The next morning, Ye woke up with the sun. By then, Xi had already woken up and started her work. "Good morning, Xi..." Ye said in a cheerful voice.
But Xi's eyes were fixed on the fabric, and due to the 'clack-clack' sound of the sewing machine, she didn't hear Ye's affectionate greeting. She was trapped—not just in a mountain of work, but in a dream world built of those silver coins.
A faint ache felt in Ye's heart once again. However, without showing it outwardly, she put on a pale smile and walked slowly toward the kitchen. Xi's sole focus was to finish the dress quickly and obtain a large sum of money. Feeling that Xi was drifting away from her day by day, Ye slowly began to prepare a meal.
Xi did not realize that with every step she took chasing silver coins, her own sister was being pushed further and further away. Xi believed that with this newfound wealth, she could provide her sister with a comfortable life, delicious food, and beautiful clothes. She told herself she was working this hard to make her sister happy. But what Ye wanted was not gold or silver; she longed for those beautiful times when she laughed, talked freely, and spent time with the sister she loved more than her own life.
Ye prepared a bowl of steaming soup and tea, hoping to sit down and enjoy it with Xi.
"Xi... come, little sister, let's eat," Ye called out affectionately.
"Sister, you go ahead and eat... I'll eat later. I need to finish this work quickly," Xi said, not even looking up, as she pinned threads into the fabric.
Ye could not bear to eat alone while leaving Xi hungry. The hope in her heart shattered. She slowly put on a long cloak to cover her body. She headed toward the city to get a few household essentials and some items needed for Xi's sewing work. She took each step very slowly; she could feel a lifelessness in her own body.
After Ye left the house, Xi stopped working for a moment. Thinking that Ye must have eaten by now, Xi quickly grabbed some food and sat back down at her sewing table. Her goal was to somehow finish this dress before the deadline and get the money from Lan Shu into her hands. It wasn't out of greed, but because she believed she could give her sister a better life with that money.
Ye returned home from the city after her exhausting journey. She thought Xi would be waiting for her.
"Sister... shall we eat now?" Ye asked with hopeful eyes.
"Oh, Sister... I've already finished. I got hungry, so I ate quickly," Xi said casually and went back to attaching a thread to a piece of cloth.
Ye's heart stopped for a moment. she had been waiting to sit with Xi, talking and laughing about the things she saw in the city today. But none of that mattered to Xi.
Ye slowly set aside the bag of supplies she had brought and, without saying a word, walked back out of the house. She went straight to her familiar, secluded spot in the forest.
There, she spoke to herself in solitude. "Sister, you've changed... I've lost you..." Her words mingled with tears. Along with that, a pain more severe than before enveloped her. The agony tearing through her heart was unbearable. Several streams of warm blood flowed from between her lips, her vision darkened, and she collapsed unconscious onto the dry leaves. Xi knew nothing of this; she was still in her dream world made of silver coins.
After a considerable time, Ye regained consciousness and returned home with difficulty on trembling legs.
"Where did you go, Sister?" Xi looked up, but she did not see her sister's pale face or the bloodstains lingering on her lips.
"I... just went out for a bit," Ye said in a lifeless voice and collapsed onto the bed. Since Xi saw no change in her, she leaned back into her sewing work.
Lying on the bed, Ye remembered the past when the two of them were happy. Ye knew that Xi had become this harsh and distant only to give her a better future. "I am the reason for all of this..." she whispered silently to herself. As her cheeks grew wet with tears, Ye closed her eyes in pain, fearing how much longer this distance would last. Inside her chest, she felt a severe pain, as if someone were piercing her with a red-hot iron rod. Every breath she took was a massive struggle.
She wanted to say, "Sister, I'm very ill." But looking at Xi working so intently with the 'clack-clack' of the sewing machine just a short distance away, the words choked in Ye's throat.
'She is doing all of this for our future... how can I break her spirit?' Ye told herself.
A sudden, intense discomfort overcame her. Knowing that Xi would panic if she noticed, Ye immediately pressed her hands over her mouth. Her whole body began to shake, and she could feel warm blood staining her hands. Unable to bear the pain, she gripped the wooden post beside the bed tightly. Even as her fingernails dug deep into the wood, the mental pain caused by Xi's "change" hurt more than the agony in her chest. Xi was only a few feet away. Yet, Ye realized there was now a gap of thousands of miles between them.
Ye turned her head slowly and looked at Xi. In the lamplight, Xi's face showed not just exhaustion, but a thirst for "wealth."
'Little sister... you think money can make me happy... but I only want my old sister back...' Ye thought, weeping silently.
Amidst the distant hooting of an owl and the constant sound of the sewing machine inside the house, Ye remained alone with her own near-death agony. She closed her eyes with an uncertain prayer, hoping for the fortune to wake up the next morning.