Translated by Coke
Edited by Joh
After leaving the cloth shop, Miao He and Yang Dalang were silent.
Miao He wanted to be pointed at and scolded, and Yang Dalang would have to don an exasperated and angry face. If the latter really did change into a humiliated expression or even became enraged, then Miao He could only bear it on behalf of the original host.
However, at this moment, his right hand was tightly and firmly held by the other, refusing to let go. Like all the injuries he got inflicted with, Dalang was willing to shoulder it and stood still with him.
This kind of blatant protection, or say affection, saying that Miao He didn’t feel at least a slight stirring in his heart, was naturally wrong. Only, the action that moved him was merely a pot carried on behalf of the original Miao He. If, in the future, he added another sum of his own peace of mind and leave… A touch of guilt that had once appeared in the past has surfaced again, consuming Miao He’s entire being and abandoning him to sink in silence even further.
It was just that things in the world were always prone to changes, and the world of the living was impermanent. Sometimes, it was a matter of birth and death every second.
Miao He only remembered that his mind was still wrapped around his guilt, cloaking everything but himself. The person who walked beside him stopped and loudly cried out in alarm at his ear, ringing him awake in his depressed state. And in the next second, he felt his soul was being wracked out of his sole body as it was pushed away with such tremendous force! His body was immediately shoved off on the left side and slammed face-first into the dirt! Then the world stopped spinning, and everything fell back into its original state. Miao He wobbly raised his head, and he was immediately attacked by the searing pain all over his body, as his ears buzzed loudly simultaneously, followed by the heavy dizziness!!
Around this time, more shouts were raging in the background, calling for help!
Thinking that everything had seemed to go wrong, Miao He felt powerless in pain and flustered. He struggled to prop himself up off the ground, but the pain and dizziness knocked him hard! The body had just been braced halfway, fell to the ground again, then everything before his eyes turned black, and he fell unconscious.
When Miao He opened his vacant eyes, it was already two days later.
He woke up prostrated on a wooden bed in a hospital. Before Miao He set himself up, a young lad on the side informed him that he had multiple abrasions all over his body. But it wasn’t the worst part yet. Since his head was severely shaken, he had to recuperate for the last few days.
Miao He closed his eyes uncomfortably. It took a while to figure out that this was still the world where a third gender existed. Feeling disappointed, he hunched further in the bed. Yet in the next second, he opened his eyes wide and abruptly bounced himself off the bed! “Where is Yang Dalang? The–just the man who’s with me! He’s tall and big, with three claw marks on his face! Is there anything wrong with him?” With this sudden movement, Miao He’s eyes turned black again!
Then violent nausea soon surged, Miao He was forced to bend down and retched his guts out. The young man rushed over and skillfully pulled out a prepared wooden basin by the side and brought it over. But after retching a few times, no stomach contents were thrown out, and Miao He’s eyes were full of glistening tears.
“Ai ai ai, brother, don’t get too excited. This won’t do good at all in your condition. Let’s be calm, okay? The man you’re talking about was lying in the next room! He fell asleep just now, except for the serious injuries on his body, which were only abrasions, that is, three broken ribs. So, it won’t be hard to take care of and fix it in the meantime. This is considered as a great blessing in a misfortune!”
Miao He grabbed the young man. “Really? That’s it?”
“He’s really fine! Previously, he was just as disobedient and would definitely prance his way just to come and see you, which he always did whenever he woke up. But his ribs were cracked, so he definitely couldn’t walk or move without hissing and sweating in pain! That action of his forced my Master to diagnose his bones, and in the end, we discovered that his ribs were crooked. I must be scolded to death by the heavens, ah!! Now that you are finally awake, help me soothe him in the future!” The young man spoke briskly and was a bit short of breath, but he was very patient in his words.
“Can I see him now?” Miao He recalled the gush of panic and guilt before he lost consciousness and felt a little uneasy, “I–I will walk slowly, not excited.”
