Side Story: Hell on Earth
Chapter 108
Dying words
In the days that followed, An continued to visit Maria's house regularly to help with chores. Fearing that Wan would wreak vengeance upon them if his daughter were injured, Maria taught An everything. Gradually, An became proficient in cooking, embroidery, and sewing. She also ran everywhere in search of fever medicine and devotedly helped Maria care for the gravely ill Ange.
Yi tripped and fell into the rushing river. Liberte was not there. An risked her life jumping in, but she could not save Yi and was nearly swept away herself.
The two younger daughters were raped to death, the eldest daughter was humiliated, the son's body was lost to the void, and the nephew became a hound for the Hive. The tragedy broke Le's spirit, gradually strangling her desire to live.
The shock was like a bloodthirsty demon draining her will to survive; she gave up and began to starve herself. The hunger-ghosts gleefully gnawed and tore at her gaunt body.
This turn of events left Maria bedridden. Ange, Liberte, and An took turns caring for their mother. An prepared every meal with devotion, watched over her every slumber, and stayed awake almost all night during the initial period.
Liberte warned An time and again to take care of herself, reminding her that if she grew weary or fell ill, Wan would punish his family. Helpless, An retreated to her room to rest.
In the middle of the night, she faintly heard someone crying. Alarmed, she scrambled up and ran out to look. As the curtain was drawn back, she was stunned by the sight of Ange, hair disheveled, crying until she fainted beside Maria, while Liberte knelt by the bed, head bowed in sobs.
She wanted to approach to offer comfort, but the chaotic emotions mingled in his weeping tormented both their hearts... burying An's feet where she stood.
Bearing humiliation and fearing the forced separation had repressed his emotions for too long. Now, the cruel agony of death snatching away his loved ones crushed his resilient spirit. His mind held only the image of the frail bodies of his mother and his aunt. Le's lifeless eyes wandering into the void, as if... searching for her most beloved.
But...
The image of her loved ones remained only in memory. Until the very last moment, Le still feared famine would claim her family's lives, so she personally gave the best food to Ange.
The little girl sobbed, choking as she swallowed her favorite food, now soaked in the bitter tears of mourning, while listening to her aunt advise the siblings that they must love and protect their kin. Le whispered a warning:
"Except for kin and family, you must not trust anyone."
At that moment, An clenched her hands tightly to suppress the impulse to tremble. She bit her lips hard, suppressing her sorrowful cries. Despite An's utmost care and concern until she was physically and mentally exhausted, Liberte's family still did not trust her.
An continued to admonish herself not to lose heart; if she gave up, all her efforts would be meaningless. She believed that humans were not cold-blooded creatures and that one day, Liberte's kin would feel the sincerity within her heart.
An said nothing; any words of comfort from one viewed as an enemy became hypocritical and absurd. She silently sympathized and shared the feeling with Le—the mother worried sick for Ji—her only surviving child.
An's mood was forlorn, but when Le spoke her final words, she was dumbfounded. Indeed, everyone had to do whatever it took, even abandoning their conscience, to survive in this living hell. Yet, she remained horrified by how hunger and death twisted the psychology of the dying, warping the thoughts of the living. Both the dead and the living became victims forced into madness.
The frantic people were driven into a corner, driven into a dead end… besides the hunger that tore at their insides and the thirst that dried out their ruined bodies… they no longer feared the future. Even when they were forced into a beast-like state, resorting to any means, ignoring morality, allowing their dignity as humans to be defiled and losing all humanity, the victims were still compelled to obey Le's last words, to protect their families.
Maria's entire family shed tears of blood, mourning their loved one, and without hesitation, accepted Le's final dying words.
Becoming numb to all the greatest sins in one's life had already... proven... that Maria's family agreed... not entirely for the sake of... letting Le rest in peace... but... because the souls of those ill-fated wretches had already died.
Even a pure little girl like Ange was no longer an innocent angel. Both hungry and thirsty, she faced the danger of rape every day. From childhood to adolescence, the little girl and her mother dug graves to bury their tragically dead kin... burying the sensations of bearing too much harm.
Regarding the reason they had to obey the last words, the little girl did not feel afraid or confused at all. A cold, unfeeling three-person family stopped at nothing to survive. The hearts of Maria and her children had long been broken, never to heal, and had grown cold and ruthless with the passage of time.
