"Sweetie, how was it? Did you enjoy school?" The first thing her mother did after coming home from work that evening was ask how her daughter's day at school went.
"Not good. Mom, can I not go?" Yuan Si was in the kitchen cooking. When she heard her mother ask, her spatula faltered, and she decided to make one last attempt.
"No. You can just give up on that idea. Whether you like it or not, you have to go." The old lady washed her face, then tossed the dirty water from the basin onto the courtyard ground.
"Then why did you even ask me?" Yuan Si turned back to her cooking.
"No, sweetie, tell your mom. What exactly is so bad about school?" The old lady couldn't understand it. So many kids in the village wanted to go to school, but their families wouldn't let them. Yet here she was, practically dragging her daughter to school, and the girl was still unhappy.
