Underneath the faint moonlight that shone far within the long columnar hall room, two boys laid down on their respective bed sheets as they dozed off quietly, unfocused eyes gazing up at the black darkness of the roof above.
ReZhui’s makeshift bed was positioned on the side of Eddison’s; both were parallel to the cracked window frame. Further beyond their rested feet was the backwards-facing chair that ReZhui sat on earlier in the evening. A small vase filled with dirt and ash was placed upon it, stuck in deep with several incense sticks meant to ward off surrounding insects. Surprisingly, it was working relatively well as Mr Xu had described it to be.
However, despite their severe exhaustion from their eventful day, both the boys’ minds were busy and awake, deep in thought. ReZhui tossed and turned, restless in finding the right sleeping position. But that was to no avail. The heat of the night got to him and his mattress felt uncomfortable.
Sweating profusely onto his white tunic, ReZhui sighed in defeat as he fling his limbs out along with his blanket. Opening his eyes, they made their way slowly to the left, facing towards Eddison.
‘Unbelievable…Eddison, what were the chances of that happening?’ ReZhui questioned himself.
At first glance, Eddison could be seen sleeping soundly into the night, but upon closer inspection, he was fiddling anxiously with his fingers and his feet swayed hypnotically, from side to side under the covers.
A moment later, Eddison felt ReZhui’s steadily profound look upon him which Eddison would not want to ignore. Normally, in an opportunity such as this, where he had the chance to sleep over a soft and clean surface; Eddison would immediately fall into deep slumber but this was not that perfect time. Although he knew that he had to make use of the situation to be as beneficial as possible, the thoughts bugging his mind filled him with a sense of exciting hope and yet, foreboding hesitation. There was no way he could rest in this state of mind. Moreover, Eddison was confident that whatever ReZhui was contemplating right now, he had the same ideas too.
‘It appears that Re-Zhui is feeling the same way. But, I can’t allow that. It’s my problem, not his anymore.’
Building up the courage, Eddison reached out his hand towards ReZhui, extending out his index. His bloodshot blue eyes met ReZhui’s very own. A jet black color. They had come to the consensus that until the both of them were fluent in the other’s respective mother tongue, Eddison had to perform this gesture to notify ReZhui that he wanted to convey something which was through writing across ReZhui’s palm.
Surprised at Eddison’s actions, ReZhui returned the indication.
Having washed their bodies lightly with well water before bedtime, traces of the smell of dried blood remained on their hands, but it did not matter to them as the situation at hand was way more dire.
“ReZhui, tomorrow, you do not have to go. It’s my family’s problem and I will resolve it myself. Additionally, it’s dangerous near the outskirts. I don’t want you to get hurt any longer,” Eddison wrote, glancing at the wrappings and bandages all over ReZhui’s body.
Realizing this, ReZhui reassured him.
“That’s not the point, Eddison. This is your mother we’re dealing with. The more manpower, the better. I proved that I am quite the capable fighter already, aren’t I? And Mr Xu didn’t object to my request so I am still going, no matter how much you plead.”
Whimpering in fear, Eddison wrote back.
“Ok.”
“Besides, I want to know what’s going on between your mother and Mr Xu. He looked very startled when you mentioned her name.”
“...”
‘Everything will go as planned as what you strive towards, isn’t that right, Re-Zhui? Well, I…No, I do not regret coming this far. I will certainly see to the end of it.’
Eddison did not add on anything from that statement and shifted his body back; he quietly returned to bed, turning over to face the opposite end as he tried to sleep his fears away.
Left hanging, ReZhui did the same.
---
It was shortly after ReZhui’s declaration of friendship that the both of them went out to the operating hall to meet up with Mr Xu, who was finished for the day. The remaining crowd was escorted in order out of the wide double doors that led out into the main alleyway.
Making their way past the cloth paper draped over a structural pole, they entered Mr Xu’s main operating section which was efficiently converted into a small bedroom for the middle-aged practitioner.
