Suddenly, Chen Chunhua's fingertips touched the sharp fragments of the mirror.
The fragments reflected her disheveled face - pale lips, wet hair, and eyes dulled by life.
At this moment, she vaguely heard the sound of piano.
————It is a clear stream at night.
Memories suddenly become clear, like a scroll washed open by rain.
Eleven years ago, in the piano room of the wealthy Ye family villa.
Crystal chandeliers hang from the high dome, and millions of perfectly cut crystals reflect the dazzling light, like a solidified galaxy.
The whole room was as bright as day, the light falling on the black and white grand piano, on the marble floor covered with Persian carpet, and on the little boy sitting on the piano stool.
Ye Qingliu was only six years old at the time, wearing a custom-made white suit with delicate pearl buttons on the cuffs.
His fingers danced across the piano keys, playing Debussy's "Clair de Lune." The clear sound, like a pool of flowing silver light, blended with the sound of rain outside the window.
Chen Chunhua was just the nanny of the Ye family at that time. She always stood outside the door secretly to listen to him playing the piano when no one was around.
That day, Ye Qingliu suddenly turned his head, his eyes sparkling.
"Auntie Chen," he said with a smile, revealing his two small canine teeth, "come in and listen."
Chen Chunhua twirled her apron awkwardly, not daring to take a step. The piano room's floor was mirror-clear, reflecting the tiny specks of light from the crystal chandelier. It felt like a dream that would shatter if stepped on.
Ye Qingliu jumped off the piano stool, ran over barefoot and held her hand.
"Try it," Ye Qingliu placed her fingers gently on the keys, "It's very simple."
Chen Chunhua's fingertips touched the cold ivory keys. At that moment, she knew for the first time that there were such smooth things in the world.
"Bang!!!"
A slap hit her hard on the face, and the burning pain suddenly tore through the illusion.
"What are you daydreaming about?!" The mother-in-law's angry curse pierced my eardrums, "Get out of here!"
Chen Chunhua suddenly came back to her senses.
Where were the crystal chandeliers and grand pianos before me? Only the dilapidated farmyard, the muddy and watery ground, and the harsh, sinister face of my mother-in-law.
The rain poured down on her, making her feel cold to the bone.
The sound of rain suddenly became louder, washing away the footprints on the muddy ground and the young master who smiled at her under the crystal chandelier. It was so loud that it drowned out the whispers of the onlookers and the curses of the mother-in-law.
Chen Chunhua slowly stood up and picked up the wet bag.
When she passed the pigpen, the black pig that she had raised for three years came over with a grunt and nudged the corner of her clothes with its nose.
Chen Chunhua paused, then reached out and touched the pig's head. This was the only creature that had shown any affection towards her in all the years she had been at the Wang family.
"Get out!" Then another stick hit her on the back.
As Chen Chunhua stepped out of the courtyard, she heard her sister-in-law screaming, "This is a jinx that kills men. Whoever gets involved with it will be unlucky!"
On the muddy village road, her cloth shoes sank into the mud, and every step felt like stepping on cotton. The rain flowed down her neck and into her collar, freezing her to the bone.
As she passed the ancestral hall, several children jumped and followed her, clapping their hands and singing a newly made nursery rhyme: "The daughter of the Chen family is doomed to be unlucky. She will die as soon as she enters the house..."
Chen Chunhua walked faster and faster, practically jogging. Water from her bag dripped down, leaving behind a trail of wet footprints that were quickly washed away by the heavy rain.
The old locust tree at the entrance of the village was shaking in the rain. Only a corner of the red wedding character that was posted when they got married last year was left, shivering in the wind.
Chen Chunhua stopped under the tree and looked back at the village where she had lived for a long time - the low earthen walls, the crooked haystacks, and the closed gate.
Chen Chunhua reached out to catch a locust flower that had fallen in the rain. The white petals trembled in her palm like a dying butterfly.
Then she let go and watched it fall into the mud.
————But what about now?
Eleven years have passed.
What about Ye Qingliu and Hua Jinyue...?
Chen Chunhua stood in the rain, soaked all over, like a homeless stray dog.
———She suddenly didn't want to live like this anymore.
Chen Chunhua hugged her bag tightly and walked towards the county town. The rain washed over her face and the road beneath her feet.
Chen Chunhua didn't know where she could go, but she knew she had to leave here.
————Even if the road ahead is long and bleak, it is better than dying in this village.
The author has something to say: "Well, the memories chapter is coming to an end here."
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