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墨書 Inktalez
"‘Grandma, I’m not going. I just won’t go. Why should I go to school and face the strange looks from others? Is it to let them know I’m a Left-behind Child, so they think there’s something wrong with my mind, or…’ At that moment, all the anger I had accumulated over the years erupted in front of the person who loved me the most.
Grandma cried uncontrollably, one hand resting on a somewhat dilapidated chair while the other clutched her chest. She mumbled incoherently, ‘Peach Blossom, my Peach Blossom…’
Seeing this, Grandpa slowly lowered his cane and sighed. He then led me into his room.
He took out a yellowed envelope from the cabinet and handed it to me.
I opened the envelope and looked inside; it contained a stack of coins—5 yuan, 10 yuan… I didn’t know how long Grandpa had kept that money, but the musty smell made me feel nauseous.
Not long after, I went to Yang City with relatives from the neighboring village.
Upon arriving in Yang City, I realized there were such beautiful places in the world. People wore beautiful clothes, the buildings were so tall that I couldn’t see their tops even when I looked up, and there were so many cars that I couldn’t count them all.
‘Beep beep…’ As I stood in the middle of the road, I suddenly came to my senses. I hurriedly ran to the side of the road and saw beautiful clothes displayed in a shop window. As my hand touched the glass, the cold sensation confirmed that I was indeed in Yang City at that moment.
At that time, I thought I would live happily in this city.
But at night, my relatives led me further down, and as we walked, I began to feel scared. I saw naked men smoking while playing cards and women bustling about, occasionally shouting a few words…
The rental room was slightly damp, and the smell of rotting wood made me uncomfortable. At that moment, I realized that even such a beautiful place as Yang City had its dark corners where sunlight couldn’t reach—places that felt somewhat frightening.
In Yang City, I worked in a factory every day, day and night; even when I slept, the mechanical roar echoed in my ears.
A month later, I received my first paycheck. Then, I went to buy the beautiful clothes I had longed for.
When my hand brushed against the fabric, the soft texture felt exactly like what I remembered.
Wearing those clothes, I turned around in front of a mirror in the store. The reflection of myself radiated happiness. The dim white light shone on the clothes, and it seemed as if my body emitted a different kind of brilliance.
Suddenly, I saw a beautiful outfit displayed outside a shop window on a high-rise building next door, draped elegantly over a mannequin; it was just as stunning under the blazing sun.
My deep-seated inferiority surged forth; it felt like it was mocking me for wanting to be like an ugly duckling.
At that moment, another dream was born within me: I wanted to wear the clothes from that high-rise shop window.
Life in the factory was tough, and sometimes my boss would lower my wages. When I received that meager paycheck, I realized how far away my dream was.
So, I took a shortcut—I sold my youth and sold my soul.
Now at 22 years old, one man after another has taken me up to high-rise buildings and draped beautiful clothes over me. And I smile because I've finally worn that outfit that shines just as brightly under the sun."
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