There was a woman, with a square jaw, dead eyes, black hair that snapped off at her shoulders like dry straw, and an empty belly. She looked dreadful, terrifying even, but she didn’t have the capacity to care about her appearance. All she cared about was that empty belly of hers.
This woman fought for scraps with children and dogs alike. She was more vicious than even the most feral of those dogs. She had tasted the blood of others more than once.
Until one day she bit the wrong hand that fed.
A wealthy young master that had tried to feed an orphan child was shoved to the ground and the food stolen. Enraged, the wealthy young master ordered his guards to beat this thief who barely looked human to death. And so, the guards dragged this inhuman beast whose age and gender could no longer be determined at a glance into an alleyways and began to hit her with sticks and clubs.
This barely human woman with an empty belly curled into a small ball and tried to endure. But to lack humanity was to lack willpower. And so the woman let out a sound for the first time since her belly became empty. A hoarse shout tumbled out of her parched, chapped lips.
But to the guards, screaming and crying was to be expected. So they only responded to this momentous voice no one had heard in years with harsher strikes. When the woman let out another shout that melted into broken sobs, the window above opened and a bucket of lukewarms water was dumped on the trio of guards and the woman. “I think the poor thing has had enough, don’t you?” A melodious voice drifted down from the window.
Upon hearing the voice the wealthy young master, who had been coldly watching the beating from the entrance of the alley, lit up and called out happily, “Lady MeiMei!”
The building next to the alleyway just so happened to be a brothel. The woman hanging out of the window just so happened to be a courtesan. And the wealthy young master just so happened to be one of this courtesan’s regular customers.
The courtesan leaned further out of the window. Her long, loose hair fluttered out the window, a tad damp. The water she had thrown had actually been from a bath she had just finished. Since she had just bathed her face and hands were clean of cosmetics and the clothes she wore were simple and unadorned. Most courtesans looked plain or even hideous when clean-faced in the light of day. Not this ‘Lady MeiMei’. She was a flower among weeds. Her sigh tugged at the heartstrings of all who heard it, including the woman with the empty belly who thought that she had long since swallowed, digested, and shit out this thing called a ‘heart’. “Does he really need to die? Can’t you let him go now?”
The wealthy young master stared blankly for a few seconds before finally realizing his goddess had spoken to him. His face twisted with rage. “This... this beast! Stole food from the mouth of a starving child! This kind of shameless immorality cannot be allowed to stand!”
‘Lady MeiMei’s’ face grew dark, “What is shame when you are hungry? What is morality when you are treated as sub-human?”
The wealthy young master’s jaw clenched shut as he found himself unable to answer. ‘Lady MeiMei’ sighed, her face softening, “Val... Why don’t you let him go. As a favor to me?” She draped her upper body over the window sill, her breasts almost spilling out of her shirt.
‘Val’ hesitated, then waved his hand, conceding. “Fine... let’s go!” He called to his guards. The trio filed out of the alley with their master each spitting on the woman on the ground in turn.
Once they had left ‘Lady MeiMei’ called down to the woman, “Please wait there! I’ll send someone down to get you! We’ll tend to your wounds and get you something to eat... alright?”
The empty bellied woman returned to her mute state and didn’t say a word. A few minutes later a burly man came into the alley and hoisted her onto his shoulder. He carried her into the brothel, up the stairs, and deposited her at the bare feet of ‘Lady MeiMei’.
