The next morning, I returned to our alley, weighed down by something more than my steps alone.
“Whoa, Sis”! Lei Wen exclaimed. “Where’d all this food come from? You even got a whole roast chicken!”
"Last night, I couldn’t sleep, so I wandered around town," I said, forcing a casual tone. "I ended up finding a few coins in the trash and put them to good use." The lie rolled off my tongue with ease, even as it twisted like a knife in my chest. I knew the truth would be too much for her to bear.
She beamed, eyes round with excitement. “Sis, you’re the best! I knew you’d get us something amazing!”
I forced a smile, hoping it would mask the growing heaviness in my heart
“Keeping promises is important, right? So, let’s dig in.”
I spent every coin Mother had given me last night. We feasted like royalty, and I sat quietly, watching Lei Wen savor every bite, her laughter filling the air like the sweetest melody. Her joy was unbroken, radiant as the sun cutting through the storm. And as I watched her, I clung to a fragile, desperate wish—I wish that we could stay like this forever.
That night, I left again, giving her my usual excuse, “going to rummage through the trash.” She never questioned it, drifting into sleep without a second thought. But as dawn broke, I returned with something different, something more…
“Look what I got today, Lei Wen!” I called out, my voice louder than usual to drown out any second thoughts.
Her eyes sparkled. “Sis, is that…steak?! And chocolate too? It’s like the sweets we used to have back home!” She dug in as if it were a celebration, her laughter filling the dingy alley, chasing away every thick cloud above us, only leaving behind the warmth of an everbrighten sunlight.
“Careful,” I teased, watching her juggle bites of steak and chocolate. “Who taught you to mix sweet with savory like that?”
Her cheeks bulged as she grinned, unfazed. “Sorry! It’s been a while since I had something like this.”
Then, as if sensing something amiss, she slowed down and paused mid-bite. “Sis… this food… how did you really get it?”
I gave her the same answer as before, even though my voice wavered slightly. “From some loose change I found while digging around last night.”
She relaxed again, relieved. “Oh, good! For a second, I thought… I thought you might have sold the ring I gave you to buy it.”
With a forced smile, I raised my hand to show her the ring gleaming on my finger, untouched. “Still here, you see? I promised, and I’ll always keep it, just like I promised.”
As she ate, I felt the edges of a deeper ache forming, like a scar that would never heal. Her innocence made her blind to the truth I carried with me.
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That evening, Lei Wen sat anxiously as the daylight faded away. I hadn’t come back. She had promised to wait for me like the good kid she was—and she kept her promise. I didn’t keep mine.
Still, she had her doubts, rightfully so, but It was all too late.
Stepping cautiously to the mouth of the alley, she froze as two shadowy figures emerged. Within seconds, rough hands reached out, pulling her back.
“What do you want? Let me go!” Lei Wen’s cry echoed through the walls.
A sneering voice cut her off. “Quiet, kid. You’re ours now.”
She fought back, sinking her teeth into one man’s hand until he yelped and loosened his grip. She tried to run, but her little legs couldn’t carry her far. One of them caught her ankle, yanking her to the ground as the other reached forward, pressing her down.
Stolen story; please report.
“Feisty little thing. Don’t worry. It was your sister who sold you to us, kid. Made a nice deal for herself and walked away.”
“That’s a lie!” she screamed. “Sis would never do that! She’d never leave me!”
The man smirked, his voice dripping with disdain. “Oh, you sweet summer child. She’s already long gone.”
But even as they dragged her down the alley, away from the only fragile semblance of home we had shared since leaving everything behind, Lei Wen’s cries for me pierced the suffocating silence. Her fairytales lay abandoned in the dirt, and yet, her trust in me remained unshaken—to the bitter end.
Me? I heard it all from my hiding place behind the wall at the mouth of the alley. I never left; I’d known what was going to happen. My heart pounded as I clutched a heavy pouch of gold in my hands. In that moment, the silver ring glinted faintly on my finger—a grim reminder of the promises I’d made and broken.
Sorry Lei Wen, in the end, none of us was your light.
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Last night…
“Are you serious?” The manager looked me up and down, incredulous. “You want to sell this?”
“Yes, please,” I begged, extending the silver ring. “I’ll do anything. Just, please, I need this.”
The manager raised an eyebrow, barely concealing his sneer. “Look, kid, this isn’t a jewelry shop, and that fake ring is barely worth anything.”
My heart sank, desperation tightening its grip on me. But I wasn’t leaving empty-handed. “I’m not leaving until you buy it. Even if you have to drag me out.”
Finally, the man sighed, something dark flickering in his eyes. “I don’t want the ring. But I’ll tell you what—you’ve got something else I could take.”
I followed his gaze, unease tightening my stomach. “Something…else?”
He nodded, his smirk widening. “Yourself. You’re young, pretty enough. It’d be easy, much easier than scrabbling for scraps every day.”
I could see now why people would choose this path, even someone like my mother. The warmth, the ease, the fleeting sense of worth— it was all a mirage, but a tempting one. But no matter how tempting, I knew I couldn’t give in. I had a promise to keep to my father. I still clung to the idea of becoming something better—of becoming a hero like him.
After a moment’s silence, I finally answered, my voice barely a whisper. “I’ll give you someone as pretty…but it won’t be myself.”
He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh? Then who?”
“Someone…someone who felt the hunger that I did but won’t have to struggle like I will. My little sister.”
He smirked, catching on. “Ah, I see…your little sister.” He pulled a form from his desk. “Well, that’s fine too. If she looks anything like you, I’ll give you fifteen gold bars for her. But remember, the buyback price goes up.”
"I’ll buy her back, no matter what! Just... just please, keep her safe until then. Don’t sell her to anyone else," I pleaded, my voice trembling. "Also, give me one day—just one more day. I want to fulfill my last responsibilities as her big sister."
The man leaned back, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Sounds good to me. Here’s the contract," he said, sliding a piece of paper across the table.
With a nod, I picked up the pen, hesitating only for a second before signing her name. I still hear the scratch of the ink on paper, sealing what I knew was unforgivable.
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I told myself it was the only way. We’d come to Ningxia for a new life, for the chance to survive. But is that what it means to live? Existing, breathing, even in a world devoid of hope and love?
I clutched my purse tightly as I waited for the last train out. Around me, the crowd pulsed with strangers, their faces a blur of longing and despair. I’d sold my only family, and now I was utterly alone in this sea of people.
The train whistled a haunting note, splitting through the evening like a curse. The people waiting beside me moved with a detached urgency, as if running from the same bleak future I sought to escape. Anywhere, they seemed to think—anywhere was better than here.
When the train doors opened, bright lights spilling out into the night, I stepped on board, settling into my seat and looking out the window as we pulled away. The lights of Ningxia blurred, replaced by rain streaks on the glass.
And I wondered, Is it raining on Lei Wen too?
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“Han Yin…”
“Han Yin!”
“Huh? Oh…” I blinked, snapping back to reality, the weight of memories dissolving as I met his gaze. “Sorry, Mr. President. I must have dozed off for a moment.”
“It’s alright, honey” the President said, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Are we going to do the thing you promised?”
“Uhhh… sure”