These shards cut deeply into An's subconscious, bearing the pain and anger toward the Hive. She resented the cunning and cruel Wan, who had twisted his own daughter's life since childhood, and whose inhumanity as a father had also ruined her marriage.
At that moment, she heard Liberte apologizing to his mother:
"I am willing to be a hound to protect my family... but... in the end, I still failed to save my kin. I am an unfilial, useless wretch. I am sorry!"
These words of apology were like a curse upon An and her father, a contemptuous insult to her regret that had come too late. Now, even if she wept until the Great Wall collapsed, drowning in bitter tears, she could not wash away her sins.
She had wanted to spend her life making amends to those she cherished... but... perhaps that chance had died along with Liberte's family.
An could not approach Liberte. Now that he lived as his true self, she should have devoted all her rare time to her beloved, staying by his family's side. An was still afraid that he would discover that she saw how pitifully small he was. That entire night, the sentimental girl had to sit alone, huddled in a dark corner in silence, weeping quietly.
From that tragic night on, until Maria tried to lift her spirits and recover her health, An was glad to find that Maria's family no longer held ill will toward her.
Maria was still not very friendly, but she was no longer cold or trying to act distant. Ange remained cautious but no longer made excuses to avoid her as she had before.
As the afternoon ended, she returned home with secret joy, happily planning to wave to Liberte. However, the smile on her lips vanished... when... she discovered a group of women and girls, including female soldiers and evacuees, smiling at him.
That girl was casting amorous glances at him, while the others peeked secretly at the tall, handsome, and masculine soldier. Among those courting him, Slin was the most provocative. An was burning with jealousy and rushed to settle the score, but the person behind her hurriedly grabbed her hand to stop her. She whispered in An's ear:
"Calm down, daughter. Jealousy will only push Liberte away; you will be the one who loses face..."
May did not wait for An to react and quickly pulled her daughter into a hidden corner, advising her to observe the situation.
"Mom, what is there to observe? Do you want to wait for them to seduce Liberte, lure him to bed, and then have me fight for him?"
May shook her head and sighed:
"It is normal for a woman to be passionate about an excellent man, to flirt and tease him. But if you rush out to be jealous, that is making a mountain out of a molehill, lashing out at a crime that has not even happened yet. Look. Liberte remains the same amidst the changing currents of life; he does not respond to anyone!"
Rational advice could not quell her jealousy; An felt like going mad at the teasing: the colder Liberte acted, the more flirtatious and bold the sluts became.
Using the excuse that the Hive had adopted and implemented a polygamous system, those whores used every trick in the book to hint at and solicit sexual favors.
An could not stand this nauseating attitude, shoved her mother's hand away, and rushed over, speaking with cold sarcasm to drive away those who dared to compete for her man.
Liberte was expressionless, walking silently alongside An. The difference was that he did not speak, accompanying her home in total silence.
In the days that followed, Liberte offered only perfunctory words and remained tight-lipped. An felt that Liberte was forcing himself not to show his dissatisfaction with her.
She could not bear the suffocation and questioned him again, leading to loud arguments, sulking, and silent treatment, competing to see who was more stubborn and unyielding.
Liberte remained cold and indifferent, as if nothing had happened. Wan was not foolish, and he certainly had no time to interfere with the children's romance. An had lost her greatest pillar of support, and her pride prevented her from seeing Liberte.
The more one loves, the more one suffers and the more likely one is to lose. An felt as though she were suffocating, deprived of "air."
Every night, she cried until her pillow was soaked, blaming herself for her impulsiveness and for not listening to her mother's advice, while also blaming Liberte for neglecting her out of sheer face-saving.
May lay down, held her child, and said softly:
"You are still young and foolish, daughter. A man's pride is something a woman must absolutely avoid bruising. You caused both yourself and Liberte to lose face, so it is only natural that he acts this way."
An steered the conversation to other matters, then curiously asked why her mother did not sleep with her father. May chuckled:
"Your father has to leave early tomorrow, and if I were to feel aroused and burning with desire, I would be afraid of tiring him out and causing him to lose his ability to work..."
May giggled, and An's face flushed red as she turned her back to her mother.
"Silly girl, if you are so easily embarrassed, how will you ever seduce and captivate a man?"
May smiled as she listened to An's reproach:
"Mom, what strange things are you saying? I only love Liberte!"