“How come you two are like this! This is simply bullying me for being young ah! If Master is here, let’s see if you dare to be this unruly!”
Facing the absurdity of this person, the eleven or twelve-year-old boy had his eyes opened in an I-had-enough manner. His hands were placed on his waist as he took in deep inhalation, thinking that those two injured people were very unruly. But in the end, he let Miao He go. Grumbling under his mouth, the boy held him steadily with his hands as he assisted him towards the next room.
As soon as the door was opened, Miao He saw the injured Yang Dalang, whose face was devoid of any color, and had his eyes closed as he laid in bed, sleeping. His chest was wrapped in several layers of cloth strips and some wooden sticks, which should serve to hold his ribs in place and align it. Dalang’s brows were wrinkled tightly as if a bad dream was haunting him from sleeping smoothly and couldn’t be chased away.
Miao He heavily stepped forward and gently shook Yang Dalang’s carefully. Fortunately, it was still warm and soft.
But his eyes were hot after all.
Recalling the push, which was filled with panic and care, of being pushed away, he couldn’t gauge why Yang Dalang voluntarily protected him again.
Just like that, and without hesitation to do so…
Yang Dalang opened his eyes with great pain, seeming to feel it in his heart.
Seeing Miao He standing beside him, his expression immediately changed to that of surprise. He was about to move, but he was stopped by the sudden increase of strength by the hand holding him.
“Don’t move. I went to take a look. I’m fine,” Miao He said quickly.
His pitch-black orbs were smeared with pain and relief for a while before saying, “Don’t cry.”
As soon as he spoke his first words after waking up, the glistening drops of water that were pooling around his eye sockets fell instantly, with him resisting not to.
It turned out that those fat drops of tears had accumulated so much and became heavy.
“You are so stupid. We, we are not—”
Yang Dalang reciprocated his hold back and interrupted. “You are.”
‘You are my brother.’
『Keep your father from hurting your mother, your wife will never bear any children, and you will be lonely for the rest of your life.』
『Some people walk willingly, and some people complain as they walk.』
At that moment, Dalang reflected clearly.
***
After Yang Dalang fell asleep again, Miao He had heard the whole story, in complete detail, from the windy mouth of the young man, Ji Guang, who was an apprentice of the medical school.
Miao He learned that when he and Yang Dalang were walking in one of the streets in the town on that day, a carriage somehow lost control and rushed in the direction they were heading to on that day. At the moment when the situation was intensely critical, Yang Dalang resolutely pushed him out of the way and forcibly pulled the wooden shelf filled with the shop’s goods towards the pathway of and just to stop the mad horse.
However, even if a shelf and shop supplies were scattered on the ground obstructing the horse to stop, the animal still deviated off the track to Dalang’s direction, knocking him out of the balance with three broken ribs due to the impact. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and stepped a meager away before he was hit. He didn’t let any vital point be afflicted by the collision and, more so, did not let the cracked bones pierced any internal organs. Yet, he still sufficed bone fractures. If an ordinary person would have to encounter such a perilous situation, he should be kicked to death by the horse.
“Ai, that’s what happened. Why are you crying ah?” Ji Guang was anxious. Catching sight of the little ger’s red eyes, he felt uncomfortable not knowing what to do.
“I’m not crying,” Miao He sniffed, forcing himself to cheer up. “Then on those days, where was my money? My, my money bag—”
Recalling all his possessions, he hastily turned his head around the room, looking for his hard-earned silvers, and became relieved as he saw it hung up on the headboard of the bed. The ancient people were really so simple that it hadn’t been shunted away.
“You don’t have to worry about this. Thanks to your husband ripping off the wooden shelf from a shop, the coach on the carriage finally got resistance and hurriedly reigned hard on the horse and had successfully subdued it. The Liang family’s zhu mu1 and xiao gong zi2 were on board. Although they sustained slight injuries, they still had escaped such a terrifying catastrophe. So, the Liang family was fully responsible for your expenses.”
