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(Warning: Some abuse in the second half of the chapter)
I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion.
It’s hard to be physically tired, but I’m mentally exhausted from seeing and touching insects, and I want to lie down on the dirt floor.
“It’s because it’s your first time. It’ll be okay when you get used to it.”
Unlike me, Matilda only looked a little tired.
I looked at the other children who followed us. Daniel-sized children fed goats and cleaned up the chicken farm with their hands, but there was no complaint. It’s like they’re very used to this kind of thing.
All of a sudden, I realized how much I grew up as a flower in a greenhouse.
“But why did you come all the way here without staying in Sierra?”
“Uh
 In Sierra, we can’t be in the same nursery together because I’m getting old. They said we could be together until I turn 15 here.”
“You’ve come all the way here even though there’s only a few months left until you’re 15?”
“Right.”
“You think like a fool. If it were me, I would have stayed in my hometown. Sierra sounds like a dream.”
Was it a foolish decision to dream of a future with my younger brothers? What would be the right choice?
“It’s okay. Everything will be solved soon.”
That was what I said to myself, not Matilda. Everything will be fine, it will be solved.
Actually, I’m so nervous. I want to run away several times a day.
Even if I go to my mother’s and father’s graves, I’ll have to hold back the desire to cry.
If I collapse, my siblings will really collapse. The boundary of my family may disappear forever if we’re scattered.
I don’t like that. Family is the only inherited thing left by my mother and father. I don’t want to be an idiot who misses such a valuable gift.
“I believe my godmother will reply soon.”
Matilda responded insignificantly to me.
“I hope everything goes well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The conversation ended with that. Matilda didn’t seem to expect to hear from my godmother, and I was so exhausted.
In the meantime, we comforted and carried the whining children, and when we arrived, the sun was setting behind our backs.
Kirgen’s sunset is beautiful like Sierra.
“We’re home. Here is the wage.”
Matilda handed over the daily wage she received today to Mrs. Miller.
Mrs. Miller counted the money without saying a word of appreciation and distributed us less than half of the daily wage.
“It’s a week’s allowance.”
“When will you return my 3 million bergs?”
Mrs. Miller didn’t even listen to me, but shouted as she went inside.
“Everyone, wash your hands first so that you can have dinner! If you’re late, you won’t have a meal!”
“Madam! My 3 million
”
“Oh, my. Do you know how tired I am today because of your brothers?”
“What’s wrong with my brothers?”
I was worried that something might have happened to them without me. Mrs. Miller shook her head and rattled her tongue.
“By the way, your parents didn’t teach proper parenting to your younger siblings. He cried so persistently. Anyway, wash your hands.”
Mrs. Miller went into the kitchen, and I quickly ran to the room where Daniel and Leo were assigned. Leo’s voice sniffled through the slightly open door.
“I miss you.”
“Stop looking for sister.”
Leo’s voice was completely silent since he cried so hard.
Then Leo jumped up from bed at the sound of my footsteps.
“Sister?”
“Leo.”
“Hey!”
Leo came out of the room and hugged me. Daniel chased him from behind with a face that he couldn’t stop him.
“Let’s see. Oh my god
 How much did you cry? Your face is swollen like a frog.”
“I’m not a frog.”
“I didn’t mean frog. A brave child doesn’t cry just because he doesn’t have his sister near.”
“I’m
 I’m going to be a brave child now.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t cry next time.”
I stroked Leo’s back, hugging him tightly and rubbing his face on my shoulder.
Then, he opened his other arm to Daniel, who was greeting me while hesitating from behind. Then Daniel came to me shyly.
“I was dying of difficulty because of Leo. He cried all day looking for you. How can you handle Leo by yourself?”
“Oh, that’s not what a 10-year-old should say.”
I messed up Daniel’s hair. Daniel smiled a little and escaped my arms.
“Sister. You’re going to sleep with us today, right?”
“Hmm. That’ll be hard. Leo has to sleep with you from now on.”
“However
 Daniel
”
“What’s wrong?”
“Daniel is not strong enough to defeat a mean lady.”
“Mean lady?”
At that moment, Daniel’s face turned white with embarrassment. No matter how mature you are, a ten year old is still a ten year old. Something intuitive passed through my mind and I asked Leo.
“Are you talking about Mrs. Miller? What’s wrong with Mrs. Miller? Did she hit you?”
“Uh
”
Leo avoided my gaze. When he turned his head and saw Daniel, he hesitated with a crying face.
Then my hand went out before I said anything. I lifted Leo’s clothes and checked his body.
Pls read only at pink muffin tl.
“What’s this?”
Leo’s arms and calves had clear whip marks.
“That’s
”
I pulled Daniel without giving him time to make excuses and checked his arm. Daniel also had a clear mark.
