Work Text:
He called me priceless,
A word most sincerely used by those who have never paid the price.
Mother’s freedom cost one good Nie saber worthy of the family’s use to slice,
Two bolts of Gusu Lan silk, A Lanling Jin teacup wouldn’t cost less.
All the blood in my body and a closely clutched pearl just bought a mess,
Hours of cutting spit and bruising labor with a smile granted a day with rice.
How different it is for those who don’t even think twice.
...I wish I could believe him, I must confess.
Yet as I sit in front of a pile of paper nearly three feet tall-
Concerned bellows and playful shrikes echo across stone walls-
I can’t help but smile even with all the trouble I see.
Amber fragrance reminding of brighter days so small.
One day, perhaps I might leave these walls.
But for now, I’m as close to priceless as I ever could be.