Chapter 29
Ailin
As Captain Bai tucked Meilin’s favorite chāi pin under his armor, Ailin realized that her sister might be falling in love again.
In the past, Ailin would have reminded her not to act impulsively without parental approval, but since Captain Bai saved their lives, Meilin giving him a hairpin to express her gratitude was, perhaps, not entirely inappropriate.
There were definitely worse men Meilin could fall in love with.
Before he left, Captain Bai introduced them to a gangly youth who looked barely older than Ming-ming. “This is Sun. I’ve ordered him to protect you ladies on your way back to Suzhou. Do not let him slack in his duties.”
Young Sun looked at Captain Bai the way Ailin had looked at Father long ago, something like unsurety mixed with eagerness to prove himself. Sun saluted Captain Bai before turning to Ailin and offering to carry her shoulder pack. Ailin gratefully accepted his help.
As Captain Bai rode away with his soldiers, she stood with Meilin and Sun on the side of the road, none of them taking their eyes off the marching troops until they disappeared into the distance.
Sun turned out to be sociable as well as hardworking.
Though he seemed disappointed about missing a battle while the men he viewed as older brothers were fighting, he treated Captain Bai’s command to take care of Meilin and Ailin seriously.
He carried all their belongings, shared his food and water supplies, and led them back to the city on what he assured them was the safest route.
With Sun’s help, they entered Xu Gate before sunset. As they walked through the city wall and into the western side of the city, Ailin heard people in the crowd whisper about how chaos had broken out at Chang Gate and how lucky they were to get in through Xu Gate.
The poorer southwestern part of the city was wholly un-familiar to Ailin, and she was grateful for Sun’s sense of direction, especially because the lanterns that were supposed to light the exterior of houses after curfew were not consistently lit.
The streets widened as they reached the Jiangs’ neighborhood, but Ailin kept her eyes on her feet, not wanting to trip now that they were so close to home.
Having walked more than she ever had in twenty years, she felt numb.
She could only imagine how much harder walking was for Meilin, who was still injured and doubtlessly in pain.
Finally, at the front gate of Batong Mansion, Ailin asked Sun to knock. She had no energy left at all.
The doors creaked open. A trapezoid of light spilled out from the courtyard followed by familiar figures.
Mother ran out, crying. “Buddha bless us; my girls are home!”
Ailin was swept up in an embrace. Her mother smelled like rice and sweat and love. It was almost too wonderful to believe. They were home. Ailin’s vision blurred as tears filled her eyes.
Ming-ming and Begonia came out on Mother’s heels, followed by Grand-mother Jiang and a contingent of servants.
Grand-mother Jiang, who had been carried home by their family’s private guards, apologized for not staying with Ailin and Meilin. “I should have protected you both.”
Ailin, who never expected Grand-mother Jiang to protect them, thought it was very kind of her to care. “We are safe now, and that’s all that matters. Thank you for welcoming us home.” She quickly turned to Meilin. “My sister needs to see a doctor as soon as possible. She was shot by an arrow.”
Grand-mother Jiang ordered a servant to fetch the doctor right away. Luckily, there already was a doctor in residence working to extract the Wōkòu arrow from Uncle Meng’s shoulder.
The rest of the night passed in a blur. People bustled around to help. Once Sun was introduced to the household and Meilin received medical care, Ailin realized she had done all she could. Knowing that, she retired to her room and slept until noon the next day.
When Ailin awoke, she found her family’s courtyard unusually quiet. There was no sign of Mother, Ming-ming, or Begonia. She didn’t know if they were all busy elsewhere or just trying to give her and Meilin time and space to recover.
After so much violence and tumult the day before, peace felt strange. Violet-blue hydrangeas bloomed outside Ailin’s window, and a breeze brought her the clean scent of lotuses from a nearby koi pond.
Dressing simply in a wraparound ǎo over a plain skirt, she headed to her sister’s room down the hall.
Begonia was bringing Meilin some soup when Ailin arrived outside her door.
