Chapter 122 You Are the Older Sister
Today, Er Ya felt that her father came home especially late; the sky was already dark.
"What's wrong? You've all eaten, haven't you?"
When Father returned, Mother was just bringing out a bowl of steamed egg custard from the kitchen.
Their eyes met, Father nodded silently, and then Mother's eyes lit up.
Mother placed the steamed egg custard on the table and stroked the head of her youngest son, who was already sitting by the table waiting.
"We've eaten, but your son kept fussing about wanting eggs, there was nothing for it," Mother said with a helpless expression.
Father happily wiped his hands and lightly slapped his younger brother's topknot-styled head: "This little rascal, always causing trouble."
He saw Er Ya, San Ya, and Si Ya standing outside the candlelight, but their eyes were exceptionally bright, all staring eagerly at that bowl of steamed egg custard.
"You all come and eat too, one spoon each."
Er Ya immediately squeezed over excitedly, her head leaning against her two sisters'.
Mother gave her a sidelong glance and handed her the spoon: "Er Ya, you are the oldest, you eat first."
Their eldest sister had already married Wang Wu from the neighboring village, so Er Ya became the oldest girl in the family.
Er Ya carefully scooped a small spoonful and put it into her mouth; the egg was tender and smooth, and before she could even savor the taste, it slid down into her stomach.
Er Ya reluctantly handed the spoon to San Ya, who also ate a small spoonful.
Si Ya was a bit bolder, eating a full spoon, but was immediately scolded by Mother: "Greedy guts."
In the end, more than half a bowl remained, all of which went into her younger brother's stomach.
Wu Ya had just been born and couldn't eat these things yet.
After finishing the steamed egg custard, it was time to sleep.
Candles couldn't be lit for too long; it was too extravagant.
Er Ya lay on her small bed, still savoring the taste of the steamed egg custard.
For her, who was dizzy with hunger from eating thin porridge every night, steamed egg custard was indeed a rare delicacy.
After sleeping dizzily for a while, Er Ya woke up hungry again.
She didn't know why she was always so hungry lately; she put Si Ya's arm, who was sleeping next to her, on her own stomach, hoping that a flatter stomach would make her less hungry.
Er Ya didn't know that she was in a growth spurt, so it was natural for her to get hungry easily.
Suddenly, she heard her parents sighing and groaning from their side.
"Er Ya is still young..." Father's voice was full of helplessness.
"She's not that young; I was only two years older than her when I married you."
"And they only want Er Ya to go live there first; they're not in a hurry to marry her off. They said they'd consummate the marriage when she's older."
What Mother said made Er Ya feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Although she was young, children from poor families matured early; she was no longer a child who understood nothing.
A small hand reached over and tightly gripped her cold, trembling hand.
It was Si Ya.
"And what's their family's situation, and what's ours? Er Ya marrying over there will mean good food and clothes; surely that's better than not even having enough to eat by our side, right?"
"Alas..."
"And, where will the money come from for Chun Ge'er to go to school?"
"Zheng Ge'er also needs to take the county examination. If he really passes, I heard they'll need to hire a famous teacher later. Where will the money come from?"
"Alas, yes, yes."
Er Ya's matter was thus settled.
Si Ya gently hugged her body, trembling with her.
Perhaps she understood, perhaps she didn't, it was just Er Ya herself trembling so much.
Er Ya felt her pillow was a bit damp, so she turned over.
She tossed and turned several times throughout the night, like frying pancakes, unable to sleep at all.
She endured until morning, then ran out without eating breakfast.
She stood by the stream where she had seen the little fairy yesterday, for a long time.
"You girl, why are you running around aimlessly?" Er Ya's Father chased after her, panting. Shiniu Village wasn't big, so Er Ya couldn't run far.
"Father?" Er Ya was puzzled; didn't Father usually go to work in the fields early in the morning?
"Quickly, go home. We need to get you ready to go somewhere."
"I... I don't want to go..." Er Ya understood Father's meaning.
"Be obedient, you are the older sister; you cannot be willful."
Er Ya feared Father's stern face the most; every time Father looked like that, she would be beaten and sore for several days.
And she had heard that sentence countless times.
She was the older sister, so she couldn't snatch the steamed egg custard from her younger siblings.
She was the older sister, so all toys had to be given to her younger siblings.
She was the older sister, so she had to take on more of the dirty and tiring work.
Finally, one day, she thought, why?
"I won't!" Er Ya shouted, then turned and ran.
But after only a few steps, she was caught and lifted into the air.
Er Ya kicked her small legs and cried, but her strength was too small; how could she resist her Father?
Just like that, she was brought home.
Mother held her down to bathe her and changed her into a relatively clean set of clothes.
This was a new outfit Mother had made for her last New Year by altering her eldest sister's clothes; she had been reluctant to take it off when she first wore it.
Then, weak from crying, she was tied with ropes and had her mouth sealed by her parents, and sent into a carriage parked at the entrance.
"Hmm, not an ugly girl." The old nanny pinched her red, tear-streaked little face and examined her carefully.
Her parents dared not speak, smiling obsequiously.
"Here, take the silver."
"From now on, she will be our family's esteemed young mistress. She is our Madam's biological niece, so do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, we understand. We won't go looking for the young mistress."
The old nanny got into the carriage, not even looking at Er Ya, and simply gave an instruction to the coachman.
Er Ya was very quiet throughout the journey.
The carriage traveled for a while and then stopped. Er Ya was lifted out of the carriage by the old nanny.
Unexpectedly, though the old nanny was quite old, she was not weak.
After getting out of the carriage, Er Ya found that what lay before her was not the grand mansion she had imagined, but a pitch-black cave.
The old nanny held Er Ya with one hand and a tinder stick with the other, walking into the cave.
They reached a stone door guarded by people, where it finally brightened up due to the torches placed on both sides.
Blowing out the tinder stick, the old nanny threw Er Ya onto the ground and respectfully asked the two male guards.
"Has the young master woken up?"
"Yes, he's making a fuss," one of the men said in a low voice.
"This child you brought this time isn't crying or making a fuss. Could there be something wrong with her mind?" asked the other man.
He saw Er Ya lying on the ground, not struggling, just staring fixedly at a point ahead, her eyes burning, which made him feel uneasy.
Could she have seen something unclean?
"The young master doesn't like girls with mental problems."
"Definitely no problem!" The old nanny quickly assured, "She's just heartbroken from being sold by her parents. This is good too; it saves a lot of trouble."
At this moment, the stone door opened, and a beautiful maid walked out, saying to the two men: "It's ready, go in and clean up."
Turning to the old nanny, she said: "You wait a moment."
"Yes, yes, whatever the young lady commands." The old nanny's attitude towards this maid was even more respectful, her old face full of flattery.
Soon after the two guards went in, they came out dragging a cloth bag.
The cloth bag wasn't big, but it was bulging and seeping blood, casually piled to one side.
It wasn't placed properly, and because the bottom was uneven, the cloth bag tilted over, and its opening came undone.
Er Ya, lying on the ground, was facing the opening of the bag.
In the faint torchlight, she saw a pale face and a pair of shining eyes deep within the dark bag, staring at her.