Chapter 17 Adultery

Four friends are sitting in the old small pavilion.

Bazar Batu, "Cao Fengge… how did people with the surname Cao know the Mu acupuncture technique?"

Yan Zhanjin, "I don't know. My shifu didn't mention it."

Bazar Batu, "What happen then?"

Yan Zhanjin, "He stole the human skin and left."

Bazar Batu, "Da ge... that is it?"

Yan Zhanjin, "That is it?"

Bazar Batu, "I mean, you rant for two hours about your shifu who took the map out of the palace, but for Cao Fengge, you only say that he stole the map. It don't make sense."

Yan Zhanjin, "That's what my shifu told us."

Chen Dandan, "Shixiong, if you going to tell them the story why are you skipping?"

Bazar Batu, "That is correct." He smiled at Chen Dandan.

Chen Dandan said, "Because you are not doing well, I will tell this story. My father said that Cao Fengge visited the Chen household in Chen village a few years ago."

Cao Fengge walked along the dirt road. He heard women talking and singing. He stopped and saw five women washing clothes on the bank of the river. He stood there and listened to their singing.

"The woman preparing her husband's last super

Sitting next to her lover for the last time

Because early in the morning, he will march into war

Who knows when he will be coming home?

Who knows whether he will walk home or coming home on a horse's back?

The woman painted her lips as red as blood

Wave goodbye to her husband and smile without tear

Her husband will remember her smile instead of her tears

Because who knows when he will be coming home?

Who knows weather he will walk home or coming home on a horse's back?

Then, the women put the washed clothes in a wooden basin, walked to the dirt road, and met Cao Fengge. Only when they saw Cao Fengge did they stop singing.

Cao Fengge smiled and said, "Xiaojie, the songs you ladies sing are very beautiful." The ladies giggled shyly. "Excuse me, do you know Chen Fa?"

The eldest woman in the group pulled a young woman in front. She said, "She know Chen Fa." She looked at the shy young lady. "Liqin, can take you to find him."

Cao Fengge smiled and said, "Xiaojie, thank you."

Li Liqin led Cao Fengge into a small house on the outskirts of the village. They saw a young man mixing medicine outside of the small house.

Li Liqin said shyly, "He is Chen Fa." She walked Cao Fengge to Chen Fai. "Chen ge, this man is looking for you." She carried her wooden basin to the back of the house.

Chen Fa stood up and said, "How can I help you?"

Cao Fengge, "Chen yisheng, I came hopping to learn some medical skills from you. I tried to learn from the Mu, but they decline to accept me because I am not surname Mu."

Chen Fa frantically said, "Those Mu, they think they are the best. I don't like them, and I will not share my knowledge with you."

Li Liqin walked to the table of the two men and put a pot of tea down on tje table. Cao Fengge stared at her. Li Liqin walked away shyly.

Cao Fengge, "Chen Yisheng, I happen to know Mu acupuncture technique. I can teach you if you want."

Chen Fa, "I do." Then he looked at Cao Fengge and asked, "Cao xiong, what do you want?"

Cao Fengge, "I just want to ask about the scholars who took the loyalty exam a year ago? I don't want to hide anything from you. The court wants me to return what eunuch Sun lost."

Chen Fa smiled slightly, "Are you talking about the bamboo tube?"

Cao Fengge, "Do you know?"

Chen Fa laughed and said, "Yes. II found it on the ground. I planned to return it to the eunuch Sun, but the old eunuch was unreasonable. He called me an uneducated peasant and slapped me twice. I want to teach him a lesson, so I did not return it to him."

Cao Fengge, "You have it?"

Chen Fa, "Yes."

Cao Fengge, "To be honest, I don't care about it. You can keep it and let the Sun eunuch continue to search."

Chen Fa laughed and said, "Ha…ha…ha…ha…I would love to see that arrogant face."

Cao Fengge laughed, "It's not so arrogant now. He got demoted to yard worker."

The two men laughed and continued their conversation as the sun began to set uppon the orange horizon.

Later that night, after dinner, Chen Fa left his study. Li Liqin looked at the moon alone. Cao Fengge walked over and sat next to Li Liqin.

Cao Fengge said, "Is your name Liqin?"

Li Liqin, "How did you know?"

Cao Fengge, "I remember that xiaojie call you Liqin." He stared at Li Liqin. "Your name is as beautiful as you."

Li Liqin, "Thanks for the your compliment."

Cao Fengge, "What is your relationship with Chen Fa?"

Li Liqin, "He is my husband." She sighed deeply.

Cao Fengge asked, "Are you satisfied with this marriage?"

Li Liqin said, "I no have a choice. He is my fiancé before I was born. My idea husband is not some doctor devotes all his time and energy to medicine." She stood up. "Thank you for listening to me."

When Cao Fengge walked by the water well early the next morning, he heard Chen Fa yelling at Li Liqin.

Chen Fa shouted at Li Liqin, "I told a lot of time not to touch my medicine. These plants cannot be water in the morning." He picked up the pot of plant and pulled the plant and placed the plant into a different pot.

Li Liqin asked sadly, "Fa ge, is that plant more important than the person standing in front of you?"

Chen Fa said, "I am making a powder that can protect the corpse from decay." He turned around and said softly to his plant. "Nothing can compare to this plant." He turned to his plant. "Precious...don't die on me." He grabbed plant pot and walked into his medicine room.

Li Liqin ran to the back of the house. It was already dark when she return an she sat beside the well and cried. Then Cao Fengge handed her the handkerchief.

Cao Fengge, "Why are you crying? A beautiful lady like you, shouldn't cry?"

Li Liqin took the handkerchief from Cao Fengge's hand. She murmured, "Does all men think the same like him? Always put their ambition before anything or anyone?"

Cao Fengge, "I"It depends on who you ask?"

Li Liqin, "How about you?"

Cao Fengge, "If you ask me, my answer is all men are not a like. Other men may be too ambitious, but I...I will only see what is in front of me. I will take care of and cherish those who love me." He turned Li Liqin's face around and kissed her. Then after a while, he pulled his lips away. "I'm sorry. I have never seen a person as beautiful as you. I can't resist."

Since Li Liqin married Chen Fa, Chen Fa has never said the kind words Cao Fengge said to her just now. She knew she is Chen Fa's wife, but Chen Fa never regarded her as his wife. She doesn't know what love is. She doesn't know how to love or be loved by another person. She stretched out her head and kissed Cao Fengge.

Cao Fengge quickly took off his belt sash then hers. He lift Li Liqin's dress up, sat her on the kitchen table, and then inserted his member inside her.

When the wind blows in the beautiful moonlight, the sound that can be heard were the crickets singing at night and the squeaking table. The two person knew wholeheartedly that they were committing adultery, but their desire for each other was irretrievable.