Lan's Journey: Rising Above the Shadows of a Difficult Life.

Chapter 1: A Childhood in the Storm of Family Conflicts

Lan was born and raised in a small village in the midlands, where life revolved entirely around farming. Her family owned a small piece of land, growing rice and vegetables for their own consumption. Poverty cast a shadow over their lives, leaving her parents working tirelessly yet struggling to make ends meet. To young Lan, poverty wasn’t just the meager meals of sweet potatoes and rice but also the times her mother sighed over sickly chickens or her father grew despondent after yet another failed harvest.

Yet, poverty wasn’t the worst part of Lan’s life. Her family also lacked something far more crucial: harmony. Her parents constantly argued, their fights often starting over trivial matters but escalating into shouting matches. During lean seasons, when financial burdens grew heavier, the tension in their home became almost unbearable. Her mother frequently blamed her father for everything—from failed crops to their struggles in raising the children. Her father, in his frustration, lashed out with bitter words of his own.

Lan, being the eldest, often found herself caught in the crossfire. Her mother would scold her, saying, “You’re just like your father, always making things worse!” On many occasions, her mother, unable to contain her anger, would throw Lan out, telling her to go live with her father, as though she were an object to be discarded. Silently, Lan packed her few worn clothes, cried herself to sleep, and stepped out into the uncertainty of the night.

Those childhood years etched an indelible sadness into Lan’s soul. She learned to fend for herself, to care for her own needs, and to avoid placing too much trust in others. But deep down, Lan harbored a burning desire: to break free from the painful cycle of her family’s conflicts and carve out a better life for herself.

School became Lan’s rare refuge, a sanctuary where she didn’t have to endure the sounds of arguments or biting criticisms. At school, Lan threw herself into her studies, earning good grades in the hope that education might one day be her ticket out of the small village. Teachers and friends often praised Lan for her intelligence and perseverance, but few understood that her challenging family circumstances were the driving force behind her early maturity.

At 18, Lan passed the entrance exam for a college in the city. Despite having no financial support from her family, she was determined to pursue her education. During those years, Lan balanced her studies with part-time jobs to sustain herself. Whether it was serving at restaurants, working at supermarkets, or tutoring children, no job was too hard for her. She knew that only education and relentless effort could pull her out of her bleak past.

During this time, Lan also began to view her family through a more mature lens. While her parents were far from perfect, she realized they were just ordinary people crushed under the weight of poverty and responsibility. Instead of holding onto resentment, she chose forgiveness and worked to rebuild her relationships with them. Lan believed that while her family could never rewrite the past, the future was something they could still nurture.

Lan’s childhood was marked by sorrow, but it also shaped her into a resilient and strong-willed individual. The pain she endured forged an unyielding spirit within her, one that would carry her forward as she faced new challenges in the next chapter of her life—challenges no less daunting than those of her past.