She was beyond exhausted from the physical toll everything took on her, but she somehow kept from fainting even once.
Valerie had never imagined herself pouncing on scraps of food and devouring it like an animal, but that was exactly what she did when she was served Lunch.
The coarse bread she stuffed in her mouth tasted more delicious than any specialty dishes she had ever eaten before.
Unfortunately, Effie forbade her from eating much. After Valerie finished three whole pieces of bread, Effie took the plate away and told her to feed the pigs.
Despite her status of being an illegitimate child, Atticus and Graham had treated Valerie well. They had spoiled her with material things.
She had never seen a live pig in all her life, let alone tried to feed one.
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The moment she opened the fence to the pig sty, she was assaulted by the disgusting smell of slop and manure. She darted to the side and puked everything she had just eaten.
She wasn’t even full to begin with, and now, she had thrown it all up. Her stomach felt hollow.
Noticing that Valerie was not in the pig sty, Effie rushed over in a huff and scolded, “Why are you dawdling?! I’ll give you ten minutes to finish this task. If you fail, you can forget about having supper!”
It was only her first day. If Valerie skipped supper, there was no chance she would be able to finish chanting the sutra.
And if she couldn’t finish it, that meant she couldn’t sleep. But she had to get up at half past five the next morning. She wanted to have all the rest she could get.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and braced herself. She fetched a bucket of swill and headed inside the pig sty, fighting against the dread and nausea that washed over her.
When afternoon rolled around, Effie dragged Valerie back to the fields for more work. Her progress was rough and slow, and it didn’t help that Effie constantly yelled abuse a her.
Valerie felt relieved when dusk finally fell, thinking that the worst was over. Little did she know, her suffering was just beginning.
After eating her evening meal, Valerie was allowed a few minutes of rest, and then Leon ordered her to kneel out in the yard. Rickey was already waiting there, whip in hand.
This time, each lashing was more painful than the ones she had endured the previous night. She hadn’t recovered from those, after all, and her wounds were still fresh.
Valerie kept slumping into the ground, but Leon would help her up each time.
Through it all, Effie sat on a chair by the front door of the house, casually munching on snacks as she watched.
For a moment, she felt a hint of unease and terror. It wasn’t so much the sight as was the sound of the whip cracking Valerie’s skin.
But then Effie thought back to the things the men had told her this morning, and her pity for Valerie morphed into disgust.
Unable to stop herself, she shook her fist and yelled at Valerie.
“You deserve everything you get! You should have been beaten to death!
Has Old Mr. Simmons not been good to you? He is almost seventy years old, and could barely walk without his cane! How can you be so cruel as to push him down the stairs? I can’t believe someone so young can be so evil!”
As the final lashing fell, Valerie cried out in pain. She fell on her belly and convulsed a little.