Chapter 1 (2/2)
When the duck soup was ready, Ma Zi knocked on Xiao Liu’s door and he walked out and entered the man’s room Just like how he fed the ood half hour
After letting the man rest for a bit, Xiao Liu rubbed ointment on his hands and prepared to help apply accupressure on the ……even though its been some time and some of the muscle has atrophied and is very painful, if stimulated this way it can help some recovery” The man’s eyes were closed and he nodded
Xiao Liu s thatin co to distract hi to the clinic I passed a house with vines and purple flowers growing all over the wall, and when the wind blew all the flowers ca down like rain I was so distracted because I couldn’t believe this family would waste such delicious flohich can be made into yummy biscuits…”
From outside the room, Ma Zi said to Chaun Zi “I don’t think Brother Liu will ask ar’s body was broken and frail and his ugliness was frightening to behold Even Ma Zi didn’t really want to keep seeing it
True to Ma Zi’s words, Xiao Liu never asked hi hi ointment, Xiao Liu did it all hiar’s throat injury was mostly healed and he could s but the habit was already formed Every day Ma Zi would stand outside the room with a bowl of medicine and holler towards the clinic “Brother Liu ———-” And Xiao Liu would quickly finish with the patient and rush into the backyard room
After half a year, theThe nails on his fingers and toes were not corown back yet but he could touch water now So Xiao Liu stopped washi+ng his body and instead prepared a tub so he could take proper baths
After being taking care of by Xiao Liu for six er stick and bones thin but he was still very light When Xiao Liu picked hied “EatDuring this entire time he was like that Every time Xiao Liu touched his body, he shut his eyes and pursed his lips Xiao Liu understood After enduring so much torture, his body despised any type of touch and each time he had to endure it
Xiao Liu put the cloth next to hirown back yet so don’t scrub so hard”
Xiao Liu sat to the side and munched on a snack and kept him company
Perhaps because each scar on his body was a type of shame, the man always kept his head raised and eyes closed as to not look at his own body He took the cloth and started washi+ng himself From the neck down to the chest down to the stos
Xiao Liu’s eyes followed his hand when suddenly he turned to the side andcrunch crunch sounds
The ht shone through theand bathed Xiao Liu in light His cheeks were red and it was illuht like a piece of beautiful jade with red spots on it
Xiao Liu waited until theand carried hi wasn’t fully healed, usually Xiao Liu helped dress hio
Thehis body and the other clasping his robe shut His hands were thin but very long, the newly grown nails white and healthy
Xiao Liu kept his head lowered and put the robe next to hi yourself If you can’t do it then call me”
Xiao Liu hurried out of the roo to the sounds, and when it all sounded nor the herbs and saw Xiao Liu and asked “Haven’t heart him speak in half a year What if he’s stupid?”
Ma Zi s unspeakable torture, even surviving is a source of admiration The willpower, he can’t be a stupid person”
Ma Zi asked “Is his vocal chords daed and now he can’t speak?”
Xiao Liu said “I checked his throat and while there is an injury and his voice will sound different than before but he should be able to talk”
Ma Zi was happy “That’s good to know”
Xiao Liu said “With respect to his injuries, regardless of whether you’ve seen it, froain”
Chuan Zi raised a hand “I never had the guts to look in the first place so I saw nothing”
Ma Zi added “Don’t worry, Lao Mu already reot other people’s business, I forget my own stuff all the time”
The door opened and the man supported himself on the wall and wobbled outside
In the past it was usually dusk when Xiao Liu carried hiet some sun and fresh air Today was the first tiainst the wall and raised his head to silently look at the blue sky and white clouds
Ma Zi and Chuan Zi gaped at the man Because his injuries left the at him Chuan Zi even refused to enter his room
This was the first ti black eyebrows, sparkling eyes, a high straight nose, his siance and sophistication In a second both Ma Zi and Chuan Zi felt so unworthy and also in awe Xiao Liu rubbed sos don’t hurt tooaround more You should be able to leave in 3 to 4 months”
The man lowered his head and looked directly at Xiao Liu “I Have No Place To Go” He likely hadn’t spoken a word in a few years and his voice was scratchy but his enunciation was clear Xiao Liu leaned back and propped his feet up while chewing the dry grass “No place to go? Is that true?”
The man nodded
Xiao Liu asked “What’s your name?”
The man shook his head
“You don’t know? Don’t remember? Don’t want to tell me?”
