Chapter 404: Sisters

Late at night, Li Huamei—Li Chun—stood before a door so familiar to her in her short life, hesitating. For some reason, she felt an agonizing pressure. For a moment, she felt lost, questioning the meaning of her existence.

This large, European-style house, hidden deep in an alley of Macau’s Portuguese quarter, was always empty, luxurious, and cold. An intruder, before meeting their demise, would think it was deserted.

Even before the Young Miss had embarked on her seafaring adventures, it seemed there were only the two of them in the house. The servants almost never appeared, only materializing like ghosts from the corners of the house when needed.

Li Chun never knew what the servants were doing; she couldn’t even call all of them by name. Although the servants called her “Miss Chun,” she knew that she, too, was a servant in this great house, just like her mother and her sister.

No one could ever know the Young Miss’s affairs. Not even her, the one her sister called “dearest little sister.”

Li Chun’s hand still hovered over the doorknob, hesitating.

The doorknob was fitted with a dial lock made by an Italian craftsman. Besides the Young Miss, only she had the combination.

For the sake of her beloved Miss, she too had boarded a fast clipper, endured countless physical and mental trials, and faced innumerable dangers, coming close to death many times, on the verge of being swallowed forever by the deep sea.

Li Chun took one last deep breath and held it, then turned the handle, quietly opening the door and stepping into the room. In the entire mansion, only she could enter the Young Miss’s room so directly.

As she closed the door, she exhaled. Her gaze shifted to the Young Miss, sleeping soundly in her bed. The French-style bed was lavishly covered with silk sheets and quilts. She stood there, gazing at the woman on the bed, whose feet were slightly curled, her thick, curly long hair spilling over the pillow. Li Siya’s chest rose and fell steadily, and her cheeks had a faint rosy blush. Li Huamei thought it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

Her eyes grew moist. Standing before her sister’s bed, the feeling that “this is my only family” grew ever stronger.

Ever since her own biological sister went missing, there were only the two of them left in the world—sisters with no blood relation, yet who had nursed from the same mother’s breast.

“Chun mei…”

As if sensing someone standing by her bed, Li Siya’s eyes fluttered open, her clear, calm pupils, like spring water, looking at her.

Li Siya gently took Li Chun’s hand, pulling her with just enough force to make her sit on the edge of the bed. Li Chun’s black pupils and Li Siya’s soft, brownish ones gazed at each other. Her mind was filled with so many thoughts that she didn’t know what to do, only looking at her dear sister before her.

“You’re back,” Li Siya asked.

Li Chun obediently lowered her head. “Yes, Miss.”

“Call me ‘sister’.”

“Yes, sister.”

“Was the journey smooth?”

“Smooth,” Li Chun said. “The wind was strong, and the Hangzhou is a good ship. We made a lot of money again this time, and I’ve also taken care of the matter you mentioned, sister.”

“I knew Little Chun was a reliable person.” Li Siya tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then reached out and gently brushed aside the silky black hair that had fallen onto Li Chun’s face. “Have you considered what I told you last time?”

“I will do whatever sister asks of me.” Li Chun hesitated for a moment. This task was much easier than many of the missions her sister had given her in the past, but she always felt it contained great danger. “It’s just that if I go, it means I’ll lose my freedom of movement, and it will become very difficult to contact you, sister.”

Just a month ago, Li Siya had spoken to her about infiltrating the Australians by joining their navy or the Southeast Asia Company, to gain their trust and seize the opportunity to steal their secrets.

“Sister has made arrangements for all of that.” Li Siya was in high spirits. Not long ago, by a sheer stroke of luck, she had uncovered a secret.

“Chun mei, I have good news for you.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve found out where our big sister is.”

“What? Sister? She?!” Li Chun’s eyes widened, and she grabbed Li Siya’s shoulders.

“Ouch, that hurts!” Li Siya pouted theatrically.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” Li Chun quickly let go and lowered her head. “Sister, I was too rash…” She looked up at her, a fiery passion in her eyes.

The “sister” Li Siya spoke of was her wet nurse’s daughter—Li Chun’s biological sister.

It had been over a decade since her big sister had suddenly disappeared. All these years, Li Chun had not spent a single day without thinking of her.

Although when her sister went missing, Li Siya’s parents had used all their resources to track her down, the answer was always “whereabouts unknown.” Li Chun’s parents had fallen ill and passed away one after another because of this.

