The Sun is shining bright. A girl is planting the seeds of rice. She straighten upper back and wipe the sweat beats on her face. She takes out her bamboo water container and drink it. As she drinks she looks to her left side. Her twin siblings are playing on the side.Lucky for her, they are obedient. They are just four years old so they cannot help much only when she need them to help to harvest in the vegetables. She drink the water in her bamboo tube and close it. She smile and continue to plant in the seedlings. After awhile she speed up her work as the heat is beginning to burnt her back and it must be near lunch time and soon the twins will be hungry.
Holding their little hands, they walk back together. The twins love to hear her sing thus she sings a song as they walk back in the long muddy road. By the home they got home, the heat is unbearable. When reaching near home, the twins scream for their mother and run to the door. They mother is siting down in the shade plucking the feathers from chicken meat. She smile and welcome them home. The twins hurry to wash their hand, feet and face. So that they can go in the house to play. While Er Yin is walking slowly as she is really tired for bending over all morning. She greet her mother and she wash herself.
"Mother, is the clothes wash?"
"No not yet. Im still plucking the feathers off from the chicken."
"Hmm let me go wash them now. Since the sun is hot today. It is a good time to dry them."
"Are you sure? You look tired."
"No it's really fast to wash clothes. Besides that when i'm done, i am sure that i can have a meal."
Her mother smile and thank her daughter.
In this family, there is a father and mother. However because the war, the army have taken their able men off to war. It's been six years since Er Yin have seen her father and the eldest brother, Yi Jin. Two years ago she heard that the enemy had surrender thus most of the men are told to go home but till now they haven't come home yet. Thus in this family, only boy left is one of the twin San Cai. While the youngest is a girl name Si Bao.
Er Yin pick up the basket of clothes and walk to the river behind their house. She squad down and start to wash the clothes scrub, beat and twist them hard. Under the hot weather, after she finish washing them, she wet her face and hair. She look in front of her, a field of red plum blossoms. She see a deer drinking water on the opposite side of the river. She smile and the deer stare at her before running off. She sigh and try to stand up but her aching back and legs refuse to help her. She lay on the sandy ground for awhile. She count silencely to herself. One to twenty and she push herself up. She dust off the sand and stretch herself. She must not look bad in front of her mother. If not the poor woman will cry and start blaming herself for giving a hard life to her daughter. Er Yin now only fourteen. She have a long life ahead of her. She have to think for her mother and the twins. She must find a way to allow them all to live well enough before the men of the family returns.
The second day, it rain and her mother and her rush outside to collect the clothes that are drying on the line. Inside the house, the rooftop is leaking thus the twins knows to put a bowl under the leak and when it is full they need to throw it out of the house. The rain did not stop and their mother cannot cook because the kitchen is outside of the house. So Er Yin who have keep some dry biscuits in the wardrobe take it out and allow the younger one and her mother to eat. She keep drinking the water that is for drinking to fill up her stomach. She sit on the corner of the house and watch the rain keep pouring. When will these types of days end for her, she ask herself everyday. She does not ask to be rich but have a house that doesn't leak and maybe a a kitchen inside the house. Every year she climb the hills to walk to the temple and pray or this but it seems like the gods are not listening. Maybe too many people asking for things and everyone must be in line and probably she is one of the last one in the line. She just have to be patience.
Another year pass on an early spring, the three siblings are walking home together when she see someone walking slowly towards her home. Her eyes are looking far ahead as she sings, a person is dragging himself towards their home. She squint her eyes to look who is it and suddenly she stop holding the hands of the little one. Tears form in her eyes. She start running so did the little ones. Even thou they did not understand what had happen but they are made to understand that they have to follow her wherever she goes. As she runs towards the person, the vegetables in the basket that she is carrying in her basket on her back soon falls off. The little ones who are behind starts picking them up. She finally stand in front of him. She kneel down and bow. "Father!" The dirty looking man smile and he looks at the twin who is now grown up a little more. He tear and ask her to stand up. The woman with messy hair in the house come running out. She scream and cry. "Husband!" She look around him. "Where is my Yi Jin?" He look at his tired looking wife and smile gently. "Can you allow me to go home first and sit? My leg is really in pain." She then realised that her old husband is walking with a crutch. So all of them walk in the house compound.
