The Villain Is a Chatterbox, and I'm Mute - chapter 5
At the dinner table, there were two chicken legs. I wasn’t worthy of having one.
The other person couldn’t bear to eat theirs either.
Naturally, one for Shen Dabao, one for Shen Jun.
Shen Dabao chewed on his chicken leg, a strange smile on his face.
“The college entrance exam is coming up. Would any university even want a mute?”
“Maybe they would?” Mom said uncertainly.
“What the hell use is college!” Shen Jun snorted. “What’s the point of a mute going to college? You’d be better off going to work in a factory after the exams.”
“Working in a factory isn’t bad either,” Mom quickly added.
“Start earning money early so Dad can buy liquor,” Shen Dabao winked and grinned. “And whatever’s left, buy me new sneakers.”
“I’m not going to work in a factory,” I said softly.
The atmosphere at the table froze instantly.
First, Mom’s voice, full of disbelief: “Qingqing! You can talk!”
She hugged me, crying with excitement: “You can talk! You can talk!”
The chicken leg fell from Shen Dabao’s mouth with a thud. “Am I hearing things?”
Shen Jun threw down his chopsticks, furious: “So you’ve been lying to me all along!”
“I didn’t lie. I just learned.”
Qin Xu taught me for three months before I finally had the chance to speak.
I can talk now, so don’t stop me from going to college.
“So what if you can talk?” Shen Jun slapped me across the face.
I heard ringing as his mouth opened and closed.
“We didn’t even want you to go to high school. If it weren’t for your disability, we would’ve married you off long ago!”
“A few more years of school and now you think you’re tough?”
“Let me tell you, don’t even think about college!”
“I want to go,” I looked him in the eye and said, word by word: “I want to go to college.”
“Get out!”
I was thrown out together with my suitcase.
Mom held my hand and silently wept.
“Qingqing, be good. Stop thinking about college.”
I put on my backpack and didn’t answer.
I just asked the question I’d always wanted to know: “Back then, was my throat really beyond saving?”
She hesitated and said nothing.
I understood.