Seeing as he was still busy with some filing of records, ReZhui called out for him.
“Mr Xu, Eddison wanted to meet with you for something!”
Unfazed with ReZhui’s shining delight, the doctor placed his brush down onto the stand and approached the two young boys.
Glazing past at ReZhui, Mr Xu made direct contact with Eddison. And immediately after, he furrowed his brows in frustration.
Pierced skin.
Bloodied fingers.
Peeling of bandages from wounds.
The doctor scanned Eddison’s body from top to bottom with such an expression.
“On the table, now,” Mr Xu demanded curtly.
Shuddering in sudden fear, Eddison quickly proceeded with his instructions.
On the other hand…
“ReZhui, water from the well.”
Knowing that Mr Xu would be furious at the worsened condition of Eddison, he tried his best to lighten the mood but it was all for nought under the stern him. Although it was already night, ReZhui regrettably headed out into the cold for a bucket of water.
Returning from that uncomfortable task, Mr Xu continued with cleaning the injuries and sewing the cuts, alongside tightening the individual bandages. In the end, an hour had passed since the boy duo entered the scene.
“So, what could I help you with, Eddison? I see to it that you are revitalized and mentally stable. Truly a commendable effort on ReZhui’s part. You did well,” the doctor acknowledged as he took a sip on a newly brewed cup of black honey tea.
The two boys, who sat on the other side of the coffee table, looked onwards with a freshly found sensation of warmth. A slight blush of red emerged on ReZhui’s cheek while Eddison clenched his fist in determination. He puffed his cheeks wide and gestured his hand forward.
Taking a moment to make sense of Eddison’s actions, Mr Xu immediately stuck his palm forward soon after.
‘Wow, he caught that message so quickly,’ ReZhui thought to himself.
“So you can read as well. That’s quite the effort on your parents’ part, Eddison. Normally, the heirs I met can barely talk the language, moreso write the characters. You, on the other hand, can write like it’s your mother tongue…”
He paused as Eddison just finished writing out what he wanted to say.
“What’s wrong, Mr Xu?” ReZhui asked as he moved closer to the two of them.
“Is…Is that so? Is this the reason you came here in the first place?”
Eddison softly nodded.
“So you wanted to gather medicine for your sick mother who, in your opinion, is severely ill? How worse are we talking about?”
A sharp shiver ran down his spine as Eddison vividly recalled his mother’s horrid appearance. His finger shook rapidly across Mr Xu’s palm, making his writing barely understandable.
“...” ReZhui watched with a troubled look.
‘DAMN! Damn it, I was prepared for this but…It’s so nightmarish! Shit!’
Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed him on the shoulder.
‘Huh?’
Eddison turned his head to see ReZhui with a light smile on his face.
“I hate those distressed eyes, Eddison. Mr Xu and I are here so don’t worry about it. Understand me?”
Widening his eyes wide, Eddison blinked several times before he slowly raised his other hand onto ReZhui’s, affirming their grip.
“Thank you,” Eddison whispered.
Steadying his writing hand, his right index finger started to write out his reply.
“My mother is bedridden and extremely malnourished, one could even mistaken her for a skeleton. Open blood wounds were riddled throughout her entire body, accompanied by bubbly, crimson rashes. Some were as large as a dung beetle’s poop ball and others were spitting out slimy, yellow pus. I have no idea what is going on with her but she can hardly utter a single word since we arrived here in the slums so please, treat her as soon as possible. Even tonight is the best I would hope for.”
“How…how terrible,” ReZhui softly muttered, even with what he saw with the dead boy, imagining what Eddison described was very sickening as well.
‘But,’ ReZhui turned to look at Mr Xu, ‘What would you do, Mr Xu?’
The doctor kept his silence for a short while before drinking a mouthful of the now lukewarm tea. As he confirmed his thoughts, Mr Xu continued with the conversation, giving his educated guess.
