Chapter 2 The Way We Came From

I shouted at him.

He wanted to infect him with my indelible will.

But his resistance was too strong; he showed no reaction and was lifeless.

I took the silver from his purse and went to the best clinic in the county to call for help.

When I rushed back, he was gone again.

The little beggar who had received his kindness followed him all the way and pulled him out of the river.

Together we took him to the clinic.

He was unconscious, had a persistent high fever, and could not be given any medicine.

The little beggar and I used chopsticks to pry open his mouth, pinched his nose, and spooned the medicine into his mouth.

His body's survival instinct will cause him to swallow.

I stayed by his side for four days.

Four days is my limit, and also the limit for my parents, eldest sister, and second sister.

I don't know how they got through those four days.

When I returned to the village, I saw my mother and father struggling with each other from afar, and my mother was going crazy, holding a knife in her hand.

Her voice was filled with despair and desolation: "Do they have any chance of survival if they fall into their hands?!"

"Being dead is better than living a life worse than death!"

She screamed piercingly, "It's better than being alive but worse than dead!!"

Father knelt on the ground, holding Mother's waist tightly.

The eldest and second eldest sisters huddled in a corner of the cowshed, too stunned to even cry.

Outside the cowshed, the sun shone brightly; inside, despair lingered.

My heart raced, and clutching the meat bun in my chest, I ran as fast as I could towards the cowshed.

I took my mother's hand and replaced the sharp knife in her hand with a white and fragrant meat bun.

I smiled and encouraged her: "Mom, things will get better and better."

Hot tears fell onto my face, one drop, two drops, three drops, and more and more.

The aroma of meat spreads across the lips and teeth, transforming into the courage to face difficulties head-on.

The mother raised the butcher's knife in her hand once again.

Anyone who gets close to the cowshed, regardless of age or gender, will be killed.

Grandma stood with her hands on her hips and cursed from a distance, saying that I stole money from the house to buy steamed buns.

The clan chief blocked the road out of the village.

In the darkness of night, my parents stole a boat from the river outside the village, intending to take us away from this cannibalistic place.

My hand caressed the water's surface, as if I were stroking Lotus Root's head.

I said to him in my heart:

Your sister will avenge you.

My sister swore an oath with her undying soul.

*

The little beggar is a little beggar with a conscience, but not much of one.

He ran off with the money I had left for food.

Fortunately, Wu Xubai did not go hungry.

His page found him.

When I saw him again, his page was kneeling beside his bed, revealing his whereabouts.

"Waaah, young master, this servant never imagined that the eldest young master would do such a cruel thing to his brother," the page boy protested.

He leaned against the soft pillows, his eyes closed, lifeless.

The warmth of the blazing sun was blocked by the propped-up window sash.

Inside the clinic, the smell of medicine and the groans of patients mingled.

I moved a chair and propped the window frame up to its highest position.

The sunlight shone on his pale face.

He frowned instinctively.

I could see the fine hairs on his cheeks that shimmered in the sunlight.

I sat down next to him and asked him:

"Wu Xubai, do you have a weakness?"

It took him a while to adjust before he opened his eyes.

His eyes were amber in the sunlight.

I felt like I was telling him, and also telling myself: "If you have a weakness, you have no way out."

He looked at me.

I saw the look in his eyes.

Dim and without light.

I still remember him smiling and asking me if I believed he could pass the imperial examination with flying colors.

My nose feels so sore and sore.

Are you content with having your life defined from birth?

His voice was calm: "Why did you save me?"

"Because I'm not reconciled!" This is the voice from the bottom of my heart.

"I refuse to let others write my destiny!"

"Why should I!"

Fate may cripple my body, but it can never shake my will!

"Wu Xubai, don't you want to see the despair in your enemy's eyes as they plead in pain!"

If willpower cannot infect him, then encourage him with hatred!

"The way to do business is to balance interests, follow human nature, and grasp trends."

"By grasping the economic lifeline of a region, one can also manipulate events at will!"

"Being disabled means you can't hold an official position, but that doesn't stop you from doing business!"

"Isn't he most afraid that you will take away his status as the eldest son and his power in the family?"

"Then force him to lose all his dignity and power."

"Wu Xubai, I'll help you! You help me too."

"Let's give it our all, okay!"

My hot tears fell, both encouraging and pleading with him.

Don't give up!

Don't give up!

His palm was cold and devoid of warmth as he brushed the bangs from my forehead for the second time.

They didn't ask me how a child could say things that were inappropriate for his age.

He only said one word.

"good."

In an instant, that spark in my world turned into a flame.

"That's how it should be, that's how it should be!"

"Things couldn't get any worse than this!"

"From now on, we will get better and better every day!"

I am certain.

*

Having reached this point, I found an external force to pull me out of the mire.

But this force couldn't support the weight of my family.

