This was a city where snow fell. In December, the whole city would be covered with snow, and everywhere appeared as a clear undulating white line; it was a pure and dazzling sight.
She liked this city and the snow that fell every winter.
The five-year-old girl was actually very smart. She learned the word "inferiority complex" today; she felt that she was different from the other children.
Every morning, when she got up, her mother would brush her hair into a beautiful ponytail. Afterwards, her mother would take her in front of the mirror, and say with a smile, "Look, my little Lan Xin looks so beautiful with her hair tied up, just like a doll."
The mirror reflected a little Lan Xin. Her eyelashes were curly, her nose tall and her skin as white as snow. However, she already understood from the moment she"d turned five that the little girl standing in front of the mirror wasn"t beautiful; there was a large red birthmark on her face. Formerly, her mother had said that it was a rose bestowed to her by the Heavens, which represented love. However, at the age of five, she learned another word, which was "birthmark".
The red birthmark, which occupied half of her face, wasn"t beautiful, but extremely ugly.
That day, she heard the children at the same table whisper, "Lan Xin"s face is so ugly, she must"ve offended the Heavens and received that as punishment."
Little Lan Xin didn"t know why her cla.s.smate had said that at that time. She just felt very angry, and she pushed the child. Consequently, the child burst into tears.
At that moment, everyone"s gaze landed on her. Some cla.s.smates cast her a surprised look, while some looked at her with contempt.
Soon after, the child"s sister came. She was a very beautiful, tall girl wearing a pink princess dress with a beautiful hair clip clasped on her hair. She stood in front of Lan Xin with her hands on her waist, glaring at her ferociously.
"You…Ugly Duckling, why did you push my Little Sister?"
However, Lan Xin stared blankly at her, not knowing why that Big Sister had called her an ugly duckling.
Then, suddenly, the blank Lan Xin was shoved by someone, and she hit her head at a stool. However, she didn"t cry or say a word as she watched the Big Sister help her little sister up. She saw the Big Sister gently coax her little sister before fis.h.i.+ng out a multi-coloured lollipop from her pocket, opening it and putting it in her little sister"s mouth.
Following this, Lan Xin learned the word "inferiority complex".
It wasn"t only because of the birthmark, but also because she didn"t have a sister. At that time, Lan Xin didn"t know the word "only child" yet.
She wanted a sister, so she told her mother exactly that. However, her mother was very busy, and even when she stopped busying herself, she seldom listened to her words seriously. Her mother thought that she was just throwing a tantrum, so she simply pinched her little face before continuing with her work.
Little Lan Xin ran outside in a fit of anger and started playing with the snow. She was going to make a sister for herself.
Her sister was very tall and had a plump body. Her pair of eyes were made of multi-coloured gla.s.s beads, and her nose was made of carrot. But, what about her lips? My Sister must have beautiful lips. Little Lan Xin suddenly recalled that her mother had a red lipstick. That colour was very beautiful, and it should fit her Sister well. But, it was also her mother"s treasured item.
Like a thief, she carefully rummaged through her mother"s things and found the red lipstick. Afterwards, she applied it on her lips in front of the mirror. The reflection in the mirror sure is ugly. But, if it were her Sister, the lipstick would surely look good on her.
Following this, she ran into the yard and tiptoed to the snowman and applied the lipstick on its face. Her Sister"s lips were finally done.
This sister she"d built wasn"t very pretty as her nose was a bit crooked, and her mouth was also very small. But as little Lan Xin stared at the big sister she"d made, she smiled happily.
Little Lan Xin didn"t have any friends, but now she had a sister.
When her mother came back, she found Lan Xin sitting next to the snowman, chatting and playing games with it happily. At that moment, her mother had a sad expression on her face, but little Lan Xin couldn"t understand that kind of emotion yet. She smiled foolishly at her mother and loudly said, "Mama, look! I have a sister now."
When spring came, the heavy snow melted into a stream of water, flowing to an unknown distant place, and the snowman in the yard glistened in the sun as it melted.
Little Lan Xin was slightly sad when she saw that. Her sister had lost a lot of weight, her lips turned into a patch of red, the carrot fell to the ground and rolled into the ca.n.a.l in the yard, no longer seen afterwards.
Following this, the weather became hotter by day, and one morning when she woke up, little Lan Xin"s Sister was no longer there.
When her mother was away, little Lan Xin cried her heart out. The neighbour"s child pulled an ugly face and shouted at her at the top of her throat, "Lan Xin, you"re really stupid. You actually regarded a snowman as your sister. Look, my sister is a living person, she"ll tell me stories, buy me delicious food, and sleep with me…"
Lan Xin"s view was hazy as she stared at the tall girl in front of her and suddenly burst into tears again. Lan Xin didn"t have a sister, the snowman wasn"t her sister…
She wasn"t happy, so her smile disappeared from her face ever since. When she went to school, she was always alone. Occasionally, she"d stare with envy at those children who were led by their sister hand in hand.
When she got home, she asked her mother, "Why don"t you give me a sister?"
Whenever she asked this, her mother"s eyes would well with tears, and then she would send Lan Xin away and quietly wipe her tears inside the room.
As Lan Xin grew older, she never mentioned this topic again, because she knew that her mother would feel bad about this. As such, she grew up in solitude.
She would always dream of a little girl who looked exactly like her. The girl in her dream would always smile gently at her and she didn"t have a birthmark on her face. She was very beautiful.
As a result, Lan Xin also followed along and smiled as she cried out, "Sis, Sis…"
At this moment, Lan Xin was fast asleep, and she didn"t see the complicated look in her mother"s eyes.
Soon, it was summer. Lan Xin moved a small stool outside and sat quietly under the banyan tree in the yard. She listened to the joyful laughter coming from next door, and a corner of her lips curled upwards.
One day, her mother smiled and said, "Little Lan Xin, Mama will take you to see your sister, alright? Your Sister is currently living in another city…it"s a very beautiful city!"