Making his way into the small, cramped spaces of the wooden hut, ReZhui ducked his head as he entered under the leather cloth curtain which served as a substitute for a main door. And it stank, riddled with holes of various sizes and infested with larvae. However, that was the first of the many horrible living conditions this woman stayed in. With the ceiling being barely higher than Mr Xu’s own height, ReZhui continued to lower his head down in precaution and steadily held a squatting position. The curtain led him into the main living space at the center of the hut and this was the only room within it. Looking to the sides, he saw that the walls were no better than that filthy rag curtain. The wood used, which was obtained from waste fills and thrown away by the local lumberjacks, were moist and unevenly chopped, leaving decaying holes and protruding splinters. Smeared with ground dirt clay, they feebly sheltered the ill mother from the elements albeit to little effect. Beneath ReZhui’s feet, there was no floor and his cloth sandals easily sank deep into the soft mud below. Luckily, there was no low-lying mist within the dwelling. Tit would have otherwise been proven to be more uncomfortable for the current resident of this neglected place, who laid lifelessly at the far end on the opposite side of the poorly constructed, worn down hut upon her flattened, torn mattress. Other than that mattress, her filthy and crumpled blanket and several sets of terribly sewn clothes, ReZhui observed that this was all the He family owned.
‘Were the rest stolen from them? Or was this all they had from the start? Either way, it’s extremely hard to watch,’ he scowled deeply. Shuffling closer towards them, ReZhui stopped behind Eddison.
He sat close to her left hand and held it tight in both of his own while Mr Xu kneeled down at her side, still fallen in silence.
“...”
Trying his best to put up a wide smile, Eddison began to speak to her.
“Mother, I brought help. Just hang in there and Mr Xu will be able to save you,” he informed her soft-spokenly.
Tucked deep under her covers, not that it would help much to give her any warmth in this cold time of dawn, the pale and scrawny face of the mother slowly turned away from Eddison’s gaze. Her dark eyes remained closed shut.
“brat, that’s…enough…” she muttered exasperatedly.
His expression suddenly sorrowed.
“leave me…be…please. at least…that’s the best…cough!...you coul-”
“But Mom, this is no fake this time. Mr Xu’s the real deal!” Eddison interrupted, desperate in fright.
“...boy…let me be…in…cough!...peace…”
“Xiao Tian.”
A sudden shudder.
It was a name she was very familiar with.
One that she has not heard in a very long time.
That was when it clicked for her.
‘NO!’
She panicked.
---
In ReZhui’s eyes, the weakly mother, who he figured held some degree of importance for his mentor, seemed to have reacted greatly to Mr Xu’s calling which shocked himself as well as Eddison. Moreover, based on what Mr Xu called her, ReZhui could tell that this was a nickname of sorts for those close to him. The ‘Xiao’ was the key hint.
Ultimately, the woman began to shiver and pant heavily under the thin blanket which was starting to gain speed as she tried to hide her entire body within the covers.
“Mom, wait!-”
But before Eddison could stop her, Mr Xu quickly acted first. He grabbed hold onto the roughed up cloth that was her blanket and tugged it off the anxious woman, away onto the muddy ground beneath, which did not matter anyways since the blanket was already dyed dirt brown to begin with.
Following the flow of the unwrapping blanket, the mother unwillingly rolled closer towards Mr Xu, stopping several spaces away from him.
‘Damn it!’ the mother cursed internally.
Struggling to bring herself up to escape Mr Xu’s gaze and out of this hut, the mother’s emaciated feet quickly gave out on her already unhealthily light and famished body. She slumped lethargically on the edge of her flattened mattress. All her limbs spread out in excruciating cramps and numbness after being bedridden for who knows how long. That was rightfully given so since she has not kept track of the days ever since she came here to her hometown which was the DongBu village. Not that she didn’t want to, she simply thought it was not worth the effort with this body of hers and the complications that got her in this den of crime and poverty. And now, this worry at the back of her mind was appearing right in front of her at this stage of her life. It was sickening. So much so that she wanted to run away. But she cannot do so. And it is all because of…
“eddison…why…are you…cough!…always…cough!...”
