Growing up, the phrase I heard most often was: You're not fat, you're just solidly built.
It was my mom who said it. She thought everything about me was great. My terrible grades didn't bother her, and neither did my weight of 136 jin. She thought the school bed was too hard, so she'd walk half an hour in the middle of the day to bring back a big red mattress, kneel on the bed, and sew the corners for me, wetting the thread with her lips before guiding each careful stitch. My dad earned a little over three thousand yuan a month, but still paid 15,800 yuan for my tuition. Then he'd secretly slip me another two hundred and whisper, "Don't let your mom know."
That's how they spoiled me as I grew up. I wasn't particularly talented, and I had no great achievements. I went to a third-rate university and later opened a few little shops. But everyone who met me said, "That girl lives a pretty grounded life."
This book has no comeback story or miracles. It's even a little ordinary. But these are the moments that lifted me up, bit by bit. They are what have kept me going all the way to today.
If someone has loved you well, or you've learned to love someone else, then you'll probably see a little of yourself in this book.
