"Mother, Mother..."
The soft, whimpering cries drifted to Shu He’s ears. The terrified, helpless, and desperate calls pierced the woman’s hazy consciousness, leaving her feeling a sharp, burning ache in her chest. She wanted to open her eyes, but her body felt as if it didn't belong to her; she could not control it at all.
"Mother, wake up, please wake up... Yi'er is scared..."
A little girl, covered in mud and filth, stood there. She was skin and bones, her hair a tangled mess, and her tiny face—which barely had any flesh on it—was etched with terror and helplessness. She tugged gently at the woman, whose face was stained with blood, her large eyes clouding over with a dull, sluggish look.
The girl’s crying tugged at Shu He’s heart with a painful wrench. She jerked her eyes open. A white fog flashed before her vision, and gradually, rising above the child's sobbing, a cacophony of chattering voices surged around her.
"You cheap hussy! Get up this instant, stop playing dead! There is work waiting for you to finish on the farm!"
A shrill, malicious voice rang out above Shu He’s head. Immediately after, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen as she was kicked violently. Caught off guard, she felt as if her internal organs had been shifted by the blow!
"Don’t hit my mother! Madam, I beg you, please don’t hit her, Mother is in pain..."
Shu He curled into a ball, clutching her abdomen. Her eyes were red and stinging, whether from the pain or the infection of the little girl’s cries, she could not tell. She desperately wanted to crawl up, but her body remained entirely beyond her control.
"And you, you little whelp! I’ve tolerated you and your shameless mother long enough—that alone is a great act of mercy! And how do you repay me? You rely on your looks to seduce the master of the house! What? Are you trying to climb over my head and become the Mistress, so you can play the part of a wealthy young lady?!"
The poor little thing could not understand the woman's vitriol; she only knew she had to try her hardest to protect the woman who lay bleeding and motionless on the ground.
"Madam, please don't hit her anymore. Yi'er can do the work, Yi'er will do the work for you..."
The girl’s miserable crying reached the courtyard gate. A group of onlookers stood outside. "Is Mother Chen bullying people again?"
"Of course. Look, she’s beaten the poor thing until her head is covered in blood. Who knows if she'll even survive..."
"That little girl is pitiful. She looks like she isn’t even three years old yet, doesn't she? So thin and weak, she can barely walk steadily..."
"Mother Chen is far too cruel! How can she treat a child like that?"
Hearing the comments from outside, Mother Chen’s face darkened. She stood akimbo and shouted at the crowd, "What do you people know? This cheap hussy birthed a nameless little bastard before she was even married. Do you really think she comes from a decent, respectable family?"
"Not only did she have a bastard, but she even tried to seduce the master of this house! If this kind of loose, cheap woman were in your family, would you treat her any better?"
As the woman finished, a young girl dressed in a bright, thick jacket stepped out from behind her, echoing her words with an expression of dissatisfaction. "Exactly! My mother has already shown great grace by taking in this mother-daughter pair! And yet, you’re here badmouthing my mother! I think you all are blinded by greed and stupidity! You’re blind in both heart and eye!"
The crowd pursed their lips and said nothing more. Everyone knew that the Chen mother and daughter were not people to be trifled with, and they had no desire to be meddlesome busybodies, lest they stir up trouble for themselves.
"What are you crying for? No one in my house has died yet! Is it your place to wail like this?!"
Disturbed by the girl's crying, Mother Chen reflexively kicked the little girl.
The child’s thin, weak frame had little strength to begin with, and this kick sent her sprawling more than half a meter away. The girl’s exhausted body went stiff, and her crying ceased entirely. Her fluttering eyes now only struggled weakly, and tears as large as beans trickled down her cheeks.
"Mother... Mother..."
"Stop that crying! It’s noisy! If you cry again, I’ll throw you into the mountains to feed the wild dogs!" the woman cursed, her eyes filled with disgust and impatience.
If it weren't for the sake of this farm, she would have gotten rid of this mother-daughter pair long ago!
By now, Shu He’s vision had cleared. The sight of the girl on the verge of death flooded her heart with a monstrous rage and hatred. Helplessly, she still could not control her limbs, but at that moment, countless memories rushed into her mind, causing her brain to seize.
