Mom, Don't Cry! I'll Get You Out of This Hellhole

My name is Wang Xiaochen. I’m ten years old. I live in a remote mountain village near the border, in a thatched hut with chicken droppings all over the yard and a grandmother who favors boys over girls. My mother, Wu Xue, was lured into marrying my father by his sweet talk. Her dowry was used to buy a tractor, and after she gave birth to a girl, the whole family treated her like a free servant. She secretly cries at night, thinking I don’t know, but I hear everything. The villagers call me a wild girl. Grandma says, “What’s the point of a money-losing girl going to school?” But I’m going to study anyway. I’ll rank first in the whole school, and I’ll take Mom away from this awful place. Later, I really do rank first, and the middle school in town offers me free tuition. But Grandma says, “Why does a girl need so much schooling?” That night, I stuff Mom’s old cloth shoes into my schoolbag, take her hand, and say: “Mom, don’t cry. I’ll take you away.” From a thatched hut to an apartment, from ranking first in school to skipping grades and entering the ninth year, I’ve made it this far to show everyone that daughters aren’t a burden. They’re the ones who set the bar. The story is now available! You’re welcome to read my work on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well!