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2023-01-04 09:27:14 +01:00
As the second oldest child, Min would bear many of those burdens.
Her parents were still responsible for her and her younger siblings, but now she was the de facto oldest sibling, and so it fell to her to set an example.
She would have to take on responsibilities, cook and clean, keep her siblings safe and fed and learned, as her parents entered their twilight years.
She didn't mind: she loved her family, and her youngest sibling was far from troublesome, little Ren just entering adolescence.
The first child - in Min's case, her brother Tun - traditionally would leave the village and travel to the city.
There, bearing the family's name, they would be educated, learn a trade and return when they had found a calling and their success.
The second oldest would remain, tending the hearth of home with their parents and other siblings.
If and when the oldest returned, the second might then entertain the chance to leave - if they were able - to try for the same, but this was far from guaranteed.
Much depended on how much older the first was, whether they found the success they sought and how long they took to do it.
By all counts, it was perfectly likely Tun would be gone for years, or perhaps never return.
Min, being only a year younger than Tun, could expect to stay in the village well into adulthood.
Min counted herself lucky yet, though, as she knew her village was among the more prosperous.
The land here was fertile and low-lying, so they were able to make their year's harvest without mmuch hardship, most years.
Neighbouring villages were equally comfortable, so the pace of life was laid-back and left plenty of time for personal pursuits.
In a way, she felt sorry for Tun - his burden was decided more than hers.
He'd been excited to travel to the city, but a gloom has beset him in the weeks before he left.
He'd not complained - he knew his role, accepted it willingly - but Min saw he didn't really want to go.
The city, they'd heard, was a busy, loud and dirty place.
Great riches and adventure could certainly be found, but at the cost of hard work, health and mental stamina.
They'd heard it could be isolating, lonely, for those not outgoing, energetic or wealthy enough to make friends in the drinking-houses.
Tun would be fine, she thought, after some time, but he'd always preferred to read and paint and walk in the forest, than partake in social events.
He would be fine, but she looked forward to his return.