She reached out to wrap her arms around her daughter's waist:
"I did not say you were seducing other men."
An frowned and asked:
"What do you mean?"
May gently explained:
"Women love with their ears, and men love with their eyes. After all, Liberte is a man, and men are naturally hungry for novelty. One strange thing is worth a hundred thousand familiar ones. Which man does not crave the new? Your father or Liberte, they are all men like any other. We cannot be one hundred percent sure that they will not be seduced by some vixen in the future..."
An angrily shoved her mother's hand away:
"Mom, stop talking nonsense. Brother Liberte is not that kind of playboy, the type who tries to catch fish with both hands."
May laughed at her daughter's trusting words about Liberte:
"You are too naive. It is normal for a man to be moved by two women, or even to love many people and have sexual relations. There are countless men who appear strong on the outside but are, in fact, more sensitive and soft-hearted than us women. As long as someone understands and sympathizes with their feelings, they can easily touch the hearts of men. Men will act as if they are under a spell, lost and unable to escape. Have you forgotten how Liberte could not control his emotions when your grandmother passed away?"
This warning made An begin to fear losing her lover.
"Someone as sentimental and loyal as Liberte is easily swayed. As long as other girls are there to constantly understand his feelings and sympathize deeply, and as long as they are by his side whenever he needs someone to confide in, he will surely be moved by them and become attracted to them. He will gradually grow distant and indifferent toward you, and eventually, his heart will hold nothing but the image of those vixens."
May emphasized once more:
"You must understand and remember that a man's nature is to hate being controlled by a woman, while at the same time loving to conquer things that do not belong to him. Once conquered, they will seek out new, more difficult targets—and the harder the target is to obtain, the more interested they feel."
May frowned and sighed:
"The 'new things' waiting to be conquered are girls like Slin, who are lustful and steal glances at Liberte..."
An was provoked, rising in anger, intending to go and punish the vixens. Her mother hurriedly held her daughter back. An struggled fiercely and said:
"Mom, let go! I must go and warn those harlots. Not long after their husbands died, those women should have been out there working the fields to support themselves and their children, yet they still harbor devious intentions, plotting to snatch away the one I love. I must kill them."
May clicked her tongue and said:
"Oh my, my dear ancestor, calm down and listen to reason..."
The more An struggled, the tighter May held her:
"I just said that a man's nature is to conquer. If he is obstructed, his desires will only grow more intense, and he will grow to loathe those who try to control him."
May shrugged:
"Liberte has not yet set his heart on anyone, so if you lose your temper, you will only push him away from your embrace, causing him to fear and despise you. Is being humiliated once not enough?"
May asserted that if An continued to act this way, Liberte would eventually bed someone else. An's face fell, and she asked:
"Then, Mother, please tell me, what should I do? Am I just to sit by and let them provoke me?"
May gently rested her chin on An's shoulder and whispered, that is why I told you to master the art of captivating a man like Liberte. On the street, you may be a virtuous woman, but in the bedchamber, you must become a harlot, filled with a burning desire for sexual intimacy, caring for, embracing, and pampering your man "with your whole heart" from beginning to end.
You must be familiar with all his preferences in bed, from the tender to the perverse; submit to his every wish, and seize upon his strengths to praise and encourage him to exert them. You must understand the "shortcomings" of your sexual partner, lest you offend a man's self-esteem.
If it cannot be avoided, you must cleverly choose your words to please him... and... explore the sensitive spots on a man's body as much as possible. If you succeed, even if Liberte feels a "flutter" for another girl, or even beds her, he will still remain infatuated with you, unable to leave you.
May placed her hand on her daughter's left breast:
"If one day, Liberte has an affair with any girl, you must forgive him and believe that he has his reasons. Regardless of the cause—whether it is out of necessity, a simple craving for novelty, or just playing around with a girl on the street—you must still be tolerant. Because a velvet grip is the ultimate way to keep your husband; Liberte will fear you, love you passionately, and forever belong to you..."
May looked at An:
"Even if he is a philanderer who sows his seed of love everywhere, he will always return to your side and live with you forever."
An frowned and said:
"Although he is a captain, Liberte is still a subordinate under my father's authority. If he dares to betray me, Father will not forgive him."