“Liang family?” Miao He searched hard, but there wasn’t any impression that could be found on the memories.
“The Liang family is one of the best landlords in this town. Haven’t you heard of it? They donate many herbs to the medical clinic every year, and they also give out porridge regularly! This time you turned peril into safety! Besides your husband’s meritorious deeds, it’ll definitely be possible that your family will also receive generous compensation from the Liang family’s virtuous actions!” With this exciting narration, it seemed that Ji Guang had a good impression of the Liang family.
Miao He gave his response after hearing it and didn’t dwell much about the revered family. In this era, the social class here was distinct, and it’s an inevitable thing that the landlord Liang family was willing to pay for their medical bills. Miao He hadn’t naively wanted others to pay for it. Still, as long as there was nothing wrong nor any intention behind the actions, then it’s a blessing to be gladly received.
A few minutes later, after mulling over on his own, he asked Ji Guang how could Yang Dalang recover from his injuries and how to take care of him properly.
According to Ji Guang’s recount of his Master’s treatment and diagnosis, Yang Dalang couldn’t move as much as possible for the first five days, wincing from the pain. Those days of having fresh fractures and scrapes must be the most painful of all. Moreover, whenever the Master visited him during those times, he skillfully checked if there hadn’t been any instances where Dalang coughed up blood and heaved due to chest tightening. Furthermore, he also stayed longer than usual for possible follow-up injuries. After those five days, no internal injuries could be detected, so Dalang could finally go home and recuperate there. However, it’d take at least three months for an injury as serious as his to heal. And during those a hundred days, one could expect to wake up from pain and be uncomfortable.
“As for you, you have to lie down too! We’ve just said that you will rest after you see him.”
Miao He had no choice but to lie back on the bed to rest under Ji Guang’s flaring nostrils.
However, his mind was still in a complete mess. It kept thinking about the person in the next room for a while and feeling wistful about the living soil. He was concerned about the condition of Dabai too. Fortunately, before they had gone out last time, he had freed Dabai out of the bamboo basket and let it play in the yard. The unique basin made for him was also filled with water. If he’s feeling hungry, then the young budding leaves in the backyard could be eaten with no problem.
The following day, Miao He couldn’t lie still in his bed, so he went to the next door intending to take care of Yang Dalang. Only that, the moment he entered, he was immediately driven out by Ji Guang and the person who’s the reason for his listlessness. The next day, Miao He stressed that his head was really not dizzy, and Ji Guang was convinced to let him take over a part of the nursing work. The old doctor³, who went out previously, also came back to check up on his injuries. The doctor’s family name was Ji Ming Wang. He’s Ji Guang’s uncle. Ji Ming Wang inspected the accident’s tokens, and fortunately, they didn’t worsen. Miao He and Yang Dalang were also provisioned to rest their days in the hospital.
At this time, the news of the crash had reached the village. In this era, there was no ID card to identify people and their relatives. If they hadn’t been visited by any acquaintances, the hospital could only wait for Miao He and Yang Dalang to regain consciousness to confirm their identities. As soon as the news entered their ears, Aunt Yang, Miao Qiang, and his mother, Aunt Qing, hastened to visit the hospital.
When they arrived, they were shocked senseless at the scene before him. Miao He carried a bowl of medicine and fed it to Yang Dalang, sitting on the bed. Although those ribs got injured, Yang Dalang still found it difficult to raise his hand, affecting his internal injury. It was pretty painful. Miao He knew this, so he insisted on taking over and willingly spoonfed Dalang per se.
Miao Qiang, sweating all over due to the hot weather and worrying about his friend, only to be welcomed by this loving scene, and his face became unpleasant. He strode forward and rudely grabbed the medicine from Miao He’s hand. Whether it spilt or not, he didn’t care and right away yelled, “What good intentions are you faking?! Dalang was hurt by you! Indeed, you must stay away from him in the future!!”
