Self-blame

"After that, my younger brothers came up with an idea. They told me to escape, but where could I escape to? Without my big sister, I couldn't do anything. In the end, it was she who came up with the solution."

Something was slowly dawning on me. Lu Yan's gaze was hazy as she recounted the story that would affect the rest of her life.

"My big sister always had little to eat so even though she was two years older than me. She was still very tiny. I was almost as tall as she was. My sister told me to exchange clothes with her and she would follow my adopted family home the following day. She said it was the maid who would come to complete the adoption, and the maid wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"Before she left, she told me and my brothers to look after each other. We cried so hard because we were unwilling to see her go. However, when my sister asked whether I was willing to suffer years of beating, I was scared and I allowed her to take my spot.