บททั้งหมดของ One Cent a Day: My Mom's Anti‑Degenerate Plan: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 8

"Lottie, you only told me you were up after you finished brushing your teeth today. I'm so hurt. As your punishment, I'm only paying you for checking in once."My phone chimed, showing I had received one cent.I twisted my lips into a grimace. The cheapest breakfast option at the cafeteria was a bowl of plain oatmeal, and it cost one dollar. With the one cent I just received, I still needed one cent more before I could afford a bowl."Mom, I had a fever yesterday and wasn't feeling well. That's why I woke up late today. I was genuinely in a hurry. I promise I won't miss out checking in with you again," I pleaded softly.Despite her gentle tone, Mom's voice was firm as she replied, "Sweetheart, everyone has to accept the consequences of their mistakes. A mistake is a mistake, and there's no changing that. "Stop making excuses. You've always been a good girl, so I don't want you to turn into one of those bad kids who only know how to make excuses for their wrongdoings."My head dr

I spent the next few days in pain, and my energy levels were at an all-time low. Since I hardly checked in with Mom, I only managed to earn a few dollars each day. Nonetheless, Mom didn't seem to care or wonder whether a few dollars were even enough for a student's daily expenses.I suddenly found it all so pointless.After that realization, I began checking in less and less each day. I would survive even with just a dinner roll a day anyway. Whenever I got too hungry, I would drink some water. A dollar could buy me a big bottle that could then last me a week.I started looking for odd jobs around the campus to do, asking for food or water in exchange. Surprisingly, I even managed to gain some weight, and my heart felt inexplicably lighter.However, Mom grew progressively more anxious as the number of times I checked in dipped lower and lower. She went from soothing me to tearfully complaining, and finally, to threatening me, "Charlotte Sander, if you don't listen to me, karma wi

I sent out a tentative, "Good morning."Though I didn't receive a reply, I did get a bank transfer notification.It was one dollar.Seeing that, I tried checking in with Dad again, along with Mom. "I'm heading off to class now."Once more, I received a one-dollar transfer from Dad, along with Mom's one-cent transfer.Staring at the two dollars and two cents I had suddenly obtained with so little effort, I felt tears streaming down my face, even as a laugh bubbled out of me.Just a few days ago, I had to worry about how to gather enough money to afford a bowl of plain oatmeal. Now, I could even add some toppings to it.I felt a sharp ache in my chest as I sat down in the lecture hall for the very first time instead of standing at the back while others pointed and stared at me.Strangely enough, in the past, even though I would take a photo of everything the lecturer said and send it to Mom, I never seemed to understand anything.Today, however, I only jotted down some notes, ye

As the situation escalated further, I tried giving in to Mom and pleaded with her to delete the post.However, she simply replied, "This is the price you have to pay for not listening to me, disrespecting me, and having such terrible morals. I have to let everyone around you know what sort of person you are. Only then will you know your mistakes and change."Her answer left me utterly helpless. I even began considering taking this case to the police. I couldn't continue to drag innocent people into this mess. Even if they didn't blame me, there was no changing the fact that they were only suffering because of me.Yet, before I could do anything, the tables turned in my favor.A student from the Computer Science department hacked into my phone, planning to see what blackmail materials he could dig up on me.He certainly never expected to see my nearly empty bank account balance, let alone my chat history with Mom that showed how she would transfer me one cent as an allowance ever