"You're the one whose family line is gonna die out! Your whole family is! It's been that way for eight generations! All you pop out are rotten, good-for-nothing girls!"
A tiny little girl shielded a slightly taller girl behind her, her face filled with rage as she shook her fist at a boy a head taller than her, looking ready to pounce if he said another word.
...
"Your family's done for. My dad says, for an educated man, your dad sure picked some names. First, he names your sister Bai Mi, and then he gives you the formal name Xu Changqing. Your dad's not going to be able to keep his government job."
"Your family is the one that's done for! What's wrong with Xu Changqing? It relieves pain and inflammation. It's a real, proper medicinal herb." The little girl, carrying a basket on her back, defiantly pressed her lips together.
...
"Daddy, I want to change my name to Hua Mulan. The one from the story you told me, who took her father's place in the army." The little girl fidgeted, picking at her fingernails with her hands crossed behind her back.
"Why is that?" A tall, thin man softened his voice as he looked at his young daughter. "Your mother's formal name has 'Lan' in it, so it wouldn't be good to have the same name. Did someone say something to you?"
"No!" The little girl shook her head and denied it flatly. "It's just that my name, Xu Changqing, has too many parts to it. It's too hard to write. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't be lazy."
...
"Changqing, come here a minute." The tall, thin man beckoned to his daughter as she walked in. "I heard you changed your own formal name on your very first day of school registration?"
The little girl stole a glance at her sister, who was sticking her tongue out beside their father. "Daddy, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so careless and written it wrong. How about I go to the teacher tomorrow and have it changed back?"
...
The tall, thin man bent down and patted his young daughter's head. "Daddy's off to work now. Study hard, and no more skipping class."
The little girl pressed her lips together, her fists clenched at her sides. "Daddy, I've really learned it all already. It won't be too late if I go back to school in a couple of years..."
"Then what do you plan to do at home for these two years? Ask your uncle to teach you martial arts? He doesn't have the free time to play with you. Be good. Once you've mastered the first-grade textbooks, find other books to study."
...
SMACK.
"Why won't you agree?!" the girl shrieked, clutching one side of her face. "Isn't it just because you want to keep me at home and find a live-in husband for me? I'm not the only daughter in this family! Why can't Changqing do it?"
The furious man stared at his eldest daughter in disbelief. "...Fine. Go ahead and marry him. Once you're married, don't ever come back to this house. I'll act as if I never had you as a daughter."
Standing to the side, trying to hold her father back, the girl with the androgynous face stared wide-eyed. "Sis, what are you talking about? When did Dad ever want you to stay and marry a live-in husband? Even if Mom wanted that, Dad would never agree..."
"Oh, give me a break. You just love to act like the good guy. So what? Even if I've brought shame to the family, it's not your place to lecture me. Perfect. Dad doesn't want me as a daughter anymore, so everything in the house is yours. You must be thrilled..."
"Get out! Get the hell out of my sight!"
...
On the hillside, the androgynous face was filled with unease. Watching her father lean against a tree, chain-smoking, she finally took another step forward.
"Changqing, do you think I was wrong? I never should have gone so far away for work. And I definitely shouldn't have left your mother and you two behind. Now look what's happened. Your sister is ruined."
"No, Dad, that's not it. Don't think that way. My sister is just confused right now. She'll come to her senses eventually. Besides, what's there to be afraid of?
That Fang Zhiqing is right here in our village. If he dares to wrong my sister, do you think my uncle and the others would let him off? And even if he does get to go back to the city someday and tries to leave my sister behind?
What's there to fear? A girl with my sister's qualities, you think she couldn't find someone else after leaving him? Worst case, if having a child holds her back, the kid can just stay with our family. No problem.
Doesn't that make sense? You know my sister's personality. The more you oppose her, the more she'll defy you. It's better to just go along with her for now. At least this way, we can keep an eye on them."
...
"Mom, something terrible has happened! Uncle is in trouble! Auntie wants you to find an excuse to bring Changqing home to discuss how to handle this without alarming Grandma Xu and my other aunt!"
"Who did you say is in trouble?"
"My uncle."
...
"Changqing, you have to stay calm! They're fighting to save your dad in the hospital right now. Your family is depending on you. Pull yourself together and come to the hospital with your uncle, understand?"
...
In the emergency room, the man, his face whiter than paper, struggled to move his lips. "My boy... don't cry. You have to be strong. After I'm gone..."
"Dad, don't say that!" At the bedside, a very tan and thin girl gripped her father's hand tightly, shaking her head desperately. "You'll be fine. You're going to get better..."
"Just listen to me."
"Okay, Dad. Go on. Take your time."
"When I'm not around anymore... no matter what happens, try to let things go. Don't hold grudges, and more importantly, don't let yourself suffer in silence. If you run into trouble, don't carry the burden alone. Go find your grandmaster..."
"Dad! Don't talk like that! You'll get better, I know you will! Just focus on getting well. We'll focus on getting you healthy, and then I'll listen to whatever you say..."
"Changqing..."
"Dad, I'm here. I'm right here. Take your time."
"Can't... be slow. No time if I'm slow. Stop crying for a minute and listen to me. When I'm gone, your grandma and your mom will have to rely on you. As for that animal... you don't have to worry about her."
"Dad!..."
"Don't cry. What if your mother can't take it this time..."
'No!'
'It won't happen!'
Through her tears, Xu Changqing shook her head frantically. She didn't dare to imagine what would happen to her grandmother and mother, who were still being kept in the dark by everyone. 'It won't happen!'
"Don't cry. You have to be strong. Our family has... something... with your grandmaster. Remember, unless it's an absolute last resort, do not touch that stuff..."
The halting words came to a sudden stop. The girl stared at her father on the bed in disbelief. Trembling, she freed one hand to check for breath under his nose, then broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
...
"Changqing, Changqing? Poor child. Her father just passed and she... What are we going to do? What's going to happen if she finds out her mother followed her father right after?"
"Sigh... What can be done? The good die young. With the couple both gone now, the old woman has collapsed, and Da Gen and Er Gen have collapsed too. We should probably call the Bai family to come."
"Where's Bai Mi? And her husband? How come we haven't seen a shadow of that young couple? That girl... her parents really doted on her for nothing."
"Shh! I heard her husband disappeared. She's gone crazy, running around with her baby looking for him. Sigh... We should probably bring the two little ones over to get their sister. This life... the living have to keep on living."
...
"Changqing, your sister has it hard too. She's all alone with a child. They say she took over your father's job, and she gives half her monthly salary to your grandma to support the family."
...
"Child, listen. Your grandmaster sent another message. He wants you to go to school. Go on, go to school. There are plenty of us here in the family; we really don't need you to take care of the two little ones."
...
"Sigh... You're such a stubborn child. Fine, fine. I'll help you request a leave of absence for now. Changqing, the dead are gone. The living still have their responsibilities."
...