She held a bowl of leftover rice and scraps, placing it loftily in front of me.
"Big sis, you must be hungry? Have something to eat."
She said softly, her voice weak, but a flicker of triumphant pleasure was hidden deep in her eyes.
"Mom and Dad are still angry, you know. Don't blame them; they just cared so much about that vase."
*Lie: "Don't blame them; they just cared so much about that vase."*
*Truth: "Serves you right! Who told you to be so in the way? This family only needs one daughter. What does that stupid vase even matter? What they truly care about are my pitiful tears."*
So that was it.
I'd always thought Mom was so furious because that vase was her favorite collectible.
Now it seemed the vase was just an excuse; the real reason was Jiang Xue's tears.
I raised my head and stared straight at her.
Jiang Xue seemed a little unnerved by my gaze but forced a smile. "Big sis, why aren't you saying anything? Are you still mad at me? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things in front of Mom and Dad… but I was just so scared at the time…"
*Lie: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things in front of Mom and Dad."*
*Truth: "I did it on purpose! What are you going to do about it? You fool, you're always like this, can't even utter a word to defend yourself. Fighting you is so boring."*
Looking at her face, painted with "innocence" and "kindness," I felt no anger or resentment for the first time.
Just sheer absurdity.
Slowly, I picked up the bowl. The vegetables inside were wilted, the rice clumped together. I could faintly make out lipstick stains on it—probably leftovers from their meal.
Under Jiang Xue's astonished gaze, I dumped the entire bowl of food onto the floor.
"I don't eat dog food."
My voice was icy.
It was the first time I'd ever spoken to her with such cold defiance.
Jiang Xue froze. Then her eyes instantly reddened, and she whimpered, "Big sis… how could you say that… I was just worried you were hungry… I brought you food with good intentions…"
*Lie: "I was just worried you were hungry… I brought you food with good intentions…"*
*Truth: "You dared to dump it? Perfect! Now I can go tell Mom and Dad, say you're ungrateful and stubborn as a mule!"*
"Is that so?" I curled my lips into a cold smile. "Well then, thank you very much, my dear little sister."
With that, I ignored her and closed my eyes again.
Failing to get the reaction she wanted, Jiang Xue stamped her foot in anger and ran out.
Soon, the sound of her aggrieved sobbing drifted in from outside the ancestral hall, followed by my mother's furious roar.
"How dare she! How dare she act like this! Throwing kindness back in my face like that!"