The gears of fate are pushing me forward, stumbling along.

The day after we left the village.

Grandpa and Grandma led their clansmen to the county town, determined to force their parents to submit.

The old woman's voice was shrill: "Death?"

"He'll die and be sold to arrange a ghost marriage!"

The old hag accused me of stealing money from her to buy the food I left for my parents.

Taking advantage of her seniority, she arrogantly cursed her parents. If my mother dared to say a word back, she would be accused of being unfilial and disobedient.

The affairs of a clan are not the concern of the officials.

Ultimately, the family members who left the village were forced back by the social environment of the times.

Like lambs to the slaughter, it seemed that only a dead end awaited our family.

When I rode back to the village in Wu Xubai's carriage, my parents were at home sharpening knives.

I heard my mother instructing my father: "Chop the three of us into pieces and feed us to the fish, then throw us where Ou Ge'er is. Live well on your own."

"Aqu is clever; they definitely won't catch her."

I stood outside the fence, watching their tears wash the blade until it gleamed.

I looked up at the sky, forcing back my tears, and with a smile, pushed open the fence: "Mother, I'm back!"

I've come to save you.

In the end, the huge sum of twenty taels of silver I brought back temporarily halted my elder sister's fate.

My mother asked me what I had done.

I smiled and said, "Go pursue my dreams. Mom, I want to tie my hair up."

My mother held me and cried.

But I was very happy.

I have found like-minded partners.

We will support each other, break free from constraints, and become the masters of our own destiny.

The mother went to her grandmother's house and forcibly took a piece of red hair tie.

Grandma only scolded him a couple of times because of the twenty taels of silver.

My mother combed my bangs and tied them into two little buns.

I remember clearly the day I left home; the cicadas were chirping incessantly, and the midday sun was blinding.

Before I left the village, I visited the clan chief.

The clan chief sat high in the main hall.

I stood in front of him, smiling, and held up three fingers to swear to heaven.

"I, Li Qu, hereby swear that anyone who harms my parents and sisters will be slaughtered and their entire clan exterminated!"

The clan leader was so angry that he cursed me for being ignorant and arrogant.

I said, "Yes, I am arrogant. I could present twenty taels of silver when I was six years old. Could you have done that at six?"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, I advise you to keep your people in check, otherwise I will keep my oath even if I die!"

Perhaps my resounding words and imposing manner intimidated him, for he stared at me without saying a word for a long time.

I bowed with my hands clasped in greeting, then turned and took my leave.

Then, together with the people who came to pick up Wu Xubai, they embarked on the road to Yicheng, the main city of Yan.

This mission can only succeed; failure is not an option.

*

I became Wu Xubai's new pageboy.

The old pageboy was executed right before my eyes.

Wu's father blamed all of Wu Xubai's tragic fate on the old page who exposed Wu Xubai's whereabouts to his eldest son.

As I watched the old pageboy being beaten until blood flowed from all seven orifices, my eyes glazed over, my head was spinning, and I was completely lost and unable to think.

Suddenly, Lu Xun's words came to mind:

"I flipped through the history books... and the entire book was filled with the two words 'cannibalism'!"

This is misplaced anger, and isn't it also a form of silencing?

The culprit who ordered the evil deed was only slapped twice and scolded.

This was the first time I experienced the cruelty of feudal class society.

Unlike the ignorance among fellow villagers, class-based killings are direct and straightforward, leaving blood splattered everywhere.

The saying "life is as insignificant as grass" has been aptly illustrated.

I feel out of place in this era, yet I am truly standing on the execution ground.

The metallic smell of human blood filled my nostrils.

That hand, also belonging to a junior high school student, convulsed in pain as it reached towards the main hall, begging for a shred of pity.

Finally, as the steward rambled on about "learning from this experience," the hand fell limply to its side, utterly lifeless.

I could even hear Wu Xubai's 'sensible' words coming from the hall behind me.

“It has nothing to do with my elder brother. It is my fault for being so disappointing. Please punish me, Father.”

The suffocating feeling coming from all directions made my vision go black.

I fell heavily to the ground.

My body activated its self-protective mechanism, making my memory of the incident hazy.

After I recovered from my illness, the housekeeper arranged for me to learn etiquette.

I studied diligently.

Because in a sense, rules can protect me from misfortune.

*

I saw Wu Xubai again a month later.

Because I was Wu Xubai's benefactor who saved him, and because Wu Xubai relied on me, I was spared from a physical examination.

Once they had learned the rules, they were assigned to work alongside Wu Xubai.

The Wu family all said I was a boy.

Wu Xubai didn't explain, so I just accepted it.

"Out of guilt, my father gave me three shops."

I could hear the sarcasm in his words.

"What shop?"

"A perfume shop, a silver jewelry shop, and a... rouge shop."

The three shops frequented by women seem to be hinting at his disability.

