Six years had flown by. The incident with the ghost had made Han Nü determined to give up embroidery. A-Chu’s health was still frail, requiring frequent herbal medicines. They couldn’t go without an income. Fortunately, the mountain land was vast, and the soil fertile enough to grow vegetables for themselves. Whatever surplus they had, Han Nü would disguise herself and go to the town below to sell. The small income from this barely covered their living expenses.
But as A-Chu grew older, she became more beautiful, and Han Nü, as her older sister, couldn’t bear to see her wearing patched-up clothes every day. Though her health was weak, A-Chu remained playful and lively, often running off to the town. There was a small restaurant owned by an elderly couple who had no children of their own. They were fond of A-Chu and had even taken her in as a goddaughter. Occasionally, they’d let her help with work, giving her a small wage each month, though it was only enough for her to buy some powder and cosmetics.
Han Nü gathered up some old clothes, cutting pieces from each to sew a new dress. Despite the different colors of fabric, her skillful hands turned it into something prettier than anything made by the town’s tailors.
A-Chu was delighted with the dress, twirling in it several times before smiling and saying, “Sister, you’re so good at sewing. Why don’t you take on embroidery work again? The flowers you embroider are so beautiful. It’s such a waste not to do it! And besides, it brings in more money.”
Han Nü shook her head. “Do you not remember the ghost? Have you forgotten?”
A-Chu’s face darkened with anger. “It was their fault! Old Man Zhang stole my money—he deserved to die! The kids who bullied me deserved it too! The villagers who threw us out, they all deserved to die! Why did you run away back then? You should have let the ghost eat every last one of them! They were all evil!”
Han Nü stared at her, surprised by how extreme her views had become. She had always known A-Chu was headstrong, but not to this extent.
“That ghost was something unholy,” Han Nü said calmly. “Keeping it with us would have eventually brought disaster. We were lucky it didn’t attract a real immortal. If the powerful immortals had discovered what happened, we wouldn’t even have a place to bury our bones. You don’t know this, but that ghost embroidery was commissioned by a wealthy family in the capital. Later, many people in that household died, and it caught the attention of an immortal who subdued the ghost. The investigation eventually traced the embroidery back to the shop where I had made it. If I were to keep embroidering, we’d be in real danger if someone put the pieces together.”
A-Chu pouted, clearly unhappy, but after a while, she smiled slyly and said, “Sister, don’t think I don’t know. I’ve seen you secretly embroidering these past years! You still love it—you just don’t want to sell your work.”
Han Nü was a little embarrassed. It was true that she had secretly embroidered flowers and plants over the years. It wasn’t for survival; it was simply that she loved embroidery. Whenever she saw a flower or a blade of grass, she couldn’t help but think about how to recreate it in thread, how to make it bloom forever on silk.
“If you love embroidery so much, why not sell it? You’d enjoy it and make money too. Then you wouldn’t have to work so hard growing vegetables and selling them. Wouldn’t that be better?”
A-Chu didn’t understand the complexity of her sister’s feelings. She began to pout and act spoiled, as she always did when trying to convince Han Nü. Han Nü had always indulged her. No matter what A-Chu did wrong, as long as she acted spoiled, Han Nü couldn’t bring herself to scold her. But this time, even after A-Chu whined until her throat was dry, Han Nü still didn’t give in.
In the end, Han Nü left her with one final statement: “I will not embroider for money again. Stop asking.”
A-Chu, frustrated to the point of tears, sobbed, “I’m sixteen now! I still have to wear patched clothes, and I can’t even afford a proper hairpin! Do you know how embarrassed I feel every time I see Brother Anping?!”
“Brother Anping?” Han Nü immediately latched onto the unfamiliar name. Who was he? A man A-Chu had met in town?
A-Chu realized she had let something slip and blushed deeply, lowering her head and staying silent.
It suddenly dawned on Han Nü that A-Chu was no longer a little girl. At sixteen, she was old enough to marry. It was only natural that she’d have feelings for someone. She realized with a start just how grown A-Chu had become—delicate and beautiful, with fair skin and a fragile appearance that evoked sympathy. She would need to find A-Chu a good husband, someone who would love and care for her for the rest of her life.
Han Nü smiled gently and said softly, “Who is Brother Anping? What does he do? Next time, why don’t you introduce him to me?”
A-Chu’s face turned even redder, and after a long pause, she mumbled, “Brother Anping... I don’t really know what he does. Sometimes I see him near the gambling dens, looking very important.”
The gambling dens? “Looking important?” Han Nü felt uneasy. Could he be a layabout or a ruffian?
“I heard he throws out troublemakers when they lose at gambling and cause a scene. He’s tall and strong—not like those weak men who can’t even kill a chicken!” A-Chu’s eyes sparkled as she spoke of him, her courage growing. “He takes care of me! He comes to see me at the restaurant every day and even buys me things. Last time, when he saw the patches on my clothes, he sighed... I felt so embarrassed!”
Han Nü sighed, pulling her into a hug. “It’s my fault. Tomorrow, I’ll buy you some new clothes and hairpins.”
But A-Chu, still upset that Han Nü hadn’t agreed to make money by selling embroidery, stormed off in a huff.
That night, Han Nü couldn’t sleep. She wanted more than anything for A-Chu to be happy, but what could she, a weak woman with no other skills besides embroidery, do? She couldn’t sell her work, as being discovered as the witch who had created the ghost embroidery would bring about their death. It wasn’t just her life at stake—what would happen to A-Chu if something went wrong?
She opened her chest, uncovering layers of cloth buried beneath odds and ends. Unfolding them gently, countless embroidered flowers and plants spilled onto the floor. Over the years, her embroidery skills had become even more refined. Everything she created would eventually turn into living creatures, and she had learned how to bring them back into the embroidery, making them still again.
She could embroider flowers, birds, even ghosts that would wander about, but she could never embroider inanimate objects. During the most difficult times, she had even considered embroidering piles of gold and jewels. She had completed the embroidery and stared at it for days, but the gold never came to life and jumped off the cloth. After that, she gave up on the idea.
Even if she couldn’t make money from embroidery, at least she could still make beautiful clothes for A-Chu.
The next morning, A-Chu rose early and went down to the town. Han Nü, taking all the money she had left, disguised herself and followed her.
Around midday, a tall, handsome young man entered the small restaurant where A-Chu worked. She greeted him with a bright smile, and the two of them seemed to be deep in conversation.
This must be Brother Anping. Han Nü watched from the shadows, secretly observing the man. He was indeed good-looking, but his mannerisms and small, careless gestures revealed his arrogance and lack of stability. Moreover, his eyes wandered greedily over A-Chu’s face and body, clearly with no good intentions.
Han Nü grew even more uneasy. A-Chu’s face was flushed, her eyes full of affection for this man. Could she be convinced of anything her sister had to say? Perhaps Han Nü was overthinking. Was it fair to judge a man as no good based on a first impression?
Turning away, Han Nü used her remaining money to buy a few rolls of fabric, some beautiful hairpins, and some cosmetics, hoping to bring a little joy to A-Chu.
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