"Oh my!"
"You! How could you be so heavy-handed with a child..."
Those outside the gate saw the scene and were heartbroken by the girl's miserable state. After all, she was just a small child; if it were their own, they would be dying of heartache.
"Why are you so anxious? This is my farm, these are my servants. My mother can treat them however she likes! You bunch of gossiping hags, shut your mouths!"
Chen Xiaohe’s shrill, mean-spirited expression was carved from the same mold as her mother’s.
"Whatever the case, those are two human lives. Mother Chen, if you really dislike them, just send them away. Why must you take their lives?"
It was a middle-aged woman in simple clothing who spoke, a basket on her arm and an expression of unbearable pity on her face.
"I do what I please! Since they entered my Chen family's door and became my Chen family's servants, their lives belong to the Chen family! Is it for you to point fingers while I discipline my own slaves?!"
…
While the arguments continued inside and outside the gates, Shu He had fully regained her consciousness.
She was back.
Thirty years later, she had finally returned!
Her gaze landed on the little girl lying near death a short distance away, her eyes trembling. "Yi'er!"
She tried to stand to pick up the girl, but her knees buckled and she collapsed again. Stumbling, she finally managed to gain full control of her body. She pulled the dying girl into her arms, her heart shattering into pieces. "Xiao Yi'er? Wake up, please. Mother is here, Mother is here!"
The little girl’s thin body felt light as a feather, likely weighing no more than ten pounds.
As she was gently patted, the child seemed to sense her mother’s familiar warmth and struggled to open her eyes. It was Mother!
"Mother, don't cry..." The girl reached out, trying to wipe the blood and tears from her mother's face, but her hand felt so heavy—why wouldn't it obey her?
Shu He’s throat tightened and her vision blurred. She felt a sharp, stabbing pain, as if someone were clutching her heart tightly. The sensation made it hard to breathe.
"Mother, don't cry... Yi'er is not in pain..." The girl’s voice was as thin as a mosquito’s hum. Having said that, she fell completely unconscious.
"Xiao Yi'er!!"
Shu He was struck with immense panic. Her heart skipped a beat, as if someone vital to her were slipping away. She frantically grabbed Xiao Yi'er’s wrist, carefully feeling for her pulse.
"Mother, look, that little wretch is awake!"
Shu He’s voice had caught Chen Xiaohe’s attention. She tugged on Mother Chen’s sleeve and signaled toward her.
Seeing that Shu He had awakened, Mother Chen’s sharp, triangular eyes widened. She marched over to Shu He, her eyes full of venom. "You cheap hussy, I knew you were playing dead! Why aren't you getting up to work?! Do you really think you can eat the Chen family’s food for free?!"
Mother Chen held a rough wooden stick, thick as a wrist, and was about to strike Shu He. However, in the next second, a hand covered in chilblains and cracked skin firmly caught the stick.
"You bitch, you dare—" Seeing that the woman who had always been weak and submissive dared to resist, Mother Chen arched her brows, preparing to curse again. But then, she caught the gaze of eyes that were cold and sharp. In that instant, she felt as if a ferocious beast had opened its maw, ready to swallow her whole.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Chen Xiaohe, seeing her mother freeze, pushed her. Always jealous of Shu He’s beauty, she wanted her mother to hit her harder—it would be best if she just died! In any case, she was already a dead woman walking; they might as well make it official!
Mother Chen was snapped back to reality by her daughter’s push. She looked again, but there was no beast—she had simply been intimidated by the woman’s stare! She felt a sudden sense of frustration. It had been a year; how could she still be cowed by her?
"You dare to resist! Do you know the penalty for 'insubordination'? See if I don't sell you off! And I'll sell that little wretch with you, so I don't waste any more of the Chen family’s grain!!"
Mother Chen tugged on the stick, trying to pull it from Shu He’s grasp, but she was stunned to find that it wouldn't budge after several attempts.
Before she could think any further, a voice as cold as ice rang out: "Tell me, then—who is the master? And who is the servant?"