Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Little Pitiful Su Su
Chapter 1: Little Pitiful Su Su
Late spring in the third month, and all things were coming back to life.
Su Su dragged a thick branch with difficulty as she made her way forward.
The branch was about as thick as an adult's arm, six or seven feet long, longer than two Su Sus put together.
Su Su was small in stature and weak in strength. Gritting her teeth, she walked and stopped intermittently, finally managing to drag the branch back to the small courtyard at the village head just before the sun rose.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, before she could even call out to her aunt, Tian Cuihua, who was sweeping the yard angrily, struck her on the head with a broom.
The blow came fast and fierce, sending Su Su staggering to the edge of the chicken coop, her forehead colliding with the low stone wall with a loud "thud."
Agonizing pain washed over her, and her vision went dark while nausea churned in her stomach. But Su Su gritted her teeth, telling herself not to cry.
If she didn't cry, she might get scolded, but once her aunt calmed down, she wouldn't get beaten anymore.
However, if she cried and her aunt got annoyed by the sound, she might just beat her to death!
But with her vision so dark and her head spinning, Su Su couldn't even make out what her aunt was shouting. Eventually, she lost consciousness.
"...Early in the morning, the yard isn't swept, the chickens aren't fed, and the water isn't fetched. What's the point of keeping you around?"
"Your mother was a good-for-nothing, and so are you. You're useless at doing chores and only know how to bring shame on us! Did I desecrate your Chen family's ancestral tomb? Why is heaven punishing me like this?"
...
Tian Cuihua cursed as she brandished the dirty, worn-out broom, striking Su Su's tiny body.
As for whether Su Su had fainted?
Tian Cuihua thought, 'She's just fainted, not dead. Why bother caring? Besides, if she's dead, it'll save us food!'
Su Su's clothes were thin and tattered, with patches upon patches on her pants, which were also several inches too short, exposing her scarred ankles.
At this moment, although Su Su was unconscious, she still had some awareness.
When the broom struck her, her body would instinctively flinch.
Tian Cuihua beat her for a long time, tiring herself out to the point of heavy breathing. Just as she prepared to step forward and kick a few times, she heard her younger daughter, Chen Yuyao, calling from inside the house: "Mother, Mother!"
The voice was urgent, and Tian Cuihua, already worked up, turned and shouted at the house: "What's with all the shouting? Are you calling for your spirit this early in the morning?"
She said this, but she still turned and walked inside. Before leaving, she angrily threw the broom at Su Su's body.
Su Su's small body flinched slightly.
Inside the house, Chen Yuyao was agitated. She looked into the basin of water, then looked again, finally confirming something.
She had been reborn!
Reborn on the most crucial day of her past life! On this day, Su Su's birth father, far away in the capital, had sent people to take her back!
After returning to the capital, Su Su's life improved, and even her poor relatives benefited, basking in her reflected glory.
Chen Yuyao had also gone to the capital and seen a lot.
The more she experienced, the more dissatisfied she became.
Why should Su Su be a young lady of a marquis' manor while she remained a village girl?
Just because Su Su had a mother who was a flirt?
Chen Yuyao had been resentful in her past life, and now heaven had opened its eyes, allowing her to be reborn on this most crucial day!
Chen Yuyao thought: A young lady of a marquis' manor, huh?
That position would be hers!
After all, the Marquis had never seen Su Su, and they were the same age. Why couldn't she be the marquis' daughter?
Besides, after Su Su's mother passed away, it was their family who had taken Su Su in. Asking for some repayment now wasn't unreasonable, was it?
It was early morning, about an incense stick's worth of time before the people from the capital would arrive.
Chen Yuyao needed to discuss a plan with her family before then and, most importantly, get rid of Su Su!
Only the dead could keep secrets forever!
Inside the house, as Chen Yuyao and her mother whispered their plot, Su Su, lying by the chicken coop, finally woke up in the chilly spring breeze.
Su Su's head still hurt, and she reached up to touch it, only to find that her hand was covered in blood.
Tears fell uncontrollably from Su Su's eyes, but she dared not make a sound. With her blood-stained hand, she wiped her tears, left then right.
Su Su told herself, "Don't cry. Even if I cry, don't make a sound."
"Otherwise, I'll get beaten."
"It's just a bump, it doesn't hurt."
The day before, her uncle had beaten her arm so badly that it had swollen. But she blew on it, and the pain soon faded.
A few days prior, her cousin had cut her hair, piercing her scalp and drawing blood. Yet, after applying some ash, the pain had disappeared by nightfall.
Su Su had experienced bleeding injuries before, and now, she gritted her teeth, assuring herself that everything would be fine.
After comforting herself, Su Su struggled to get up, intending to go to the stove for some ash.
Before she could even reach the doorstep, Tian Cuihua rushed out and grabbed her by the shoulder, dragging her quickly towards the chicken coop. Su Su was pushed through the low entrance, and in the process, her head knocked against the stone wall again, and her knees scraped along the wall, emitting a loud rip.
Su Su's old and tattered pants finally gave in to the violence, tearing open along a long slit.
Hearing the sound, Tian Cuihua angrily muttered, "Why don't I just slash you to death and be done with it?"
She then grabbed a stone slab nearby and blocked the entrance to the chicken coop. Before leaving, she remembered to threaten Su Su, "Stay put inside and don't make a sound. If you dare to come out, see if I won't break your legs!"
Su Su, who had been whimpering softly in pain, was terrified into silence by these words.
However, with her head injured twice, Su Su felt even more dizzy and nauseous.
With the entrance blocked, only a slim ray of light entered the chicken coop, casting the interior in darkness. The air was oppressive and stifling, filled with a thick, nauseating stench.
Su Su cautiously curled up, wanting to check on her legs, when suddenly, a crisp yet gentle voice echoed in her ear.
"Happy Growth System activated!"
"Let me see, which little cutie needs companionship... Oh?"
The Happy Growth System was initially cheerfully reciting its activation lines.
However, upon seeing the situation, it immediately froze in shock.
"Is this the little cutie I'm supposed to accompany?"
Checking the data, it saw: Su Su, five years old.
Then it looked at the small, frail figure cowering in the corner, her body bearing wounds. At this height, she barely reached three feet, resembling a case of severe malnutrition.
The Happy Growth System's heart almost shattered at the sight.
It adjusted its voice to the maximum pitch and lowered its tone, infusing it with a coaxing allure.
"Su Su, I'm your good friend, Le Le."
(End of Chapter)
Continue reading
Español
Português
Italiano
Русский
Deutsch
Français