“You’re up, Miss Duan?” Sweat made Begonia’s hair stick to her temples, and she looked relieved to see Ailin. “If you’re feeling well enough, would you mind giving this to Miss Meilin? Madame Duan and Madame Meng need my help in the kitchen.”
“Is everything all right?” Ailin didn’t know about Aunt Meng, but it was rare for Mother to personally work in a kitchen.
“They’re making porridge to feed the poor. Since everyone came home safely yesterday, they thought it would be appropriate to do some good deeds to thank the heavens.”
Ailin was glad to hear about her mother using her time purposefully. Aunt Meng was a good influence on her. “Thank you for telling me, Begonia. I’m happy to take the soup to Meilin.”
Once in Meilin’s room, Ailin set the tray on a bedside table. Meilin had just awoken and was still lying down, so Ailin helped her sit up.
“How are you feeling?”
Meilin rubbed her eyes. “My arm hurts more today than it did yesterday. Who knew stitches would feel worse than an arrow?”
“You were really brave yesterday. Maybe you were too heroic to feel the pain then.”
Meilin cringed. “More like too delirious. Did you know I thought Captain Bai was a mirage when I first saw him?”
Ailin smiled. “I’m glad he wasn’t. I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
“I was wrong to always turn down his help before.”
Meilin tried to feed herself soup, but she struggled to stabilize the bowl, so Ailin took over and fed her instead. Between bites, Meilin frowned, and her face noticeably darkened as her earlier spirit faded away.
“Are you all right?” Ailin asked.
Meilin shook her head. “I miss my zither. And my arm hurts so much I’m afraid I’ll never be able to play again.”
Feeling terrible, Ailin set the soup bowl down on the tray. If it wasn’t for her, Meilin wouldn’t have broken her zither or injured her arm.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said to keep the wound clean and give myself time to heal, but I don’t know how to wait.
Ailin, it’s so hard. Since yesterday, everything feels different.
What if we hadn’t escaped the boat in time?
We were so close to dying. And I think about Captain Bai, and how he’s actively looking for Wōkòu so he can fight them.
I’m scared for him, and I can’t stop thinking about it. ”
Ailin frowned. Yesterday, she had been so worried about herself and Meilin that she hadn’t thought twice about Captain Bai. Listening to Meilin, however, she realized how much Captain Bai’s well-being meant to her sister.
“We owe him a great debt. It makes sense for you to care about him.”
Meilin smoothed out a wrinkle on her blanket. “I think I feel more than gratitude toward him. Do you think I’m being foolish again?”
Ailin was taken aback by Meilin’s question. Was her hotheaded little sister really asking her opinion about how to manage her feelings after months of criticizing her for stuffiness? She cleared her throat. “I don’t think I’m the best person to ask.”
“Yes, you are, Ailin. You’re the most considerate, cautious person I know.”
Ailin almost laughed. “And yesterday, I nearly got both of us killed because I was so slow. You saved my life.”
Meilin shook her head dismissively. “I wasn’t even thinking yesterday. Whatever I did was just instinct.”
Ailin wrinkled her brows. She couldn’t believe that Meilin thought so little of her own strengths. If Meilin hadn’t insisted on staying with her, Ailin would have frozen on that hill, waiting to die. She would have given up after everyone else escaped. Meilin’s instincts had saved them both.
“To me, you’re braver than the exemplary women in the history books,” she said with all the sincerity in her heart.
Meilin frowned. “You know how much I’ve always looked up to you, Ailin. I don’t want fake words of comfort.”
Maybe yesterday’s events had profoundly changed them both.
In all their years as sisters, they had never been so close to death.
All through their childhood, Ailin had tried her best to protect and care for Meilin.
But now, Meilin was grown and worthy of being looked up to herself.
Her courage had saved them from pirates.
Who knew what else Meilin was right about and what else she would accomplish in the future?
Ailin had to convince her sister to believe in herself.
Reaching out, she patted Meilin’s hand. “I mean it. You are my hero.”