I saw him smile.

The fox's squinty eyes are soothing.

"Li San, we have a shop now!"

Yes, we now have the capital to start.

But when I looked at him, I couldn't smile.

I said, "Today's humiliation is just a piece of armor on our bodies. We will eventually become invulnerable and invincible."

"Hahaha, Li San, why are you acting so old? Are you really only six years old?"

He laughed so hard he wiped his tears with a handkerchief.

After wiping his own, he wiped mine too.

We began to support each other in the darkness, relying on each other for survival.

*

A shop selling face powder, silver ornaments, and rouge.

Perfume, jewelry, cosmetics.

Currently, jewelry is mainly consumed by the middle class and is considered a slow-moving collectible that retains its value, meaning it generates profits slowly.

We abandoned the silver shop and focused our attention on two other shops.

I am in charge of product operations.

I've never sold perfumes or cosmetics, but I've seen success stories.

Wanmei Diary achieved a 50-fold increase in sales in 8 months by using vertical KOLs and private domain traffic operations, surpassing international brands.

Huaxizi quickly seized market share by focusing on individual products such as loose powder and combining them with high-exposure strategies such as Douyin (TikTok) splash screen ads.

By carefully analyzing their strategies, it's easy to see that their success revolves around "single product breakthrough + precise target audience + channel adaptation".

What I need to do is to achieve localized innovation in modern marketing strategies.

Select key products to promote and divide the store into two groups: high-end and low-end.

The target customers are women who need to wear makeup on a daily basis.

Early publicity and promotion should be carried out at the lowest possible cost with the widest possible reach.

Using low-cost pastries, I'll have children sing my catchy advertising slogans all over the streets.

They made the guys wear uniforms with the logo and shout slogans at the entrance every day to attract attention.

etc.

I became a devil, resorting to any means necessary to increase the store's exposure.

Because I don't have much time left.

As the year draws to a close, I will be seven years old after the New Year, and my older sister will be fourteen.

*

The repurchase rate of consumables is very important.

The key to retaining customers is to select suitable and irreplaceable products for them.

Combining current aesthetics, I used modern makeup techniques to experiment with giving all the staff in the shop a makeover, and solicited their opinions on creating trendsetting makeup looks.

The result was that there were no objections.

The guys were all eager to show off their handsome faces by going out.

Next comes training in makeup skills and marketing techniques.

While I was enjoying the convenience of standing on the shoulders of giants, my clever buddy, with my guidance, worked with his mentor to launch lip glosses in different shades.

We work hard in silence.

Focus on the effort, not the reward.

*

On the eve of war, we need to invite a spokesperson to light the cannon.

A shop run by a son born out of wedlock is destined to receive no help from women of high status or prestige.

Please hire actors?

Then our brand will no longer be frequented by noble ladies.

Class is an insurmountable chasm.

We ultimately decided to launch our store, targeting the low-end market, first.

Then we realized we couldn't even afford the 'endorsement fee' for a third-tier girl from Zhaoyuelou.

Anxiety lingered in my heart, and I couldn't sleep night after night.

I don't have time to wait for the market to give me a good response and slowly introduce customers to me.

I want this shop to become an instant hit, with its products becoming incredibly sought after!

*

I sat down in front of the vanity mirror and put on adult makeup.

I decided to take a different approach, playing the role of a glamorous dwarf to build a reputation and become the shop's spokesperson.

I know this is a bit dangerous for me.

I might be targeted by morbid people with a morbid curiosity, or I might be targeted by pedophiles after I am exposed.

People always want to possess beautiful and rare things.

That's why I used to have long bangs.

But I'm not willing to get full marks in all the previous sections and only get a passing grade in the last one.

I want full marks.

We still have time to elevate a dwarf beauty to the top of Yicheng's entertainment industry.

After I finished my makeup, I told Wu Xubai my thoughts.

Wu Xubai looked at me for a long time, then squatted down in front of me, extended his index and middle fingers, and smeared the lip rouge from my lips onto his own lips.

His eyes crinkled with laughter: "Li San, how could I let you do something so glamorous?"

*

He asked me to do his female makeup.

A thirteen-year-old boy with an androgynous appearance, whose gender is indistinguishable.

I had a vague idea of ​​what he was going to do.

But in doing so, he ruined himself.

I refuse.

He asked me, "Li San, do you have a weakness?"

I burst into tears upon hearing that sound.

I can sacrifice myself for my weakness, but I cannot sacrifice him.

"Li San, you said you would help me."

"I want to stomp his face under my feet."

"This is the meaning of my life."

He straightened my body and placed the snail shell in my hand.

“Li San…”

He murmured a plea, begging me to grant them both their wish.

I cried as I did his makeup, but he just smiled and gave me some instructions:

"Make it look nice, I want it to be the most beautiful."