My Little White Cat

Xuxian fanned the small earthen pot on the fire, anxiously watching the flames that licked at its base. A thin trickle of steam escaped from under the lid, filling their hut with a heady herbal fragrance.

He fed a piece of wood to the fire and sat back on his heels to watch the flames. As they burned more steadily he heaved a contented sigh and relaxed his furrowed brows. This prescription had some expensive herbs in it and he couldn't afford to let it get burnt or overcooked. He made a mental note to himself to remember that he had run out of dang gui; he'd used the last of the angelica in this prescription.

Putting down the fan, he sat down and stretched his arms and neck, making a face ruefully as the tendons smarted. He had been crouching anxiously by the prescription for so long his joints had gotten stiff.

A soft sighing sound interrupted him and he looked around for the first time. A smile crept onto his lips despite his aching shoulders. Susu had fallen asleep while mending his tunic; she had settled herself in her favourite spot, right before the window where the sun came streaming in in a gold torrent, and the shadows of the wisteria boughs fell like a lace shawl over her. He had often caught her asleep like this in the same spot. She liked to curl up on the floor in a patch of sunlight and nap with her head pillowed on her arms, feet nestled beneath her, until her black hair glowed silver and the drowsy pupils of her eyes, when he woke her with a kiss, looked uncannily amber. Like a cat, he had teased her fondly. My little white cat, my xiao bai mao, my Susu. This always made her laugh for some reason as if he had said something silly. I don't even like cats, she would retort, making a face, and pretend to scratch at him for punishment. He used to tease her for being lazy until he realized that it was the sun's warmth she unconsciously craved, and as the weather had started to get colder he had noticed she sought the patch of sunlight more and more. After all, she had a cool constitution, where she easily got chilled and lost heat. Their little hut could be cold in the winter, he thought anxiously, even with the small charcoal brazier and the fire on the hearth.

Xuxian leaned his head on his arm and studied her thoughtfully. The sun's warmth brought a soft glow into her cheeks and she smiled dreamily in her sleep. She had gotten a little thinner, he realized with a pang. The curve of her cheek was not as full as it had been, and the little hollow in her neck seemed to be deeper; or was it just the shadows thrown by the sun?

His face brightened as he suddenly thought of an idea. He would trap some rabbits and use the pelts to line a cloak for her, which she could use during the winter. If he could catch enough before winter came, that is. He would choose a handsome cloak, to match the fur lining; a dark red one, if they had such a one, would look striking with her fair skin. With a hood, as well. Perhaps he should buy a thicker quilt at the market too; the one on their bed was worn somewhat thin, though he had not noticed it until now.

Noticing a ray of sunlight shining directly over her eyes, he softly got to his feet, trying not to make a noise, and stifling a wince as his stiff joints twinged. Xuxian picked up the fan and settled himself beside her, holding the fan up to shade her eyes from the sun. He thought he hadn't made any noise, but her eyes flickered open almost instantly as he lowered himself besides her.

She smiled drowsily up at him and pushed the fan away. "No need. I should finish mending your tunic." she murmured.

A shade of anxiety crossed her face as she sat up and glanced about. "Oh no. Where did the needle go?"

Xuxian shook his head. "Look at you. At least secure the needle somewhere before you sleep next time." He got on his hands and knees and they searched for the needle until a stray glint in a fold of her robe caught her eye.

"You could have been stabbed by it if you weren't careful, Susu. It wasn't even threaded." he said reprovingly, as he picked up his fan.

She threaded it serenely. "Is your prescription done?" she asked innocently.

Xuxian scrambled to his feet and dashed over to the pot he had forgotten, fanning it frantically. He lifted the lid, scalding his fingers in his haste, and sniffed it anxiously. There was a tense silence, and then he heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens, it's not burnt. It should be done any time now, though" he added, stirring it experimentally.

He glanced at Suzhen and abruptly put the fan down. "Susu. Let's go to the mountains."

She looked up, startled. "The mountain?"

"We haven't gone together to collect herbs since we got married. You've been so busy with the household chores, I never thought of asking you to come. I need to get some more dang gui, so we could look for some, and see if we can find any wild mushrooms as well..." Suddenly he smiled. "And we could go swimming."

Suzhen's face lit up. She dropped the needle, clapping her hands happily, causing Xuxian to lunge forward and catch it with an alarmed expression. "Yes! I would love that."

"Only because it's sunny today, though. And we are not staying until the sun sets. The weather is getting colder now, you have to be careful not to catch a chill with your constitution." he warned.

Suzhen was already folding away the tunic, sticking the needle impatiently into the sleeve. "Is your prescription done yet? I'll get the basket. And let's bring something to eat in case we get hungry."

Her eyes shone. "Then we can picnic by the lake, just like we used to."