“What!”

ShiYan choked on her food upon her father’s revelation.

“That lady’s my aunt?!”

She could never reach that conclusion. It was just so random.

Watching the daughter and father from his seat, ReZhui decided to entertain himself with the humorous reactions of his best friend. He grinned for this wholesome atmosphere.

Slightly frustrated, YaoMing’s snake-like eyes glared back.

“ShiYan, proper etiquette!”

“...apologies.”

The once-energetic ShiYan slumped slowly back onto her wooden chair, clearing her mouth and chugging a cup of tea.

“But I’m surprised, Father! You never told me you had siblings. I always thought you were an only child, like myself.”

“Listen, ShiYan, I was going to tell you when you’re ready, however, seeing how things played out, I decided otherwise.”

“Father…”

“Her name is He TianXing and she is the blood mother of Eddisson.”

“‘He’? Isn’t she supposed to be named ‘Xu’?”

“Supposedly, that’s the case, but ‘He’ was her original surname.”

“So-”

“Yes, she was adopted, and my dearest only step-sister.”

“Whoa…it’s quite the eventful day, today.”

“Despite that both of us are not related by blood, I still consider her family and so, I hope you would accept her too. Calling her Aunt is just fine.”

“Aunt…Aunt, alright, Father.”

“That’s my girl.”

“...So…argh, my apologies, Father. I have so many questions.”

“Hence, my reasons for not telling you now. But now, I have no choice, do I?”

“...”

“Let’s take this slowly, ShiYan. After all, this truly is one ‘wild’ tale. That’s how she puts it.”

“...ReZhui!”

“...! Y-yes?!”

Unexpectedly, ShiYan called out for him, and he nearly dropped his meat.

Tensing her face, she growled.

“Do you also know of this?”

“...!”

Suddenly, ReZhui felt a surge of restraint from his master in front of him. YaoMing’s face darkened.

‘Don’t say anything that would disappoint her!’ ReZhui felt that was what he would say if she was not here. It was a dangerous moment. But, he can’t lie to his best friend.

“Yes…The whole story.”

“That…that means…Eddi also knows this too?”

“Well…he is her son so…”

“No…No! Why am I the only one in the dark about this!” ShiYan started to wail like an abandoned child. As she continued her cries, YaoMing froze for a moment, but eventually tried his best to calm her down. Thankfully for ReZhui, he was left unscathed in his distraction.

“Alright, alright ShiYan…”

“Father! How could you!”

“...”

But, the experienced YaoMing of a nine-year old daughter failed to give a comeback.

Instead, she gobbled up her remaining rice whole and escaped the dining hall. Sounds of her running off into the corridors and towards her room diminished further as the nearby servants inquired in shock.

“Young lady!”

“My lord, we will attend to her at once”

They too seemed bewildered by ShiYan’s actions at this time of night.

As the commotion died down, only ReZhui and YaoMing remained, and there was an awkward silence amongst them. Fortunately, ReZhui readied the guts to speak.

“Mr Xu, shall we check up on her?”

“You just had to be truthful, ReZhui.”

“...”

“An admirable trait, I’m sure. But, there is a time and place for that. It’s not the standard.”

“...my apologies.”

“…Alright then.”

YaoMing suddenly got up from his seat and laid down his chopsticks.

“Mr Xu, where are you…”

“I lack the appetite.” YaoMing turned to him. “So, please enjoy the rest of the food, ReZhui.”

“...?”

“You deserve it.”

ReZhui can’t tell if there was a slight joy in his voice but it was certain that something was different.

At the front, there was unfinished steamed fish, grilled tofu and marinated red pork. To the side, a half finished bucket of rice also remained.

“...I understand.”

With that, ReZhui carried on with finishing the large leftovers as YaoMing headed back to his study.

.

.

.

It took a while for ReZhui to finish all those dishes by himself and managed successfully.

“I’m stuffed.”

Taking up one last sip of tea, ReZhui then left the dinner hall to take a stroll around the gardens. He could feel his stomach shaking as he did and it was a weird feeling.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“...”

Looking back, ReZhui recollected how all of this had happened. Moreover with the story of his master and his sister, it truly was an epiphany for him. The only problem was…

“I can’t put it into words…but I surely felt something.”

Humming under the moonlight as he strolled past ponds and flora, ReZhui lazed around with his hand held behind his head. A breath. And exhale. It was fresh. However, after some time, that young boy soon came close to the very end of the residence and that’s when he sniffed something unique.

