“It’s all my fault!” Ji Yaoting stood up unsteadily, his eyes unfocused and lost. “It was my greed that made me fall for Manager Wu’s persuasion and buy that batch of parrot blue dye on credit. For the sake of those extra profits, everything has turned to water. Haha, all turned to water!”
Ji Yingying was startled and grabbed Ji Yaoting’s arm, shaking it hard: “Brother, don’t frighten me.”
Ji Yaoting suddenly pushed her away and ran toward the back courtyard.
“Elder Brother!” Ji Yingying called out and quickly chased after him.
Ji Yaoting ran into the courtyard, his knees giving way as he fell to the ground. He kowtowed heavily toward the main house of the back courtyard, choking with emotion: “Mother! Your son cannot protect our family’s dye house!”
The rain instantly soaked him through, but Ji Yaoting seemed unaware, pressing his face against the cold stone slabs in agony. As if only this could slightly ease the frustration and anger in his heart.
Ji Yingying ran over with an oil-cloth coat and covered him, trying to pull him up: “Brother, get up. You’ll fall ill like this. Get up!”
Ji Yaoting raised his head, clutching his sister’s arm. After being dead drunk last night, having barely sobered up only to face the dye house fire and their mother’s illness, now provoked by Manager Wu and drenched by the cold rain, his face had turned ashen. With reddened eyes, he smiled bitterly: “Yingying, your brother is useless.”
His body slowly collapsed onto Ji Yingying.
“Brother, Brother!” Ji Yingying’s heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. She covered Ji Yaoting with the oilcloth coat and held him as they knelt in the courtyard. She looked up at the sky. The rain hammered down from the leaden sky like an invisible hand smothering the Ji family’s light.
“Young Miss! Quickly help the Young Master back to his room!” Ling’er ran out in the rain, awakening Ji Yingying from her daze.
Ji Yaoting’s servant Ji Xiaoying also ran over, and together they helped carry Ji Yaoting back to his room.
Ji Yingying knelt in the corridor, hearing herself mechanically giving orders. Servants and maids bustled before her eyes while Matron Ji hurried about with her plump figure.
“This batch of goods was specially reserved for you. Huanhua Dye House is an old customer, and trustworthy. How about this: take all the dyes, and count the excess as credit to me?”
“The Zhao family worries the Ji family can’t repay the silver, so they’ll hold Second Miss Ji as collateral. If it goes to court, would Madam Ji dare let the court officials examine Huanhua Dye House’s accounts?”
“You were so careless, letting Yang Jingyuan get that brocade handkerchief so easily. Letting the Yang family know the secret of the Linjiang Immortal color scheme.”
“When I saw that handkerchief in his hands, it felt like someone had stabbed me…”
“You’re too stubborn, I can only find my way to keep you by my side.”
The voices came in waves. Ji Yingying cried out in pain, covering her ears with both hands. Tears fell in large drops. It was her fault. She had misjudged people, dreaming of spending her life with Zhao Xiuyuan. She had embroidered that double-sided brocade that changed color in light, and created the clever color scheme for the Zhao family’s brocade competition, helping them win the Brocade King title. It was she… who had brought disaster to the Ji family!
The debt owed for dying silk for their aunt needed to be repaid to the Zhao family.
Mother was ill, and the next month her brother was to be married.
The dyes were gone. Jucai Chamber had set a three-day deadline to collect the debt.
The merchants’ cloth was ruined and needed to be replaced and dyed again.
Everything, everything was because the Zhao family coveted her skills.
Ji Yingying was overwhelmed with self-reproach. She looked at her hands – these hands had caused the trouble, and she would use these same hands to pull the Ji family out of this quagmire.
“Young Miss, your hair is dry now. You should change your clothes,” Ling’er put down the dry cloth and urged her softly.
Matron Ji also said, “The Young Master fainted from anger and lack of sleep. The physician said he’d be fine after resting and taking two doses of medicine. Young Miss hasn’t slept all night either, why not lie down for a while? We servants are still here to watch over things.”
