Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 461

My parents were no exception. I was the oldest, with two younger sisters and a brother after me.

I was one of the lucky ones. A government aid program came through, which allowed me to continue my education.

Even though it meant walking an hour or two on mountain roads to get to school, I stuck with it all those years and eventually managed to test my way out of that remote area.

I paid for college with scholarships and loans. I had left my hometown, but my life was still one of poverty.

During those years, my family and the people from my town never stopped making fun of me.

My two sisters weren't so fortunate. They were constantly told that it was useless for girls to get an education. They also saw that even after I managed to leave, I still had to rely on financial aid and loans to get by, with no glamorous life to show for it.

So they simply gave up. My parents arranged their marriages early on, collecting what seemed like a high price in our town but was actually pathetic—a cow, or maybe two pigs—and they were married off.

From then on, they repeated the same cycle of poverty and idleness as our parents, and their lives were no better.

As for me, I graduated. With a higher education, it was easy to find a good job.

I started earning money, and my salary grew steadily. I paid off my student loans, but then I made a mistake. My heart went out to them. During one New Year's holiday, I couldn't stand the sight of our home, so I found a way to have the house rebuilt.

I also helped my sisters and their husbands find work elsewhere. Even a job on a factory assembly line was better than doing nothing, and it gave them a chance to provide a better future for their children.

I also gave my brother money for his schooling.

Perhaps that's when my family saw my value.

From that point on, instead of changing their own lives, they became determined to bleed me dry.

What shocked me the most was that it wasn't just my parents and brother. My two sisters, who had faced the same hardships as me, joined in as well.

They wanted me to build them houses, support their children, and pay for all their living expenses.

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