“Eddison”
“Yes…”
“What you are describing may come under the symptoms of a large variety of illnesses, so the only way I could give you the proper answer is by examining her up close.”
Gritting his teeth, Eddison frantically wrote back.
“So Sir, when could we depart? If it’s possible, right now would be greatly appreciated!”
“I heard you the first time, Eddison.”
In response, Eddison stopped himself and slowly retracted his hands back.
“Sorry…” He muttered.
“...Anyhow, the answer to that’s a no. I’m sure you know your fair share of the potential dangers of wandering out at night in the slums.”
“...”
“Thus, the next best solution would be tomorrow, unfortunately.”
“Oh..Yes, tha-”
“Mr Xu?” ReZhui intertwined, interrupting Eddison’s formal gratitude; somehow, after getting to fully understand the doctor for quite some time now, ReZhui felt as if there was something off with his answer, “What do you mean by ‘unfortunately’ ?”
Finishing the cold cup of black tea, Mr Xu let out a slight chuckle.
“I’m amazed that you can piece together my full message, ReZhui. And yes, that would mean I could not visit your mother tomorrow either.”
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‘what…’
Feeling as though a heavy slab of iron was placed over him, Eddison was pressured with a sudden spike in bewilderment, followed by a raging fire of anger inside his chest.
‘Why is it always like this?
Why is it only on us that we were left out?
Can’t you tell Mom’s in critical condition?
Are you just making up excuses, old bastard!?’
The voices of ReZhui and Mr Xu started to muffle as Eddison’s mind was left clouded with such questions. However…
“Why”
“Mr Xu”
“other patients”
“time”
Those keywords easily passed through Eddison’s accumulated rage and suddenly fueled his fury even further; till the point where he could not seal it any longer.
“FUCK OFF, ASSHOLE! I DON”T CARE ABOUT YOUR OTHER ‘BELOVED’ PATIENTS! WHY WOULD I WHEN THOSE CROOKS OSTRACIZED ME?! ARE YOU DOING THE SAME AS THEM TO ME, DOC? THIS IS FUCKIN’ UNFAIR!”
“Eddison! Calm down this very instant!” Mr Xu demanded, slamming the table hard.
Retaliating back at the doctor, Eddison rudely pointed back at him with his index.
“YOU FOOL-URGH!”
A hard punch landed straight onto his cheek, knocking him down towards the armrest of the sofa Eddison sat on.
As he grunted in pain, Eddison stared upwards back at ReZhui, whom the fist belonged to.
“Listen Eddison! I have no clue what you were saying just now but what I do know is that your mother really matters to you the most and I am glad that your desire is back. However, even with your burst of emotions, we got to hear Mr Xu out here! Even if what you said may be right, in the end, the only one who could rescue your mother is Mr Xu. You are dependent on him so don’t argue with your savior.”
With a bloodied lip, Eddison groaned back in frustration at ReZhui’s advice.
He knew ReZhui was correct and sensible. But…
‘It’s unfair. It’s unfair. Very…not…fair…’
Tears fell at the misery of the situation.
His helplessness.
His urgentness.
His sadness.
Eddison sobbed heavily in between barely put together words.
“Sorry…sorry…mom…she needs help!”
Although Eddison had been neglected by her for years on end, he could see the reason behind it. Her illness got the better of her with her once cheerful personality turning for a drastic change for the worse.
‘I came here wanting to seek aid for Mom. I want to change her back. I want to go back to the old times. I once was nearly robbed of that goal and decided otherwise. Thus, I forcibly convinced myself that Mom’s change was perhaps permanent and began to resent her for it whilst blaming the rest all upon me. In the end, it was just an excuse to end it all. All my struggles. All my attachments. All will be gotten rid of if I end myself back then. But…ReZhui saved me. He was the first to open up. He roughly tugged me away from my breaking point. He wanted me to love myself. To let my desires run wild…
And, what is my wish now?
