung up because she was in a bad mood at the time. After all, no one would be happy to be suddenly told that they have cancer and are going to die.

Seeing Su Xia enter the room without saying a word, Su's mother's anger flared up. She threw her bag at Su Xia, then rolled up her sleeves and began to yell, "So, Su Xia, you think you're all grown up now and don't need to listen to your mother anymore? Your father and I have provided for you three siblings since you were little, feeding you well, giving you education, and now you're planning to disown your country mother after you come to work in the big city? Let me tell you, you can forget about it!"

Su Xia was lost in thought when her mother threw a bag at her, followed by a barrage of insults. She was completely stunned. After her mother's scolding subsided, she whispered, "Mom, I didn't. Don't misunderstand me, I really didn't have such thoughts."

"Misunderstanding?" Su's mother stepped forward and pointed at Su Xia's head, then continued, "What misunderstanding? I came over early this morning and you were hiding in your room not saying a word, making me sit outside and wait for you. When did I teach you to treat your elders like this!"

Su Xia covered her forehead, which had been poked red, and said, "I went to bed too late last night, so I didn't hear you come."

Su's mother didn't believe Su Xia's explanation at all. She was convinced that Su Xia was rebelling against her and wouldn't listen to her. She felt that her daughter had always been obedient, and this sudden change in behavior must mean someone had corrupted her. Maybe it was some random man. So she started looking around, trying to find anything left behind by this man. Then she saw the hospital papers on the ground. Without thinking, she said, "So, you've been tricked by some random man and you're pregnant! No wonder you dare to talk back to me; you've found someone to back you up, haven't you?"

Su Xia got a little angry as her mother's words became increasingly outrageous. Her mother was always like this, never asking for reasons before accusing her. Then she raised her voice and said, "Mom, what are you talking about! What wild man, what pregnancy? I didn't."

"No, if there's nothing, then what's this?" Su's mother grabbed the hospital bag and started flipping through the forms inside.

"Mom, give it back to me, there's nothing in here." Su Xia saw her mother holding the hospital papers and frantically trying to snatch them away, afraid that her mother would be saddened to know that she had cancer.

However, in Su's mother's eyes, this became a sign that she was guilty, and she was even less likely to give her the bag.

Then Su's mother quickly pulled out a bunch of forms from the bag and started looking at them.

Seeing that she couldn't stop it, Su Xia stopped and stood aside, feeling a little uneasy and curious about her mother's reaction to the news. She secretly glanced at her mother, wanting to see the expression she imagined on her face. Then she would comfort her mother and tell her that she would give up treatment.

But Su's mother still disappointed her. After looking at the medical bill, Su's mother had only one thought in her mind: how much money would it cost to treat this illness? However, the family couldn't possibly use all their money for her married daughter's treatment; all that money was reserved for her son, Su Yaoche. No wonder she said on the phone yesterday that she needed 500,000 yuan; that was the reason. Luckily, she came today, or she almost got scammed.

Seeing that her mother remained silent, Su Xia wondered if she, like herself, was struggling to accept the reality. So, she tried to sound casual and said, "Mom, it's really nothing. I still have three months. I've thought it through; I don't want treatment. It's better to spend that money..."

"Of course you can't get treatment! Where are we going to get all that money for treatment? I'm warning you, all the money in the house is saved for your brother's wedding. Don't you dare get any bad ideas. Besides, there's no guarantee you'll get better even if you get treatment, so why waste the money?" Su's mother said dismissively as she threw the report on the ground, as if the reports themselves carried a virus.

Su Xia was shocked by her mother's words. She had considered that although her parents hadn't shown her much care growing up, she was still their biological daughter. They must have been very worried and anxious about her illness—wasn't that the reaction every parent should have? But she couldn't understand what her mother was saying. What did she mean by wasting money? What did she mean by not seeking treatment? And why was her mother's gaze so cold, devoid of any emotion?

"Also, since you have cancer and you said yesterday that you were fired from your company, then give me your savings. It's a way of showing your filial piety to us. Don't go back home. That's for your brother's new house. You can't die in there; it's bad luck."

Su's mother was still chattering on and on, but Su Xia couldn't hear a word she was saying. She felt as if she were in a cold cellar, her hands and feet were ice cold.

It turned out that her mother didn't care about her at all; her younger brother was the only one she cared about. She wasn't even worthy to carry her brother's shoes. Her only value was to earn money for her brother so he could get married, have children, and fulfill the task of continuing the Su family line. Her greatest value was to marry a rich man and give all the dowry to her parents—that was the greatest filial piety she could show.

"Heh, then what is she? What is her life?" Su Xia smiled sadly, then said, "Don't worry, I won't go back, and I won't ask you for money. From today onwards, I sever all ties with you. Now, please leave my room, leave."

"You said it yourself, don't come back shamelessly later, we won't welcome you." Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Su's mother stopped arguing, grabbed her bag, and left. It was as if she would be infected by Su Xia's virus if she lingered even a moment longer. She then texted Su's father to explain the situation.

Su Xia collapsed to the ground, staring at the scattered reports, and began to cry.