It had been a few years since Ayaan remembered his name. The old man, who introduced himself as Man Li, accepted him into his household, albeit reluctantly.
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"Look brat, I'd be blunt. I don't want you in this house."
"Why?" I asked.
"What do you mean 'Why'? Of course, it'll create problems in the future." Man Li snapped. I recoiled a little at the tone, but pressed on anyway.
"What kind of problems?"
The old man rolled his eyes. "God, you're slow. Use that empty head, brat. What if your father comes to find you and sees you with us? Don't you think a man aggrieved by his child's loss won't create trouble due to misunderstandings." He answered.
"Don't you think that scenario is too specific?" I asked. Man Li shook his head. "Got no idea where you cone from kid, but here we call that normal. It's a very popular tactic among noblemen, kid. They place there kids in the house of commoners they detest and then, come to reclaim them under the pretense of 'rescuing them from kidnappers'. Since, the law allow them deal with the kidnapper and their family as they see fit. Many commoner families meet an early grave, especially along these parts."
My jaw hung lower and lower with every sentence before finally touching the ground. I bit inside of my cheek and looked down in sorrow.
"You get it, don't you. I'm surprised an eight-year-old can understand even this much." Man Li's tone carried a hint of sincerity. "I got only one daughter, brat. And, she has had enough for a lifetime."
Man Li stood up and placed the book on the night stand beside my bed. His gaze turned frosty, making the room temperature drop. He placed a firm hand on my left shoulder, making my blood run cold. I met his steely gaze with a trembling one before he spoke.
"Let me be clear, you cause my daughter even a miniscule of pain and you're gonna find your corpse used as plant fertilizer."
I bit my tongue, drawing out blood to stop incoming scream as my clavicle cracked under his crushing grip.
"Am... I... Clear?" He asked with a tone devoid of any sympathy. I felt blood clog inside my mouth and gave him shakiest nod I could.
Finally, his grip abandoned my shoulder. "You'll not get to freeload as long as I'm around. Starting tomorrow, you'll get up by dawn. Clean the house, do your dishes, help me and my daughter in the farm and most of all, listen and do whatever we tell you."
I was about to agree to everything, but something inside my refused. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before replying.
"I'll do whatever must be done."
The old man's eyes widened for a fraction of a second and I could swear, he seem impressed for some reason. His pupils dilated back to their former coldness before he gave me a small nod.
"Good, I expect you follow through on what you said, today." His praise would have meant more if it didn't sould so dull, but losers can't be chooser, I guess.
Man Li swiveled on his foot and walked out of the room with his hands behind his back. I stared at the doorway for a few seconds before returning back to sleep.
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I chuckled at the memory. The old man hadn't changed a bit since that day, and while I didn't expect him to anyway. There was till some longing in my heart. Thankfully, his daughter, Lei Li, had no such reservations. The woman treated me like her own son, and while Old Li would get mad at her for pampering me. Shw would never stop giving me presents on occasions. They weren't very expensive, but their sentimental value was undebatable.
I was thinking of what kind of present she would give me on upcoming Harvest festival, when I heard a soft voice enter my ears.
"Xiao Yan, what're you doing?" I heard before a pair of soft hands pulled me into a gentle embrace. I smiled lightly and replied without turning around.
"Nothing much, Mrs Li. Just finishing the book you gave me last time." I bit back my laughter as I heard the woman whine like a five-year-old.
"Oh, come on, why don't you call me mother? It's so simple. You don't even need to you honorifics."
I shook my head in amusement. "That would be a violation of my duty as the servant of this household." I replied before Mrs Li shifted me on her lap, so we were face to face.
"You are not servant. Your're a kid. I may have relented to father's decision, but that does not mean I'm going treat you as a slave. It would be a sin on my part as woman and as a..." Her voice died on the last part as her eyes turned glassy. I remained silent as sign of respect. The reason I did not call her mother was because I did not wish to dredge up her past trauma.
Old Li had warned me about her past. Mrs Li used be the mother of two children. Sadly, her younger child passed due to an illness while her older child perished during war. Her husband became drunkard before he made the rash decision of kicking her out of the family. Her in-laws supported their son's decision and Mrs Li retreated towards her father's abode after finidng no place in the world to go to.
"Mrs Li, what's for dinner today?" Iasked softly changing the subject. Mrs Li snapped back to reality and quickly wiped her eyes. She gave me a warm smile and replied.
"How about some vegetable soup?"
I nodded my head as I pushed myself out of her lap and stood up. She did the same and we both went to the kitchen to prepare today's supper.
_________________________________________ I stood up in a daze and trudged towards the light. My reasoning was simple. It was cold and I needed some warmth.
"Thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten..." I counted the steps backwards, my voice becoming drowsier with each. I could imagine comfortable warmth of the sun, like a bonfire under starry sky.
"Nine, eight, seven, six, five..." My legs got heavier with each step.
"Four..." My vision darkened.
"Three..." My body screamed.
"Two..." My breath grew fainter.
"And..." One step. That's all it needed. I just need one step to gain all the happiness in the world. One step to achieve all my dreams. One step to rid my body of all negativity and ascend to the afterlife.
Just one more...
Unfortunately, my foot never moved...