For ten days, I had been consumed by worry about the three sisters who were poisoned. However, during the nights, I couldn’t help but think about Zijing. Where was he now? Was his injury healing? Was he still being pursued by his enemies, and did he even remember what had caused this feud in the first place?
If the day came when I had to leave, how would I even find him again?
The answers to these questions eluded me. While standing in the courtyard, I unexpectedly found myself face-to-face with an elderly woman. Her appearance startled me.
She was one of the three sisters’ mothers, a woman whose grief was palpable. She had once been so full of life, always reminding me of my own mother before the tragedies struck. But today, her face was hollow and sunken, her eyes brimming with sorrow as she held onto the faint hope that I could save her daughters.
I tried to comfort her, saying, “They’re strong; they’ll recover soon. There’s no need to worry.”
But even as I said it, I realized how weak and meaningless my words were. She shook her head, her voice trembling as she replied, “A useless life… It would have been better if today had marked the end.”
I froze, not knowing how to respond. “What do you mean?”
Her gaze lingered on me for a long moment before she whispered, “If I could trade my life for theirs, I would do it in a heartbeat. But even that wouldn’t be enough for the heavens to show mercy. I don’t know if they can make it, and even if they do, they may never return home whole.”
Her words hit me like a thunderclap. My lips parted, but no sound came out. She had spoken so plainly, but her every word carried an unbearable weight. It was as if her sorrow pierced through my heart, leaving behind a hollow ache that wouldn’t go away.
I watched helplessly as she knelt on the ground, her frail hands trembling as she pulled out a pouch of herbs. She poured them into the small cauldron by her side, her expression unwavering as she began boiling them down into medicine.
“I’ll stay with them for as long as I can,” she said softly. “When the time comes, I’ll carry their spirits home myself.”
She didn’t cry. Instead, her calm demeanor spoke louder than any outburst ever could.
Later that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about her words. If the sisters didn’t recover, the tribe would undoubtedly hold Zijing accountable. Moreover, their burdens would become mine to bear, whether I liked it or not. I couldn’t shake the heavy sense of foreboding that had taken root in my heart.
I longed to return to the tribe, to see my family again, but the fear of what I might find there held me back. There were too many things I didn’t know, and the uncertainty was overwhelming.
“Ah, I’m afraid there’s one more thing you don’t know.”
The elderly woman’s voice startled me. When I was a child, she had once saved my life. Back then, her children were still alive, and her family was thriving. But I didn’t know how to repay her kindness now. So, like always, I simply nodded and helped her with small tasks, though my actions couldn’t amount to much.
She sighed lightly, her frail body trembling as she said, “Your older sister has always been strong. She’ll soon reunite with the rest of you.” With that, she turned and left, her figure disappearing into the shadows.
I felt a strange pang in my chest. I couldn’t move, as if my body had been weighed down by her words. I couldn’t even bring myself to ask what she had meant by “your sister,” let alone about myself or Zijing. All I could think about was how those words stirred something inside me—sadness, regret, and even hope.
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