Ever since I got my own phone at age 5, I've been receiving strange messages every day. The sender calls me "Mom." At 3:00 AM today, she messaged again. "Mom, I dreamed of you again. The attic is leaking, and my stepmom told me to soak it up with a rag. But the rag is too small, and I've been wiping all night, but it won't dry. Mom, I'm cold and hungry, and I miss you so much..." I tilted my head, watching the rain pour outside my window, and replied seriously: "Don't be scared, baby. Where are you? Mommy will bring you some yummy food!" 1 "Who are you?" A reply popped up instantly. I was confused. I blinked my big eyes and pouted. "Didn't you call me Mom?" Why is she asking who I am now? To show I was a responsible mother, I added a cute and patient smiley face emoji at the end. But I waited a long time. My "daughter" didn't reply, and I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, rubbing my sleepy eyes, I instinctively reached for my phone. There was a message from my daughter on the screen: "You're not my mom. My mom passed away five years ago." I looked at my round little tummy, putting my hands on my hips angrily: "That's rude! I'm five years old this year, alive and kicking!" After a while, it hit me. Her mom must have disappeared five years ago. My mom said people get reincarnated after they disappear, and I'm exactly five years old this year. Maybe I really am her mom. When I play house, I'm always the best mommy among all the kids! Just as I was about to tell her this news, my daughter sent a new message: "I don't know who you are, but thank you." "This was my mom's old phone number. Today is my 18th birthday. If it's not too much trouble, could you wish me a happy birthday?" I slipped into my bunny slippers and sent a voice message in my milky voice, converting it to text before sending. "Baby, happy birthday! Be happy and eat lots of yummy candy!" Then I thought, every year on my birthday, Mom and Dad prepare gifts for me. Does my daughter need a big birthday present too? So I messaged her again: "What gift do you want from Mommy for your birthday?" "Mommy likes cute dolls and chocolate. What do you like?" The girl on the other end hesitated for a long time before replying: "Can you send me some painkillers?" I didn't know what painkillers were. But I knew people only take medicine when they're sick. I quickly asked: "Baby, are you sick?" "Actually, my stepmom locked me in the attic last night..." She seemed afraid I would misunderstand and started explaining, "She said I stole money and locked me in the attic and beat me. It hurts a lot right now, I just want a painkiller." Her stepmom sounded bad. Like the evil queen in Snow White. I angrily messaged my daughter back. "Your stepmom is so mean! She's a monster! Don't be scared, baby. My daddy is a dog (zodiac sign), I'll send him to bite your stepmom and get revenge for you!" Then I asked for her address and ran downstairs to find our housekeeper, Auntie May. "Auntie May, I want to call a delivery guy!" Then I pulled out the medicine box from the cabinet, lying on the floor, my little butt in the air, rummaging through it. Colorful boxes of medicine, none of which I recognized. I looked left and right, but nothing seemed right. Seeing my face scrunched up, Auntie May asked with a smile: "Lily, why are you going through the medicine box?" I looked up at her: "Auntie, which one is the painkiller?" Auntie May got nervous hearing this. She picked me up from the floor, touching my forehead and palms worriedly. "What's wrong, Lily? Are you not feeling well?" I shook my head obediently: "Lily isn't sick, but Lily's daughter is having a birthday today, and I want to send her painkillers!" Auntie May thought I was celebrating a doll's birthday and corrected me with a smile. "Lily dear, for birthdays we eat cake, not painkillers." Hearing this, I slapped my forehead, realizing that for birthdays, besides painkillers, I should also send cake and sweet candy. That way, the medicine won't taste bitter. 2 I quickly asked Auntie May to order a cute cake for me. Although she didn't understand what I was doing, she helpfully placed the order. I ordered a cute bunny cake, bought two boxes of painkillers, and included the filled candies I had been saving for a long time but couldn't bear to eat. I put them all in a cute pink bag and had the delivery guy send them to my daughter's school. "Dear baby, Mommy prepared lots of gifts for you. Remember to eat a candy after taking the medicine so it won't be bitter. Happy Birthday!" After the order was completed, I specifically asked the delivery guy: "Sir, is my daughter okay?" The delivery guy sighed softly. "That little girl was bruised all over, looked like she'd been abused. Her clothes were full of patches, and she looked so pale. It was pitiful to see." My heart clenched as I listened. What mother wouldn't care about her daughter? Later, my daughter sent me a photo of her eating the cake: "Thank you. This is the first birthday cake I've eaten since my mom passed away. The cake is delicious, and the candy is sweet." "It's okay! Mommy will treat you to cake for