In the dim room, the light bulb overhead, which had not been changed in a long time, cast what little light it had over the room.
The fifteen-year-old girl sat beside the table, staring glumly at the heavy snow outside the window.
Her father sat on the sofa, watching a report on the year's heavy snowfall on television, while her mother sat opposite her.
The family remained silent. The only sound came from the reporter on the television.
The noise was a little grating. The old television speakers should have been retired long ago, and sometimes they even emitted shrill sounds. But no one here had ever considered buying a new television—not even a secondhand one.
Because... they were poor.
Being poor was not shameful. There were many poor people in this world.
But poverty was deeply hurtful. Because they were poor, many seemingly insignificant things in other people's eyes became major issues, such as replacing an old television.
Or... paying a child's tuition.
The toilet in the bathroom flushed. A moment later, the door opened, and a boy slightly older than the girl emerged awkwardly.
He had hidden in the bathroom for a long time, half an hour or more, but he still could not escape this conversation.
"Come over and sit down..."
The man stood up, walked to the table, and sat down. The boy came over uneasily, glanced at the girl with some guilt, and sat down quietly.
"With the heavy snow this year... the factory has decided not to resume work until after March. That means we'll have no income for more than two or three months."
"But the school's notice has already arrived. We have to pay everything before February, or they'll remove your names from the school register."
"But the money I have can