At the entrance of Li's Record and Cloth Store
Cai Wei, holding an earthen jar and carrying a bamboo basket, nervously dismounted the cow cart. The bone soup she had simmered early in the morning was very nutritious. She hoped the old beggar was still alive. If he were, and could have some of her soup, it might be some small compensation for her guilt and give her a little peace of mind.
At the entrance, she found the doors of the cloth store tightly shut and there was no one in sight. Cai Wei approached nervously and knocked on the door with her fist.
Upon hearing the knock, the embroideress from the neighboring embroidery shop came out and told her that the old beggar whom Manager Li had taken in died in the middle of the previous night. The manager had asked people to take the old beggar to the outskirts of the mountain for burial early in the morning, so the shop might not open for business today. If she wanted to buy fabric, she would have to come back the next morning.
