Chapter 1: The Peasant Girl
Chapter I : The Peasant Girl
NADYA (HOPE OF IVAN)
Blessed are those who can provide for their families while maintaining a good standard of living. Nadya Sergeyevna understood this all too well, coming from a humble peasant family where poverty was a constant companion.
“Nadya, you’re being sluggish! I thought you already fed the pigs in the pigsties?” scolded Anastasia, her second sister. Although younger, Anastasia’s commands reminded Nadya of their intimidating and unpleasant landowner.
Aware of her sisters’ dislike, Nadya never complained or objected. She simply endured.“You took an eternity to get things done. When mother and father come home, I’ll report you for being slow and stupid!” threatened Anastasia.
“I’ll do that when I finish cleaning the house. I’ve already cooked supper for all of you.”
Deeply loving her family, Nadya refrained from disagreeing or protesting, despite being treated like an outsider in her own home—a mere pest in their dwelling.
“You cooked? What ingredients did you use this time? Please don’t make me gag on the food I grew in the garden. You always make the most disturbing and revolting dishes!” complained Anastasia, visibly annoyed.
Nadya’s attempts at cooking always met with Anastasia’s disdain. No matter what she prepared, Anastasia despised it.
“I made Borscht.” Said Nadya.
”Borscht? I hate Borscht! What was the point of making that? I’m not going to consume your food. I’d sooner eat a stew potato than the stuff you prepare!” Anastasia moved away from the scene, tapping her feet in apparent annoyance.
That was usually the case whenever she attempted to cook something, and Anastasia will always despise the food she prepares.
Meanwhile, Natalya and Sergey returned home from the market, their arms laden with grain and vegetables—goods they had traded or sold to sustain their family.
“Mama!” exclaimed Dmitri, a four-year-old boy with a dirty face and clothes. Covered in mud from his outdoor play, he had quickly raced towards his mother, leaving his sister Ekaterina’s lap behind.
His mother embraced him tightly, concern etched on her face. Sergey walked past his children, attending to his own “important” matters, such as smoking cigarettes while condemning the monarchy. The burden of forced labor and exorbitant taxes had made their lives a living hell.
“Oh, dear, what happened to your face?” his mother asked, her gaze then shifting to Nadya, who stood waiting for instructions to bring in the unsellable goods from the backyard.
“You didn’t look after your younger brother while we were gone?” her mother scolded in a scathing tone.
“I apologize, mother. I was cleaning the house and didn’t notice him leaving,” Nadya replied, her voice tinged with regret.
“How negligent can you be!” her mother scolded, her words sharp.
“Come on, bathe him! We are not pigs living in perpetually dirty pigsties!” her mother demanded.
Natalya pushed Nadya in the chest, causing her pain, but she remained silent and obedient.Living in poverty among peasants who were worse than rats was a challenge. The Romanov dynasty’s absolute monarchy ruled over Russia, with the Tsar exercising great power, making decisions without seeking input or consent from representative groups.
Lost in her thoughts, Nadya walked along the lake, carrying two heavy buckets in her hands. Her purpose was to fetch water for Dmitri’s bath. The weight never bothered her, nor did the darkness daunt her.
From outside, Anastasia’s voice could be heard, eagerly waiting for an opportunity to criticize Nadya. “She’s a slacker; she didn’t even feed the pigs! I told her to do it, but she refused, mother.”
While the voices echoed from within, Nadya proceeded to bathe Dmitri. Anastasia seized this moment to vent her frustration about everything she despised about Nadya.
“And she prepared Borscht!” Anastasia whispered with disdain.
Nadya couldn’t fathom what was wrong with the dish she had cooked.
“Can you throw that away? Is she feeding us pig’s food? That girl really gets on my nerves. What was she thinking?” Natalya expressed her disapproval.
Meanwhile, Sergey approached the table and sat down. He glanced at the food that everyone had rejected, expecting it to be the same for him. He smelled it and, using a spoon, took a sample.
Everyone anticipated him to criticize the food Nadya had prepared. Nadya herself was curious about her father’s reaction.
“This is the typical Borscht. If you want something else to eat, simmer some potatoes. For those of you with sensitive stomachs.” Sergey commented as he continued to savor the soup.
A smile formed on Nadya’s face upon hearing her father’s words. The youngest sisters—Aleksandra, Ekaterina, and Anastasia—and their mother displayed disappointment, while Nadya felt a sense of pride. It may not have been a direct compliment, but her father’s positive response brought her joy.
“Alright, Dmitri. Put down the soap and close your eyes for the final rinse,” Nadya instructed.
However, as water cascaded over Dmitri’s head, he couldn’t resist splashing Nadya, soaking her from head to toe.
Dmitri laughed mischievously as he observed Nadya’s damp and apprehensive demeanor. He quickly ran inside to change into dry clothes.
That night, Nadya finished feeding the pigs and settled for leftovers her family had left behind. She didn’t expect any of the Borscht she had prepared to remain; it was probably already consumed, leaving only bread and milk for her.
Because her family despised her presence, she was constantly on the opposite side of their house while they talked in the main living room where her family would sleep.
“How was Viscountess Elena on the market? Did you find a way to plead for a few more days so that our debt could be reduced?” Said Natalya.
“When I pleaded in front of her, she trod on my hands. That witch threatened to make me his slave for the rest of my life, and she claimed that everything on the farm would vanish and be sold to someone of wealth.” He added. “Everything we have worked for will be gone! She guaranteed me that…”
“So, what are we going to do now? Our livestock will be endangered. Our family... will be accessible to sale on the market! Oh heavens, please no.”
“I can’t image our family living on a street of Russia! Please don’t allow this happen to us.” Beg her.
“I’m not going to let that happen to us, to the farm I hardly work for.” Added Sergey. “I already offer her a proposal she cannot refuse.”
“What is it?”
Sergey gazed at Nadya, who was now sitting on a wicker chair and staring out through a window at the stars glittering in the sky far above.
When the father looked at Nadya in that way, three of the sisters realized he was about to sell her to someone on the market in exchange for their massive debt to Viscountess Elena Volkova, their land owner.
“What precisely did you do?” Natalia inquired.
As her family engaged in conversations, she lingered on the outskirts, aware of her unwanted presence. Little did she know that, within those very walls, her father Sergey had devised a plan—a proposition that involved selling Nadya on the market to repay their massive debt to Viscountess Elena Volkova, their landowner.
Sergey replied. “I’m going to sell Nadya in the market, and if someone buys her, the debt will be paid off. That’s what the proposition is.”
Nadya overheard the discussion between her father and her mother. The revelation pierced her heart, leaving her scarred, fearful, and alone. She gazed at her family, who laughed and reveled in ignorance, while she carried the weight of her impending fate, uncertain of the path that lay before her.
