Chapter 10 Two Fish And A Melon

Zhu Mingyang felt that his body was dragged upward. He slowly opened his eyes, the sunlight burned his eyes, and then he closed his eyes again. He can't remember where he is. He remembered that he had been walking for a long time, until he could no longer walk, he gave up, and fell onto the ground. He doesn't remember anything, but he does remember his dream. In his dream, he returned to the small woodshed where he lived with his mother. He felt warm tears from the corners of his eyes.

He heard a voice complaining, "Da ge, you are really heavy. Why is there a big man like you? Shoot, I got rope burns on my shoulders." Everything from there turned into darkness.

Zhu Mingyang didn't know how long he had been out, but when he slowly opened his eyes again, he saw a man brewing medicine beside the fire pit. He found himself sleeping on his left side, facing the man. He stretched out his hand and felt beside him and he realized he was sleeping on the ground.

Zhu Mingyang asked weakly, "Who are you?"

The man turned to Zhu Mingyang and said, "You are awake now." The man approached Zhu Mingyang and helped him sit up. "I'm Yan Zhanjin."

Zhu Mingyang, "You help me? Why?"

Yan Zhanjin, "I am a doctor, and I will not let anyone die in front of me." He looked at Zhu Mingyang. "Sorry, you are too heavy, so I can't lift you to the bed." He slowly back away from Zhu Mingyang. "Are you a criminal?"

Zhu Mingyang, "No."

Yan Zhanjin, "Why do you have so many scars?"

Zhu Mingyang, "I am a bodyguard." Zhu Mingyang looked around. "You live here?"

Yan Zhanjin nodded.

Zhu Mingyang, "On your own?"

Yan Zhanjin nodded, "My shimei live in Jinfeng Sect."

Zhu Mingyang, "Are you a disciple of Jinfeng Sect?"

Yan Zhanjin, "No, my master is Chen Fa. I can't stand the rule of Jingfeng Sect so I decided to live here. This place is very quiet." He handed Zhu Mingyang a bowl of brewed medicine. He looked at Zhu Mingyang. "So, are you sure you are not a criminal?"

Zhu Mingyang asked, "Why do you think I am a criminal?"

Yan Zhanjin laughed, "Because only war criminal will drink the poison of forgetfulness."

Zhu Mingyang, "You know about the poison?"

Yan Zhanjin, "Yes, my master created it."

Zhu Mingyang, "Sometime, something are wroth forgetting. Don't you want to ask why?"

Yan Zhanjin, "Everyone has their reason. There is no need for me to ask."

Zhu Mingyang watched Yan Zhanjin walked inside the small bamboo shed and walked out with some clothes and cloth. Yan Zhanjin put everything on the bed.

Yan Zhanjin said, "Come sit on the bed. Let me see your wound."

Zhu Mingyang slowly stood up, took off his robe, and sat on the bed with his back facing Yan Zhanjin.

Zhu Mingyang said, "Thank you."

Yan Zhanjin, "You're welcome."

Yan Zhanjin began to wipe all the dried blood on Zhu Mingyang's back. There were so many scars that Yan Zhanjin was scared. He had never seen so many injuries on a body of a person before. There are new scars and old scars. There are scars from knives, swords and whips. Then he suddenly felt sorry for Zhu Mingyang. When he dried the blood, he slowly blew the wound.

After Yan Zhanjin applied medicine to the wound, he wrapped Zhu Mingyang's back and chest. He looked at his basin, the white cloth was dyed red, and the water was also dyed red.

Yan Zhanjin picked up the water basin and said, "I have cooked some soup. Let me get you a bowl." He smiled at Zhu Mingyang. "My pants may be too small for you, but wear them now." He picked up Zhu Mingyang's bloody clothes. "I will go get you that soup."

Zhu Mingyang didn't remember whether if he was dreaming or not, but he heard the soft music made by the early birds. Since the day his mother died until last night, he has never slept well, but last night was the first time he sleep without worried. He is not afraid to sleep with his eyes closed. He knows his time is limited, but he wants to cherish it. He woke up and saw a bowl of medicine and a bowl of lotus root pork soup on top of a small note. He took the note, which read "Eat before taking the medicine."

