Chapter 2: Borrowing Rice借米

How I despised myself for saying ", I don''t want to eat! " instead of "I want to eat! "This was the first time I regretted my obedience and sensibility, as that scene would remain etched in my heart forever, haunting me until my last breath.

我多恨自己当时为什么要说"不想吃"而不是"想"呀！这是第一次我为自己的听话懂事而后悔，因为这一幕永永远远地记在了我的心里，哪怕一天也无法忘记，直到我自己死的那一刻也不能够忘记。

In my memory, my mother was always a hardworking, frugal, and honest woman who spoke rarely.

母亲在我的印象当中一直是一个勤劳俭朴，寡言老实的人。

As the eldest daughter in the family, I used to assist my mother with household tasks when she was alive.

After she passed away, I took over as our family''s main provider, supporting my two younger sisters and one brother.

我是家里的长女，母亲在时我是帮着母亲干活，母亲一去世我就成了家里的主力。家里还有两个妹妹，一个弟弟要养活了。

The label "eldest daughter as a mother" was attached to me, a heavy burden to bear.

长女为母这句话是我身上的标签，沉重的标签。

I felt like a frost-bitten plant, weighed down further by this responsibility, my back bending under pressure.

我自己早已经是一棵经霜的草，这个标签更是沉重地压弯了我的腰。

Having lost my mother at a young age and growing up in poverty, I began caring for my siblings when I was ten. I raised them, did laundry, cooked meals, and managed household chores like a matron as if they were my own children.

自幼丧母，家境贫寒，我从十岁开始就要照顾弟妹，拉扯弟妹，洗衣做饭，操持家务，宛如家里的一个女主人，宛如是一个有儿有女的妇人。

However, our family was destitute, and as the New Year approached, we didn''t even have rice to cook.

可是我们这个家穷呀，真的很穷，眼看就要过年了，家里没有米下锅呀。

With no other options, my father set out to borrow rice from a relative who lived six or seven miles away.

这个时候，父亲没有办法，只得去亲戚家借米，而那个亲戚隔了六七里路远。

Unfortunately, when he arrived and explained his situation, the relative denied his request.

可是当我的父亲来到亲戚家门口表明来意时，亲戚拒绝了父亲的借米要求。

Impoverished families often lack close relatives, and my father had no choice but to return home disheartened. In this world, assistance in times of need is scarce, and