“You Saved me I Am Your servant Give narass wad “You don’t seem like someone who serves and would listen to orders I don’t want you”
The man kept his eyes lowered “I Listen To you”
Xiao Liu chewed rass “In the future if you see people who know you, you will still listen to ripped the bannister, his face pale and he remained silent
Xiao Liu was about to scoff when he raised his eyes and looked directly at him “I listen!” In his clear eyes there appeared to be flashi+ng e the word “listen” in his heart Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment and then said “Then you can stay”
The man’s lips moved as if he wanted to srass “Go sit somewhere and chew this”
The man obediently sat down on the stone steps to the side and slowly tore off sorass and put it in his rass, his ave off the irass but the fruit of the Gods frorass is good for your throat”
Ma Zi scratched hus head and said to Xiao Liu “Brother Liu, give hiar” Xiao Liu said “Then call hirass) then”
“NO!!!!” Both Ma Zi and Chuan Zi objected “Give him a better name, not like our na with our names?”
“Our names suit us, but it doesn’t suit hiree on the stone steps and then stuck his head close to Ma Zi and Chuan Zi and pointed to hiood as him?”
Chuan Zi carefully asked “Does Brother Liu want to hear the truth or not the truth?”
Ma Zi consoled him “Brother Liu, some people were born on top of the clouds, others are no better than dirt There is nothing to co and live our dirt life as best as can be”
Xiao Liu raged “I want to call him Dirt then!”
Ma Zi and Chuan Zi both yelled “Nooooooo!”
Ma Zi wanted the beggar not to be angry at hied “Brother Liu, think of another name please”
Chuan Zi also said “Yes, yes, think of another naood as Brother Liu’s naot all excited and reached for a medicinal herb from the basket and tossed it to Ma Zi “Count the leaves and that will be his name”
“…………1, 2………17 leaves”
Xiao Liu turned around and yelled “Beggar, from now on your name is Ye shi+ Qi” (Ye means leaves and shi+ Qi means 17 so his name means 17 leaves)
Ye shi+ Qi nodded and Ma Zi and Chuan Zi thought about it and decided it wasn’t bad They both laughed and went to say hi to shi+ Qi
Lao Mu called from the front “Xiao Liu, a patient is here”
Xiao Liu kicked both Ma Zi and Chuan Zi in the butt and hummed a ditty as he went out to see a patient
Time flew by and another half a year passed shi+ Qi’s injuries that could heal were all healed and the ones that couldn’t heal that was it The bone break in his femur was reattached but too much time had passed so when he walked he limped How the wounds in areas that couldn’t be seen were healing, Xiao Liu didn’t know since shi+ Qi never allowed him to help apply the medicine after he could do it hiave shi+ Qi sos “Our little Hui Chun Clinic…heh heh…you can tell Brother Liu’s medical skills isn’t all that…heh heh……have you heard of the Flao to the other end of town, there is the Bao Cao clinic run by a doctor who is aclan His skills are very i” shi+ Qi silently handed the ot i deal You can pay me interest if you want then”
shi+ Qi kept his head lowered and said “This Is good”
“What’s good about it? Do you want to be a cripple for the rest of your life?”
“He Doesn’t care”
“What? Who doesn’t care?” Ma Zi scratched his head “Oh! You say that as long as Brother Liu doesn’t care about it? How does that help you if he doesn’t care? Look at how lazy he is, he can eat a meal with a bowl and use the same dirty bowl for another s……”
shi+ Qi glanced behind Ma Zi anted to keep talking sense into shi+ Qi when suddenly he was smacked upside the back of his head so he immediately shut up
Xiao Liu’s head popped into view and he took the ht we can have a big feast!”
Xiao Liu’s eyes pop aroundaround with the rabbed thebehind his so I can take a wife……I need it to do proper stuff………”
That night everyone feasted ontheir faces, and Ma Zi eating as h it pained him to the core, while Lao Mu sipped his wine and stared at shi+ Qi
After eating, Xiao Liu, Ma Zi, and Chuan Zi were all passed out drink asleep Today was supposed to be Xiao Liu’s chore to do the dishes, but no one reed at Hui Chun Clinic that shi+ Qi did his own assigned chores but also did all of Xiao Liu’s assigned chores shi+ Qi collected all the dishes and grabbed a pail of water and sat down in the yard to wash the dishes
Lao Mu stood behind him and asked “Who are you?”
In the sound of the evening breeze, a scratchy voice replied “I am Ye shi+ Qi”
Koala post-script:
In case it’s not clear, Xiao Liu is our female lead Or he will become a “she” once he reverts back to his true self – her real identity is the Crown Princess of the Gao Xing Kingdom and her real na and her dom For those who have read Once Proreatest general of the Sheng Nong Kingdo not as royalty in her kingdo in soresses Of course it’s clear just from this first chapter that the poor tortured shi+ Qi is definitely more than meets the eye He is one of our male leads but leave so in their oay Once the leads are all out I’ll do a legend to keep track of names since everyone has at least two names/identities here This chapter feels ordinary and slow but it’s because the world all these people live in is so very extraordinary So the simple stuff you’ll all later come to remember fondly