May pushed her daughter's head:
"Silly girl. Relying on power to bind affection will only cause the relationship to break sooner. If Liberte only compromises because he fears your father's punishment, he will harbor resentment and wait for an opportunity to cut ties with you. The future is unpredictable. Who would have thought that Liberte could become a soldier in the Hive and rise to the rank of captain? When he advances further in the future, he will surely calculate the principal and interest together!"
May emphasized the key point:
"Do not forget, your father is the enemy who killed Liberte's father, tortured his family, and you yourself have also tortured his mother. In any case, you are at a disadvantage."
May sighed:
"You have yet to please his family, and you still want to use power to threaten him, which only makes Liberte more hostile toward our family... and... hate you!"
An trembled, her face pale, stammering as she begged her mother to help her. May chuckled softly, sensing she was about to achieve her own goal, and said gently:
"I certainly have a way to help you, I am just afraid you will not agree to it."
An, mentally manipulated and terrified of losing Liberte, said impatiently:
"I cannot live without Liberte; he is my life, my air; without him, I cannot breathe. Mother, tell me, what should I do?"
An resolved to pay any price and use any means to bind Liberte to her.
"I will say it again: no matter who Liberte is moved by, who he has feelings for, or who he beds in the future, and more abhorrently, no matter how many women he wants or is forced to marry, you must be tolerant and accept it."
An nodded reluctantly, but wanted to know why Liberte had to have many wives. May clicked her tongue and sighed heavily:
"Tsk, in this Hell on Earth, anything can happen. The Hive has approved polygamy to restore family order, and children must obey their elders."
"You must consider that Maria will surely take revenge on you. She will demand that Slin, Mao, or anyone else marry Liberte to make you suffer. The Hive will certainly approve, because those harlots, especially that vixen Slin, are extremely fertile."
May clicked her tongue and sneered:
"Tsk, Liberte is the very founder of this idea. We cannot rule out the possibility that the Hive will require Liberte to take many wives, both to imitate his practice and to use it as a pretext to tell the people that this policy is merely to increase the population and compensate for labor shortages, hiding all the conspiracies behind it!"
May suddenly curled her lips into a smile, blowing hot breath into her daughter's ear. An froze as she listened to her mother's whispered words; she could not believe that her mother would stoop to such a perverted and grotesque trick. An's face flushed red, and she shook her head violently.
"Do this... with Mother? Don't you find it disgusting?"
May assumed an attitude that there was no other choice:
"This is the most effective way; there is no other path. If you refuse, in the future, you will only suffer the consequences—helpless, resentful, watching Liberte dally with other women, or even live with them. When that time comes, do not weep, and do not complain to me..."
May pretended to let her daughter decide for herself. Seeing An trembling, pale-faced, and terrified that Liberte might leave, May immediately launched her final offensive:
"If you lose Liberte, once he climbs to a position higher than your father, I dare say he will no longer respect the woman he once loved. If I am not mistaken, Maria will force him to kill our entire family with his own hands to exact revenge."
An feared that everyone would die a tragic death at the hands of her lover. In truth, she had always felt that Liberte was using her, but being infatuated with her savior, her spirit had long been under a spell, as if fed memory-erasing drugs. Love hypnotized her blind heart, dragging her into intoxicated passion. The fear of losing Liberte defeated all risks and consequences.
Whether now or in the future, happiness or tragedy depended solely on her. She had to strive with all her might to guard her happiness and prevent tragedy. If she remained hesitant, fearing to trample upon morality in this inhuman hell, her family would surely perish.
Blind love and the fear of losing everything clouded her mind. An abandoned morality, stripped off her pajamas, and rushed forward, peeling off her mother's clothes.
She kissed her mother's lips deeply, burying her tongue into those fair, plump breasts, sucking up all the moisture, and moaning with every breath:
"Teach me, teach me every means to seduce a man."
May's fingertips moved gently over her daughter's entire body, groping every sensitive spot. She propped herself up, lifting her hips to let her daughter explore her body. The harlot moaned in excitement and laughed wildly:
"Hehe... rest assured, daughter, I have countless secret arts to teach you how to become the ultimate, wildest wife in the bedchamber..."
That entire night, and every night thereafter, whenever there was an opportunity, she taught her daughter. They practiced their bedroom techniques passionately until the blankets, sheets, pillows, and mattresses were all crumpled and damp.
These two "harlots" hurriedly gathered the old things to take to the laundry room, changed into fresh clothes, and embraced each other in comfort and satisfaction, sleeping until dawn.