She regretted having him…
“Xiao Tian, do you recognise me?” Mr Xu asked curtly.
Wheezing painfully as she struggled to make another response, Mr Xu placed down his cloth bag and handed her a water gourd.
“Drink,” he demanded sternly.
It was a dark-yellowish color.
Hesitating at first, the woman slowly grabbed the gourd from him, and once she was in full control of the water, the mother immediately began chugging the entire vessel full. Her pale-red, dried lips grew a darker shade of red after every mouthful as overflowing drips of water went down her chin and onto her tattered white-turned gray loose robe. ReZhui could easily see her satisfying expression of relief at this quench of her thirst.
Once she was finished, the mother embarrassedly gave back the gourd to Mr Xu and she cleared her airway to properly give her answer, remaining seated on the mattress.
“Elder Brother? It’s truly you..isn’t it? Cough!”
It was a weak and mellow voice. A drastic change to the brutish manner she spoke towards Eddison. Even so, Mr Xu kept his tone.
“Why didn’t you reply to my letters? It’s been 6 years since you last wrote back to me, Xiao Tian. Do you know how worried I was?” Mr Xu sternly scolded her.
“I…I apologize…”
The mother averted her gaze.
“This is the reason why I never wanted to contact you when I returned. We are, Cough!, playing out what I had imagined it, Cough!, to, Cough! Cough!, be…” she continued.
“Nonetheless, this doesn’t concern me when your life’s in danger. Do you know what you have contracted here?”
His face was a disappointed mess, looking at the sight of her.
When referred with Eddison’s description, it was exactly the same as what Mr Xu was seeing up close. And way worse, the descriptions were much more tolerable compared with the actual symptoms. The rashes were a hot sun red and it encompassed her entire body. With the intense malnutrition and starvation, she was simply a living skeleton. Fortunately, all that remained from Mr Xu’s past image of her was her grimy and messy but lustrous long black hair. But, that was nothing that he should be proud of. For now, he needs to carry out his duty as a medical practitioner and any family drama will be postponed until things are stable.
“It's HIV, isn't it? Cough! At least…that’s what the foreigners call it.”
“There’s no doubt about that, Xiao Tian. Therefore, we must better get you treated as soon as possible.”
“Listen, Brother…I think it’s, Cough!, to late for me-”
“NO IT’S NOT. IT’S NOT HAPPENING, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!”
“B-brother…”
‘Mr Xu snapped…This was the fastest he has ever done so.’ ReZhui thought to himself in shock. That was when Mr Xu ordered him to do something as he readily put on his gloves.
“ReZhui, Eddison, go inform XinLi and the rest that we are heading back to the Xu residence so ready the carriage. Instruct two of the guards to separately send a message to the Temple organizers that I will be unavailable until further notice. They will manage the rest accordingly.”
Nodding their heads in unison, the two boys carefully made their way out of the small hut. ReZhui, giving a worried quick glance back before exiting behind Eddison. XinLi’s excited high pitched cheers could be easily heard through the thin walls of wood as soon as they got out, and the vigor of the guards sounded in the air, leaving the two adults alone within the dwelling,
Reattaching the cloth bag firmly onto his waist, Mr Xu gently swiped his hands under the mother, bringing about his strength as he precautiously lifted her up into his arms.
“Brother, brother! Why are you doing this? I-I do not have the money to repay yo-”
“That’s enough.”
Silence.
Moments later, Mr Xu proceeded to slowly make his way out of the hut at a steady pace.
‘So you still retain that tough persona of yours, don’t you, Xiao Tian? Even if you were to end up crawling on mud, you would never seek aid from someone else. And, even if you did so, you would do your best to pay them back in equal amounts.’
He sighed.
“Listen, Xiao Tian.”
“...”
