I fell in love with reading pretty young. Books gave me great pleasure.

Then came a day when I tried my hand at writing stories. I typed on my phone and shared my little creations through a literary app.

In the beginning, I just intended to record my ideas on the Internet. I did not take my writing seriously until one day a comment was posted under one of the entries by an anonymous reader. The reader did not adopt a name; he used an avatar only.

It was a warm one-line comment. It went, “Great writing. Keep it up.”

Just two sentences, the comment instilled confidence in me. I had never expected my writing to be noticed by anyone online. From then on, I kept posting on the app almost every day, hoping to get more encouragement and support. I didn’t know why, but for a very long time nobody left a comment on my page apart from the anonymous reader. His subsequent remarks were as enthusiastic as the very first one. One of his messages read: “You are the best. I believe in you.”

It was this sole reader’s feedback that drove me on in the early days. I browsed more widely to enrich my knowledge, and I tried to hone my skills by coming up with new stories. While composing a piece, I picked my words carefully to make my sentences attractive.

One year at a writing contest organised on the app, I won a cash prize, 200 yuan. It was the first sum of money I had ever earned on the Internet with my literary skills. It was not very much, but I was immensely satisfied. It added a lot to my self-esteem.

After the contest, my writing page drew a greater audience. Most of the readers left positive comments, encouraging me to go on. Some of them even gave me the thumbs-up.

One day, it suddenly occurred to me that the very first reader had not turned up on my writing page for ages. However hard I tried, I could not find the familiar avatar again.

Years later, I found out the truth by accident. I was using Mother’s phone when I noticed the same writing app installed on her device. Swiping it on, I saw the familiar avatar donned by the anonymous reader who had left those kind words on my writing page. After I logged in using the avatar, those encouraging comments on my writing greeted my eye. Oh, it was Mother!

I have kept the little secret deep in my heart over the years. I will never let Mother know about it. Even though I have stopped writing on the app, the very thought of the anonymous reader commenting on my writing page never fails to turn up the corners of my mouth.

I have a great mum. She is the best under the sun.