Chapter 2

A toilet brush, toilet cleaner, steel wool, rubber gloves…

All cleaning supplies.

“Mom, I carefully picked out these brands. Their stain removal power is super strong.”

“They’ll last you for years, and it’ll make cleaning the house so much easier.”

“Mom, why aren’t you saying anything? This is imported toilet cleaner, one bottle is like three ordinary ones.”

Ashley, seeing me frozen in place, let her smile fade a little, a hint of impatience in her voice.

“I even made a special trip to Sam’s Club for these. Didn’t you always complain about your back hurting when you scrubbed the toilet? With this, you just soak it, and it’s clean. It saves time and effort. I’m doing my duty as a good daughter.”

I clutched the bottle of blue liquid, my gaze sweeping across the living room.

George and Susan held their heavy gold-plated charms, grinning from ear to ear.

My husband, David, wore that emerald-green Rolex, excitedly adjusting it under the light.

Brittany was dabbing thousands of dollars worth of premium skincare onto her face.

The room was filled with laughter,

But not for me.

Only I, the "housemaid" who had quit her job to support her daughter for over ten years and served the entire family, received a pile of cleaning tools.

“Ashley,” my voice was dry,

“Is this… your Christmas gift for Mom?”

Ashley pouted, popped a cherry into her mouth, and said nonchalantly:

“Yeah. Mom, don’t be ungrateful. These things might look cheap, but they add up to a few hundred dollars.”

“Besides, Grandma and Grandpa are old and need to take care of their health, Dad needs to save face, and Brittany needs her beauty routine. What about you?”

“You just spend all day in the kitchen and bathroom, so anything else would be wasted on you.”

Wasted on me?

So, in my daughter’s eyes, I was only fit to deal with toilets and grease.

“Exactly, Kate,” Brittany interjected snidely, looking into a mirror.

“Ashley is just being practical. If she gave you a skincare set, you don’t exactly primp yourself, so it’d just be a waste. A fancy watch? Would you wear that to haggle at the farmer’s market? How tacky!”

David frowned and chimed in, “Yeah, it’s the holidays, and the kid made a heartfelt gesture. You should be praising her, not pulling a long face and being dramatic.”

“It’s not easy for Ashley, fresh out of college and already thinking of buying things for the family. Instead of praising her, you’re making a scene.”

Susan carefully tucked her gold-plated charm into her pocket, squinting at me. “Who tends to this entire family’s every need? Every single thing? Ashley feels bad you work so hard, so she bought you useful tools. How can you be so narrow-minded, Kate?”

I stood there, my ears ringing.

I looked at these people, whom I had poured my heart and soul into serving for half my life.

I woke up at five every morning to cook nutritious meals for the whole family, and at eleven at night, I was still hand-washing their silk clothes.

The year Ashley was a senior in high school, I broke my leg in the snow while delivering hot soup to her. Even with a cast on, I still washed her school uniform.

When David's startup failed, I sold my pre-marital condo to bail him out.

For three years, when George was bedridden after his stroke, I was the one who fed him, changed him, bathed him, and turned him, never getting a good night's sleep.

Now, they sat here, looking glamorous, enjoying my daughter’s “thoughtful gesture,” and then collectively trampling on my dignity.

“Mom, hurry up and put them away,” Ashley urged impatiently.

“We still need to make Christmas dinner later. You can try that powerful degreaser, I hear it works wonders. It’ll save you from reeking of cooking oil and grossing everyone out.”

“Hahahahahaha…” Brittany burst into laughter, and George and Susan joined in.

Reeking of cooking oil… grossing everyone out.

I looked down at my hands, rough and cracked from years of constant labor.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay.”

“Since Ashley specially picked them, and they’re so strong, I definitely should try them out.”