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Big Sister
墨書 Inktalez
I went to the restroom, and Principal Uncle grabbed me, pointing at the woman's back and saying, "That's your eldest sister!"
I looked back at my sisters—Eldest Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, and Brother were all kneeling there.
But I still chased after her because the Elementary School Principal was recognized throughout the village as a fair and kind person.
She stepped onto the muddy ground that had just been rained on, her steps unsteady, splattering mud onto her pant legs.
"Eldest Sister?" I called out timidly.
She paused and turned to look at me.
Though her clothes were plain, her skin was nothing like that of my sisters; it was not as dark or rough.
"Did you call me?"
I pursed my lips and gazed at her.
She asked uncertainly, "Are you Xiao Liu?"
Tears were on my face as I nodded gently.
Only Grandma called me "Xiao Liu," but Grandma was gone!
In this family, Grandpa called me "Burdensome Child," my parents called me "Debt Collector," Brother called me "Six-Tailed," and my sisters called me "Six More."
"Xiao Liu!"
How lovely that sounded!
"Eldest Sister, are you scared being alone? Let me walk you home!"
I was the bravest and strongest.
I was in second grade, and I carried my brother's fifth-grade backpack for him.
Our house and beds were not enough; I dared to sleep on the ground in the sheep pen, cuddling with the lambs.
"Xiao Liu, dear, someone is coming to pick up your sister ahead; you should go back!"
She squatted down in front of me, hugged me, rubbed my face, and then pulled out a piece of paper and a bright red Mao Zedong bill from her pocket. "Take this; no matter who you give it to, you can't tell anyone. This is our little secret."
I nodded.
She and I made a pact, "Study hard, and when you grow up, call me!"
She gestured with her hand.
Then she pulled out a piece of candy and stuffed it into my pocket, "Go home!"
Back at Sisters, I knelt down and quietly popped a piece of candy into my mouth. It was so sweet! So sweet that it made me want to cry! Growing up, only Grandma would secretly give me candy, saying, "Don't let your brother see it, or he'll make a fuss!"
"Six-Tailed, did you just move your mouth? What are you eating?" Brother noticed something was off and started to get up to search me.
I worried that the paper in my other pocket and the picture of Mao Zedong would be discovered, so I hurriedly rummaged through my pockets and took out all the candy.
"Hmph, still want to eat alone? Do you even deserve such good stuff?" Brother peeled off the candy wrapper and tossed pieces into his mouth, crunching them loudly.
Then he tossed another piece in.
How could he eat such delicious treats like that!
Outside, the onlookers buzzed like flies:
"Weren't you supposed to be dead out there? How dare you come back?"
"Looks like she hasn't been doing well out there."
"Didn't she say she was working at Spirit Pavilion in the south?"
"How could the Village Chief's Son not be good enough for her? Just because he's eight or nine years older and has a bit of a limp. Only the village chief wouldn't want me; if anyone could have me, she wouldn't stand a chance!"
The village chief's son had a scar on his head, was as ripe as an eight-tenths melon, and was a cripple! How could he be worthy of my tall and beautiful older sister?
How could you all say such things about my sister!
I was about to get up and argue with them when I saw Grandpa banging his smoking pipe hard: "If it weren't for her having paid her respects, I wouldn't even let her kneel before the coffin—what a disgrace to my ancestors! A worthless girl!
First her, then Zhao Ti, Wan Di, Ying Di, Lai Di, Huan Di—who else has gone to high school like her? Doesn't it all cost money?
And she wants to go to university? Does a girl even have that fate?
After waiting so long for our family’s Fu Lai, is it too much for this eldest sister to do something for her brother? Which girl doesn't get married? It's just about marrying early or late!
And then she runs off without a trace!
If she has the ability, she should never step foot in this house again!
And what about cutting ties with me and our mother? Didn't she crawl out from her mother's womb?"
"Ungrateful fool!"
In this family, Grandpa is like a god. He is second only to the Kitchen God. No one dares to disobey his words. If my sister had stayed to mourn and attend the banquet, those people might have dared to tear her apart. But I believe my eldest sister is not the kind of person they claim she is.
Later, I found out that Third Sister, Fourth Sister, Brother, and I were all "overbirths," which meant we would have to pay a hefty fine! The village chief approached my grandfather and said that if my sister married his son, the fine would be waived. The chief's family had even prepared the wedding house. But my sister quietly ran away without a word.
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