The morning light filtered through the window lattices and spilled onto the earthen wall, reflecting tiny flecks of dust. Lixia sat on the edge of the bed, her fingertips still retaining the tense sensation of clutching the corner of her sister’s clothes through the night. She couldn’t help but constantly remember that rat that had crawled over her head; its furry touch seemed to remain stuck within her hair. Her chest felt as if a clump of wet cotton were weighing it down, and even the energy she had to get out of bed carried a touch of sluggishness.
Inexperienced as she was, Lixia believed that the rat crawling onto her bed in the middle of the night was already the most terrifying thing in her shallow life. Future experiences, however, would cause her horror regarding tonight to vanish, because even more terrifying things would come along to replace tonight’s rat…
Pushing open the bedroom door, the courtyard was quiet. Even without looking, she knew that the family members were all busy with their respective chores. Father Yuan was rushing toward the fields with a hoe on his shoulder, intending to take advantage of the morning coolness to tend to the crops. Mother Yuan was bound to be in the vegetable garden, weeding and watering, or perhaps picking a handful of green vegetables or setting up trellises for the eggplants. The eldest sister and second sister carried bamboo baskets to the slope to pick wild herbs for the pigs; if they were late, they would only be able to gather old herbs that were too tough to chew. Her two older brothers, on the other hand, had most likely met up with the boys from the same village, running off to somewhere unknown to raid bird nests or catch fish and shrimp.
Lixia tiptoed back into the room and retrieved a meat bun from the lottery system. The rising steam wrapped in a meaty aroma rushed into her nasal cavity. Taking a bite, the savory broth from the meat filling trickled down the corner of her mouth. She swiftly wiped it away with the back of her hand, terrified of leaving any trace. After finishing it, she opened the window wide to let the meaty aroma drift out with the wind.
Then, she went out to fetch water to wash her hands. She secretly took out her soap, rubbed up some lather, and washed her hands completely clean. She also pinched a bit of coarse salt from the salt jar, dabbed it onto her index finger, and gently scrubbed her teeth. The grainy texture of the coarse salt rubbed against her tooth surfaces, bringing a slightly astringent taste, but it made her feel at ease. In this era where most people still relied on snapping a willow branch and biting the fibers soft to use as a toothbrush, her ability to wash her hands with soap and brush her teeth with salt was already exceptionally luxurious.
Having cleared everything up, Lixia moved a small stool and sat beneath the eaves. The sun gradually climbed higher, baking the ground until it was scalding hot, and even the corn leaves by the courtyard wall began to wilt. Looking at the small corn cobs that had just formed on the stalks, she calculated in her heart: We have to wait until autumn before the corn is ripe enough to boil and eat. Chewing on sweet corn kernels then will surely satisfy my cravings.
“Fifth child, you’re at home?” Mother Yuan’s voice came from the courtyard entrance. She carried a bamboo basket on her arm, filled with freshly picked green vegetables, their leaves still bearing droplets of dew. Spotting her youngest daughter sitting beneath the eaves, a smile bloomed on Mother Yuan’s face. “Why didn’t you go find your brothers and sister to play?”
Lixia quickly stood up and ran over to help Mother Yuan carry the basket, her voice sweet as honey. “I didn’t want to go. I want to stay at home and keep Mom company.” She knew that these words were the most effective at making Mother Yuan happy. Indeed, among a crowd of children who either scrambled for food or made loud clamors, her well-behaved and beautiful nature had always been Mother Yuan’s pride. When visiting relatives, while other children swarmed around the table to grab dishes, she would always sit quietly; she would eat if there was food, and she wouldn’t throw a tantrum if there wasn’t. Every single time, it would earn her praise from onlookers: “The Yuan family’s fifth child is truly well-behaved!”
As expected, Mother Yuan was coaxed into a beaming smile. Setting down the basket, she pulled Lixia into her arms and patted her head. “Mom will boil an egg for you to eat to nourish your body.” The eggs at home were always saved carefully, either stored up to barter for salt or given to the laboring Father Yuan to restore his strength. Mother Yuan’s words came from a place of genuine heartache over how Lixia always ate the least during meals.
Lixia shook her head, however, and pulled Mother Yuan’s hand toward the kitchen. “Mom, use the egg to make soup instead, so everyone can eat it together at noon.” She was well aware in her heart that she didn’t lack food, and the ones who truly needed to nourish their bodies were the other six people in this family. Furthermore, if she ate an egg alone and was discovered by her older brothers and sister, it would inevitably cause them to throw tantrums. After all, in this era of scarce clothing and food, countless children would get into massive fistfights over a piece of meat or a single egg.
Looking at her daughter’s sensible manner, Mother Yuan’s heart melted completely into a pool of water. She rubbed Lixia’s hair, touched by how this silly child never ate alone behind her siblings’ backs. Sigh~
The Audience: You’re overthinking it. Your daughter eats alone behind your backs every single day, and it’s even meat-filled delicacies!