“...? What’s this?” He sniffed more of this smoke. “Arch! Disgusting…” ReZhui coughed and ran his nose. “...I wonder where this is coming from?” And that was what he did.

Jumping onto the soil of the gardens, he carefully squeezed in between raised bamboo stalks and shoved past berry shrubs. Even in the nightlight, ReZhui skillfully trekked past this unknown plot of land, before he found himself in a clearing. It appeared to be a bricked pentagonal room that had an walless corridor extension from a branch of the main residence building.

“...!”

That’s when he found that same very smoke emerging out of the farthest window around the corner. Instinctively, ReZhui dashed behind the opposite corner; hairs raised.

“...steady…”

Fortunately, he was determined to find out this mystery. Beside him, ReZhui realized that the double doors to enter were left open. With caution, he entered without making any sound. Step after step, he hid behind a paper wall partition. Surprisingly, the space was filled with intricate vases, pots of wine and random piles of books.

“...” ReZhui was starting to ease his tension if his guess was right and he peeked an eye out to the open. What he saw was unexpected.

It was his master, YaoMing.

“...what’s he doing here?” muttered the boy. Contrary to the steadfast, pragmatic intellectual that ReZhui admired, here he saw a drunkard amidst a mess of white smoke out of a blown pipe of polished wood. YaoMing laid lazily upon the frame of the circular glassless window that illuminated natural moonlight into the space within. A perfect cast of his black shadow was imprinted on the flat cement floor of scattered jugs and cups. Some toppled empty and others spilt. The rest of the space followed a similar pattern of stacks of documents and cupboards of porcelain wine bottles. ReZhui flinched as the strong odors finally got him.

“...”

Taking his chances, ReZhui emerged from the partition and approached his master, who never took notice of him even as ReZhui got closer. YaoMing’s spectacled eyes continued to look out into the empty gardens and wall outside, from a backdrop of navy blue and the rising moon. All within the tranquility of night, besides the natural chirping of bugs.

“...” ReZhui was shocked at his appearance at a closer look. Unbuttoned outfit, unkempt hair that fell over his forehead, dead eyes, flushed cheeks and smoke coming out of his dried mouth with his pipe and a drained jug in either hand. Somewhere inside, ReZhui felt disappointed about this image of his master. In the end, ReZhui called out for him.

“Master?”

“...!?”

In a jolt, YaoMing slowly turned to his student, facing directly at him in all his vulnerability. Thankfully, YaoMing somehow kept a calm expression at this surprise and tried to recover.

“Student…? ReZhui? W-what…how did you find this place?”

“...The food you gave me, Mr Xu. It was too much so I had to walk it all down. I think I already saw most of the estate, only to find you here from the…smoke you inhaled.”

“...”

“I apologize. I thought there was-”

“Enough.”

“...?”

“ReZhui, can you grab that jar on the third shelf for me?”

Turning to where he pointed, ReZhui saw a cylindrical white glass container with rose patterns and white cranes .

“...Surely, Mr Xu. Wait here.”

Screwing open the lid for his master, ReZhui handed it to him. What he saw inside was a browny, semi-viscous solution with a distinct tangy smell which got a reaction out of him. Though, immediately upon receiving it, YaoMing chugged it down in huge mouthfuls until the jar reached one-third full. ReZhui watched on in horror.

“Mr Xu, what was that?”

“This?”

He nodded back.

“It’s a concoction I made for situations such as this where my drinking time was disturbed and something urgent happened, like a sudden operation or an important message arrived to be dealt with. It consists of grounded cocoa beans, mushed ginger, honey extract, powdered nuts and boiled tea leaves. All those remedies were diluted into a proportional amount of water to form this brown brew.”

“Whoa…”

“As an apothecary, I still wouldn’t recommend using this, ReZhui. But, I am an adult so forgive my hypocrisy.”

“I…understand.”

“...Anyhow, in the case of you, I would still rather want to keep my image maintained so please, give me some face.”

A thought soon surfaced from ReZhui.

“Does ShiYan know of this practice of yours?” ReZhui asked genuinely.

“...Nope, not at all. Only the servants knew of this, and now you too.”

“...”

“...”

“Well, this is one more case for ShiYan to be mad at the both of us.”

“Now do you get what I meant earlier?”

“...I still think that letting her know the truth was the right thing.”

“Thick-headed as usual, I see. Even your father wasn’t as egotistical as you are.”

“But Mr Xu, if it's this matter…then I may listen to your advice back then. Especially when you drink all alone and miserable. My father always has this bright smile whenever he drinks, even if the quality is not of the best in Bai village.”

