A harsh gust of wind bit my barely covered skin once again as I trodden through the snow with difficulty. I wanted to run through the white field, but a glance at the bin full of liquid medicine in my hands, I knew that it was a terrible idea. At that moment, the medicine was more important than my life.

I knew that more snow was seeping into my cotton shoes, but it made no difference to me; my toes were already numb anyway. I hugged the bin closer to my chest, hoping to at least extract some sort of warmth from it.

In a distance, there was a familiar structure standing on a lonely patch of land. I sighed in relief, knowing that I was almost home.

I tried my best to quicken my steps without toppling over. 

I opened the door quietly, peeking inside. The thumping in my heart calmed as I realized that nobody was inside. I walked in and placed the bin on a small wooden table. Then, I turned to walk into a smaller room where a pale woman laid on a slightly elevated wooden bed. Her eyes were closed, but I could see the scrunched up form of her eyebrows and the clear droplets trailing down from her eyes. I shook my head when I felt tears building up. I sat on the edge of the bed and held her cold hand.

“Mother, I have returned. I got the medicine from the local physician. I am going to make you something to eat before you consume the medicine,” I said as I patted her hand. I prepared to leave for the kitchen, but then the hand tugged at the sleeve of my thin coat. I looked down at my mother and her eyes were opened. There was a glint of light in those eyes, but they were clearly diminishing.

“Lian Jun, how much did the medicine cost?” She asked in a hoarse voice. 

“Do not worry, Father will not hit me,” I lied. Of course, that man will beat me. Just my existence displeases him. 

She stared at me for a long time. Just as I was about to break the awkward silence, she said, “Lian Jun, you should leave.” 

My eyes widened at her suggestion. I knew that when she said leave, she meant to leave this place, leave this home, leave her.

I shook my head fervently and said, “Mother, I will not leave you. If I must leave, you must come with me. You-”

She sighed and cut me off with, “You are a logical child. We both know clearly that I do not have much time left. Even if the Heavens will it, I will not be able to travel long distances. Today your father was not in the house because he took your siblings out for the New Year festival, and they would not be back until late in the evening. Right now is your perfect chance to escape their grasp and hatred.”

The tears built up in my eyes could not be withheld any longer and fell down. I felt a lump in my throat, but I still forced myself to speak. “Then...what about you? Father and the others would not care for you. I bet he could not wait for you to die and marry the village head’s granddaughter!”

Mother let out a chuckle and shook her head slowly. 

“Lian Jun, even when we had that status, your father never had concubines. He was very much faithful to me. He refuses to care for me because I refuse to abandon you. After you leave, I know that he will do everything in his power to heal me.”

Pain tugged at my heart, but I knew that Mother did not mean it in a bad way. When Father and the others despised me, only Mother believed that I was not the one that destroyed the family’s name. 

“Now listen, I still have some of the items I secretly did not sell from my dowry. There is a jade girdle pendant that you must not sell. Otherwise, you may use the other four at your own discretion when necessary. I believe that there is still some more food left, so take that as well. My child, wherever you go now is your decision. Always remember...I will always love you,” she said.

I bit my lip to prevent myself from crying out loud. I agonizingly released Mother’s hand and whispered a thank you. 

Doing what Mother told, I grabbed an unused cloth and began to pack the belongings she previously told me. There was a jade girdle pendant with the character of Hu. Hu Mother’s maiden name and it is a prominent clan within the nation. There were also items of a calligraphy brush, a dagger, a book, and a hairpin. I ignored the lack of commonality between the items and immediately looked through the kitchen for leftover food. 

Once I was done with packing, I looked back into the room of my mother.

“Mother, if the Heavens will it, I will come back to retrieve you!” I vowed inside my mind and took off into the unknown world.

It has already been a few days since I escaped my home. I have arrived in the bustling port city known as Jiangchen and currently reside in an abandoned temple. I have been searching for a job for a while, but to no avail; somehow all the shops had enough workers. My already limited food supply was running low quickly despite my efforts to save it. Although I had the items from Mother’s dowry, I did not want to spend it as of yet. For some reason, I felt like those items were going to be necessary for the future. 

I walked into another shop and a delicious aroma of dumplings attacked me. I struggled to ignore the calling of my stomach and finally managed to push it away when I saw a man that seemed like the owner. I went up to him and before I even opened my mouth he said, “Get out, little beggar. I have no food for you.”

I sighed at the misunderstanding and explained, “I don't want food, I want a job.”

He raised an eyebrow and coughed.

“I see. Well, we do not have a spot available right now,” he revealed.

I nodded and proceeded to leave.

“Wait!” He called out. I raised an eyebrow at the sudden change but still turned around.

“Yes?” I asked politely.

"I may not have a place for you, but I know a few places there may be. You have five places to choose from: 
the slave center, Xu Manor, the army, the painting shop, and a clinic.”