Jie-jie… Jie-jie…
The voice was so soft it that if one didn't listen well they would hardly hear it, as though its owner feared being overheard. It trembled, not from sleepiness,like the young voice was trying so hard to hold back tears.
Jingyao's eyelids fluttered open.
The first thing she saw was a thatched roof and Muddy walls which looks like they would collapse if the wind hits it hard. Her head throbbed painfully , a slow, persistent ache, as memories that did not belong to her pressed down flashed into her mind.
While trying to sort out the images playing in her head,a small hand tugged at her sleeve.
Jie-jie, the voice called out closer this time. "Wake up… please wake up."
She turned her head.
Sitted by the bed side is a young boy
He was supposed to be four years old, but his body told a different story. He was thin to the point of fragility, his limbs narrow that might snap without care . His cheeks were sunken, his lips pale, and his oversized, dark eyes were set too deeply in a face that looked no older than two.
Malnourished.
That word surfaced clearly in her mind, cold and clinical.
The boy's clothes hung loosely on him, His clothes would be mistaken as rag if kept on the floor she thought as she assessed the boy .He held the hem of her sleeve as though it were the only anchor keeping him with a spark of light which can be seen to exercise joy in his eyes
Behind him, the wooden door was slightly ajar. Looking at the door you can easily realize that it's of no use. The door is badly eaten by rodents not even up to the height of a healthy 8years old,might as well remove it because it isn't protecting privacy
However the young child kept glancing at it.
At every sound of a foot step coming from outside , his small shoulders tensed, his eyes darting toward the courtyard beyond, as though expecting someone to burst in at any moment.
His boy language screamed fear
Jie-jie, he whispered again, his voice barely louder than the rustle of straw. "Grandmother… grandmother is awake."
That single sentence carried more weight to both the young boy and Lin Jingyao who was still trying to suppress the painful ache in her head while trying to understand where she was and how she got there.
Lin Jingyao felt it then, an unfamiliar tightening in her chest, sharp and heavy at the same time. Memories flooded in, not gently, but like a forced confession. The earlier spoken word seems to have unlocked a flood gate of anxiety with suppressed memories bursting out becoming clear to Lin Jingyao .
This boy was her youngest sibling and the only male child in the first branch of the family. She is now occupying the body of Lin Jingyao who bears a similar name with her but younger.
The original host is the first child of Lin Anheny and Zhousi Royniang . The host family lives in a poor village famously known as pear blossom due to the number of pears which grow in the village. The village is surrounding by mountains and rivers which commoners would often joke around saying that they were being protected by Divine Beings as the mountains and Rivers keeps the village away from the wars whenever there's a breakout.
The Pear Blossom Village has been occurred by the Lin family for generations now. Nobody can tell me tell exactly when their ancestors settled here but they have lived her as much as most of them could remember.
In the pear blossom Lin Jingyao father Lin Anheny happens to be the first son of Lin Deschang and Wang shi being a family village children would live Together with their parents even after getting married until their parents died so practice however is the reason why the host brother and family aren't living well.
For the herself as the first child who came out as female,she has been constantly abused by her grandma who values male children over females because of the belief that females where spilled water. Thereby the Host and her other female siblings were often subjected to all kind of work and torture. The main Branch which is the host family are treated unkindly by the entire family. They are seen as mules who are to work hard for the other family members.
Oh shit, I can't believe I found myself in such conservative place after dying
Jingyao slowly pushed herself upright. The movement sent a wave of dizziness through her weak body, but she forced herself to steady her breath. She slowly glances across the room and notices the depilated state, it has to bed kang a big one and a smaller one along with the clothes belonging to the host family aside from that there nothing tangible in the room looking up to the tacked roof she notices sun light seeps through the roof.
Lin Jingyao wonders who the family manages to survive the winter and when it rains .
Chengyuan the host younger brother noticed her wince and panicked immediately.
"Jie-jie, are you in pain?" he asked quickly,I didn't mean to wake you. I just came to check if your awake you have being sleeping for days Doctor li said that if you don't wake up soon we might have to spend money on medications or you would die .
Grandma is threatening to host a funeral for you just so that she won't have to spend money on your medicine.