I did very well on the college entrance exam. Based on the scores from previous years, the teacher said it was definitely no problem for me to get into a good university.

There are only three or four people in the whole school with this score.

I returned home with joy, but my mom poured cold water on me: "You're not going."

She didn't even look at me: "I told you before that I would only let you go to high school. We don't have money to send you to college. Your younger brother is still studying, you should learn to understand our difficulties."

I suppressed the bitterness in my heart: "But I did well on the exam. If you don't have money to send me to school, I can apply for a student loan. I can repay it myself after I graduate."

My mom stopped what she was doing and threw the dishcloth on the table: "I've looked into it. Applying for a student loan requires a co-signer. If you can't repay it after you graduate, we will have to repay it. We don't have the money to repay for you!"

I said: "I can repay it myself."

My mom's voice raised a few decibels: "When you graduate, your younger brother will go to college. As a boy, he will need more money than you. We also need to save money to buy him a car and a house. As his older sister, you will definitely have to help your younger brother everywhere. Where is the money to repay a student loan? It's better not to study from the beginning!"

I clenched my lips, ready to argue with her, but my grandmother interrupted.

She opened the door, her deliberately lowered voice filled with dissatisfaction: "Why argue? If you're not going, you're not going. Fanfan is already asleep, keep your voices down!"

My mom glared at me, picked up the dishcloth on the table, and went into the kitchen.