Borders || Zayn Malik AU #MissionDesi

Chapter 1

-1940-

I chewed on the long sugar cane as the bullock cart, which was being driven by my father's worker, passed through the fields of the plant that I was relishing.

The warm Amritsar light touched my skin, a feeling of joy and happiness without any reason filled my heart, as the cart moved slowly. 

Everyone in Punjab owned land, atleast everyone in Amritsar owned it. It was our birthright. Being engaged in some sort of agricultural practice was something every Punjabi had to do in his lifetime. But my father's occupation wasn't successful like the people around him.

My grandfather was a self made man. My father'd once told me that he used to help him in the fields. Numerous workers, greatest agricultural implements, he had everything in his life. 

But when he died and passed on the land to my father, after dividing them to all of the other siblings that my father had, all that we had was a mediocre sized land, and a petty amount in our hands to keep the business running...

Father wished that atleast one among his three children must know farming. Although, at heart, he was not very satisfied at me getting my hands dirtied in the fields, he allowed me to join him. And there were added reasons as my younger brother, who must actually help my father, loathes farming ; and that there weren't much workers left now to work.

I kneeled down on the platform where all the canes were stacked and looked at the end of the path, to see a middle- aged man, smiling, wearing his bright orange turban with pride.. my father, Amandeep Singh.

The cart stopped right in front of him, and I got down on to the land, the soft, wet mud soothing my feet, after a hard day's work. 

"Look at you!.." My father exclaimed, chuckling, looking at my tired face.

"You've become so tanned, your mother would be so happy to see you this way..." He said, the smile not leaving his face.

"Let's get going, we have to be there by lunch, you know her, right.." I giggled as he spoke.

The only person me and my father feared was my mother. Not because she was intimidating, it was only because she was always a bit too emotional, and it could effect all of us, even it wouldn't involve us.

.........

"Harpreet!" My mother exclaimed, as she saw me entering my tiny house.

I already knew what she was going to say.

"When will you learn to be a girl? Don't you know that you have to wash your hands and feet before entering the house?" She scolded, as father entered the house behind me, trying to run away from his angry wife, trying to stay away from her sight.

"You're the one who's spoiling her, don't you know she's old enough to get married? She seventeen, she has completed her education... she is more qualified than most of the girls in the neighbourhood!"

"Mother!.." I said in a put-out tone.

"I'm not spoiling her, Kirran... she has to know farming.." My father defended himself.

My mother went back to the kitchen mumbling something, while I smiled at my father, and he returned it back.

I went behind my mother to the kitchen, a place that I didn't tread on that much.

"Oh let it rain today! My daughter has finally entered the kitchen!" She sarcastically said, looking at the roof of the kitchen, with cracks on it.

I nodded, not bothering to reply anything to her words. I took a bite of the tomatoes that she were chopping, for which I got a smack on my knuckles with a spoon.