“For you, this may be shamefully stepping on your pride, considering what we had been through together. But…for myself currently, I am just happy that you’re back.”
“...”
As they exited the curtain, never to see that site of living ever again, Mr Xu continued his way through the streets before arriving back at the carriage they arrived with. In the background, the morning sun is starting to rise, partially blocked by the mountains beyond. But before Mr Xu could take another step, the mother questioned him about something.
“Elder Brother, do you mind, Cough!, do you mind listening to a request of mine?”
He stopped in his tracks, feeling hesitation in his breathing.
“Yes, speak up.”
“If I die now, could I trust that you will take Eddison under your care? It’s a selfish request, I know but…Cough! I got no other choice left. So please, Cough!, will you-”
“Let’s get going. We don’t want to delay your treatment.”
“...”
Staring deeply into his sorrowful eyes, the mother decided to hold herself back.
“Alright. This must be for the best. Thank you, Brother.”
“Got it-”
“One more thing.”
“...What?”
“When you said my pride’s, Cough!, being trampled upon, while that’s partially right, Cough! I also never wanted to burden you with my troubles for the longest time possible. So…”
Silence.
She did not know how to finish her words given this situation.
As for Mr Xu…
“Anyhow, let’s get going.”
“...Yeah.”
He shoved the problem under the rug for the time being.
As they made their way towards the carriage, a final thought came into her mind. A nostalgic one.
‘This is so much like you, Brother. You really haven't changed since I last left this place twenty years ago.’
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---
In the end, after the departure of the two messengers, the carriage finally set off towards the Xu residence. Mr Xu decided to take another alternate route which led the convoy onto a unpaved road that borders the edge of the central portion of DongBu village, sandwiched between the outskirts of the slums and the fresh greenery beyond.
The dimly lit, overshadowing forests started to slowly scatter out of view the more they went forward, growing lesser in number and more sporadically throughout. In place of that were fields of meadow and wet paddy. With the harvest season marking its end in a few short days, the morning light of the sun shone without obstruction, blanketing the empty, used soil in a yellowish brown hue.
While more expansive than the fields grown in Bai village, they were also less compact with their housing as they were sprouted out in random locations with no worry for inconvenience. Unfortunately for ReZhui and mostly Eddison, there was a severe scarcity of any sights for herds of cattle, goats or pigs. With his experience in watching the harvesting process, ReZhui understandably made a suitable reasoning for this issue while Eddison was left to be disappointed at the mundane view.
‘Farm animals could not roam out in the cold and there is no use for them either way since the grazing fields would be buried deep under thick snow. Keeping them locked up in large sheds while feeding them collected straw is the best solution.‘
But, that was the least of their problems currently. Ignoring the lackluster scenery of the farmlands, ReZhui turned his attention to Mr Xu, who he sat next to and ReZhui was effortlessly able to identify that his mentor felt very infuriated. With his poker face and glaring snake-like eyes, Mr Xu continually proceeded to look down upon the woman who called him a brother. Beside her was Eddison who held her close to him, ensuring that she remained sitting upright amidst the relentless rocking of the carriage across the wild pavement. The mother and son sat across from them on the opposite bench.
With her lowered head, the mother’s long bangs covered most of her frustrated face and her dark eyes looked away. She gripped both her hands tightly in fear, knowing where this conversation would be heading towards. Despite this, she has just decided to accept the doctor’s offer. She made a weak defiance against getting on this carriage. No sudden attempts to fatally kill herself given her tight scenario. And no reclaims to prove her right in abandoning herself and her child. Amongst all of that, the mother still somehow felt a light warmth in her heart, even if this was not what she decided her fate was gonna be like. Maybe she forced herself to accept that end. Either way, she could not undo what she did. Eventually, she would have to…
“I didn’t explain fully about my situation to you. Isn’t that right, Elder Brother?”
A hoarse, but mature voice sounded.
