Chapter 2: Sisters Meet

When Bai Jing woke up again, she heard soft whispering outside the room.

She listened intently for a while before confirming it was her eldest sister and her youngest sister talking.

If she remembered correctly, her eldest sister, Bai Ling, was only thirteen, and her youngest sister was only ten. Her brother was even younger, at eight. One could say the entire family consisted of nothing but frail women and children.

Her father didn't necessarily come home even once a month. Even when he did return, he would pass by the door without ever stepping inside.

After he was injured and discharged from the military, the state had arranged a job for him guarding a coal mine, far away on Coal Mountain, about forty or fifty *li* away. His monthly salary was sixteen yuan and fifty cents. In these years where even meat only cost four or five mao, a dozen or so yuan was not considered a low wage.

It had been six years since he returned from the military, yet the family had never seen a single cent of his money. Every payday, he would be invited to her grandfather's house to feast and drink heavily.

Only after he handed over all the money on his person would Father Bai be sent back by several uncles.

They would leave with faces full of disdain, cursing Mother Bai: "Sister-in-law, you really are something. Big Brother works so hard, yet you, as his wife, don't even know how to show him some affection. Setting aside everything else, shouldn't you at least wash his clothes? Look at mine—Big Brother has already left marks all over them."

"Exactly. You don't rely on him for food, but as a wife, you should at least be clean. If Big Brother goes out looking like this, isn't he just bringing shame to your family?"

After dropping these humiliating words, they would leave without even stepping through the door, simply turning on their heels and walking away.

Meanwhile, the drunken and senseless Father Bai would be helped into the house by his wife and daughters to rest.

Six years. For six whole years, they had long since grown accustomed to the shamelessness of the Bai family.

It truly was a case of "once you have a stepmother, you have a step-father."

Heh, as soon as there was money involved, he would call out to "Big Brother" this and "Big Brother" that.

On ordinary days, whenever they crossed paths, the uncles would tell them to stay far away so as not to bring shame upon them.

Naturally, these uncles were the sons born to the old man by his stepmother. The ones who were full siblings to Father Bai were actually quite decent, but unfortunately, they had bad luck in meeting such a father; everyone's life was difficult.

Even if they wanted to help, they couldn't do much; they could only ensure that Big Brother's family didn't starve to death. Even getting a bowl of thin porridge was no easy feat.

Outside, the conversation between the two sisters continued.

Bai Jing had no intention of interrupting them; she wanted to hear what they were saying.

"Second Sister, is Eldest Sister really going to get married? I don't want Eldest Sister to marry." This was the voice of the youngest sister, Bai Jing.

"It's better if she marries. You know what life is like at home; if she marries, she might actually be able to eat her fill." Her second sister Bai Ling's words brought a sense of bitterness to Bai Jing's heart.

Thinking back to the words her mother had said to her before she married in her previous life—yes, no matter whose house she went to, it wouldn't be any better than her own.

It was only because her family had a father who didn't care about anything. In an ordinary family, they wouldn't even be able to support themselves, let alone worry about the children born to a stepmother.

Providing for a father in his old age was a duty, as the Yan Kingdom prioritized filial piety, but the ancestors never said one should neglect the survival of their wife and children for the sake of being filial to a parent.

All those years, the state had essentially wasted its efforts training Father Bai.

"Can we really eat our fill? Second Sister, what does it feel like to be full?" Bai Jing asked her sister with doubt and longing. "I want to eat my fill too, Second Sister. Tell Mother to marry me off as well."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a cry of "Ouch!" from Bai Jing.

Without even thinking, Bai Jing knew her second sister had hit her.

Sure enough, the second sister spoke up: "What are you thinking? How old are you? Marry who? Alright, hurry up and wash the vegetables. Mother will be back soon, and I need to boil the wild vegetable porridge."

The children all knew how hard their mother worked. They all wanted to help her with chores so she could have more time to rest.

Bai Jing could no longer sleep. She stood up, intending to go out and help her sisters.

But the moment her feet touched the ground, her entire body collapsed like a limp shrimp, and her mind went hazy.

She knew it was because of hunger.

Since returning yesterday, she had had nothing to eat or drink until now; how could she have any strength?

Left with no choice, she called out to the outside: "Second Sister, Little Sister, please bring me a cup of warm water."

Hearing the voice from the room, the two sisters immediately put down the wild vegetables. "Oh! Eldest Sister, we're coming!" they answered in unison.

A moment later, Bai Jing saw her two younger sisters entering with a ladle of water, with the second sister carrying it.

"Eldest Sister, why are you on the floor? Have you lost your strength?" Seeing her eldest sister slumped on the ground, Bai Ling stepped forward with a worried expression. "Quick, drink some water. I added salt to it."

As she spoke, she held the ladle to her sister's lips.

Bai Jing didn't make a fuss; she used the momentum to take several gulps. It was salty, and it wasn't until she had finished the water that she felt some strength returning to her body.

"Thank you, Second Sister." This second sister was as thin and small as she remembered, her head appearing larger than her body.

It wasn't just the second sister; the youngest was also not only short but had a sallow, yellowish complexion, with white patches on her face—a sign of intestinal parasites.

She remembered that one year, the youngest had been sent to the village clinic because she fainted. An old man there said her body had been ruined by parasites and she needed treatment.

The already frail youngest sister had nearly lost half her life that time.

She didn't know how their mother obtained the money for the medicine, but after the youngest was treated, her mother went to town several times.

It was only after they grew older that their mother told them that during their childhood, whether for school or for illness, she had sustained them by selling her own blood.

Because of this, they had resented their father for many years, only resolving that knot in their hearts after he died.

Precisely because their family conditions were so poor, the sisters had been very strong-willed since childhood. Because they were so headstrong, none of them had a good life with their in-laws.

The scumbag Bai Jing had encountered was one thing, but the second sister had married into a family of extreme bloodsuckers who listened to the wife; the third sister was even worse—after marrying, she was not only kicked out of the house by her mother-in-law without receiving anything, but the couple even had to pay for the room they lived in.

By comparison, the third sister had the hardest life. Her husband died young, and her son died young, leaving her with two grandchildren.

Before she died, the third sister was working odd jobs, planting flowers and trees for others, competing with men for work just to raise her grandchildren.

Her small frame had long since been bent double by labor.

"Eldest Sister, please don't get married, okay?" Looking at her eldest sister clutching the edge of the bed, Bai Jing's eyes reddened. "I'll pick more wild vegetables in the future. Please don't get married, okay?"

Seeing her little sister like this, Bai Jing felt a deep surge of emotion.

"Alright, Eldest Sister won't marry. I'll stay and accompany Jing'er forever, okay?" Bai Jing forced her hand up to stroke her little sister's short hair.

The family had no money to buy hair ties, so both the youngest and the second sister had short hair. The second sister was slightly better off; she could wash her own hair, so her mother had cut it into a bob that reached her ears. Because it was coarse and lacked nutrition, her head looked even larger.

The youngest sister's hair was like a boy's, standing short on her head. Even being this short, it looked like the yellowish-brown hair people dyed in later eras, showing just how poor her nutrition was.

With the support of her two sisters, Bai Jing walked out of the room.

Seeing the wild vegetables they had gathered under the eaves, Bai Jing couldn't help but weep. It was bitter—so incredibly bitter.

If she could, she truly wished she had never returned to this time.