29 lines
2.4 KiB
Plaintext
29 lines
2.4 KiB
Plaintext
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As the second oldest child, Min would bear many of those burdens.
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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.
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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.
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She didn't mind: she loved her family, and her youngest sibling was far from troublesome, little Ren just entering adolescence.
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The first child - in Min's case, her brother Tun - traditionally would leave the village and travel to the city.
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There, bearing the family's name, they would be educated, learn a trade and return when they had found a calling and their success.
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The second oldest would remain, tending the hearth of home with their parents and other siblings.
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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.
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Much depended on how much older the first was, whether they found the success they sought and how long they took to do it.
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By all counts, it was perfectly likely Tun would be gone for years, or perhaps never return.
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Min, being only a year younger than Tun, could expect to stay in the village well into adulthood.
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Min counted herself lucky yet, though, as she knew her village was among the more prosperous.
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The land here was fertile and low-lying, so they were able to make their year's harvest without mmuch hardship, most years.
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Neighbouring villages were equally comfortable, so the pace of life was laid-back and left plenty of time for personal pursuits.
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In a way, she felt sorry for Tun - his burden was decided more than hers.
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He'd been excited to travel to the city, but a gloom has beset him in the weeks before he left.
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He'd not complained - he knew his role, accepted it willingly - but Min saw he didn't really want to go.
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The city, they'd heard, was a busy, loud and dirty place.
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Great riches and adventure could certainly be found, but at the cost of hard work, health and mental stamina.
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They'd heard it could be isolating, lonely, for those not outgoing, energetic or wealthy enough to make friends in the drinking-houses.
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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.
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He would be fine, but she looked forward to his return.
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