“Wha…”
Filled with astonishment, her eyes widened. She was able to speak very similarly to her normal and healthy self again. This reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Mr Xu, who picked up the conversation from there.
“Honey water with onion paste. It is one of my most effective concoctions that I made in the 30 years of being a medical practitioner, and is the first ever medicine that you gave me as a present upon my inheritance of the Xu pharmacy.”
“...”
“You made this after finding wild bear honey when you got lost during our weekly trip to the medicinal garden up north. When you initially gave it to me, I criticized your ingredient makeup and their individual ratios.”
“...”
“And thus, you got mad. Childishly mad. Truthfully, I find it humorous but…I never once thought of your skills being mediocre. Furthermore, I thought your idea had potential.”
“...”
The woman’s eyes darted back and forth as Mr Xu began to open up the past. His eyes, while filled with the same seeping rage, held a sense of reminiscing. And as ReZhui would describe it, ‘It is a long awaited reunion’; one that was so sudden, so random, if they were all to retell this tale, many would say it was a ridiculous coincidence.
Albeit, a cherished one.
“With this in mind, I secretly improved upon your formula and I was hoping that I would surprise you with this development when you reached your coming of age at 22 years old. But that was when you left for the big city of ShanWei…and till this day, I still remember the pain that I felt when you left several months earlier…after-”
“That breakup wasn’t your fault, Elder Brother. It was just me being naive and hot-headed.”
Silence.
And another horrid pause enveloped the entire scene.
Mr Xu apparently lost the pace of the conversation while the mother is still as reserved as before.
ReZhui, as much as he would like to intertwine and help, was very well aware of his boundaries, and thus, forcibly kept his silence.
Luckily, Eddison was finally the first to break the quiet.
“So Mother, was your relationship with Mr Xu one of siblings or teacher and pupil?”
Although she still didn’t raise her head, Eddison’s mother replied regardless.
“One part of both options, child. I was adopted into the Xu family after my own blood family died in a robbery raid, becoming his step-sister. I was also taken in as a second apprentice to Elder Brother’s dad, the former owner of the Xu pharmacy. In the end, we both were also senior and junior students, and I was the latter.”
“I wish to hold you up right there, Xiao Tian. Why didn’t you inform Eddison of this way earlier? He’s your son.”
“At that time, I didn’t feel like it. It was a low point in life for me back then and even now.”
“Then, what happened to the trading company you were working for?”
“Trading company?”
“...”
The mother hesitated.
“Xiao Tian.”
“What now?” she annoyingly asked.
“Eddison has the right to know everything. And to some degree, I myself am entitled to question you as well since I am, by law, your family. You understand me, do you?”
“...”
Hesitation.
Intimidation.
And emotion.
The mother failed to keep it in any longer.
“...Fine!”
She clicked her tongue.
“I will tell you…all about it. And Eddison, make sure to listen well to the whole story. This will be the first and last time I will ever tell my story.”
Her past.
Her suffering.
And her lover.
There was no way she could have forgotten all of those events and so there she went, recounting her tale like a talented performing poet in a somber tavern.
---
Fire blazed wildly into the night as screams and smoke filled the air with gathering numbers. A line of houses and workshops were quickly beginning to collapse, surrounded by the dead bodies of abled men. Some wore distinguishable green cloaks and leather armor while the others had a variety of miscellaneous armor and gear strapped onto them; one would immediately confirm that they were a bandit. And, that was rightfully so.
When the final supporting beam of one of the houses gave in to the raging flames, it fell straight down, pushing off a heavy gush of hot wind onto the nearby individuals. Panicking passersby and cautious soldiers managed to escape out of the wall of heat. Well, not all of them.
“Lord!”
The second-in-command, who took upon the role of the Commander after he was killed in the sudden skirmish against the bandits, immediately got up and started to enter into the clouds of ground dust, uplifted from the crash. As the smoke began to fade away, his eyes darted across in rapid motion until he was successful in finding his employer, where he was seen sitting down on the ground in a cuddling position.
