Sold for Two Sacks of Rice

After the work over, Su Qi Xue looks for some fire woods before return to her home. When she arrived at homes with a buckle of dry woods in her hands, her little brother Xiao Ba is greeting her with cheerful voices.

"Father, Xiao Ba, I'm back!"

"Sister! Sister, you're back! Father borrows some rice and now we make a lot of rice porridge!"

"Really?"

Su Qi Xue put the fire woods near the stove and want to look the porridge that being cook in the stove.

*cough cough*

The coughing sound from her back makes Su Qi Xue put the lid of the pot back. Her father is standing behind her with a stern look in his eyes. Su Qi Xue knows that's rice porridge is not something for her to touch. With an awkward smile, Su Qi Xue approaching Xiao Ba and showing the taros she got from work today

"Xiao Ba, look what I got from work today. I got some taros, you can have them"

Xiao Ba refused the taros in Su Qi Xue hands

"I don't like taros. Why I should eat taros when we have porridge. I want to eat porridge, do you want some, sister?"

Su Qi Xue feels a bit dejected, she knows that porridge is not for her from the look in her father eyes. With a wryly smile she said

"No, I am not hungry. You can eat the porridge till you full Xiao Ba"

Su Qi Xue look around the kitchen to see if there's something else she can do there. When she looks the water barrel almost empty, she grabs a bucket to fetch some water

"Father, I'm going to fetch some water. The water in the barrel almost empty"

"Wait, I have a package of herbs. While it's not dark yet, you take it and go to Ding Xiang Ge in town and sell it"

Su Qi Xue looks around the kitchen and only see empty shelf there. It's been awhile her father not going to forage herbs in the forest. Where is that herb come from?

"Where is that, father? We already sell all the herbs we have. I don't remember we still have some herbs left"

"I told you to do so because I still have it. The herb is in the basket. Go to Ding Xiang Ge, the place is the opposite from the clinic"

Su Qi Xue is looking at the basket that her father used to collect herbs in the forest. There's a package there in the basket, Su Qi Xue took it and try to sniff the smell of the herbs. She wonders what kind of herb that her father still has.

"Xiao Ba!"

"Yes, sis"

"Wait for my return with the money. I'll buy you some snack there, okay?"

"Great, we can eat porridge together when you're back"

Su Qi Xue's father approaching Su Qi Xue with a sack in his hand

"Qi Er, take this. You can eat while in the way"

"Thanks, father"

Su Qi Xue left the house with herb package in her hand. During her walk, she opens the sack that her father gives to her. It's containing some boiled potatoes there.

"Um, this better than porridge"

Said Su Qi Xue munching the potato while walking to the city. After walk couple li from her house, Su Qi Xue finally arrives at the city. It's not hard to find the clinic in the city, it's located in a lively street where many shop and peddlers sell their merchandise there. After looking here and there, finally, Su Qi Xue see the clinic plaque, Tong Fang Clinic, in a green painted building on the street. Su Qi Xue takes look on the opposite side of the clinic and walk to the building there. It's a big building with dim lighting and red color dominating the interior. The expensive building accessories show the building is not just an ordinary building. When Su Qi Xue wandering in the spacious yard in the building, wondering where she can find this DingXiang Ge that her father mentioned. All people who passing her all show disgust in their eyes when looking at Su Qi Xue. Her dirty appearance and coarse clothes that she wearing indeed not match with the elegant atmosphere of the building. Su Qi Xue still wondering how to find this Ding Xiang Ge when a large build man wearing expensive clothes came from inside the building and shooing her.

"Hey! What are you doing here! Get out! Get out! You ruined my business just by standing here"

That big man with red birthmarks on his left forehead try to push Su Qi Xue away from the building.

"Wait, sir, I'm come here to sell herbs"

Su Qi Xue tries to explain her reason coming to this building to the man

"Sell herbs? Go to the clinic there across the street. This is no place to sell herbs!"

The man tries to push Su Qi Xue away from that building.

"Wait! wait a moment sir, my father clearly told me to deliver this herb here for Mister Ding Xiang Ge"

"Here? Did your father named Su Wang?"

"Yes, that's correct sir"

"Oh, I see. That's why you going here"

The man nodded and rubbed his chin while circling Su Qi Xue like a wolf intimidating his prey. Su Qi Xue feels uneasy with that man eyes who looks at her like want to eat her alive. She's startled when that man grabs her hand and examine it

"Hmm…it's pity if it's only for blood"

"Kyaa….. Don't touch me! I'm here to sell herbs"

Su Qi Xue shoves the man hand away while showing the herb packages in her other hand. The man snatches the herb package and asking

"Is this the herb package?"

He holds the package with his two hands and torn the package apart. Su Qi Xue surprised with what that man doing, but she more shocked when the man tossed away the torn packages to the air and make the content scattered away. What inside the package is not herbs but dry grass that not even worth a cent!

Su Qi Xue still gasped with shock when the man speaking

"Silly girl, don't you know? Your father is selling you. And he is a cold-blooded father to let you come by yourself here. Now you come with me, hahahaha"

The man grabs Su Qi Xue body and carries her enter the building. When Su Qi Xue come to her senses again and screaming, she already carried in that man shoulder and enter the building.

"Put me down! Let me go!"

Su Qi Xue keeps screaming and shouting.

"Let me go! You guys must be mistaken! My father would not sell me!"

"Did you see the rice your father took home before?"

Said that man while putting Su Qi Xue down.

"Your father didn't even feed you well before sent you here. Look at how skinny you are"

That man appraises Su Qi Xue body like a merchant inspecting the goods. That man's words make Su Qi Xue feel her legs become soft. There's no power left to make her can stand properly, Su Qi Xue sits listlessly on the ground, thinking what happen to her. The stern looks on her father eyes when she opens the porridge pot's lid flashing in her mind. With a hoarse low voice, Su Qi Xue mumbling

"In my father eyes, I'm only worth two sacks of rice….."

The man lowering his back and said to Su Qi Xue

"Listen to me, girl. In here at least you will not suffer, you can eat well and have a warm place here. It's better than staying outside and suffer from hunger and cold"

The man tries to console Su Qi Xue and touch her chin. this touch make Su Qi Xue startled and get her reason back

"Don't touch me! I want to go home!"

Su Qi Xue pushes the man away and tries to run from that place. But she's not run fast enough because of the man able to grab her hand and pull her back before Su Qi Xue manages to run.

"You're not going anywhere, girl!"

After caught Su Qi Xue's hand, the man pushes Su Qi Xue's body to the nearby column which makes Su Qi Xue's head hit the column hard and her eyes become blurry. In the next moment, Su Qi Xue lost her consciousness and faint. With an evil laugh that man carry Su Qi Xue body and enter a room inside the building.