When bandits swept through our village, every man in the family vanished without a trace.
The women, hobbled by their tiny bound feet, could not keep up and were abandoned to die.
Before he left, Father handed Mother a knife.
“If they violate your chastity, use this to kill yourself.”
“When I return, I’ll see you enshrined in the Chaste Women’s Hall.”
After Father left, Mother smashed the memorial tablets in that hall and used the wood to build several beds.
Then she and my sisters-in-law went into business with the bandits.
That night, every woman suffered worse than death.
But every one of us survived.
When Father finally came home, he asked Mother how she wanted to die.
Mother set down the knife, raised a pistol, and aimed it at his head.