Ouch, That Hurts

TEN YEARS AGO

Far away from Ming'An village was a rundown, wooden hut that lied on an isolated hill.

During the summers, the heat waves rose off the wooden boards like flames burning on coal and as the day progressed on, the heat would climb higher and higher.

During the winter, there would be the same burning sensation, yet it was the burning of being chilling cold, and every time the frosting wind blew, the shelter would creak and groan like an old rocking chair.

Despite this, in that dilapidated hut lived a family of three.

"Mum... I'm hungry." A young girl blurted and walked towards their mother whose sunken body lied on the ground.

Their mother was not moving a single inch but still had the energy to grip the alcohol bottle tightly.

She flinched when she heard the girl's complaint and groaned, attempting to sit up smoothly, but failed inexplicably to see clearly.

"Yuhe?" the woman called, rubbing her temples in an attempt to calm her throbbing headache.

"Wait, oh, it's just you, Changying."

She stood up and brushed off the crumbs of bread that were on her ragged clothes while a hint of disappointment lingered in her eyes.

"Where's Yuhe?" She asked and walked to the cupboard, stumbling every two steps.

Lin Changying clenched her fists and said, "She's sleeping."

The woman looked through the broken cupboard, reaching her hand in to see if there was anything edible, and to her expectations, there was absolutely nothing.

"Don't wake her up, I'll go get us some food."

"Wait, mum! Can I come?" Lin Changying asked.

Their mother lashed her head back and scolded, "Absolutely not! Make sure to never come out alright?"

"Ah, alright."

Lin Changying watched her mother totter away and went back to the bedroom, seeing that her sister had finally woken up and was still rubbing her drowsy eyes.

"Changying," Lin Yuhe muttered.

"Yes?"

"Where's mum? I'm hungry... We haven't eaten for days."

"Stop complaining! Mum works so hard to feed us!"

"Sorry." Yuhe frowned.

Lin Changying walked towards her sister and smiled softly. "Sorry for yelling. Get up, we need to wash our clothes, we've been wearing the same thing for two weeks."

Lin Yuhe nodded happily, and they both walked out to the backyard.

...

"Yuhe! Changying!" Their mother called.

"Mum's back!" Lin Yuhe exclaimed in joy and ran back inside the house as Changying followed.

They sat on the ground, and the mother put a bag on the table.

"I got us beef slices for the week," she said and showed them a container filled with thick slices of pork.

Although they gazed at the food in joy, deep down, they both knew that their mother had stolen the food that was in front of them.

Lin Changying reached for a slice but was ultimately stopped when their mother smacked her hand.

"That one is for Yuhe," she rebuked and handed it to Yuhe's plate, which Yuhe beamed in joy.

The mother handed Lin Changying a slice but the majority of it was just plain fat. Seeing this, Lin Changying could only just eat it silently since there was nothing she could do.

She was already used to eating the rotting side of meats that her taste buds would probably only accept fats.

Without saying a thing, Lin Changying slowly chewed the slice she was given. After all, this was their only food source to last them for a week so eating seconds was not allowed.

"Yuhe, you got all the grease around your lips. Let me wipe that for you," their mother smiled gently.

"Thank you, mum!"

The days repeated themselves, the family who sat at the dinner table, the mother and daughter who laughed together, and the one who just sat and watched. It was all the same.

"Alright, we can't eat anymore since we need to save this for the week."

Before they knew, the breeze had become frosted, and the sky had already dyed itself in navy. Another day was spent.

The family slept on the same mattress with the mother in the middle and her two daughters on the side as the sound of their light breaths and mumbles filled the room.

The mother turned around and faced Lin Yuhe, hugging her tightly as any loving mother would do to their baby. Lin Changying was still wide awake and glanced at the two. She could not help but clench her fists.

Lin Changying got up and moved to Lin Yuhe's side, attempting to fit in with their warm embrace, though that embrace did not seem to produce any sort of genuine warmth, but made her bitter.

...

"When are you going to pay your taxes?!" a man yelled.

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll pay soon," the mother responded in a trembling voice.

The two girls stood at the back and peeked through the door, also shaking in fear.

"Is mum going to be okay?" Lin Yuhe asked.

"Don't worry, mum is strong!" Lin Changying reassured and hugged Yuhe in her arms.

"You always say you'll pay soon. But it's been two weeks! You might as well leave this place!" The man exclaimed.

"I'm sorry..."

The man sighed, "Sorry this, sorry that. You say you'll pay soon, but you don't! Just leave this place already if you can't!"

"I-"

"Mum!" Yuhe called out.

"You dummy! Why did you talk!" Lin Changying whispered.

The man immediately looked in the voice's direction.

"Yuhe?" Their mother muttered.

The man smirked upon seeing a stick-thin girl at the back step out from the shadows.

His eyes failed to notice Lin Changying since she was hidden behind the walls. However, when she saw the man smirking at her with malicious intent, she immediately ran back behind the wall.

"I didn't know you had a daughter," the man said, but their mother kept her eyes lowered to the ground.

"I have a solution for you," he said and handed her sheets of paper and she received it with both of her hands that were still shaking.

"You can definitely pay off the 150 gold coins that you owe," He added. "After all, you'll get 1000 gold coins if you agree to it."

"He'll come by here tomorrow, so make sure you do it by then. If you don't, then you're going to have to leave this place," he said.

The mother's twiggy legs weakened, causing her to collapse on the floor.

"And groom your daughter well. He hates ugly girls," the man added, and left.

"Mum!" Yuhe ran to her mother, and she immediately flipped the papers around.

"Mum, what did that man give you?" Lin Changying asked.

"It's nothing. Don't worry."