every birthday from now on!" "Thank you, Mom." I happily opened my phone and searched online for how to raise a daughter. The internet said daughters should be raised with abundance, given the best of everything in the world... I nodded in understanding, my gaze slowly falling on my pink piggy bank. When Mom walked into my room with a strawberry milkshake, I was smashing my piggy bank with a small hammer. Crash... Coins spilled all over the carpet like popping candy. I picked them up one by one, butt in the air. "This is for buying candy for my daughter... this is for buying dresses for my daughter... this is for buying the newest toys for my daughter... this is for Daddy, to pay him to teach my daughter's stepmom a lesson!" Mom leaned against the wall, watching me mumble to myself with a smile. "Lily, why did you smash your favorite piggy bank? Do you want to buy a new toy?" I hugged Mom excitedly and told her: "Baby has a daughter now, so of course I have to raise her!" Mom was startled: "Where did you get a daughter?" I took out my phone and pointed to the text message on the screen: "Baby found her own daughter! She's a poor thing with no mommy, getting bullied by her stepmom." "The internet says raising a daughter costs a lot of money, so Baby has to work hard from now on." Mom looked at me speechlessly and explained patiently: "Baby, there are many bad people in this world. Not everyone loves you like Mommy and Daddy. The person on the other end might be a scammer!" But I didn't believe it: "No way! If she was a scammer, she would definitely ask Baby for lots and lots of gifts. But my daughter only asked for one painkiller." "Her mom left her. If I, her new mom, don't care about her, she'll be bullied to death by her stepmom!" Mom sighed: "No, the police will help her." I shook my little head: "The police can't help everyone. But I'm her mom, I will protect her well." Dad, who had just walked in, heard what I said and dropped his briefcase. "What? My baby is a mom?" "But baby, you're still little. You can't even tie your own shoelaces..." "Being a mom doesn't mean you have to know how to tie shoelaces!" I tilted my head and retorted, "Being a mom just means wiping your baby's tears, sharing candy, and..." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Mom and Dad on the cheek, "Saying 'I love you' 100 times every day!" "I believe I can definitely be a good mom!" 3 Mom and Dad couldn't argue with me and sighed softly: "Alright then, we believe you can be a good mom too." "But we need to ensure your safety, so we're going to investigate that girl..." I didn't understand what Mom and Dad were saying. But I knew my daughter was good and obedient, so Mom and Dad would definitely like her too. In the evening, my daughter sent me a photo of a dark attic with a thin cotton quilt on the cold floor. "This is where I sleep every night." I looked at the dark attic and felt so sorry for her. I turned around and took a picture of the star lights in my room: "Don't be afraid, baby. I'll share half of my star lights with you!" She replied with a smile: "Okay!" Then my daughter sent me another photo, a faded family portrait. My daughter was smiling happily, and the woman holding her was beautiful, with a distinct mole on her ear... I climbed out of bed and looked at my ear in the mirror. I turned to show off to Mom: "Mom look, I have the same mark on my ear as my daughter's mom!" I deliberately took a photo of my ear. "My grandpa told me people who pass away come back to this world with gifts. Look, the mole on my ear is exactly the same as your mom's!" The phone was quiet for a long time before the girl replied softly. "Will you always be with me? Mom." "Of course!" I knew deeply that this was different from playing house because, in this moment, I had a real daughter! And I would be with my daughter forever. That night, Grandma and Grandpa sent me a red envelope (money). Being generous, I immediately forwarded the red envelope to my daughter. The girl on the other end was shocked: "Why are you giving me money?" I said: "You're my daughter! Moms give their daughters pocket money!" She returned the transfer immediately. The chat box showed she was typing, but it took a long time for the message to come through. "Thank you, but I really can't take your money. My dad is a sailor, and he pays my tuition and living expenses to the school on time. I can eat at school..." "Mom, you just need to keep me company every day and listen to me talk." My eyes got hot. I suddenly felt my daughter was so sensible. "Okay, you can tell Mom anything from now on!" My phone suddenly buzzed. I looked at the incoming call from my daughter, feeling a bit lost. If she knew I was only 5 years old, would she stop letting me be her mom? After thinking for a while, I answered the call. The sound of rain dripping on the floor came through, along with a girl's voice: "Hello, thank you for being willing to take my mom's place and keep me company." I deliberately lowered my voice, but I couldn't hide my childish tone: "It's what a mommy should do!" Her voice trembled a little: "Thank you. Now, besides