ReZhui recalled the countless drinking parties he had over the years.

“...That brute would never survive in my shoes, so don’t go offending your master here. You hear?”

“Alright, Mr Xu.”

“Splendid, then I’ll allow you to leave as long as you keep this secret to your grave.”

YaoMing shooed him away.

“...”

But, ReZhui rejected his orders.

“Mr Xu, you are hurt, aren’t you?”

“What is this nonsense you are sprouting? I already told you to leave, didn’t I?”

Taken aback by this sudden aggression, the boy pressed forward like he did before.

“...I-I want to help!”

“Huh?” Clear bewilderment washed across his master’s face.

“I want to know your thoughts, Mr Xu. Because…even if you were truly grateful that Eddisson’s mother made it back safely-”

“...”

“I feel like you could not help but resent her actions nonetheless.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH, YOU MEDDLER!”

“...!”

A crash of porcelain sounded in the returning silence. YaoMing’s rage stunned ReZhui in place.

“...I-I-”

“Hah, darn myself!...Listen, ReZhui.” YaoMing creased his temples to level his thoughts. “I am thankful for your worries and intentions but in the end, it will all be futile.”

“What do you mean?”

“What would you do if I told you my troubles? The reasons I am here smoking cigars and feasting wine?”

“I would…I…I”

His mind went blank. This was not like back then at the temple with Eddisson. ReZhui truly was speechless. He didn’t know what to do, and he couldn't figure out why.

“I will…I-” His stuttering continued.

“If your heart’s in the right place but you do not have the means to execute them, then it’s just your own fantasies, ReZhui.”

“I-”

“Quit playing the savior.”

“...?!”

YaoMing gave the boy a stern glare.

“You are too young for that. You are just…another nine-year old kid.”

“...” His heart sank.

“...Hmph.”

YaoMing then got down from the window frame and knelt in front of the shakened boy. His hands placed firmly on ReZhui’s shakened shoulders.

“ReZhui?” YaoMing met the boy’s frozen eyes.

“Yes…Mr Xu?” It was fear and weakness.

“Have you learnt anything from the trip to the slums?”

“I…I can’t describe it, Mr Xu. I tried, but I couldn't.”

ReZhui then grabbed his chest. “All I know is that there is this unsettledness in my heart.”

“...”

“I’m sorry…if I failed your tasks.”

“Don’t be.”

“Huh?”

“...Don’t be sorry. If you want to grow up, if you want to assist me in my struggles, this is one where I shouldn’t influence your thoughts. Think deeper into it, especially my sister’s life and how she lived it.”

“...”

“Where did she go wrong? Where did I go wrong? Even as adults, the both of us just embraced our regrets, living with them until we breathed our last. That’s our resolution, and it’s still not the ideal choice we wanted.”

“...”

“That’s how I faced it. A miserable existence.”

“...”

“ReZhui, even if you see all this alcohol and depressants around me, that’s the exception. I still am happy for the both of us reuniting, even if the circumstances say I found her at the lowest.”

“...I-I don’t get it.”

“That’s why we live long. If I fail to find solace at this age, then I hope you will break that.”

“...”

“Also, I want to thank you once again.”

“...Why?” His mind raced, consuming all of his master’s ramblings.

“If it’s not for your kindhearted nature, you would not have saved Eddisson, which in turn would have never led me to find out Xiao Tian was his mother, and so on and so forth.”

“...”

“I can’t express enough how much I resent myself for letting this matter of child bullying go under my eye, even when I conduct these welfare projects bimonthly for the sake of my people.”

“...Mr Xu.”

“It’s a great karma that I had accumulated, and bringing you there was a worth that I had underestimated.”

“...”

“So, I’m sorry.”

And the master soon got lower to the ground.

“W-wait, what are you-” ReZhui tried to stop him but slowly realized that…this would perhaps give his master some form of closure.

“I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart, ReZhui!”

YaoMing’s body kowtowed at the edges of ReZhui’s feet as his head touched the cold, hard floor.

“For you brought back…a family…I failed to restore…and longed for ever since…”

“I…”

“Thank you so much, ReZhui!”

The floor soon formed puddles and YaoMing’s body shuddered in grief and relief.

“...”

In the end, ReZhui did nothing but stood there as YaoMing did what he must.

The moon shone brightly onto the duo.

And the bugs chirped on, undeterred.

There was no one else here that night.

It was a night that the both of them would always remember.