Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Sister Hua.” A crisp voice rang out. Hua Shu looked up and saw a ten-year-old girl walking quickly towards her under the scorching sun.
She remembered this girl. It was Sun Lan, who was two years younger than her.
Sun Lan’s mother died during childbirth. Her father married her stepmother, and she was abused by her stepmother from a young age.
When she was eight years old, her father died in an accident at a construction site. Her stepmother remarried and took her biological daughter while Sun Lan was abandoned in the orphanage.
She still remembered that when the orphanage was demolished, Sun Lan was almost twelve years old. Because ordinary families were unwilling to adopt older children, it took some time for her to be adopted by a rural couple.
However, she later learned that the couple did not have good intentions at all. Instead, they were taking her as a daughter-in-law for their foolish son.
She did not know much about Sun Lan’s husband. She only heard that the fool was only three or four years older and did not know anything.
Occasionally, when he was unhappy, he would hit people. Not only did Sun Lan have to shoulder the work at home and outside, but she also had to endure the violence of the fool. It was a very difficult life.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Sun Lan was already in front of her. She raised her thin face, which was red from the sun, and stretched out her small hand to probe her forehead.
She looked at her worriedly like a little adult. She didn’t even bother to wipe the sweat off her forehead.
“You’re still burning up. Why is Sister Hua up? Go back to bed and lie down.” Sun Lan retracted her hand and quickly helped Hua Shu back to her room.
Sun Lan was thin and small, but she was very strong. It was almost effortless for her to help Hua Shu up. Hua Shu’s legs were really weak, so she allowed Sun Lan to help her back to her room.
After Hua Shu sat down on the bed, she noticed that Sun Lan was carrying a small plastic bag. Looking at the things inside, it seemed to be medicine from the pharmacy.
“Xiao Lan?” Hua Shu tried to speak, but she still couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Hmm? Sister, do you want some water?” Sun Lan answered. She placed the plastic bag on the small square table and poured her a cup of warm water.
Then, she took some fever medicine and gave it to her. “You’ll have to take the other medicine after dinner. Sister, take the fever medicine and sleep for a while. I’ll go wash the clothes first. I’ll cook when everyone comes back.”
“Everyone?” Upon hearing this word, young faces surfaced in Hua Shu’s mind.
Sun Lan thought that she was asking about the whereabouts of the others, so she replied, “Auntie He took Xiao Bin and Xiao You to the hospital, while Xiao Ya and Xiao Qing took the other children to see the dragon boat. However, the sun is getting higher and higher, so everyone should be back soon.”
Hua Shu was excited, but she did not know what to do. She quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions. Her gaze fell on her hands.
Only then did she realize that her palms were so thin and small, and her arms were also so slender.
“What day is it today?” Hua Shu asked softly. Her voice was a little hoarse from her fever, and her throat hurt when she spoke.
“Today is June 9th, the Dragon Boat Festival.” Sun Lan didn’t think too much about it. She only thought that Hua Shu had been sick for a few days and had forgotten how long it had been.
Hua Shu suppressed the shock and excitement in her heart. She quietly took the fever medicine and passed the empty cup to Sun Lan.
“Go do your work. I’ll sit by myself for a while.”
“Alright, I’ll be going out first. Big Sister must rest well and not go outside to bask in the sun again,” Sun Lan reminded her solemnly. Her mature and steady appearance made her seem more like an older sister than Hua Shu.
Hua Shu was so excited that she did not have time to laugh. She quickly nodded seriously and watched her leave. Then, she could not wait to get up and go to the small desk.
There was a round plastic mirror hanging on the wall next to the small desk.
Hua Shu looked at herself in the mirror. Although she was almost certain, she was still shocked to see her current appearance.
In the mirror, her face was young and thin. Due to her illness, her face was abnormally red.
Even though she had a pair of deep eyes that were different from a child’s, she still looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child.