Being Heard Differently

Today is a sunny afternoon, and it's Saturday that is dominated by a day off. Even though I should take a break, I still have to go to work. I feel sleepy and bored. I can't help but secretly complain about who invented the rest day. There was nothing to do at the workstation, so Qiao Ying secretly took a rest, and her thoughts drifted back to her childhood and youth without realizing it. She is the most ordinary migrant worker, with a deep-buried memory from her youth in her heart. Qiao Ying was born in a rural village with a cleft palate and has never had any surgery. But at a young age, she had no idea what a cleft palate was, and she never thought there was anything wrong with her voice. In her own perception, she speaks exactly the same as everyone around her, without any difference. Her speech was slurred and she made sounds as if something was stuffed in her mouth, but she couldn't hear it or sense anything strange. She always thought she was just an ordinary person. Friends and neighbors who grew up together in the village grew up hearing her talk and were used to her tone of voice. No one commented or made fun of her. Therefore, in front of familiar acquaintances, Qiao Ying is particularly cheerful and lively, loves to talk and make trouble, is carefree, has no restraint, and is carefree all day long. Her home is four or five kilometers away from the school in the town, and only her grandmother stays at home. Qiao Ying always walks to and from school with her friends from the same village. It was an ordinary Sunday. The school stipulated that students must go back to school for self-study on Sunday night. As usual, Qiao Ying was playing and joking with her friends on the road, talking and laughing, and walked happily to school. After arriving at the dormitory, I packed my things and chatted and joked with my friends, still looking lively and comfortable. The two of them walked to the classroom together to prepare for evening self-study. As soon as she reached the door of the classroom, Qiao Ying froze instantly. His desk was moved outside the corridor, his books were scattered all over the floor, and a few were missing. My good mood fell to the bottom all of a sudden, and my heart was sore and blocked, but after too many times, I was just numb. She stopped all her smiles in an instant, stepped forward silently, wanted to move the desk back to the classroom, and bent down to pick up the scattered books. The friends around her were so angry that they felt aggrieved on her behalf. While whispering at the pranksters, they knelt down to help her tidy up. It was also since she went to primary school in the town that Qiao Ying slowly realized something was wrong from other people's eyes, chuckles and words for the first time. She was confused at first and didn't understand why everyone kept looking at her secretly, why some people gathered together to whisper, and why some people always imitated the way she spoke. She was originally sure that there was nothing wrong with her voice, just like everyone else. But after hearing it a lot, being pointed out a lot, being spoken to euphemistically in person, and being teased with nicknames by her peers, she realized later that she was the only one who was different. It turned out that in other people's ears, her voice sounded weird and vague, completely different from normal people. She was filled with confusion and grievance. She didn't know what was different about herself, and she didn't understand why she was born like this. At that time, she didn't know it was because of her health. She was just sad about why she was treated so special. She could only hope silently that after finishing elementary school and entering junior high school for a new environment, she might be able to escape these malicious intentions. Soon after graduating from elementary school, Qiao Ying was promoted to the town's junior high school. I thought I could start over by changing classes, but the reality remained the same. As long as she answers questions or speaks in class, there will be snickers and strange looks in the class. Boys always like to imitate her tone of voice and use her as a joke. At this time, she already knew that her voice was indeed different from others. But she still didn't understand what a cleft palate was, and was only vaguely sad: Why should she be different from others? The character gradually divided into two sides: In front of her friends in the village who she grew up with, she is still cheerful and laughs, talks and plays without restraint, and is completely unrestrained; But when faced with unfamiliar classmates in the class, she began to feel inferior and silent. She tried to speak as little as possible, lowered her head, and deliberately hid herself for fear of being discussed or made fun of again. Her deskmate Lu Yu has always maintained a distant state. He never followed others to make noises, imitated her voice, nor participated in exclusion or discussion, but he would never take the initiative to help, comfort, or rescue her. He just lived his own campus life, being an indifferent and aloof bystander. Not bullying, not gentle. But this most basic thing of not following the trend and not adding insult to injury has become a rare peace in Qiao Ying's gloomy youth in a class full of strange eyes. From the beginning, she was unaware that there was something wrong with her voice, but later she was forced to recognize her difference from other people's mouths and eyes. This ignorance and wronged gap became a mark quietly hidden in her heart during her youth. Intention: Even if you are born with shortcomings and are stuck in the strange world, the goodwill and non-conformist respect of ordinary people can cure a person's youthful inferiority and loneliness.