Chen Zhen had heard her father say the same things ever since she was little: Be normal. Don't be so fanciful or do anything absurd. Don't bully your classmates. Go to school and behave... And most importantly, don't be like your mother and sister, who are never home!
"Otherwise, who'll eat the food I cook?" Chen Zhen's father, Mr. Lin, said, brandishing his spatula. "In short, don't leave me home alone!"
---, *, ---
Chen Zhen didn't take him seriously. She didn't think she was abnormal. She just did what any normal person would do! Rest when she was tired, eat when she was hungry, stop studying when she couldn't focus, and learn about whatever interested her. What was wrong with that?
As for bullying her classmates? Ha! Ridiculous! She only asked them to help carry some books, do a little homework, buy her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and clean up. How was that bullying? They were doing it willingly!
,
In fact, Father Lin's worries weren't unfounded. After all, Chen Zhen's mother and older sister were even "less normal" than she was.
Her mother, Madam Chen Tinglan, had been wandering freely around the world ever since Chen Zhen was five.
Her older sister, Chen Ying, turned down her offer to study mechanical engineering and went abroad to study law instead. The change was so dramatic it left everyone stunned, and she still hadn't been heard from since.
As a househusband whose life revolved around his wife and daughters, Father Lin naturally couldn't interfere with their choices. All he could do was be a good assistant to his wife and a good father to his daughters.
That was a brief introduction to the Chen Zhen family. If you'd like to learn about little Chen Zhen's upbringing, please keep reading.
TIPS:
1. Chen Zhen is unquestionably the main character of this story.
2. Some descriptions may not fit conventional views. That's why I wanted to write them down.
3. There are no thrilling adventures. The story follows Chen Zhen's everyday life and includes a lot of her rambling thoughts.
Theme: Become the person you want to be.
