Motherhood: A Repeated Betrayal

The world's most beloved daughter is Grandma, and the one who most loves her is her mother.

01

When Grandma passed away, she was 16 years old and experienced her first heartbreak, utterly devastated.

From the moment she was born, Grandma and her mother cared for her together. In her memories, Grandma's care seemed to be a bit more,

It wasn't that her mother wasn't loving her, but rather that Grandma bravely took on the responsibility – cuddling her to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night to care for her, step by step guiding her as she learned to walk, even going to kindergarten, Grandma and her mother always picked her up and dropped her off.

She loved Grandma and loved her mother, it was hard to distinguish who she loved more.

So, when Grandma was gone, she was so sad, crying hysterically until she lost her strength, refusing to sleep or eat, guarding the departed Grandma, preventing anyone from approaching or taking her away.

At the time Grandma was finally taken away, she went crazy and tore at people.

After Grandma died, her mother stayed up all night guarding her, worrying about her, eating and sleeping poorly like her.

But she didn't know that during those days, she was secretly harboring resentment towards her:

Mother's mother passed away, but her mother seemed to be more concerned about her passing than about the loss of a loved one.

How could her mother do this?

02

She thought, how much Grandma loved her mother, even at over 70 years old, she still cooked and cleaned for her, just to prevent her mother from having to work hard.

She remembered clearly the most words Grandma said to her during her formative years were:

'Daughter, when you grow up, you must be good to your mother, let your mother enjoy her life.'

She had heard this sentence for the first time at the age of 16.

When she was young, she sincerely promised it.

As she grew older, Grandma would insist she seriously agree.

Only when she sincerely agreed would Grandma feel at ease.

Her mother was an adult, she didn't know what worries Grandma, in fact,

03

So, one day she couldn't help but ask.

Grandma sighed: 'I just don't want you to be troubled. Among all her brothers and sisters, you are the youngest, and you were born prematurely, making you the weakest. When you were little, you suffered the most, and once, when you fell ill, I almost let you fall behind.'

She understood that Grandma's love for her mother was so deep that in Grandma's eyes, her mother was always the weakest, the one needing the most protection.

But Grandma loved her mother so much, and when Grandma passed away, her mother remained so calm, which made her angry.

Angry to the point of harboring resentment.

Because of this, her aloofness was due to her worry and anxiety, starting to think she was upset because of Grandma's death, and increasingly trying to please her, even becoming a little flattering.

But the more she flattered her, the more she felt her mother's veiled resentment towards Grandma.

That day, she once again placed her mother's cooling milk on her desk, and she remained silent for a moment, before saying:

'You don't have to.'

She paused and then said,

04

Then that night, after she went to bed, she heard her mother quietly come in.

She didn't want to speak to her mother, so she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Her mother sat down beside her bed, and she could feel her mother watching her, watching her intently, her eyes filled with hesitation, expectation, sorrow, and a sense of unease.

That kind of gaze was almost about to make her give up pretending.

After all, it was a mother who loved her.

Her mother sat there for a while before standing up.

She secretly opened her eyes and saw her mother walk to the window, gently pulling back the window curtains, from the window to the room, a short distance – too dark, her mother didn't want to make a noise, almost moving silently.

05

05

The next morning, she woke up and before getting up, she thought about it, and then lay in bed and shouted, 'Mom!'

Her mother almost immediately pushed the door open, with a look of panic, asking her,

'What's wrong? Are you having a nightmare?'

She shook her head and smiled, it was the first time she smiled at her mother after Grandma's death, and then, using a slightly coquettish tone she had used with Grandma, she said,

'Milk, eggs, and the little sticky rice cakes you like!'

She stretched her waist and jokingly said,

'Let's get up!'

That meal, she ate a lot, but her mother didn't move her chopsticks, always watching her eat, as if she was full, her mother was also full.

06

In this way, her relationship with her mother was restored to how it had been before.

After Grandma was gone, her mother's love became even more detailed and considerate.

During high school, it was her most tense year.

Finally, in the last few months of the exam, her mother became even thinner, suddenly, there was a patch of white hair at the center of her scalp, she looked at those distinct white hairs and stared blankly.

That night, she suddenly became like a child, insisting her mother accompany her to study.

Her mother scolded her,

'You're a child, don't be like this.'

She giggled and said,

07

Then, her mother cried.

She and her mother no longer had any estrangement, and they were spoiled and cherished, she grew up into a beautiful and bright young woman, graduated, got a job, fell in love, got married…

Life was smooth sailing.

Half a year after her marriage, she became pregnant.

That year, her mother, who was just 50 years old, insisted on retiring, taking care of her, just as Grandma had taken care of her.

Three months of maternity leave, after which her mother insisted on taking care of the baby herself, staying up late to feed the baby, not letting her bear the burden.

After a year, the baby grew up.

The baby was very attached to her mother, just like she had been to Grandma.

08

During the summer vacation, the company organized an outdoor training activity, one of the activities was called 'Heart's Journey', and there was a small test in it, asking everyone to compare their fingers to the most important person in their lives.

Five fingers, representing daughter, mother, father, herself, and a best friend – Grandma was gone, so she simply arranged them in this way.

The coach asked her to topple the first finger, and she chose the finger representing her friend.

Unquestionably, in friendship and family, she chose family.

Next, she was troubled.

Parents, daughter, and herself – all were irreplaceable.

But the activity required everyone to topple it, so she was troubled.

09

Finally, under the coach's repeated urging, she suddenly, toppled the finger representing her mother.

At that moment, her heart was cut like a knife.

Next, she was even more troubled.

She hesitated for a long time, finally, she decisively toppled the finger representing her mother.

That moment, she burst into tears.

08

In the end, she and her mother had no estrangement, and they were spoiled and cherished, she grew up into a beautiful and bright young woman, graduated, got a job, fell in love, got married…

Life was smooth sailing.

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