Chapter Eleven Former 'Good Sisters'

  Said goodbye to Xiao Ke who was reluctant to part, came out of Wang Nainai's house and took a detour at night to the market.

  Bought two bottles of wine for Old Man Luo, a piece of fabric for Third Aunt, and some cakes for Grandma Luo. These days have been thanks to their care, so I must show my gratitude!

  At night, I suddenly thought of the sweater that had obviously become smaller on Xiaohui's body. I wanted to buy some yarn to knit a sweater for him, but I had only knitted one sweater in my entire life, and it was still unfinished when that man changed his mind. So, the unfinished sweater, along with everything else he left behind, was thrown into the trash can by me. It's clear that knitting a sweater before New Year's is too difficult, so why not knit a hat and a scarf instead? That would be much simpler, using just the basic knit and purl stitches that I had learned in middle school.

  Xīng yè zài máo xiàn tān qián xuǎn le bàn tiān, nán jué dìng shì yòng piào liang de tiān lán sè huò zhě nài zāng de shēn lán sè, zuì hòu hái shì jué dìng xuǎn tiān lán sè de, suī rán yán sè yǒu xiē qiǎo bù nài zāng, kě zhè gè yán sè pèi bái jìng de xiǎo kuài dìng rán hǎo kàn.

  I remembered that lovely little girl Xiu Xiu, so I stayed up all night and picked out some red mohair yarn. The things made from this yarn are fluffy, Xiu Xiu will definitely like it.

  Rushing with things, finally caught the last bus back home, a small, dilapidated bus creaking and swaying all the way back to Luojiashan. After delivering things to Grandma and Third Aunt's house, I declined their kind offer to stay for dinner, too exhausted from the journey, didn't even have dinner, went to bed early.

  The following days were peaceful and comfortable, having gotten used to waking up early. Starry Night would spend a few hours every day studying high school textbooks. When she got tired of reading, she would sit with Mrs. Luo and other neighbor women in the sun, knitting scarves and chatting about family matters. Most of the time, others were talking while Starry Night listened intently. After nightfall, there was no more nightlife with its bright lights and wine, no need to deal with men of all kinds, quietly facing her mother's diaries and books. Starry Night enjoyed this kind of life very much, as if she had completely forgotten the hustle and bustle of the city.

  The hat and scarf were finished in less than half a month, and they rushed to send them to Xiaoke before the New Year. As expected, Xiaoke loved them, and the little guy generously gave a basket of good words. Proudly, he took his end-of-term exam results to show Xingye, two perfect scores, and Xingye was overjoyed, giving him two kisses on the cheek as a reward, making Xiaoke's face turn bright red.

  The hat for Xiu Xiu had two pom-poms on both sides, and a long tassel was added to the scarf. The little girl looked beautiful when she put it on, and she proudly brought out her treasure box, insisting on picking one out at random that very night. What treasures could an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl have? They were just some childhood trinkets, such as hair clips and barrettes, which the little girl had treasured away.

  Xing Ye didn't want to take it, but Xiuxiu said seriously that she would only share her favorite things with a good sister. Seeing how serious Xiuxiu was, Xing Ye had no choice but to pick out a pair of small ceramic ducks from her treasure box, which must have been Xiuxiu's toys when she was little. The ducks were only about half the size of a palm and were tied together with string in a messy way by Xiuxiu.

  Xiu Xiu still has a childlike heart, although she says it's okay to take it, in her heart she is also anxious. If she really took the new hair clip she just got, although she wouldn't say anything, she would definitely be heartbroken. That little duck was something her grandmother played with her when she was young and casually put away in a box, never touching it again, otherwise she would have broken it long ago.

  When she saw the starry night, she took out that unobtrusive little ceramic duck. Xiu Xiu felt a bit guilty and repeatedly asked her if she wanted to exchange it for something else. After getting a definite "no" from Xinye, the little girl was relieved and happily chatted with Xinye again.

  After the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, people who went out to work in other places started returning home one after another. The women in each household were busy preparing for the New Year's festivities, so they had less time to gather together. Xing Ye was alone again at night and naturally didn't have as many things to do; every day, apart from reading books, she began to tidy up her belongings bit by bit, making preparations for her departure next year.

  She carried some vegetables she had just bought on a starry night. After the 26th or 27th of the twelfth lunar month, even vegetable vendors would take a break. The small town was not like a big city; after the seventh and eighth days of the first lunar month, no one would open their doors for business, so she also needed to prepare some food.