Aunt Qing, who was following behind, was taken aback by this shout and sternly said, “What nonsense are you shouting about, Qiangzi!! A-niang asked you to come here for a visit, not for making trouble! Hurry up, go apologize to Brother He!!”
However, Miao Qiang still took his stance and wasn’t convinced. “A-niang! Didn’t you witness what Brother He did before and looked at him down because of that?! Why didn’t you listen to me after talking to Dalang last time? I tell you, this person seemed to have changed his mind!!”
Among the elders, only Aunt Qing and Yang Dalang, and his late mother, knew about the matter of his ominous fate. And even second Aunt Ying, his relative, only vaguely knew that Yang Dalang had a terrible future. Aunt Qing could only shout, “Qiangzi, enough! Shut up if you don’t understand!”
“As if!” Miao Qiang charged regardless of his mother’s warning. “Miao He! I’m warning you. If you want to play any tricks on anyone, you may fool others, but you definitely can’t fool me! I will catch you and your false deeds! Dalang, you look out! Don’t fall into his evil schemes! I– ‘ll see you another day! Wait until the hindrance is gone!”
After that, Miao Qiang stormed out of the room. Miao Qiangniang’s face wasn’t great, and her temper hadn’t yet passed, so she held it in and blew. “Dalang, I’m sorry. I am afraid that I have spoiled Qiangzi too much that his temper has become stronger. I’ll speak with him slowly. Brother He, don’t worry about it and just think about having a good life with Dalang in the future. If you have any difficulties, don’t hold back, and just come and say it to Aunt Qing. Aunt Qing will definitely help you.”
Second Aunt Yang also nodded and said, “That’s true. Brother He, everyone thinks that Dalang has been injured because of you. If you still have no heart and eyes, then the Heavens won’t, without doubt, stand idly by. Don’t deem that your aunt speaks viciously. Someday in the future, when Yang Dalang has fully healed, this day will become a good memory, and you two must certainly live well ah. When your aunt goes to pay homage to your mother, you should also say good words for me.” The last sentence was directed at Yang Dalang.
Miao He could only nod his head obediently on this occasion. Yang Dalang also nodded with a pale face. I know.”
Later, the two aunts inquired about Yang Dalang’s injury and asked whether the money for hospital bills was enough. Then, they stuffed a bamboo basket into Miao He’s arms, which was quite heavy. Aunt Yang said, “There are some eggs. This hospital might be able to let you borrow the kitchen room for a while, so just ask the staff if you need to. Stew an egg soup every day to make up for Dalang. Got it?”
Miao He thanked her for the thoughtfulness. Seeing Yang Dalang was still uncomfortable, Aunt Yang and Aunt Qing didn’t stay for too long. They left after exchanging goodbyes with Miao He.
When the visitors departed, Miao He stood up to get an extra bowl of medicine and returned to continue feeding Yang Dalang.
As he sat down, the deep orbs of Yang Dalang instantly stared at Miao He’s confused ones. His black eyes seemed to carry extra weight.
A few seconds had passed, and Miao He felt uncomfortable. “What’s wrong, is it very hot?”
“From now on, follow me,” Yang Dalang said suddenly.
Miao He was taken aback and was still for some time. Digesting the words that had just been said, hues of red immediately bled his pale face. He understood what Dalang had asked for.
‘Live with him, and live well. Talk about the past no more. And can I refuse? Or, do I want to create ways to refuse?’
Miao He lowered his eyes, and after a long while, he let out an “En”.
[1] 主 母 zhǔ mǔ means master or owner and mother respectively.
[2] 小公子 xiǎo gōng zǐ. 小 means little or tiny while 公子 is a son of an official or son of nobility. Basically, it’s just a ‘young master’ in English.
[3] 老 大夫 lǎo dài fu. 老 means old and 大夫 means, doctor or physician.