“That crazy
”
I visited Mrs. Miller at once. She was counting the money we earned today in the office.
Bang!
When I opened the door roughly, Mrs. Miller screamed in surprise.
“What are you doing without knocking?”
I felt my face burning with fever.
My parents never hit us, but the woman I saw for the first time yesterday made wound marks on my younger siblings’ bodies.
My eyes were blurred, and I shouted to her with a huff.
“You were hitting my younger brothers!”
“Hit? That’s discipline. Discipline that you didn’t do well.”
“It’s discipline? Leo is 8 years old now! You have to tell them in words and make them understand.”
“He should’ve grown up at the age of eight like I was. Nevertheless, what doesn’t make sense is that you didn’t correct them beforehand.”
“You were grown up at the age of eight?”
“How dare you talk back to me?”
Mrs. Miller strode up to me. Then she slapped me without hesitation.
I couldn’t feel the pain because I was in shock. My mind was blank and I didn’t know what to say.
“Why? Why are you hitting me? What did I say?”
I stuttered out my words. I couldn’t believe this situation right now. I was slapped by a woman who I saw for the first time yesterday. I didn’t even get hit by my father and mother. I was so surprised that I got hiccups.
Mrs. Miller stared at me, perhaps not feeling a little sorry.
“You need discipline too.”
“This
”
I clenched my teeth. Despite the sharp rise and fall of my chest due to hiccups, I was filled with anger.
“Why are you hitting me?”
“What’s with you?”
“My brother, why did you hit him? Who are you to hit him?”
“This
”
Mrs. Miller, who was looking up and down at me, raised her hand again. I stopped breathing in the shock of my head ringing.
What’s going on? I was so surprised that my eyes were teary. It was in an instant that tears formed.
My nose got hot. In the meantime, I stared at her with my eyes wide open because of my pride. Mrs. Miller shouted vigorously.
“You don’t even know the grace that the beggars from Sierra have given you!”
“Aren’t you the beggar who stole my money?”
“What? You’re not done talking?”
“You’re such a pathetic and mean person who steals a beggar’s money! You shameless thief! Give me my money! Give me my money!”
In my words, Mrs. Miller’s face turned red and green. She stared at me with fierce eyes and went to her desk with a thump. Then she took a long, thick whip out of the drawer.
“Ah
”
I thought it would hurt a lot if I got hit by that, and at the same time, I got a fever because I wondered how my little brother got hit with that.
My teeth are chapped. I didn’t want to give in to that whip. I couldn’t do that.
“Yeah. What’s the point of getting angry at a child who’s not properly educated due to her parents’ indifference?”
Mrs. Miller snapped the whip. Then I heard the sound of swirling through the wind. She approached me step by step.
“This is here for those who behave like you. Then, as long as you and your brothers live here, I will root out that vulgar way of speaking.”
It’s strange. Mrs. Miller was definitely a small woman, but the shadow stretched toward me seemed terrifying, perhaps because of her long face.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The whip made the sound of the wind. My head froze and my legs hardened.
Because I had nowhere to go. It belatedly came to mind that if I leave this place, I have to be scattered with my younger brothers.
‘I have to keep that in mind and get hit.’
I had such an instinctive intuition. With that thought, I clenched my teeth. In the meantime, I heard Leo crying outside, and I held back the sound while clenching my fist.
If I showed signs of pain, Leo would have been shocked because of his sensitive nature.
“Hah.”
After a long time, Mrs. Miller breathed out a rough breath and threw the whip. I was sick as if my whole body were going to crumble.
“You! You didn’t scream at all!”
Mrs. Miller violently held me up and dragged me out of the door.
I was worried that Leo and Daniel might be looking at me in a mess, fortunately, neither of them was seen.
It seems that Daniel’s voice was vaguely heard in the boys’ room asking for someone to get out of the way.
The place Mrs. Miller took me to a very small solitary room. In fact, it was more of a warehouse or prison than a room. She pushed me there and said.
“You will be in the punishment room for the next three days. Be thoroughly repentant of what you’ve done wrong.”
Clink! Clink!
As the door closed, I heard rusty hinges clicking outside that seemed to lock the door.
I sat down as if I were collapsing. There seems to be no place that doesn’t hurt. When I lifted the skirt, there were traces of red and blue under the hem of my clothes.
I thought with my face leaning against the wall. Wouldn’t it be better to grow separately in a better environment than to grow together in a strange place like this?
I was afraid that my choice was wrong. The reality of not knowing the answer seemed to hurt more than the wound, so I closed my eyes and emptied my thoughts.
First of all, I wanted to rest. My body hurts so much.
Reminder: don’t repost ANYWHERE smh