Chapter 106: Strange Ceremony

Early the next morning, Sui Hua was awake before the call of the crow, her bright eyes filled with expectations and hope for the new day. Life in the Budh Village was mundane and ordinary, with its villagers at work before the break of dawn.

However, as hard-working, illiterate individuals, none of the villagers minded their boring life and instead, found peace and satisfaction in the small piece of land they owned.

Sui Hua was one such individual.

As the eldest daughter of a family of 10, her four elder brothers plowed the field and planted crops, while her three little sisters and she took care of meals, washing and sewing of clothes, and fixing the holes in their mud house.

"Sui Hua, are you up yet?"

"Yes, mama! Give me just a second!" Rushing out of her bedding, Sui Hua went out the back door to relieve herself. Grabbing a fresh twig, she chewed on one end of it and sprinkled a bit of salt.

Using the cold bucket of water from last night, she gingerly dipped the salted twig in the water and scrubbed her teeth. After a few moments, she rinsed her mouth and dashed back into the room.

On the side of her bedding, was a bundle of old rags. Her clothes were tattered and worn out, the color faded from the multiple washing by the stream. But this was the case with the clothes of all the females in the Budh Village. 

Poor and barely making ends meet, the females of the village wore clothes that were more than a year old. Only the males, who labored day and night in the fields and had to enter the city to sell and trade their produce, wore new clothes every six months.

With the fastest speed she could manage, Sui Hua changed into her old clothes and went out the wooden door.

"Mama, I am ready to make breakfast. Do we have any eggs left?" She called out.

"No, Sui Hua. The eggs are finished. We still have cornmeal from the day before. Make porridge with greens from that." A weak woman answered back, her hoarse, croaking voice giving away her weak health.

"Yes, Mama." 

Sui Hua sighed. Porridge with greens was her most despised breakfast. But since there were no better options, it was better than going hungry for the entire day.

Grabbing a stack of logs, she inserted them into the ground stove and lit the flint. A spark quickly turned into a blaze and the logs burned as bright as the morning sun. There were various wooden utensils in the tiny outdoor kitchen.

Sadly, however, there was never enough food to cook them with.

Placing the giant pot on the burning fire, Sui Hua started the porridge with greens with a serious expression.

"Sui Hua, Sui Hua! Are you there!"

At this moment, an urgent cry came from the side of their wooden gate, breaking her focus.

"Mei Na, is that you?" Leaving the kitchen, she leaned upon the gate and stood on her toes. Stretching her neck, she curiously peered out and her gaze collided with a darker one.

"Yes, Sui Hua. It is me. Sui Hua, do you know what happened in the village this morning?" The bubbling girl was of the same age as Sui Hua, her dark eyes and brown hair making her prettier than most girls in the Budh village.

This was Sui Hua's only female friend and neighbor, Mei Na.

"No, what happened? Did a mull die?"

Mulls, as existences that had the strength to plow their fields and carry their goods into town, were considered more important and valuable than ordinary humans. As such, the moment Sui Hua saw her friend's frantic expression, she couldn't help but associate it with the death of a mull.

"No, Sui Hua! Something even greater than the death of a mull happened!"

"Huh? Something even greater than the death of a mull?"

That caught her completely off guard, as she could not think of anything that could be more important and great than a mull. Her friend saw the confusion and disbelief in her eyes and leaned over.

In a conspiratorial tone, she quietly whispered. 

"Sister Ming Yue is being offered to the water spirit tonight. I heard that the reason why the village didn't get any rain this year is because of the water spirit. It is anger and needs a sacrifice to pacify its rage. Sister Ming Yue is the sacrifice."

"What!? Offered to the water spirit?"

Sui Hua was shocked.

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Ever since she was a kid, she had heard about the water spirit's sacrificial offering, a revered custom of the village, but had never witnessed it before. The very thought of being offered to a wandering spirit sent a chill down her spine.

But now, sister Ming Yue was going to be the water spirit's offering? 

The thought unnerved her.

"Surely, that's not the only way, right? Does sister Ming Yue have to be offered to the water spirit?" She asked fearfully.

"Yes, that's what I heard. They said that the sacrifice was necessary in order to regain the water spirit's favor and get rain. The offering ceremony is held tonight at the east lake. You will come, right?" Her friend's eyes were brimming with anticipation as she excitedly asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I'll see if I can attend it..." She hesitantly replied.

"No way! What do you mean, by you'll see? I want no excuses. You are attending the offering ceremony with me! See you tonight!" Without waiting a moment longer, Mei Na ran away.

From her hurried pace, it was obvious that she was escaping from Sui Hua's rejection.

"Sigh, I don't really want to go, though." Sui Hua's eyes took on a faraway gleam as she thought of Ming Yue.

Only two years older than them, with her fair skin and gentle features, Ming Yue was considered the most beautiful girl in their village. All the capable males that were of age had fantasies of her becoming their wife. That included her four brothers.

Of course, where there was admiration and adoration, jealousy and envy followed. The village girls found Ming Yue unpleasing to their eyes, constantly gossiping about her seduction skills and black arts behind her back, whenever they got the chance.

For Sui Hua, however, Ming Yue was a beautiful elder sister that she could only admire from a distance, not daring to approach for fear of blemishing her.

Unfortunately, that same Ming Yue was being offered to a water spirit.

Dispirited, Sui Hua despondently went back to brewing the porridge with greens.

"Sui Hua, is the porridge ready? Your brothers are about to leave for the fields!" The weak voice was followed by the sound of footsteps that paused behind her.

Sui Hua knew her Mama was observing the amount of porridge made and debating on how to divide the portion among the family of 10. But as her mood was still off, she didn't pay much attention to her action, and only responded listlessly.

"Yes, Mama. The porridge is ready."

"Sui Hua, get the plates. I will divide the food."

"Hmm..." Sui Hua obediently took down the plates and washed them, laying them out on the wooden table. Her Mama carried the pot and divided the food, the larger portions set aside for her brothers, while she and her sisters took the smaller ones.

The family members gathered and took their food, spreading out in the tiny courtyard to eat in silence.

As such, breakfast passed in a quiet but tense atmosphere, the expression on everyone's faces speaking volumes about the evening ceremony.

"Brother, isn't there a way to stop this offering? Sister Ming Yue is so beautiful! Isn't it too cruel to offer her to a water spirit? You can marry her yourself!" Sui Hua was no longer able to restrain her emotions, bursting out her thoughts on a moment of impulse.

Slap!

She crashed to the ground, her eyes tearing at the pain as her head spun from the sudden blow. Before she could gather her breath, kick after kick rained down on her, showering her thin figure with red bruises as she painfully coughed her lungs out.

"If you can't speak, then you should just keep your mouth shut! Ming Yue is the water spirit's offering now. To speak such words at this time, are you trying to turn the entire village against me? Huh?" Her elder brother roared at her with another vicious kick, spittle flying from his mouth as he suspiciously peered down at her huddled form.

"Sui Hong, calm down. Your sister didn't mean it. Sui Hua only sa..." Her Mama tried to intervene on her behalf but was shut off before she could continue.

"No, Mama. You need to teach your daughter right. There are some things that a female like her should not interfere in. Clearly explain that to her. If there is a next time, a slap and few kicks will not be the end of it." Sneering meanly, he turned and walked out the gate, his hoe flung over his shoulder.

The other members of the family only briefly glanced at her, before indifferently returning back to their meal. The expressions on their faces hadn't changed even once during the entire incident.

This was how life in the Budh Village went. Men decided the fate of women, and women obediently followed the path laid out for them.

Even if that path held nothing but despair.

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