Filed to story: Eight Uncles Beloved Treasure
Hannah sniffled and shook her head, her eyes bloodshot.
Bettany grunted and went back inside.
Margaret hurriedly approached the child. “Let’s go back inside, Little Miss! Have a glass of water.”
Hannah had cried until her eyes were red. No one had ever treated her this way.
Her mother would always give in to her demands whenever she cried.
She was slowly realizing that her tears meant nothing to her grandmother.
Margaret guided the child to the first floor and sat her down to drink water.
No one else had come home. Her mother had also been driven away. It seemed she was the only one left in the huge manor. Hannah suddenly felt fearful, flustered, and confused.
It was as if the world had abandoned her…
Just as she felt helpless, a small figure sprinted down the stairs.
Lilly Hatcher handed her a lollipop. “For you, Hannah.”
She had noticed Hannah crying into a bucket in the garden after waking up.
Hannah sniffled and turned her face away. “I don’t want your candy!”
Lilly didn’t hesitate to put the lollipop back into her pocket. “Okay. If you say so.”
“…”
Lilly asked out of curiosity, “Is your bucket full now, Hannah?”
The moment she was reminded of the task at hand, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to fill the bucket even if she cried her eyes out. She pinched her lips tight as fresh tears began to fall.
Lilly hurried away to fetch the bucket.
“You can do it, Hannah! There’s still so much of the bucket left to fill!”
Hannah protested as she continued to cry. “H-Hold it better! Don’t let my tears fall to the floor…”
Both were sweating profusely. The bucket was only slightly wet, yet Hannah had no more tears to cry.
Lilly immediately brought the cup of water from the table. “There’s no more water in your eyes, Hannah! Drink more.”
The girl gulped down the cup and tried again, but no more tears formed.
Lilly poured her another glass. “Here’s more.”
Hannah ended up drinking four whole cups of water, leaving her bloated.
She tried for a long while. Her voice grew hoarse, but the bucket was still not full.
Lilly sympathized with her. “What should we do? It’s still not full. Is Granny not going to give you supper…?”
“Uwahh…”
Lilly’s eyes sparkled as she held up the bucket once more.
That was when Anthony returned with Drake and Josh. They were greeted by the absurd sight of Hannah crying with Lilly holding up a basin.
Lilly was still cheering Hannah on. “You can do it! Believe in yourself!”
Anthony frowned and asked, “What’s going on here?”
Lilly immediately explained, “Granny made Hannah cry until the bucket is full, Uncle
Anthony. She’s not allowed to stop until it’s filled. We’re working hard!”
“…”
Hannah looked at Anthony but found herself with no tears left to shed.
She was tired. This was her first time experiencing how exhausting crying could be. I won’t cry again.
Hannah asked pitifully, “I won’t cry again, Uncle. Please ask Granny if I can change to a smaller bucket.”
Lilly vigorously shook her head. “No buckets. Ask Granny for a cup instead, Uncle Anthony…”
The child shook the basin. She had a feeling even a cup wouldn’t work.
Hannah always cried, and yet even she couldn’t fill the bucket.
“…”
Josh, who was good at math, stuffed his hands into his pockets and spoke up.
“A normal person produces only five ounces of tears when they cry. A washbasin can hold about a quart. You would have to cry for the next 2,000 days. These calculations don’t even account for evaporation. Even five years’ worth of your tears wouldn’t be enough to fill it.”
Hannah wept. “What should I do? I can’t cry anymore!”
Lilly thought about it. “Try again when you wake up tomorrow.”
Five years didn’t seem like a long time!
It would pass by quickly.
Lilly tried to comfort Hannah.
Anthony pursed his lips. There was a hint of laughter in his features. Children were so naive and amusing.
“Go and play. I’ll talk to Granny.”
Lilly nodded and dragged Hannah upstairs. “Let’s go.”
She was afraid their grandmother would insist.
Both Drake and Josh were speechless. Hannah was foolish, and so was Lilly.
Granny demanded that she cry until the bucket was full, and she obeyed?
How were they supposed to explain to others that she was their sister?
Both boys, one with a bag in hand and the other with his hands in his pockets, calmly returned to their rooms.
**
Meanwhile, Winona was angrily dragging her suitcase back to her family home.
Hannah’s grandmother was astonished to see her with multiple bags. “What’s going on?”
Winona pushed the door open, threw everything on the ground, and finally exploded.
She began to shriek. “That horrible woman kicked me out!”
The old woman was taken aback by the news and gasped, “Why did she kick you out?”
“Why else do you think? She accuses me of not knowing how to take care of children and insists that Liam divorce me.”
She vented about everything that had happened.
The elderly woman was furious. She started a heated argument with her arms crossed, “What is wrong with that woman? So what if you don’t know how to do it? Does she think she knows everything just because she’s a grandmother?!”
“She even kicked you out right in front of your own daughter. What kind of long-term damage will that cause?! She’s insane!”
