Yan Suyin found yet another clump of dead rodents stuffed into her blankets. Like any sensible girl, she shrieked in horror, throwing herself backward. The rats - twisted, horrid little creatures, eyeless and paws shriveled - lay in a bloodied mess in her sheets, staining the white bright red.
The perpetrator stood by the door, giggling maniacally. "Happy birthday, dear big sister," the purple-clad girl snickered. Suyin glared at her from where she lay on the floor.
"Thank you, Ruolan," she said through gritted teeth as she pushed herself up. Her glance flitted to the carcasses on her bed, and she swallowed back the bile climbing up her throat. "I really appreciate it."
"I'm sure you do," Yan Ruolan said with a hair flip. The long, silky locks swished over her slim shoulders, accentuating the pale white fabric of the robes she wore. It contrasted with Suyin's brown dirt-stained dress. "A-Qiu, A-Dong, come here and give big sister a washbin and cloth. I'm sure she'll need it."
Her twin maids dipped their heads, answering with a "Yes, Second Miss!" before scurrying to perform the task.
As she turned to head out the door, she called over her shoulder, "And A-Jie, if anyone asks you what happened, just say that you're bleeding this month. I'm sure no one will question it. You are, after all, the Yan Family's First Miss!" With a trill of laughter, Ruolan flounced away.
Suyin sat on the floor, eyes dull and lifeless. Eight years ago, she might have bawled her eyes out and ran to her father for guidance. Eight years ago, Ruolan was also too young to cause any terrible mischief. But Suyin had grown used to this endless cycle of torment. Without a word, she retrieved the washbin brimming with - thank goodness - clean water and began to wash her sheets. The rats, she picked up by hand to toss outside behind a cherry tree, but she didn't leave before squatting down to bury them in the dirt.
When Suyin returned, Old Muying was standing with her arms crossed. She nodded in approval at Suyin's bloodied sheets. "Heavy blood flow. A good sign of a strong body that will bear sons." Suyin only rolled her eyes as she finished scrubbing the blood out. She sloshed the sheets in the basin for a while before holding them up, carefully appraising them. Most of the blood was gone; There was only a hint of pink when the rats' bodies had been.
The elderly maid was dusting the floor with a rickety broom. Greats clouds of dust billowed out, and Suyin coughed. "Muying, could you please be a little more careful?"
The old woman simply hummed, sending up another cloud. "Master Yan wanted me to tell you that you and your sister have betrothal requests coming to meet you in a few days." Suyin sat up straighter as she wrung her sheets. Water plopped messily everywhere.
"For me too? Not just Ruolan?"
Muying helped her gather the soaked sheets, and they entered the Yan estate's courtyard. "Yes, also for you. Rumors say that they're a set of brothers. First Miss, perhaps this will be your lucky year! You may find a husband, and soon have his chubby children running around."
Suyin sighed as she draped her sheets over the maids' clothesline alongside dozens of simple cotton dresses. "What if they both want Ruolan once they see her?" She was no stranger to this possibility. About a year ago, there had been a potential prospector seeking her hand in marriage. He'd arrived at the estate, only to turn around and ask for Ruolan's hand in marriage upon seeing Suyin. Later that year, he died in a carriage accident, thus annulling the engagement.
However, that incident caused even more teasing for her. From birth, Suyin had gotten off on the wrong foot. Her mother had been so pale and weak, and the wet nurse so hard of hearing, that when she'd bent over the rasping woman, she'd heard Suyin's name wrong! Suyin's mother had originally wanted to name her daughter "Shuying", which meant virtuous and clever, but the wet nurse had interpreted it as "Suyin", which was simple and plain. By the time the family had discovered the diaries containing her mother's hopeful wishes in naming, she'd long passed from childbirth, and Suyin was already three years old.
Apparently, the man's mind had changed. Why marry plain Suyin when there was the gorgeous Ruolan? Self-consciously, Suyin touched her cheek as she gazed at her reflection in the glistening lily pond. Perhaps it was true that her younger sister's beauty outshone hers in every way, but she did not think she was extremely ugly. Her jaw was quite strong for a woman, yes, but her lashes were long and her cheekbones high. Her hair also wasn't as long as Ruolan's, but it was enough to pin into neat hairstyles and updos.
Suyin groaned as she flopped onto a wooden bench, sitting in a very unlady-like fashion. She must've done wrong to Yan Ruolan in her past life. Why else would her life be so miserable?