Marmalade, you're the only one willing to keep me company." I tilted my head: "Who is Marmalade?" "It's the cat my mom used to raise. She's 9 years old now, an old kitty." My daughter said as she sent a photo. The orange cat in the photo was chubby, but the tips of its fur were turning white, showing its age. I said happily: "Wow, what a cute kitty! With me and the kitty keeping you company, don't be sad anymore, daughter!" "Okay, I won't be sad." And so, we talked on the phone every night. She would share interesting things from school, telling me that growing up is a happy but challenging journey. And I would pick up the new fairy tale book Mom bought me and tell her the latest stories. Mom and Dad stood at my door, a bit jealous. Shaking their heads, they said helplessly: "Sure enough, once a daughter has a child, she ignores her old folks!" "Baby, are you not sleeping with Mommy again tonight?" I looked up excitedly: "Mommy, my daughter's name is Autumn. Such a pretty name!" "Sounds like a cute little princess!" Dad nodded helplessly: "Yes, yes, your daughter is better than mine!" I pouted and retorted: "Your daughter isn't bad either!" 4 But then, everything changed again. For three days in a row, I waited for my precious daughter's call every night. But there was no news, and even the daily text messages stopped. I suddenly had a bad feeling. Did something happen to my daughter? While I was anxiously thinking of what to do, I suddenly received a message from my daughter: "Save me!!" I quickly woke up my sleeping parents, shouting worriedly. "Mommy, Daddy, my daughter is in danger!" "Let's go save her!" This was my first time at the entrance of the apartment complex where my daughter lived. It was late at night, but a crowd had gathered downstairs, smiling and watching the show. "Did you hear? Autumn's stepmom tried to set her up with an old man, but the kid refused, so the stepmom threw her cat off the building!" "That's a stepmom for you, so vicious! What was her dad thinking, finding an outsider to look after his kid!" "So what? The dad is a sailor, gone all year round. Who's gonna meddle in their family affairs now?" In the center of the crowd, a thin girl was tightly holding a bleeding cat. She looked helplessly to the people around her for help. "Please, save my cat, please!" The girl's desperate voice echoed through the stairwell, but no one cared about her feelings. A woman with a mean face walked out, looking coldly at the crying girl: "I told you to listen. It's just a damn cat, is it worth it?" "If you want to save this cat, fine! Listen to me, stop thinking about college, just find a man and get married!" The girl's face was pale. She hugged the cat tightly, crying helplessly. "Please let me go..." "I have nothing left, I only have this cat..." "I want to take the exam, I don't want to get married, I want to study!" The woman sneered: "Want to study? Is it up to you! I'm your legal guardian now, you think you can escape me?" The woman's high heel stepped on the cat's tail. Marmalade was badly hurt and too weak to struggle. The girl could only pound on the woman's leg. The woman said disdainfully: "If you want to save the cat, call your dad and tell him you want to get married and don't want to study. Otherwise, you won't study, and the cat won't survive!" The girl lowered her head, her eyes dead, as if she had accepted her fate. She said hoarsely: "Okay, I'll call my dad." Seeing this scene made me furious. My precious darling was being bullied like this! In a fit of anger, I broke free from my mom's arms, ran through the crowd, and stood in front of that bad woman. Hands on my hips, I pointed at her. "What do you think you're doing! Don't think about bullying my daughter while I'm here!" The woman laughed so hard she shook: "Where did this brat come from? Kid, are you crazy? I'm this girl's mother, her legal mother!" "How is disciplining my own daughter bullying?" The crowd watching the commotion erupted in thunderous laughter at my comical behavior. Looking at me like I was a joke... The bad woman smiled and walked towards me: "Little kid, don't try to play hero when you're still drinking milk! Or she'll pay for it!" My daughter looked at my back, her eyes full of disbelief and complexity. "I didn't expect you to be a child..." she whispered, tears falling like large beads. "And I didn't expect you'd really come to save me..." Before she could finish, the woman's hand landed lightly on the girl's back. My daughter trembled uncontrollably, begging me, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. I just want to ask, can you take care of Marmalade for me?" She handed the cat to me with red eyes: "Thank you, thank you for really coming." Holding the weak orange cat, I burst into loud tears. Because I realized that as a mother, I couldn't protect my precious daughter. Suddenly, Mom's voice came from behind me. "This stepmother, everything you just said will be used as evidence in court. As a top lawyer in this country, I have reason to suspect you of marriage fraud and child abuse!"
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