Translated by Coke
Edited by Joh
After leaving the cloth shop, Miao He and Yang Dalang were silent.
Miao He wanted to be pointed at and scolded, and Yang Dalang would have to don an exasperated and angry face. If the latter really did change into a humiliated expression or even became enraged, then Miao He could only bear it on behalf of the original host.
However, at this moment, his right hand was tightly and firmly held by the other, refusing to let go. Like all the injuries he got inflicted with, Dalang was willing to shoulder it and stood still with him.
This kind of blatant protection, or say affection, saying that Miao He didn’t feel at least a slight stirring in his heart, was naturally wrong. Only, the action that moved him was merely a pot carried on behalf of the original Miao He. If, in the future, he added another sum of his own peace of mind and leave… A touch of guilt that had once appeared in the past has surfaced again, consuming Miao He’s entire being and abandoning him to sink in silence even further.
It was just that things in the world were always prone to changes, and the world of the living was impermanent. Sometimes, it was a matter of birth and death every second.
Miao He only remembered that his mind was still wrapped around his guilt, cloaking everything but himself. The person who walked beside him stopped and loudly cried out in alarm at his ear, ringing him awake in his depressed state. And in the next second, he felt his soul was being wracked out of his sole body as it was pushed away with such tremendous force! His body was immediately shoved off on the left side and slammed face-first into the dirt! Then the world stopped spinning, and everything fell back into its original state. Miao He wobbly raised his head, and he was immediately attacked by the searing pain all over his body, as his ears buzzed loudly simultaneously, followed by the heavy dizziness!!
Around this time, more shouts were raging in the background, calling for help!
Thinking that everything had seemed to go wrong, Miao He felt powerless in pain and flustered. He struggled to prop himself up off the ground, but the pain and dizziness knocked him hard! The body had just been braced halfway, fell to the ground again, then everything before his eyes turned black, and he fell unconscious.
When Miao He opened his vacant eyes, it was already two days later.
He woke up prostrated on a wooden bed in a hospital. Before Miao He set himself up, a young lad on the side informed him that he had multiple abrasions all over his body. But it wasn’t the worst part yet. Since his head was severely shaken, he had to recuperate for the last few days.
Miao He closed his eyes uncomfortably. It took a while to figure out that this was still the world where a third gender existed. Feeling disappointed, he hunched further in the bed. Yet in the next second, he opened his eyes wide and abruptly bounced himself off the bed! “Where is Yang Dalang? The–just the man who’s with me! He’s tall and big, with three claw marks on his face! Is there anything wrong with him?” With this sudden movement, Miao He’s eyes turned black again!
Then violent nausea soon surged, Miao He was forced to bend down and retched his guts out. The young man rushed over and skillfully pulled out a prepared wooden basin by the side and brought it over. But after retching a few times, no stomach contents were thrown out, and Miao He’s eyes were full of glistening tears.
“Ai ai ai, brother, don’t get too excited. This won’t do good at all in your condition. Let’s be calm, okay? The man you’re talking about was lying in the next room! He fell asleep just now, except for the serious injuries on his body, which were only abrasions, that is, three broken ribs. So, it won’t be hard to take care of and fix it in the meantime. This is considered as a great blessing in a misfortune!”
Miao He grabbed the young man. “Really? That’s it?”
“He’s really fine! Previously, he was just as disobedient and would definitely prance his way just to come and see you, which he always did whenever he woke up. But his ribs were cracked, so he definitely couldn’t walk or move without hissing and sweating in pain! That action of his forced my Master to diagnose his bones, and in the end, we discovered that his ribs were crooked. I must be scolded to death by the heavens, ah!! Now that you are finally awake, help me soothe him in the future!” The young man spoke briskly and was a bit short of breath, but he was very patient in his words.
“Can I see him now?” Miao He recalled the gush of panic and guilt before he lost consciousness and felt a little uneasy, “I–I will walk slowly, not excited.”
