Spilled WaterThis story takes place in modern-day China, where one girl's bravery overcomes circumstances that are extraordinary from a Western point-of-view. On the day that her uncle takes her to be sold to the highest bidder, eleven-year-old Lu Si-Yan learns what it really means to be born a girl in her culture: to be worth nothing more than a little spilled water. Torn from her family, she is taken to the smog-wrapped tower blocks and factories of the big city. There she is destined to become a servant to a wealthy family, and someday to marry their son. But Lu Si-Yan is not going to spend her life in servitude. Determined to return to her beloved mother and brother, she embarks on an epic journey to escape and find her way home. |
Contents
Section 1 | 5 |
Section 2 | 13 |
Section 3 | 16 |
Section 4 | 26 |
Section 5 | 29 |
Section 6 | 34 |
Section 7 | 41 |
Section 8 | 48 |
Section 13 | 111 |
Section 14 | 122 |
Section 15 | 126 |
Section 16 | 141 |
Section 17 | 156 |
Section 18 | 175 |
Section 19 | 180 |
Section 20 | 192 |
Section 9 | 71 |
Section 10 | 89 |
Section 11 | 97 |
Section 12 | 101 |
Section 21 | 202 |
Section 22 | 219 |
Section 23 | 222 |
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Common terms and phrases
asked began blouse bowl brother Chapter Chen Chen's child clothes cold cook daughter-in-law Dong Ying door dormitory eyes face factory father feel felt ferry friends gazed girls go home hair hand happy hard head heard Hong Hong's jagged edges keep kitchen knew laughed leapt leave Li-hu little sparrow looked Lu Si-yan mahjong meal morning mother never nodded picked pulled pushed realised replied rice rickshaw river River of Stars round Shen Enqing shoulder silk swallow sing sleep smiled smiled Song smog Song Shuru soon spill Spring Festival stay stood stopped suddenly Sunday supervisor sure tarpaulin tell thing thought told took town tried turned Uncle Ba vegetables village voice wages waited walked Wang washing watch week whispered window workers Xiong Fei Yimou young Zheng Yi