The sun rose steadily over the horizon, casting shadows over the cracked tile of the courtyard. The tiled roof, once proud, was now dulled and cracking. The house groaned under the weight. The walls are peeling. In a room with bare walls, a desk, and a single bed, a woman, nineteen years old, lies shivering.
The autumn winds outside creep into the room through the cracks in the door. Her shallow breathing is the only thing that can be heard. For a brief moment, the breathing pauses before stuttering back to life.
The woman's eyes flutter open. A soft groan leaves her lips, then she coughs. So loud and hacking that she reaches for her chest. The irritation of the cough caused her to turn to lean over the bed, heaving as she coughed.
When her cough subsided, she lay flat with her back on the bed. Her eyes took in her surroundings. She knew where she was. Her bedroom. Before she got married to that lunatic. Her lips were chapped, and she had trouble breathing. But it did not stop her from remembering the days of her youth.
She was nineteen when she married the lunatic, Li Jun. Her older brother, Lin Zheng, feared going to the countryside. Her parents scrambled to find work for him. This is when Li Jun makes his move.
Li Jun's father, Li Weiguo, was the director of the steel factory. Having a father with such a prestigious job, it should have been easy for Li Jun to marry a wife. Yet, he was twenty-three and still unmarried. Still, families were trampling on their doorstep.
Li Weiguo approached Lin Zhi, her father, and made him a proposition. He would give Lin Zheng a job at the steel factory in exchange for his son marrying his oldest daughter. According to Li Weiguo, Li Jun fell in love with her at first sight.
It was a day just like any other when her father came to her. She had gotten up for water. She was ill, and no water was in the room. Her father had come home early.
He called her 'Yaoyao' so lovingly that day. It had been a long time since she heard her father call her like that. She thought he had finally become the loving father she remembered from her younger years.
She had smiled and greeted him.
It wasn't until everyone arrived home that she knew why her had called her so sweetly. He wanted her to get married. She remembered the way her heart pounded when she heard that Li Jun wanted to marry her. The man every woman wanted would be her husband. If only she knew the nightmare she was walking into.
She was happy the day she got married. Her mother-in-law and father-in-law greeted her warmly at the wedding. Although small in scale, it was grand at that time. Meat dishes were served. She thought this meant she was appreciated.
But when the door closed on the festivities, darkness crept in. Her brother was able to obtain a job, while she became someone who could be abused at will. Li Jun never touched her face and arms. That could create gossip.
Instead, any part of her body covered with clothing was whipped, burned, and cut. When being intimate, he had special tools he would use to pierce, pinch, and cut. She was issued a reprieve only when there was no available skin to torment. After healing, the cycle would begin again.
She remembered going to her parents once, begging them to allow her to divorce. Their response chilled her heart. A married woman is like spilled water. Whatever it is, you and your husband should talk it out. Everyone has to deal with in-laws. These dismissive comments chilled her very soul.
She died from his torture fifteen years later.
Yet, here she lay, with her eyes open, gaze locked on the chipping tiles; she was unsure what to feel.
Since she wasn't sure what to feel, she waited. She waited for a sign that it was a dream. She waited for someone to burst through the door, find her conscious, and send her back to that place. She waited to be cursed at and beaten.
But none of that came. Instead, there was a soft knock before the door opened.
"Yaoyao, are you feeling better?" Lin Zhi, her father, walked into the room.
She licked her chapped lips, preparing to speak, but the only thing that came out was a rasp and a cough. She waited for her father to offer her water. She stared at the hunched man who walked into the room.
Her heart used to feel heavy seeing the proud man being pulled down by the struggles of hard life. This man, who used to stand so tall in her eyes, now seemed so small. She wanted to feel something for him now, but she only felt numb.
She watched him look around the room for water. When he found none, he did not leave the room to get her water. Instead, he spoke.
"Yaoyao, our family has good news. Your brother doesn't have to go to the countryside. I'll tell your mother when she gets home. You just think about getting better first."
His smile was broad as he spoke. The spark in his eyes was the same as it had been before their difficulties. As soon as he made his statement, he left the room. Her eyes followed, watching him leave. The slight twinge of her heart told her she was not completely numb.
She cared for her father, but she was no longer disillusioned. The door clicked softly as he left. She stared at the door for some time, her eyes turning red, before closing her eyes.
Darkness fell. She woke up to the sound of people chatting. Slowly, she sat, her body aching. She had not eaten, nor had she sipped water all morning. She opened her door. Outside, she saw her family celebrating.