She suddenly closed her eyes, exerting all her effort to rid her mind of those terrifying images.
After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes and reached out a still slightly trembling hand to tidy her disheveled hair. She wore a bob cut, the thick strands covering most of her face, also concealing the scar. If she didn't lift her hair, one wouldn't really notice it.
Lin Yixun took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, and turned to walk out of the bathroom.
The world outside was bizarre and chaotic, filled with beasts and scoundrels. No matter how much she despised the outside, she had to face it. Her mother's expensive medical bills needed to be paid, as did the rent, property management, water, electricity, and gas fees. Dignity and shame, apart from leaving her and her mother homeless and hungry, served no other purpose.
Lin Yixun had quite good luck that night, managing to sell several bottles of high-end liquor. She roughly calculated that with the commission from the first half of the month, all expenses for this month should be covered.
Thinking of this, her mood lightened considerably.
When she returned to the neighborhood, it was already seven in the morning.
The area was built in the early 90s; most of the buildings were already dilapidated and would leak during rainy days. However, the rent was less than half of that in the newly built neighborhoods nearby, so Lin Yixun and her mother decided to live here.
The house had one bedroom and one living room, about thirty to forty square meters. The furniture inside was old but barely usable. Due to the leaking roof, no matter how much ventilation they tried, the house retained a bit of a musty smell.
At night while sleeping, the sound of mice could occasionally be heard from the ceiling. When they first moved here, Lin Yixun couldn't sleep for several days and nights. She had always lived a life of luxury with the best of everything, pampered like a princess. How could she have endured such hardships before?
She thought she wouldn't be able to last, but somehow, she gradually adapted to this life, toughing it out for three years. Now, even if a mouse crawled over her, she could still sleep soundly.
Opening the door, the aroma of food greeted her. Lin Yixun crossed the cramped living room and, as expected, saw her mother's busy figure in the kitchen.
Lin Yixun frowned, "Mom, why did you get up so early again? Didn't I tell you to sleep a bit more?"
"I'm old and can't sleep. It's better to get up and make you some breakfast. You had a long night, you must be hungry, right? I made some eight-treasure porridge for you. Taste it and see how it is."
Lin Yixun claimed to work at a Japanese company with a position that had three shifts a day. She was responsible for the night shift. Throughout her life, Lin Yixun had been arrogant and unruly but never lied to her parents, so Lin's mother didn't doubt her.
Lin Yixun took the steaming bowl of eight-treasure porridge from her mother's hands and slowly ate it spoonful by spoonful. As she ate, she earnestly said, "Mom, you don't need to get up so early to make breakfast for me anymore. There are plenty of shops outside. I can just buy something. The doctor said your body needs to rest and can't take the strain."
"You're bringing up the doctor again. Okay, okay, I promise you."
Although Lin's mother said so, Lin Yixun knew that she would likely still get up early to prepare breakfast for her the next morning.
Her mother was good in every way, just a bit stubborn. Once she set her mind on something, it was useless to try and persuade her otherwise. Lin Yixun had inherited her mother's stubbornness.
If it weren't for that stubbornness, back then... how could she have...
Seeing Lin Yixun almost finished with the bowl of porridge, Lin's mother smiled contentedly. But suddenly, as if reminded of something, her smile faded.