Ji Yingying turned her head and saw the fear and worry in their eyes.
In one day, three members of the family had fallen ill, and two were bedridden. If she collapsed too, the Ji family would truly not be able to hold on. Ji Yingying rose with Ling’er’s help and said quietly: “Matron, tell Uncle Ji and Uncle Tian to close the shop doors. Don’t receive any visitors before I wake up. If there’s anything urgent, wake me directly. If the Zhao family comes to make trouble… let them go to court!”
The money owed to the Zhao family wasn’t due until April or May next year. If the Zhao family dared to go to court, thankfully they still had Sang Fourteen willing to help.
“This old servant will beat them right out!” Matron Ji’s spirits lifted at these words, and she promised repeatedly, “Young Miss, rest assured and go sleep.”
What she needed to do now was quickly recover her strength. Heaven knew what other moves the Zhao family had planned to pressure the Ji family.
This sleep lasted until dusk. When she awoke, Ling’er brought steaming rice porridge with vegetables, and she ate three bowls. She felt like a little tiger.
“How is Mother? Has Brother woken up?” The rain outside had lessened, but the wind had grown colder. Ji Yingying changed into a short jacket and pulled her cloak tight.
Ling’er quickly reported: “Xiang’er came by to say the Madam isn’t doing well. The medicine couldn’t be fully prepared. The Young Master is better, he took his medicine and is sleeping again.”
Ji Yingying took the oil-paper umbrella from her hand and said: “Starting tonight, I’ll move to the main house to sleep. To prepare for that.”
When she reached the main courtyard, lanterns were already lit under the corridor.
Matron Wu came out to meet her, saying softly: “We’ve kept the Young Master’s condition from the Madam. My husband returned saying he couldn’t find ginseng over twenty years old, only some sliced ginseng. The physician said the Madam is qi deficient and it would be best to have whole ginseng ready. My husband has something he wants to tell Young Miss.”
Ji Yingying nodded and went in to see Madam Ji.
Matron Li rose to let her sit by the bed. In just one day, Madam Ji’s complexion had withered like grass, her eyes had lost their shine.
“Mother, are you feeling any better?” Ji Yingying forced a smile and obediently held Madam Ji’s hand.
Madam Ji clutched her hand, unwilling to let go: “Yingying, it’s Mother’s fault for leaving you at the Zhao family.”
“But I’m back now, aren’t I? You focus on getting better. Brother and I can handle things here. Don’t worry, Master Sang said if the Zhao family dares go to court, he’ll help us.”
“That’s good then.” Madam Ji’s heart eased, and her eyelids began to close again.
Ji Yingying didn’t disturb her, waiting until her mother was sound asleep before rising and going to the front courtyard study.
The study was where Ji Yaoting handled dye house and shop affairs. Ji Yingying didn’t wait long before Ji Gui arrived.
“Young Miss, I wanted to find you when I returned this afternoon. But Matron Ji insisted you had just gone to rest. So it was delayed until now.” Ji Gui sighed.
The prescription called for twenty-year-old ginseng. Aged ginseng was hard to find. He had searched several large medicine shops in the city without success. One shop happened to be near the Gaosheng Inn, so he had taken the opportunity to deliver the Ji family’s prepared gifts to Master Sheng.
“When I went in, Master Sheng was packing his belongings. He was quite polite and even rewarded me with a small silver ingot. He said it was a small matter, asking Young Miss not to take it to heart. There was an open brocade box on the table. I caught a glimpse by chance – there was ginseng as thick as a baby’s arm, at least fifty years old by the look of it. I wasn’t in a position to ask about buying it. I could only bring back some sliced ginseng. But the physician says it would be best to have whole ginseng ready, in case the Madam needs it urgently.”
Ji Yingying sprang to her feet: “Uncle Gui, Mother’s illness is urgent. Prepare all the available silver from the shop. Tomorrow at dawn, I’ll go into the city to beg him to sell it to me.”