“How come you two are like this! This is simply bullying me for being young ah! If Master is here, let’s see if you dare to be this unruly!”
Facing the absurdity of this person, the eleven or twelve-year-old boy had his eyes opened in an I-had-enough manner. His hands were placed on his waist as he took in deep inhalation, thinking that those two injured people were very unruly. But in the end, he let Miao He go. Grumbling under his mouth, the boy held him steadily with his hands as he assisted him towards the next room.
As soon as the door was opened, Miao He saw the injured Yang Dalang, whose face was devoid of any color, and had his eyes closed as he laid in bed, sleeping. His chest was wrapped in several layers of cloth strips and some wooden sticks, which should serve to hold his ribs in place and align it. Dalang’s brows were wrinkled tightly as if a bad dream was haunting him from sleeping smoothly and couldn’t be chased away.
Miao He heavily stepped forward and gently shook Yang Dalang’s carefully. Fortunately, it was still warm and soft.
But his eyes were hot after all.
Recalling the push, which was filled with panic and care, of being pushed away, he couldn’t gauge why Yang Dalang voluntarily protected him again.
Just like that, and without hesitation to do so…
Yang Dalang opened his eyes with great pain, seeming to feel it in his heart.
Seeing Miao He standing beside him, his expression immediately changed to that of surprise. He was about to move, but he was stopped by the sudden increase of strength by the hand holding him.
“Don’t move. I went to take a look. I’m fine,” Miao He said quickly.
His pitch-black orbs were smeared with pain and relief for a while before saying, “Don’t cry.”
As soon as he spoke his first words after waking up, the glistening drops of water that were pooling around his eye sockets fell instantly, with him resisting not to.
It turned out that those fat drops of tears had accumulated so much and became heavy.
“You are so stupid. We, we are not—”
Yang Dalang reciprocated his hold back and interrupted. “You are.”
‘You are my brother.’
『Keep your father from hurting your mother, your wife will never bear any children, and you will be lonely for the rest of your life.』
『Some people walk willingly, and some people complain as they walk.』
At that moment, Dalang reflected clearly.
***
After Yang Dalang fell asleep again, Miao He had heard the whole story, in complete detail, from the windy mouth of the young man, Ji Guang, who was an apprentice of the medical school.
Miao He learned that when he and Yang Dalang were walking in one of the streets in the town on that day, a carriage somehow lost control and rushed in the direction they were heading to on that day. At the moment when the situation was intensely critical, Yang Dalang resolutely pushed him out of the way and forcibly pulled the wooden shelf filled with the shop’s goods towards the pathway of and just to stop the mad horse.
However, even if a shelf and shop supplies were scattered on the ground obstructing the horse to stop, the animal still deviated off the track to Dalang’s direction, knocking him out of the balance with three broken ribs due to the impact. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and stepped a meager away before he was hit. He didn’t let any vital point be afflicted by the collision and, more so, did not let the cracked bones pierced any internal organs. Yet, he still sufficed bone fractures. If an ordinary person would have to encounter such a perilous situation, he should be kicked to death by the horse.
“Ai, that’s what happened. Why are you crying ah?” Ji Guang was anxious. Catching sight of the little ger’s red eyes, he felt uncomfortable not knowing what to do.
“I’m not crying,” Miao He sniffed, forcing himself to cheer up. “Then on those days, where was my money? My, my money bag—”
Recalling all his possessions, he hastily turned his head around the room, looking for his hard-earned silvers, and became relieved as he saw it hung up on the headboard of the bed. The ancient people were really so simple that it hadn’t been shunted away.
“You don’t have to worry about this. Thanks to your husband ripping off the wooden shelf from a shop, the coach on the carriage finally got resistance and hurriedly reigned hard on the horse and had successfully subdued it. The Liang family’s zhu mu1 and xiao gong zi2 were on board. Although they sustained slight injuries, they still had escaped such a terrifying catastrophe. So, the Liang family was fully responsible for your expenses.”
