Diary of Adeline Walking back from school to my house, which was miles away, has become my daily routine ever since we moved to Shanghai. Today, our teacher was absent, so we got to go home earlier. To avoid being questioned about my early arrival by my obsessive stepmother, I decided to spend the rest of the day laying in the grass by the riverbank, contemplating my new life. My favorite part of the day is going to school. I get to talk to my friends, whom I unfortunately cannot invite over to my place. Well, on the bright side, I don't have Niang watching my every move there. I've always seen school as a form of escape from home. And my favorite part is that I get to study. Yes, I'm a child who loves to study. Learning new things piques my curiosity, and I'm always hungry for more knowledge. Compared to my school life, my home life is hell. My parents don't really care about me, and since I'm the least favorite child, I get the worst treatment out of everyone. The only person who truly cares about me is Aunt Baba. She treats me like her daughter, helping me with homework, giving me pocket money, etc. She told me that if I worked hard enough, I could go to college and be independent. Well, my true motivation stemmed from a glimmer of hope that if I studied hard enough, my parents would feel proud of me and genuinely like me. The sun started to set, it was time to go back to my house, about to relive the same usual miserable routine. I slowly get up from the grass and brush the dirt off my skirt. I look back one last time, admiring the beautiful scenery before taking my leave.
