Three Years of Drought, and I Wake Up in an Age of Famine
“Jinbao, eat up.”
Wang Guihua picked up a large, glistening chicken drumstick and dropped it into her eldest son’s bowl.
Jinbao swallowed his saliva and devoured it greedily, afraid someone might snatch it away if he hesitated.
“Mom, it’s so delicious! We haven’t had meat in over six months!”
Wang Guihua smiled warmly at the sight.
“If it tastes good, then eat more.”
Then she glanced toward the kitchen and lowered her voice.
“We can’t keep this chicken anymore. The drought’s gotten so bad people are dying of thirst, let alone livestock. Even if we don’t eat it today, it’ll probably die in the pen tomorrow.”
“Mom, I want a drumstick too!”
Jinzhu came over carrying an empty bowl, staring longingly at the remaining chicken.
“You greedy little girl.”
Wang Guihua tapped her on the forehead with her chopsticks.
Jinzhu yelped in pain.
“Here, have this piece of meat. It’s not much worse than a drumstick. The other drumstick is for Doudou. He can eat it when he wakes up and build up his strength.”
Pouting, Jinzhu chewed miserably on her piece of meat. Tears dripped into her bowl one by one, yet she didn’t dare complain.
Meanwhile, after finishing his drumstick, Jinbao wiped his greasy hands and licked his fingers clean.
His eyes darted around.
When Wang Guihua was busy clearing the dishes, he quietly slipped out through the courtyard gate.
He was carrying a belly full of wicked thoughts.
At fifteen years old, he was already no good.
Following village hoodlums around, stealing chickens and dogs was routine for him.
A while ago, he had accidentally seen Widow Liu fooling around with a man in the woods. Ever since then, his mind had been full of filthy thoughts.
That little wretch Ye Qing…
She was skinny as a stick, but her skin was startlingly fair.
Among all of Willow Leaf Village, no one else was as pale and delicate-looking as she was.
If Tiezhu hadn’t mentioned her a few days ago, he might have forgotten she even existed.
A motherless burden.
Her father was a coward.
Her stepmother wished she were dead.
Even if he bullied her, what could she do?
Who in Willow Leaf Village would stand up for her?
His mother had already said that tomorrow morning they would follow the village chief and flee.
And they weren’t taking Ye Qing with them.
This was his last chance.
With a sneaky grin, Jinbao crept toward the dried-up stream.
Sure enough, he spotted Ye Qing crouched beside a nearly exhausted spring, patiently collecting water in a clay jar.
Anything Wang Guihua ordered, Ye Qing had no choice but to obey.
The scorching sun beat down mercilessly.
Her face was flushed from the heat.
Seeing no one around, she rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and stared at the slow drip-drip-drip of water filling the jar.
She was thirsty beyond belief.
There wasn’t a single patch of shade nearby.
Yet she didn’t dare steal even a sip.
If she brought back less water than expected, she’d go hungry for another day.
At this point, being beaten no longer seemed like a big deal.
From his hiding spot, Jinbao saw the pale stretch of arm exposed beneath her rolled sleeves.
Against the yellow earth, it seemed almost dazzling.
His mouth went dry.
Heat surged through his body.
Reason disappeared.
Without thinking further, he charged from behind and pounced on her like a starving wolf.
He slammed her to the ground and immediately reached for her trousers.
“Let go of me! You animal!”
Caught completely off guard, Ye Qing was terrified.
She struggled desperately with all her strength.
But after months of hunger, her body was frail and weak.
How could she possibly compete with the well-fed Jinbao?
Her trousers were nearly pulled down.
Desperate, Ye Qing suddenly grabbed his arm.
A burst of strength she didn’t know she possessed erupted from within her.
With a violent shove, she threw him away.
Jinbao had been completely unprepared.
He was flung several feet before landing flat on his back.
Stunned, he scrambled to his feet and stared at her.
“You little bitch! You dare hit me?”
Ye Qing had truly reached her breaking point.
For years, Wang Guihua had beaten and cursed her.
Denied her food.
Worked her like a beast.
And Jinbao constantly harassed and bullied her.
Old grudges and fresh hatred erupted together.
Eyes red with fury, she snatched up a thick wooden stick nearby and rushed at him.
Swinging wildly, she struck him over and over.
“You beast!”
“I’ll beat you to death!”
Jinbao usually acted arrogant and domineering, but underneath he was all bark and no bite.
Beaten until he howled, he covered his head and fled.
“She’s gone crazy!”
“Ye Qing’s gone crazy!”