“Liang family?” Miao He searched hard, but there wasn’t any impression that could be found on the memories.
“The Liang family is one of the best landlords in this town. Haven’t you heard of it? They donate many herbs to the medical clinic every year, and they also give out porridge regularly! This time you turned peril into safety! Besides your husband’s meritorious deeds, it’ll definitely be possible that your family will also receive generous compensation from the Liang family’s virtuous actions!” With this exciting narration, it seemed that Ji Guang had a good impression of the Liang family.
Miao He gave his response after hearing it and didn’t dwell much about the revered family. In this era, the social class here was distinct, and it’s an inevitable thing that the landlord Liang family was willing to pay for their medical bills. Miao He hadn’t naively wanted others to pay for it. Still, as long as there was nothing wrong nor any intention behind the actions, then it’s a blessing to be gladly received.
A few minutes later, after mulling over on his own, he asked Ji Guang how could Yang Dalang recover from his injuries and how to take care of him properly.
According to Ji Guang’s recount of his Master’s treatment and diagnosis, Yang Dalang couldn’t move as much as possible for the first five days, wincing from the pain. Those days of having fresh fractures and scrapes must be the most painful of all. Moreover, whenever the Master visited him during those times, he skillfully checked if there hadn’t been any instances where Dalang coughed up blood and heaved due to chest tightening. Furthermore, he also stayed longer than usual for possible follow-up injuries. After those five days, no internal injuries could be detected, so Dalang could finally go home and recuperate there. However, it’d take at least three months for an injury as serious as his to heal. And during those a hundred days, one could expect to wake up from pain and be uncomfortable.
“As for you, you have to lie down too! We’ve just said that you will rest after you see him.”
Miao He had no choice but to lie back on the bed to rest under Ji Guang’s flaring nostrils.
However, his mind was still in a complete mess. It kept thinking about the person in the next room for a while and feeling wistful about the living soil. He was concerned about the condition of Dabai too. Fortunately, before they had gone out last time, he had freed Dabai out of the bamboo basket and let it play in the yard. The unique basin made for him was also filled with water. If he’s feeling hungry, then the young budding leaves in the backyard could be eaten with no problem.
The following day, Miao He couldn’t lie still in his bed, so he went to the next door intending to take care of Yang Dalang. Only that, the moment he entered, he was immediately driven out by Ji Guang and the person who’s the reason for his listlessness. The next day, Miao He stressed that his head was really not dizzy, and Ji Guang was convinced to let him take over a part of the nursing work. The old doctor³, who went out previously, also came back to check up on his injuries. The doctor’s family name was Ji Ming Wang. He’s Ji Guang’s uncle. Ji Ming Wang inspected the accident’s tokens, and fortunately, they didn’t worsen. Miao He and Yang Dalang were also provisioned to rest their days in the hospital.
At this time, the news of the crash had reached the village. In this era, there was no ID card to identify people and their relatives. If they hadn’t been visited by any acquaintances, the hospital could only wait for Miao He and Yang Dalang to regain consciousness to confirm their identities. As soon as the news entered their ears, Aunt Yang, Miao Qiang, and his mother, Aunt Qing, hastened to visit the hospital.
When they arrived, they were shocked senseless at the scene before him. Miao He carried a bowl of medicine and fed it to Yang Dalang, sitting on the bed. Although those ribs got injured, Yang Dalang still found it difficult to raise his hand, affecting his internal injury. It was pretty painful. Miao He knew this, so he insisted on taking over and willingly spoonfed Dalang per se.
Miao Qiang, sweating all over due to the hot weather and worrying about his friend, only to be welcomed by this loving scene, and his face became unpleasant. He strode forward and rudely grabbed the medicine from Miao He’s hand. Whether it spilt or not, he didn’t care and right away yelled, “What good intentions are you faking?! Dalang was hurt by you! Indeed, you must stay away from him in the future!!”