Yes, it’s to save Mom. Even with the odds stacked against me, I will strive onwards. Anger was not the way to go, considering that my mind’s cleared up. I am the son of a merchant and the best Go player in the province. I know better than this. I AM better than this!’
Getting up from his position, Eddison strided over to Mr Xu’s desk and grabbed the laid down brush and a torn piece of paper; he started to write soon after.
“Sir Xu, I sincerely apologize for my rude conduct earlier and I will improve to ensure this would never happen again. In regards to the case involving my mother, what are the conditions that would satisfy you to spend some time tomorrow doing her personal examination?”
Handing it over to Mr Xu, ReZhui looked over the doctor’s shoulder with interest while Eddison immediately went into a kowtow position.
“Mr Xu, I think we should hear him out. His mother already seems to be in a pretty dire condition. Please give him a chance,” ReZhui considered, trying his best to convince Mr Xu onto Eddison’s side.
A short moment passed as Mr Xu pondered on in silence but in Eddison’s mind, it felt like an eternity. His heart kept beating at an increasing rate, further raising his anxiety.
.
.
.
.
A deep breath.
Eddison jerked his head upwards in anticipation, maintaining eye contact with Mr Xu whose eyes were covered by the torn parchment of paper from his downward position.
Finally, the verdict was made.
“Alright, Eddison. I will see to your mother tomorrow morning. We will set out at dawn.”
With that, Eddison felt as if his worries were washed away like a rapid flash flood. He was filled with stellar delight and gratitude towards the both of them.
Lowering his head down deep again onto the floor, he gave his dearest thanks, “Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you very, very much.”
“Mr Xu, could I come along as well?” ReZhui interjected.
“...I see no issue with that. Do as you please, that applies to you as well, Eddison. Get up from that shameful position. I accept your apology.”
“...Yes, very, very, thank you.”
“One more thing, Eddison,” Mr Xu interrupted as Eddison continually repeated his sayings of appreciation.
“What’s the name of your mother? I want to check for a possible record in the files.” Mr Xu chipped in; a slight fume could be seen over his head at Eddison’s repeated speech.
“Oh…yes, her name, TianXing He.”
Bang!
The table suddenly jerked forward, spilling the remaining cups of tea all over the table and the floor beneath.
ReZhui immediately stepped out of the way, only to slowly realize that it was Mr Xu who kicked it further out.
‘What’s…going with Mr…’ ReZhui questioned in bewilderment. This was a demeanor that was very jarring to the calm and collected individual that Mr Xu was.
That was when ReZhui saw the overwhelming shock that spreaded across the doctor’s entire being. Mr Xu’s eyes and mouth were wide open, and his body was frozen in place; it was the first ReZhui had ever seen him this flustered and Eddison witnessed it in denial as well. He wondered how his mother’s name brought out such a reaction from the professional, that Eddison knew he had to ask. However, that chance was not gonna be tonight.
“Go,” Mr Xu abruptly demanded the both of them.
“But…Mr Xu, what’s going o-” ReZhui tried to pursue onwards.
“GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM NOW!” he screamed back in vexation.
Hurriedly, ReZhui grabbed Eddison, who was left lifeless with this unexpected turn of events, on the shoulder and they headed out back to their room, leaving a distressed Mr Xu kneeling down on the cold floor.
‘What the hell is going on?’ ReZhui thought to himself. Eddison was the same.
---
After quite the restless night had passed, the two boys hastily got dressed in their work tunics and had a quick breakfast of several meat buns, handed to them by XinLi.
“Meet us at the double doors when you’re done. Remember, Mr Xu is in quite the foul mood currently so try and make it on time,” XinLi warned. She herself was all set in her servant dress and an outer coat to handle the morning cold.
Munching away aggressively on their food, ReZhui asked her back with curiosity, “Besides you, who else is coming along?”