Confused, the second-in-command spoke to him.
“Lord YaoXi, why didn’t you evade? It’s very dangerous and someday, you may not be so lucky, unlike today.”
“But I am fine, Commander.”
The employer wore a similar garment of green leather and metal paddings, but as the owner of this force, he also wore a dark green cloak with a fastening, etched with golden leaf imprints. The symbol of the Xu family.
As the lord got up from his position, within his arms revealed a small girl in a nightdress. Her eyes, widened open at the fiery bloodshed that was left after; and in the frail state she was in, her skin was sweating profusely with her cheeks blushing bright red like the flames that destroyed her home.
“This kid…Is she the only one saved?”
“No, all of them were meant to be killed by the arrival of dusk. But she escaped.”
“If only the reinforcements arrived here a little earlier…What of her parents?”
“Dead. My men searched all over and there were no survivors.”
“How about the ringleader?”
“Suicide, along with his lieutenants.”
“Farmland lost?”
“Several acres.”
“I understand.”
Patting the second-in-command on the shoulder, the Lord turned towards the small girl as he unclipped his chains. In a short, swift motion, he gently placed the cloak over the traumatized girl before carrying her up onto his side.
“Is that your final decision, Lord?”
“Ha, my son needs some company anyways. He’s one of the quiet types.”
“... I won’t stop you, my Lord.”
“Don’t think of me like that. Besides…,” Lord YaoXi steadied his gaze into the frozen girl’s eyes, “She has potential. Not everyone could do what she did and I think she deserves it.”
The soldier remained silent.
“If there are no more qualms, then I will get the papers done as soon as we get back.”
Within the warmth of the wrapped cloak, it did not compare to the hotness of the burning flames, which immediately soothed her to slumber. All she last saw as her little dark eyes closed shut was the gallant smile of the bearded old man in front of her.
---
Several years have passed since then and TianXing was readily accepted into the Xu family, living as their daughter ever since.
As the sun setted in the distance, YaoMing, who was aged 18 years old at the time, finally managed to find a break from his exhaustive tasks, slumping down lethargically onto the soft sofa in the pavilion, situated at the center of a small lake within the Xu residence’s back garden and surrounded by a wide plethora of flora and fauna. Raising his hand to a nearby branch of herbal leaves, he slowly traced his hands across the veins of the leaf surface. Watery mist covered the underside of his fingertips.
With a pensive gaze, he sighed heavily.
“What’s with all these noblemen, Father?” he asked openly, “And why now? At least give me some more time to prepare beforehand.”
Unfortunately, no one answered. There was nobody present after all.
YaoMing was currently alone to himself, and besides his study, there was no other place that gave him better peace of mind than out here in the family pavilion.
He breathed in deep.
As he grimaced in annoyance at the sporadic occurrences of the cheers and laughter from the joyous crowd that could be heard over until this end of the estate, the sounds of approaching footsteps became more and more apparent for the young adult. Lazily turning his laying head over, he could make out a petite silhouette among the plantation and immediately after, YaoMing was certain it was her.
It was his adopted younger sister and also his junior.
Making her way across the rock pavement and into the pavilion, she was promptly greeted with an unresponsive brother. His eyes stared blankly at the overgrown stems that curl tightly around the pavilion pillars, making their way up to the roof.
She pouted in retaliation.
“Bro-ther! What’s with the unwelcoming attitude of yours? Rejoice, that it’s your beloved sister who will be spending her own free time for the sake of yourself! Thank me and my undying benevolence,” she boasted proudly, giving a little ‘hmph!’ at the end there.
Siding his eyes to the right, YaoMing quickly retracted them back.
“Xiao Tian, that dress is very daring.”
“Just because I am showing my bare shoulders doesn’t make your statement valid. You’re too sensitive, dear Brother.”
“Alright, alright…Go back to the party and gobble down all that food. You have to gain more shape if you are gonna bear healthy children.”