Aunt Qing, who was following behind, was taken aback by this shout and sternly said, “What nonsense are you shouting about, Qiangzi!! A-niang asked you to come here for a visit, not for making trouble! Hurry up, go apologize to Brother He!!”
However, Miao Qiang still took his stance and wasn’t convinced. “A-niang! Didn’t you witness what Brother He did before and looked at him down because of that?! Why didn’t you listen to me after talking to Dalang last time? I tell you, this person seemed to have changed his mind!!”
Among the elders, only Aunt Qing and Yang Dalang, and his late mother, knew about the matter of his ominous fate. And even second Aunt Ying, his relative, only vaguely knew that Yang Dalang had a terrible future. Aunt Qing could only shout, “Qiangzi, enough! Shut up if you don’t understand!”
“As if!” Miao Qiang charged regardless of his mother’s warning. “Miao He! I’m warning you. If you want to play any tricks on anyone, you may fool others, but you definitely can’t fool me! I will catch you and your false deeds! Dalang, you look out! Don’t fall into his evil schemes! I– ‘ll see you another day! Wait until the hindrance is gone!”
After that, Miao Qiang stormed out of the room. Miao Qiangniang’s face wasn’t great, and her temper hadn’t yet passed, so she held it in and blew. “Dalang, I’m sorry. I am afraid that I have spoiled Qiangzi too much that his temper has become stronger. I’ll speak with him slowly. Brother He, don’t worry about it and just think about having a good life with Dalang in the future. If you have any difficulties, don’t hold back, and just come and say it to Aunt Qing. Aunt Qing will definitely help you.”
Second Aunt Yang also nodded and said, “That’s true. Brother He, everyone thinks that Dalang has been injured because of you. If you still have no heart and eyes, then the Heavens won’t, without doubt, stand idly by. Don’t deem that your aunt speaks viciously. Someday in the future, when Yang Dalang has fully healed, this day will become a good memory, and you two must certainly live well ah. When your aunt goes to pay homage to your mother, you should also say good words for me.” The last sentence was directed at Yang Dalang.
Miao He could only nod his head obediently on this occasion. Yang Dalang also nodded with a pale face. I know.”
Later, the two aunts inquired about Yang Dalang’s injury and asked whether the money for hospital bills was enough. Then, they stuffed a bamboo basket into Miao He’s arms, which was quite heavy. Aunt Yang said, “There are some eggs. This hospital might be able to let you borrow the kitchen room for a while, so just ask the staff if you need to. Stew an egg soup every day to make up for Dalang. Got it?”
Miao He thanked her for the thoughtfulness. Seeing Yang Dalang was still uncomfortable, Aunt Yang and Aunt Qing didn’t stay for too long. They left after exchanging goodbyes with Miao He.
When the visitors departed, Miao He stood up to get an extra bowl of medicine and returned to continue feeding Yang Dalang.
As he sat down, the deep orbs of Yang Dalang instantly stared at Miao He’s confused ones. His black eyes seemed to carry extra weight.
A few seconds had passed, and Miao He felt uncomfortable. “What’s wrong, is it very hot?”
“From now on, follow me,” Yang Dalang said suddenly.
Miao He was taken aback and was still for some time. Digesting the words that had just been said, hues of red immediately bled his pale face. He understood what Dalang had asked for.
‘Live with him, and live well. Talk about the past no more. And can I refuse? Or, do I want to create ways to refuse?’
Miao He lowered his eyes, and after a long while, he let out an “En”.
[1] 主 母 zhǔ mǔ means master or owner and mother respectively.
[2] 小公子 xiǎo gōng zǐ. 小 means little or tiny while 公子 is a son of an official or son of nobility. Basically, it’s just a ‘young master’ in English.
[3] 老 大夫 lǎo dài fu. 老 means old and 大夫 means, doctor or physician.