Their eldest daughter, Er Yin hurry to bring a cup of tea for her father. It have been nearly two years that her father and eldest brother have gone off with the military. Now her father is back but her brother isn't. They waited for him to drink down his tea. He have a sad look on his face as he reach for the bag that is saddle on his back. He unwrapped the bundle and inside is some hair, a name tag and two bundles of coins. The moment they see it, the mother burst off crying and Er Yin tear as she goes down on her knees. "I can't bring his body back. This is the best i can do. My son, Xie Yi Jin is gone!" He cry and say loudly with guilt in his tone. Er Yin's mother starts to curse the imperial family and beat her husband. The old man only can accept her cries and beating.
He slowly tell them his story of how much the father and son suffer. On the battlefield, he tried to drag the corpse back into the safety zone but the enemies are too many. He got stabbed and his leg was broken. For months he stay in the medical tent. Finally when the news came that the war is over. Many of those men rush to the battlefield to find their death beloved father or son. He search for the place that he last left the corpse behind. All he see was the half corpse left and the family name tag on the uniform. So in tears he bow three times with his head touching the ground. He cut off the hair of his son and take off the family name tag. Wrapped it with the cloth that he had. He bring the half corpse and buried in the near the battlefield. In traditional Chinese rituals, the parent cannot send off the child. It have to be done by the younger family members but at that time, there is no choice. Having him buried is more important so that his son can be at peace and go on to another life.
That day is the saddest day that Er Yin have gone through. She remember the last time she see her eldest brother walking out with their father in military uniform. They were force to go for the imperial family. There is not enough men in the army and the enemy is advancing towards them thus they force all able men who are fifteen above to go fight for their nation. That day was heartbreaking but it cannot compare to see all is left of her brother is his hair that her father had safe.
That night, she see her father sits alone at the compound. In his hands, he is holding a piece of wood. He is carving and shaving it into a tablet. As he shaves it, he cry alone. Without sound without too much tears. She look at the military name tag that lays on the table. Some of his blood is on the tag. Er Yin pick it up gently. The tag is make of brown leather and their family name'Xie' is inscribe into it deeply and painted in red. The end of the tag, yellow tassel is attach to it along with a small round cheap green jade with 'Yan' inscribe on it and painted in red. She flip back to see her brother's name scratch across. She feel so sad for her brother who just started his life as an adult. He is rob the chance of being a father and a husband. She sob silently while holding the name tag to her chest.
The next day it is raining outside and so is inside with everyone tearing in front of the tablet of the eldest son, Xie Yi Jin. They have place a bundle of hair and his name tag in front of his tablet. They all kneel down. With the joss sticks and food offering to the decrease. They pray and hope that he is on his way towards nirvana.
On after two weeks, Er Yin inform the family that she is going to the temple for prayers. She climb two mountains to reach the temple. Once she is at the foot of the temple, she take a rest and drink her water from the water bamboo tube. After that she walk up the hundred steps to the temple.Outside the temples are people who are praying too. She walk in and kneel down in front of the buddha, she pray quietly and ask him to help look after the family and again ask for help on the leaking rooftop. She also pray for the health of the entire family. She is now the eldest child but there is a limit how much she can do. One day she will be marry and her little brother who is now only seven is not able to take care of the family. The other twin is a girl who is also soon will be marry when she is older. While her father who returns home now is a cripple. He cannot walk for long thus he took nearly a year to get home after the war. She pray hard and long. She hear the sound of the monk chanting in the back ground. She wants to remember that chant so that she will feel peace will follow her home. Before going home, she stop by a monk who is giving out blessing talisman. She thank him and feel bless with a talisman tuck into her blouse. At the same time, she hear the people talking about another war coming soon. A fear pierce into her heart.
For two years, they have peace in the land that their ancestors have lived in. Every farmer is doing their best for the rice corps that are growing in their fields. Er Yin watch the rice grow and glow under the care of humans and the sun. She watch the twins grow older and helping out in the fields. Her mother now work in the field while her father stays at home. Since he cannot walk much, he only can make baskets out of reeds. Life seems to be back to normal and everyone is happy. Food may not be a lot but no one goes to bed hungry. No one stays angry for long. No one needs to pick up the sword but one day she is patching the rooftop with the leaves that she found in the forest. She padded them thick throughout the entire rooftop. Hopping that the rain will not slip in. Standing at the rooftop she look at the surrounding and smile. while Er Yin who is on the rooftop preparing the roof, she see a group of men riding towards their house. Her heart begins to feel uncomfortable.