“That’s delusional, dear Brother. I’m still in the early stages of puberty, 12 years, 3 months to be exact. So patience! I will let you do me in for the near future. Heehee!”
It was the giggle of a youthful teen.
“...Ha…Enough with those jokes, Xiao Tian.”
He placed his fingers between his temples, massaging them in a swirl motion.
“...”
TianXing came closer to him, grabbed a nearby chair and sat upon it.
“Dear Brother, what’s going on with you today?”
“Sorry…It’s just that, Father will be handing down the pharmacy and Council head position to me. You’re aware of that right?”
“I’m not that dense, dear Brother.”
“Anyhow, hosting this party to commemorate this ‘passing down of the torch’ occasion is really not up there in my forte. It was really hard dealing with all those uncles and aunties, both nobles and family. It’s tiring.”
“That’s not all right?”
“Huh?...”
YaoMing got up from his resting position, surprised at his sister’s tone. She no longer held the distinctive smile of hers and YaoMing suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. It was very out of place for her to be like this. She was serious and she had a moody frown all over her. A disappointing one.
Slowly, it crawled back up to YaoMing about what she truly meant.
With that in mind, he began to reassure her.
“Sorry…While I am confident with my abilities to handle everything, there is still a side of me that is worried that I would fail juggling all these responsibilities and one day, I might potentially cause harm to our entire family.”
“...”
“As such, I thank you for your understanding, Xiao Tian. That surely helped, expressing all of it. Sharing it-”
“Do you love me, dear Brother?”
“...Of course I do. Why ask?”
“Nothing.”
TianXing quickly got up from her seat and ran off to the rock pavement. YaoMing instinctively followed behind. His silky yellow and red robes fluttered heavily in the wind.
Stopping suddenly in her steps, TianXing turned on her heel and let out a bright smirk on her face, making direct eye contact with YaoMing who also slowed down, panting slightly.
“Dear Brother, I am truly grateful for the happiness you, Father and Mother have given me ever since that day. It truly feels like I was reborn anew.”
He remained silent. Speechless.
“Therefore! I declare by my name, that I will do my fullest to prove my worth and that Father’s decision was not for nought. Listen up, dear Brother! I will be aiming to go to the big city but no, not just any castle city. The thriving city of commerce, ShanWei. That’s where I will be going one day. And by that time, I assure you that you would never have to worry about money ever again. ”
“Xiao Tian…”
“Congratulations on your position, dear Brother!”
As she said those final words, the youthful girl, who was as red as roses, embarrassedly fled the scene and into the partying crowd farther off within the main hallroom, giving YaoMing no opportunity to say his piece.
Recollecting his thoughts together, the now-head of the Xu residence raised his head high up into the sky. And in the corner of his eye, YaoMing shortly glanced back to his treasured pavilion. Recalling back to when he first met her here, it was the autumn fall and he was 5 books deep into herbal alchemy. That was when his Father called out for him. And the rest was history. A happy one without a doubt.
“What a girl…” YaoMing sighed in pride.
On the table, at the center of the pavilion, there placed a sparkly glass jar of honey water concoction, tied with a red ribbon at the lid, and a ring of flowers with enticing aromas.
‘She still puts those flowers out, despite knowing that I’m not into her like that. Well, she’ll grow out of it eventually.’
---
“And so therefrom after, I continually attended classes and numerous other circles. While that may seem overwhelming for the average person, I sincerely enjoyed my lessons and my wish was slowly coming into fruition.”
“So Mother, were you aiming to be a trader?”
“Yes. Yes I was, child.”
“Then, your conflict with Mr Xu was…”
“...Elder brother, do I really have to share this part?”
“Although it pains me to recall that story, I insist that you see this through till the end.”
Readily as the mother opened her mouth to speak out, she immediately backed down from objecting, knowing that it was wrong otherwise.
She sighed in discontent.
In the end, she had no way of running from the truth. On the contrary however, it will always come back to haunt her.
And, in one form or another.