An article I really like – Motherly love deserves to be repaid

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She brought four children when she married into my family. She was too lazy to use my full name; instead, she kept calling me \"Third Girl,\" which made me act like a maid, submitting and holding back my anger. I washed my brothers’ and sisters’ clothes, combed my younger siblings’ hair and folded their blankets, but she was still not satisfied; often she would put her hands on her hips and scold me for ages. She has been competitive her whole life, never said soft words, and refused to suffer any losses. Such a determined person, yet last year when she was seriously ill, she held my hand with tears in her eyes, repeatedly bringing up an old story about eggs. She thought I was young at the time and has long since forgotten. That day was the first time she gave me eggs to eat, the first time she hugged me tightly; it was the beginning of love between two people. How could I forget such an important moment? 30 years ago, eggs were so rare that my father managed to bring back five cooked eggs at once. At the dinner table, she carefully peeled the eggshells; after peeling each egg, she would bring it to her nose and take a deep breath, saying, “It smells so good.” ”She handed them one by one to her four children, watching happily as they devoured the food, while scolding, \"Eat slowly; you won’t choke to death.\" ” Finally, she threw the remaining small eggs in front of me. I carefully peeled it open and was about to swallow it in one bite when I suddenly thought of my mother who had gone to heaven, as well as the delighted expression on his face when he smelled the egg. Holding back my saliva, I broke it in half and gave her half to eat. She was surprised for a moment, then angrily scolded me for dropping the egg yolk residue on the floor. In panic, I bent down to pick it up, but she hugged me tightly and wiped tears all over my face. After that, the way she looked at me became much gentler. Even, in front of her own children, she kissed my cheeks and said I was the most thoughtful and good daughter. For a long time, neither my father nor I could adjust to her sudden change. I dare not disappoint the love of such an amazing woman; I love her from the bottom of my heart, wash her feet and rub her back for her, and study hard for her. It seems that she poured all her love for her five children into me alone. Although we have no blood relation, through forty years of living together, we have long become one. After her children started working, all four of them actually lived better than I did. Yet she stubbornly stayed in my apartment of less than 70 square meters, scolding my children for me, arguing with my neighbors on my behalf, and even taking the money meant for her own living expenses to secretly save it for my son’s tuition fees. Last year, after she passed away, I kept thinking: \"Why was our bond stronger than that between blood-related mother and daughter?\" “It took a very long time before I understood: we always assumed that maternal love was selfless and enjoyed it without question, never thinking that it also needed to be reciprocated. Family bonds involve two hearts warming each other, rather than one heart trying to warm another. Author: Yalan