“Seven out of the ten hired guards, 2 other assistants and myself,” she replied simply, “But why are you asking this now? Eat first and see for yourself later on.”
“Understood,” ReZhui meekly answered.
Shortly after, XinLi diligently left the room to continue her duties. Without her continuous banter, the sounds of Eddison’s chewing became much louder and it had a surprisingly relaxing feel to the pattern. As ReZhui slowly turned his eyes to closely observe him, ReZhui felt like Eddison had a paler complexion than the night before and his dark eyebags were more defined across his doll-like face.
‘How pitiful…’ ReZhui silently remarked as he angrily tore out another bite of the meat bun.
---
Outside the temple, ReZhui and Eddison saw a single carriage, escorted by several guards on horseback. They were armed with spears and swords, donned thick cloth armor and draped long green cloaks over their shoulders.
As instructed, the duo made their way into the carriage compartment where they found Mr Xu resting lethargically near the windowpane. It appeared as though he hadn't slept the entire night, which ReZhui suspected was the case.
Shuffling over to the seats across the doctor’s, the two boys quietly greeted the gloomy man before minding their own business; even ReZhui did not feel the guts to lighten up the mood nor question Mr Xu’s abnormal behavior. The two of them obviously had such a rough time last night and he was, essentially, an outsider to all of this.
‘There’s a limit to what I can do before it blatantly comes across as nosy. I got to hold myself in.’
And, this uneasy and gloomy atmosphere remained for the entire length of the journey. However on several occasions, Eddison would be called out front by the driver to help with navigating the street and alley routes to the outskirts where his mother resided. But as soon as he got back, Eddison tucked back into the corner of the seat without saying a single word.
Bored at the tranquility of the scene, ReZhui shifted his gaze out of the window. This was the second time he had ridden this carriage around the slum district and compared to the plight of the poor back then, today’s observations were the same, if not worse. Nothing changed except for himself.
Within his heart, ReZhui did not feel the rage nor the passion he had back when he first entered this place.
Seeing the cramped gatherings of the homelessness who were mostly still in deep slumber, they shoved and begged. All for the space near the cracking bonfires like moths to a flame, where the heat of its uncontrollable flames scorched those that came too near. And the weak remained stranded, out in the open cold mist of dawn and were left to freeze in suffering. Both orphans and children with unclothed mothers. The elderly paupers gave up on any form of comfort and laid down lifelessly by the corners between poorly made abandoned dwellings where the gangsters and beggar cliques stayed in to do their shady practices out in the open with no one to stop them or object.
As they reached farther and further away from the center of the slum district, the presence of these gangs and dangerous men with a variety of weapons were more and more frequent with every turn of the road. Wild animals roamed without any restriction in the world and some fed upon the dead corpses of killed armed men or skeletal remains of the helpless poor. Moreover, the road smelled of piles of dried up feces and deep potholes could be seen all over the place. Inevitably, the carriage shocked roughly as they rode past a few of them, accompanied by cautious glares of the gangmen who never expected a convoy this far away deep into the outskirts.
‘I hate this place.’ ReZhui remarked.
Looking back at Eddison, ReZhui sighed deeply as he later laid his head up, facing the ceiling.
‘There are some like Eddison who were the reason I want to do something about this. I want to change this place like what Mr Xu did. I can strive for their happiness. But, there were bastards that deserve their place here. No…that’s not true. The city center does not have all the good at all. Hell, the mayor of the largest city in the province is the lowest of the low.’
Grimacing at that fact, ReZhui felt the frustration getting to him, ‘What the hell am I supposed to do? It’s extremely draining…’
Unfortunately, that thought was going to come short to an end, as suddenly, a sharp halt to the carriage was made, sending the three of them off balance for a moment.
“WE HAVE ARRIVED!” the driver screamed.
Getting out of the compartment, Mr Xu ordered the guards into a tight formation with the 3 assistants, the two boys and himself at the center of it.