That Sister Siya was unwilling to return to Portugal with her father, instead staying in Macau to take over his dangerous maritime enterprise, was undoubtedly partly due to her desire to find her big sister. Every time Li Chun thought of this, she was filled with guilt.

“Where is she now? Is she doing well?”

Li Siya said, “She’s in Lingao—in the hands of the Australians.”

“What?!” Li Chun’s eyes widened again. “I’ve been to Lingao many times.”

“Lingao is large, and there are so many people. Besides, you’re an outsider,” Li Siya said. “How much freedom of movement could they give you?”

“Sister—”

“One of my men saw her in Xuwen a month ago. She was with a doctor from the Australians who came for a medical tour. It seems she has become a doctor too…” Li Siya said. “He pretended to be a patient to get a closer look—it was her.”

“Really?!” Li Chun was ecstatic beyond words.

“That’s right. He even made some quiet inquiries.” Li Siya smiled. “Big sister’s name is Li Mo now. She looks well, and… we’ve both become aunts.”

Li Chun was too excited to speak. It felt like a dream.

“I never thought our sisters would see each other again,” Li Chun said with a sob.

“She belongs to the Australians now. I’m afraid she can’t come back to Macau. Otherwise, I would have really wanted to invite her home for a reunion…”

Li Siya easily persuaded Li Chun to go ahead with the plan to infiltrate the Australians. In truth, she knew much more than she let on to her foster sister. The most important piece of information was that Li Mo was currently in Guangzhou—just a stone’s throw from Macau.

With her devoted foster sister, controlling her once-rebellious older sister would not be a problem. Li Siya’s father had told her before returning to Portugal that Li Chun’s sister had not been kidnapped but had eloped with a “manager” from a pirate gang.

The matter was quite disgraceful, and making it public would not help their partnership—most importantly, Li Chun’s sister had no desire to return. So Li Siya’s father had kept this secret, only telling Li Chun’s parents. The consequences were predictable.

“As long as you listen to sister, our family will be reunited,” Li Siya said, stroking her foster sister’s smooth black hair. “And we have a lovely niece…”

“Mmm, mmm,” Li Chun held back her tears, intoxicated by the illusory happiness of a “reunion.” “I will listen to sister.”

The birds chirped sweetly. Dawn had arrived, and sunlight streamed through the skylight, bathing everything in its glow as it slept. Li Siya’s trembling eyelids finally opened, and her surroundings came into view.

Li Chun had already left—to infiltrate Lingao as she had instructed. All that remained were a few long strands of hair on the pillow and a faint fragrance in the sheets. She was gone—a faint sadness stirred in her heart, as if she had lost something important.

Li Siya was dressed by her Andamanese maids and came to the breakfast table. Just as she was about to start her meal, someone brought her a letter.

The envelope was sealed with wax. There were no words on it, only a few symbols. Li Siya’s expression changed drastically upon seeing it. She quickly tore open the envelope.

The letter was written in Portuguese, just a few short sentences, but its contents struck her like a bolt of lightning.

The assassination mission against the Dutchman was complete, but one of the two assassins sent had been captured alive. Worst of all, the Andamanese maid she had sent to silence the other had died.

This news was a great shock. She had never expected her maid to be exposed. This maid was meticulous and capable, spoke fluent Cantonese, and knew all the slang and customs of the boat people, often posing as a Tanka. She was her most capable maid—to think she had been lost to the Australians!

This loss made it almost impossible for her to eat. Losing such an important person was a major blow to her.

Since Li Shun had been captured, it was only a matter of time before he exposed Lin Shimao.

But that didn’t matter. Her plan was thorough. Posing as Australian soldiers to kill a Dutchman—and the son of a high-ranking East India Company merchant at that—was more than enough in terms of impact. Whether the Dutch would fall out with the Australians over this was not her concern.

As for the trail of dirt leading to the Zheng family because of the Lin Shimao lead from Jinjiang, that didn’t matter either—as long as it didn’t lead to her.

No matter who you work for, you must never bring the fire upon yourself. This was the most valuable lesson Li Siya had learned from her years on the high seas.

In an instant, a dozen thoughts swirled in her mind. The maids stood by silently, not saying a word. It was only when she put the letter away and picked up her spoon to eat her fish congee that the maids began to move again.

“Tuluo,” she said after a few bites of congee, calling over a maid, “go to the docks at once. Tell them to prepare a small boat.”