Maidservant (13)
After dropping off the little girl, Anna took Mi to the market in the west of the city, the same market she had seen on her first day in Sun City. Mi, seeing Anna's lack of concern for the three little girls placed in the small dark room, couldn't help but ask, "Did you grow up like this too? Did you like it?" In Mi's eyes, Anna was the kind of woman who had endured many years of hardship; back then, she too had her spine broken, learning how to be a qualified companion maid, and now she was the strictest supervising matron.
"I like it, don't I? If I weren't a maid, my knowledge wouldn't even be as good as a woman in the market." Anna strolled around the market in the west of the city with Mi, occasionally buying a couple of fresh fruits.
There are markets in Sun City, but farmers and butchers aren't allowed to bring their vehicles into the city during the day; they can only deliver goods to shops at night. That's why Fried needs to get up in the middle of the night to buy the freshest vegetables.
Mi looked at Anna; gentleness seemed to be an extension of her very being. Men in the market would steal glances at her, and even women would speak to her softly. She wasn't aristocrat, nor was she elegant, but with her gentleness, she conquered the restless crowd of the market. She knew exactly how to compliment everyone, and even the most experienced stall owners would blush and smile, laughing and inviting her to come back again, promising to save the best goods for her.
"How can you—" Mi asked after a moment's hesitation, "say one thing to one person and another to another?"
“How to properly praise a woman is a skill I learned from birth,” Anna said, looking at Mi’s puzzled expression. “You know we spend half the year learning and memorizing phrases to praise women. We may not be as naturally perceptive as some people, but when it comes to praising women, or rather, praising people, no one in the entire Sun City can compare to the women of the David family.”
Mi thought of those awkwardly elaborate, stage-like compliments. How could anyone appreciate such lines? Anna pulled Mi's hand and said, "Mi, you're different from them. You don't need praise to affirm yourself. Your knowledge extends far beyond this market. You can see through my little tricks at a glance."
Mi listened silently, then suddenly remembered how Anna had always quietly followed her around, giving her warm hugs in the past few days. Anna was much more talkative now. Mi suddenly turned her head: "Are you flattering me?"
Anna smiled slightly, took Mi's hand, and said sincerely, "Mi, I'm telling you the truth."
"Every compliment must come from the heart; never utter a sentence you yourself do not believe." Mi read aloud the family motto that was plastered all over the walls of David's house.
“Since it’s the truth, why do you care if it’s flattery?” Anna smiled brightly. “I’ve learned to speak like this, and I like to speak like this. As long as you smile, it will definitely bring me benefits. Even a smile is like warm sunshine comforting my heart.”
“Ah, you all speak like you’re reciting poetry, with a real rhythm,” Mi said, looking at Anna. “Your daughter is so grown up, and where is your husband?”
“Actually, I’m not married.” Anna hesitated for a moment before saying, “My former mistress gave me to her husband, and my daughter is actually a nobleman’s illegitimate child.”
Mi stared at Anna in astonishment, completely unprepared for this turn of events. She couldn't help but ask, "Where's the child's father? Does he know?"
“Mi, illegitimate children have no rights. They are not even as good as abandoned children.” Anna’s tone remained gentle. “I placed her in someone else’s home until she was three years old before bringing her back. She was too beautiful. It would be dangerous for her to be in a foster home. Beauty can be a weapon if used well, but it will only become a burden if used poorly.”
How does she know you are her mother?
“I took her back from foster care. According to the laws of Suncity, a woman who is over thirty and has no children can adopt one child, and if she can afford the taxes, she can adopt more children.”
"Do you and your daughter have a good relationship?" Mi felt she had asked a pointless question. Anna was so gentle, how could any child not like such a mother?
“She doesn’t like me arranging her life.” Anna still smiled, as if she were talking about a teenager: “I didn’t let her be a maid, so she came out when Mrs. Aldrich came to choose. Mrs. Aldrich likes to collect all pretty children, and as long as her face shows up in front of Mrs. Aldrich, she’s sure to be chosen.”
Mi didn't know what to say. Was everything that happened to the little girl her own fault? Mother and daughter, one woman trying her best to arrange the other woman's life, the other woman desperately trying to escape the other woman's control.
“She’ll be fine in Lincheng,” Mi said, trying to comfort Anna with her pale words.
“I know that as long as her life isn’t in danger, she’ll take good care of herself. From a young age, she’s used her beauty to get extra bread from the nanny in her foster home.” Anna didn’t show any worry; instead, she comforted Mi.
The next day, Anna took Mi to see another group of children, about three or four years old, around seven or eight in number, all smelling of milk. They were surrounded by older women who told them what kind of girl was pleasing and what tone of voice would earn them candy. These children were like broken record players, repeating the adults' words, but their voices were so sweet and clear, sounding so sincere and pure.