What they arrived at was a large and empty clearing near the end of the thick forests which led deep into the steep mountains where Bai village is located. Within this plot of barren land, in deep contrast to the lushful green of the forests it neighboured, there sat a packed settlement of low shacks and mud huts with roofs made of dried leaves. Others made camp in makeshift tents from torn cloth, riddled with holes. Any strong gale would certainly blow away all of these fragile infrastructure in a matter of seconds.
Under the dull gray blue sky before sunrise, the mist laid low on the ground and the grumbling of people could easily be heard beyond their weak walls of mud or cloth as they walked the dim streets of this place.
Uneasiness set into the hearts of the group, moreso, ReZhui. On the other hand, Eddison kept a steady pace as this was his usual routine back home.
“Where’s your house?” Mr Xu asked curtly.
“...”
Without saying a word, Eddison strided onwards to a small wooden hut that was placed a distance away from the rest of the homes, making it the only one in that lone area.
Like the rest of them, it was super small relative to ReZhui’s common room back at Bai village, approximately half the height and third the width and length.
Stopping a foot away from the cloth that makes up the door, Mr Xu proceeded to exit the street they were on and walked over to where Eddison was standing. That was when he heard a coarse and raspy voice from behind him. It came from a man in his late 50s, who wore a ragged brown robe and red scarf. Both were grimy and damp. His long beard was unkempt and had visible flies surrounding the edges of it. Holding onto a tree branch as a cane, the old man started to scream out loud.
“Hey, rich guy! If you’re thin’ing of getting that rumored ‘flower prostitute’ as they said she wa’, your luck’s out. That whore’s a dick’s letdown, you get me! Her pussy’s super loose and that ass’s deflated. Go and get someone else better, Sir. Jin’s daughter here is a good-”
“Not interested,” Mr Xu bluntly rejected.
“...Excuse me?”
“Mr Xu, what’s a…‘pussy’?” ReZhui interrupted curiously.
Silence.
Looking back at ReZhui with such disdain in his eyes, Mr Xu turned to face the old man with even more disgust.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about ReZhui. Old man, I do not want anything from you so please leave us now!”
Furious at this response, the old man sneered back, “Oh, going against us in our own habitat? Aren’t you a cocky one, rich fellow?”
“...”
With a whack of cane, a group of twenty burly men, all armed with wooden bats and metal daggers, started to surround Mr Xu and the group.
‘Gangsters! What the hell? They came out of the tents and huts,’ ReZhui thought in precaution.
As the guards readied their positions for the overwhelming force of the approaching gangsters, Mr Xu unexpectedly walked out into the open. ReZhui tried to step out to stop him but was immediately grabbed hard on the shoulder by XinLi.
“My lord knows what he is doing,” she whispered.
“Assistant XinLi…”
Sensing how serious she was, ReZhui decided to trust her and Mr Xu on this as he watched on.
Still keeping eye contact with the old man, Mr Xu raised his money pouch high into the air for all to see. Surprised at this reveal, all of the gangsters continually stared at the red bag of money. Their eyes followed the movement of the pouch as it slowly swayed in the air before Mr Xu threw it far across to the other side of the street. Like a dog to a thrown stick, the twenty men dashed straight after it, abandoning their instructions. However, it was not only them that fell for this as the old man started to chase after the men, trying his best to issue out instructions on retrieving the pouch for himself.
The red pouch was left hidden under a large pile of fighting bodies as the coins were slowly scattered all over the damp ground.
‘Whoa…It’s like what Mr Xu said. They…truly are pathetic.’
ReZhui awed in amazement.
But returning to the task at hand, ReZhui followed behind as Mr Xu and Eddison made their way under the cloth door. XinLi and the others remained outside to keep watch and be prepared if Mr Xu needed any immediate help.
Taking a deep breath, the boy finally managed to call for her.
“Mom, I’m home!”
It was the first time he had ever done so in a while.