“Help!”
Only after he disappeared into the distance did Ye Qing collapse onto the ground, completely exhausted.
After resting for a long while, she looked up at the sun.
It was already time to return home.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand.
The world spun around her.
She felt as though she was dying.
If I die… will I finally see Mother?
Everyone else has someone who loves them.
Why don’t I?
If I’m really going to die… at least I don’t want to die thirsty.
With that thought, she picked up the half-full jar and drank a large mouthful.
Only then did she begin the walk home.
The moment she stepped through the courtyard gate, before she could even steady herself, Wang Guihua slapped her hard across the face.
Her ears rang.
Even so, she didn’t let go of the water jar.
Without even checking how much water was inside, Wang Guihua snatched it away and hurled it to the ground.
The jar rolled twice before landing in a patch of weeds.
“You little bitch!”
“How dare you hit my son!”
Pointing at Ye Qing’s nose, Wang Guihua sprayed spit as she shouted.
“Jinbao is your elder brother! How dare you attack him like that?”
“I didn’t…”
Weak from hunger and thirst, Ye Qing barely managed to speak.
“He… he tried to pull down my trousers…”
“You still dare talk back?”
“Why would Jinbao ever want someone like you?”
“At your age you’re already making up disgusting lies!”
As Wang Guihua raged, she grabbed Ye Qing by her dry, yellowed hair and dragged her into the woodshed.
Then she slammed her head repeatedly against the wooden door.
Pain exploded through Ye Qing’s skull.
Blood mixed with tears and ran down her face.
“You’re just like that dead mother of yours!”
“A shameless whore!”
The more Wang Guihua spoke, the more venom filled her eyes.
Memories from years ago resurfaced.
“If your mother hadn’t interfered, I’d have married into the Ye family myself!”
“I wouldn’t have wasted eight years suffering in the Jin family!”
The angrier she became, the harder she struck.
Grabbing a thin bamboo rod from the corner, she whipped Ye Qing across the back.
Thin bamboo was especially cruel.
It left little visible damage on the surface, but underneath the flesh burned with unbearable pain.
Even clothing brushing against the swollen skin felt agonizing.
“You stole life-saving water!”
“You dared hit my son!”
“You cursed little star of misfortune who killed your own mother!”
“Keeping you alive is nothing but trouble!”
Blinded by rage, Wang Guihua finally delivered a vicious kick directly to Ye Qing’s chest.
The force sent her crashing into the woodshed door.
Curled into a ball, Ye Qing felt a metallic sweetness rise in her throat.
She coughed violently.
Blood sprayed from her mouth.
Looking at Ye Qing’s face—which resembled her late mother Yuniang almost perfectly—Wang Guihua’s hatred only intensified.
“That face of yours is just like a fox spirit’s!”
“Your mother was short-lived because of you!”
“You’re the one who killed her!”
“And you don’t deserve to live either!”
Outside the woodshed came the excited voices of Jinbao and Jinzhu.
“Mom, beat her to death!”
“That disaster should die!”
“If she dies, all the food and water will belong to us!”
Even little Doudou timidly joined in.
In his childish voice he said:
“Big sister bad…”
“Big sister stole water…”
At that moment, Ye Qing’s father, Second Brother Ye, returned home.
Hearing the curses and the sounds of beating from the woodshed, he paused.
Then he sighed.
And said nothing.
Deep down, he knew he was in the wrong.
Years ago, if he hadn’t drunkenly accepted the cup of wine his cousin offered him…
If he hadn’t slept with her in confusion…
If Doudou hadn’t been conceived…
Things might never have turned out this way.
Qing’er really has become more disobedient as she grows older…
She’s always making Guihua angry…
He comforted himself with that thought.
When Wang Guihua noticed him standing there, she immediately forced a smile.
“That girl gets more troublesome every year.”
“I sent her to fetch water and she spilled all of it.”
“I only scolded her a little. You don’t mind, do you, Second Brother?”
“Oh, and the village chief said we’re leaving at dawn tomorrow.”
“I’ve already packed everything.”
“Go check if we’ve forgotten anything.”
Second Brother Ye said nothing.
Almost as though he were fleeing, he walked away from the woodshed.
After all, Wang Guihua handled every household matter.
Naturally, everything had been packed neatly.
The handcart was loaded with bedding, clothing, and grain.
Both large water jars had been filled and secured tightly.
The cart was packed to the brim.
Aside from a few worthless odds and ends and some heavy furniture, nearly everything in the house had already been moved.