Anna invited Mi to be the referee, and the little girls gathered around her, watching her curiously. These little girls were all exceptionally beautiful, not in a striking way, but their bright eyes were fixed on Mi, as if she were the most captivating treasure in the world. Children's eyes are clear and bright, and in Mi's eyes, these children were also the most precious treasures.
A little girl toddled towards Mi, about to fall to the ground. Mi crouched down and caught her. The little girl nestled against Mi's arm, softly calling, "Mama, Mama." In Sun City, "Mama" is a term of endearment for a close female elder, while "mother" is the only formal title. She mumbled a kiss on Mi's arm, "Thank you, Mama." Mi couldn't resist hugging this fragrant, soft, and obedient girl. Anna took a candy from the candy jar and put it in the little girl's mouth, then pulled her away from Mi. Mi looked at her empty arms, still carrying the little girl's soft fragrance. Was this the test? Mi looked at Anna with doubt, deciding that when the next girl appeared, she must remain composed and not make any move.
Another little girl approached, also stumbling towards Mi. Mi put on a serious face. Seeing that Mi remained unmoved, the little girl rolled her eyes, walked to the side, picked up a large kettle, and poured steaming water into the cup. Mi couldn't help but worry for her; what if she got burned? Who put such a kettle of boiling water on such a low coffee table, where even a child could reach it? The little girl, her fingers red from the heat, dragged the teacup towards Mi, holding it out expectantly in a low voice: "Mommy, have some tea." Mi couldn't bear to see the little girl's trembling fingers, so she took the cup. The cup was indeed very hot; how could this little girl hold it up like that? Anna gave the little girl another piece of candy and then led her away from her again.
Mi sat down angrily, this time deciding to close her eyes and ignore the little girls who always made her heart ache. Mi felt a pair of small hands on her knees; a little girl was blowing on her. She opened one eye a crack, and saw the little girl blowing on a bright red finger. How had she hurt herself? Mi's heart tightened. She closed her eyes again, deciding to pretend she didn't see anything. The little girl mumbled "Mama, Mama," her voice trembling with tears; she seemed to be in real pain. Mi couldn't bear it any longer and picked her up to check her finger. Before she could figure out what had happened, Anna had already taken the child away from her.
These children are so good at softening people's hearts, Mi thought, letting her thoughts wander. Each little girl had orange bubbles around her body—cunning little bubbles, gleaming with a calculating light. Nearby, a little girl sat expressionless, emanating a dark aura. Mi found it amusing and pointed at her, saying, "You come here."
The little girl strode up to Mi, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She said, pitifully yet domineeringly, "I want candy too!" Mi's mind was completely occupied with "candy, candy!" Her voice was even louder than she could say, as if eating candy was the most important thing in the world, her little head only capable of holding that thought. Mi chuckled and picked her up, about to wipe away her tears, when Anna fed her another piece of candy and took the child away. Mi looked at the group of children sitting around eating candy, and all the calculating orange bubbles disappeared. Only the little red fish swimming happily with their candy remained. These were still children who were happy as long as they had candy.
Three days later, Mi and Anna brought the three girls back. The once fair and beautiful little girls looked extremely haggard, with food scraps still around their mouths. They shivered and had runny noses from the cold. Anna didn't hug them; instead, she took them directly to a mirror and showed them how they looked: their hair was a mess, their fingernails had unidentified black residue, their faces were covered in dust from who-knows-where, their clothes were wrinkled, revealing their thin arms and legs, and their shoes were just two straw ropes tied to a wooden board.
Their hands weren't injured; they had simply not received proper care and enough food for the past three days, and that was how they ended up like this. Mi realized for the first time that caring for a child, even for the most basic things like three meals a day, washing hands and face, dressing and sleeping, makes a huge difference whether or not someone is there to look after them. Those children with runny noses, their curious eyes staring at all the strangers, their dirty fingers and toes—they simply hadn't received the care they deserved. The little girls returned, bathed, ate, and went back to school. This time, they weren't in their original class; they had joined a new group.
"Why not send them back?" It was only then that Mi realized that the girls in the David family were not entirely David's daughters. Some were adopted girls, and others were daughters sent over by other families who had signed maid agreements.
“Children are very concerned about their image, and they will find it difficult to adjust when they return to their original classes,” Anna said with a smile. “Children are the most sensitive and the best learners.”
“Didn’t you want to break their backs?” Mi thought of what David had said that day.
“Their spines are broken; now it’s time for them to learn to stand up again.” Anna rarely showed a hint of sadness. “Mi, these children’s spines will break again and again, and they will stand up again and again. Only in this way can they become maids. We are not weak canaries that rely on men. We offer our masters not only adoration, but also reliance and trust. Only by falling down and getting up again can they understand the difference and know what their employers require.”
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