Zhu Mingyang walked to the back of the house and saw a small vegetable garden, a water well, and a clothesline. His clothes were hung on the clothesline. Outside the clothesline, many medicines were lay out to dry.

When Zhu Mingyang looked around, he heard an old woman calling from the other side of the house. "Yan yisheng, are you at home?"

Zhu Mingyang walked around the house to the front door of the house. He saw two elderly couples standing at the front door.

The old woman asked, "Who are you? Where is Yan yisheng?"

Zhu Mingyang, "I am his cousin. He is not at home."

Then, the old woman gave Zhu Mingyang two fish. She smiled and said, "This is for Yan yisheng."

Zhu Mingyang took the two fish and watched the two elder couple walk away from Yan Zhanjin's house. He stared at the two fish, then thought about himself.

Yan Zhanjin said, "Don't stare at it for too long, because you may not want to eat it." Yan Zhanjin approaching from the back of the house.

Zhu Mingyang, "These are for you." He handed the two fish to Yan Zhanjin.

Yan Zhanjin took the two fish from Zhu Mingyang. Then, a young woman walked over and stopped in front of Zhu Mingyang and Yan Zhanjin.

The young woman smiled and said, "Yan yisheng, this melon is for you."

Yan Zhanjin said, "Give that to that da ge."

The young woman gave the melon to Zhu Mingyang, and she carried her clothes basin and walked towards the river.

Zhu Mingyang and Yan Zhanjin walked to the back of the house. Yan Zhanjin put down the bamboo basket. He turned his head to look at Zhu Mingyang and said, "If you want to eat melon, please help yourself."

Zhu Mingyang watched Yan Zhanjin happily cooked the food and he began to cut the melon. After a while, Zhanjin bring out the two cooked fish and stir-fry vegetable.

When the two started eating, Zhu Mingyang felt that the plain two fish and the stir-fry vegetable that was made by Yan Zhanjin tasted better than the ten dishes made by the famous chef in Gu's Manor.

This is the first time he had eaten in a long time, without worrying about someone going to poison his food.

Zhu Mingyang said, "I am Zhu Mingyang."

Yan Zhanjin, "Zhu-xiong, you finally introduce yourself."

Zhu Mingyang, "You can me Mingyang."

Yan Zhanjin, "Then you can call me Zhanjin too. Did you drink your medicine?"

Zhu Mingyang, "Yes."

Yan Zhanjin, "One more bowl tomorrow will be enough."

Zhu Mingyang asked, "What do you have me drink?"

Yan Zhanjin, "Detoxification."

Zhu Mingyang, "Thank you, but there are something that I really need to forget."

Yan Zhanjin, "Memories are what made us who we are. No matter how much pain we suffered in our past, let those suffering teach us to not make the same mistakes."

Zhu Mingyang, "You are correct."

Yan Zhanjin, "If your past is too dark than you don't have think about it. Everyone can start over again. Just like me. I want to be the best doctor, the royal doctor in the palace, but I realized that whether in the palace or in this small village, as long as I can save people, I can be happy. And, here, I have more freedom to do what I want to do. I don't have to be bid my some rules or follow certain rules. I can live according to my heart desires here." He looked at Zhu Mingyang. "Mingyang…"

Zhu Mingyang looked at Yan Zhanjin, but it seemed that the person sitting in front of him was Gu Yingjie. Who smiled at him. He murmured softly: "Yingjie..."

Yan Zhanjin, "Mingyang, are you alright?"

Zhu Mingyang then regained his vision, and he realized that it's not Gu Yingjie who sat in front of him but it was Yan Zhanjin, "I'm sorry."

Yan Zhanjin, "Who is this Yingjie?"

Zhu Mingyang then said, "Someone I wish to forget."

Yan Zhanjin smiled, "Mingyang, it is always difficult to forget, but I believe that in the future, you will be happy enough to put your past behind you." He frowned. "You reminded me of someone I know. I wonder how he is doing."

Zhu Mingyang, "Who?"

Yan Zhanjin, "Ma ge. When I left Jinfeng Sect, he was still grieving. It is always difficult to lose someone. I wonder how he is doing."