  "Is that Xing Ye? It's been two years and you've grown into a big girl, I didn't dare recognize you when I saw you walking outside!" A fashionably dressed young woman approached her and greeted her.

  Staring at the woman approaching in the sunset, a dizziness, the soft sunlight suddenly became piercing, making her unable to open her eyes.

  "Don't you recognize me? I'm Dou Meiling from the east end of town. You and my brother were elementary school classmates, weren't you? You used to call me Sister Ling back then, do you remember?" Dou Meiling reminded him in a soft voice.

  How could I forget? Xing Ye's heart was filled with bitterness, the beginning of her life's tragedy started from Du Mei Ling. She treated her like a kind-hearted older sister, but it was this woman who called her "little sister" and deceived her into going to a nightclub to work as a hostess. When she sought help from her after being violated, she coldly turned around and left her alone among those beast-like men.

  What had made Xingye hate the most was not only those scumbag men who hurt her, but also her former good sister. The emotional betrayal was just as painful as the physical scars left by those beasts.

  "Ling...Ling...sister" was called out in a wooden tone, word by word, under the starry night.

  "How's your brother? I remember he was one of the best in our group. How is he doing now?" She dropped out of middle school to work.

  Seiya was already unwilling to talk to her much, and when she heard her ask about Kaguya again, it made Seiya's mood even more unpleasant.

  "Aren't you cold dressed like that? This outfit is too weird!" Du Meiling was wearing a red tight leather skirt that was shorter than knee-length, revealing black tights. Xing Ye pointed at her skirt and asked.

  Du Meiling listened to her talk about her skirt, thinking she was inexperienced and curious about her dress. However, women are naturally sensitive to this topic, so she deliberately straightened her back and struck a pose.

  "You've never seen one before, have you? I'm telling you, high-end foreign goods are worth several hundred more. My friend brought it back from Russia, and not only can't you find one in Luojiazhuang, but also in the entire county."

  Du Meiling excitedly showed off her leather outfit, just waiting for Xing Ye to be envious.

  "Didn't your friend tell you?" Xing Ye deliberately paused, with a hint of sarcasm, and said: "In foreign countries, only prostitutes in the red-light district wear leather skirts. Decent women wouldn't dare to wear them. If you walk down the street wearing a leather skirt, men will come up to ask how much you charge per night, because that's the symbol of a prostitute."

  "You... you're talking nonsense, you little girl don't understand anything, I..." Du Meiling suddenly became furious like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

  Since she brought back a lot of things and generously gave her mother 5,000 yuan, almost everyone has been praising her for being capable and filial. From a young age, it was clear that she was talented. After going out for two or three years, not only did she gain experience but also made a fortune. Even her mother felt proud to have such a daughter. Her own dressing style became the envy of girls in the same town, who followed her around to listen to her stories about the outside world, making her feel superior. Her vanity was extremely satisfied. Xing Ye's blunt words made her angry and indignant, while also feeling a sense of guilt as if a secret had been exposed. This guilt made her so angry that she couldn't speak out.

  What Xing Ye said is also true, she used to dress like that herself, but later when she opened a clothing store, a foreigner told her that in the past, only streetwalking prostitutes wore leather skirts, however after many years, many rebellious girls broke this tradition and people no longer judged whether someone was a prostitute based on their wearing of leather skirts.

  "Why don't you go ask someone who understands?" Xing Ye said, finishing his sentence and ignoring her, carrying the dishes past her. He left Du Mei Ling biting her teeth and stamping her feet, walking away without looking back.

  Walking home straight under the starry night, I didn't realize until I put down the basket that my hands had turned white from gripping too hard.

  Should I expose Du Meiling's lies and let everyone know that she is a woman who makes a living by selling her body, so that she can no longer hold her head up in this small town?

  But in this life, she has not wronged herself yet, has she? If she really gets exposed, she might never return to the small town again, and it would be her parents and brothers who would suffer.

  Suddenly at night, I'm a little angry with myself for being unable to let go. Why not just forget those things as a bad dream and be happy again? Why must I torment myself over something that hasn't even happened?

  It's better if Du Meiling ignores this person's existence, not allowing her life to intersect with hers again. Since the wheel of fate is turning again, I want to take control of my own direction this time.