Chapter 30 Apples for Lunch

[Huo Lian]

As I open my eyes, I am greeted by the sight of a wooden roof, its beams rough-hewn and darkened by time. The morning light filters through small cracks, casting a dappled pattern across the ceiling. The room is filled with the scent of aged wood and faint traces of medicinal herbs. Above me is the underside of someone's face. The person I have sensed but not felt, the person I have heard but not seen. It was him. Tears drop from my eyes as I slowly sit up, the tears unending.

Once I am finally sitting up right, I feel the effort he has put into keeping my muscles functioning. Day in and day out for 90 days, he would move every muscle to prevent any complications and now I see the result of his unyielding care. He laid me upon his thighs as he slept, his exhaustion evident in the way he slept so soundly. 

"Haha, no doubt he slept. He was so tired after fighting the serpent," I think as I stare at his face. I can't help but notice his skin is fairer than I remember from my childhood. Instead of manning his fields, he must have been busy inside reading. No wonder his change in complexion. 

The sudden thought of him being fairer than me prompts me to look down at my hand. It is not the hand I remember. My hand was once filled with cuts and bruises from training and battling. Now, the skin looks smooth and fair, as if it has never seen the brutality of the noon sun or the soft caress of the morning sunshine. I recall the fall and think my body was reforged somehow. I can't help but be thankful.

I try to stand, barely managing to do so. Walk back and forth, but it seems I will need practice. For now, let's go to the kitchen.

[Doctor Zhen Jian]

I was so tired from the fight that I could take Mrs. Patient to the bedrooms . I stead I placed her head on my lap as a pillow and fell asleep.

"Yaaawn," I stretch as I wake from my nap and look down to see how Mrs. Patient is doing. But my lap is empty. "Huh, where did she go? Did she fall and roll away?"

"Hahaha, you think I am a ball?" I hear a soft laugh, like the chiming of bells, and turn to the side. I see Mrs. Patient walking towards me with a tray. She looks more vibrant, her skin fair and smooth, and her eyes sparkling with life.

I jump up and exclaim, "Mrs. Patient, you're awake!" I quickly get up to support her by placing a hand on her back and the other under the tray. "Please, you should rest and not move around too much yet."

"Haha, Jian, you always worry too much. Thanks to you my body is fine, I don't feel stiff at all, only a bit weak," she says with a reassuring smile.

"Okay, let me go make you—" I begin.

"Don't go to the kitchen," she cuts me off and says with a straight face. 

"But don't you want to eat something?" I ask.

She smiles and says, "That's why I brought these." The tray has a cup of water and about half a dozen apples. For some reason, I feel it would be better not to question her right now.

"And besides, don't you want to sit down and talk with me?" she says with a large smile.

"Ah, of course, yes. I have so many questions." I become visibly excited and stand up in agitation.

"Haha, sit down, sit down. Here, take a bite and ask me anything and everything, Jian." She offers me an apple, but as I try to grab it, she dodges my hand.

"Jian, come take a bite," she repeats, holding the apple closer to me. 

"Ah, I see. I am sorry." I don't know why I apologized, but I felt like I did something wrong there." I take a big bite of the apple, the crispness and sweetness filling my mouth. Seeing me take a bite, her smile grows even larger.

"Good, good, good. Now ask me," she says, wiping off the small amount of juice from the apple off my face with her thumb and then licking it. The gesture gives me goosebumps and makes me very nervous, but my curiosity is too strong to care right now.

"Okay, so first question: how much do you remember from your comatose state?"

"Everything," she replies with her large smile. Her smile is really captivating, I think. I then shake my head to remove the useless thoughts.

[Huo Lian]

Oh my, he is really easy to read. I tried to put on my best smile for him and he was really dazed for a second. "Hahaha, my Jian, you're too easy." I finally get to see his eyes. They are bright blue, filled with curiosity and wonder. I knew he had a small ponytail, but I didn't get to see his dark-as-night hair before. 

Ah, to see, is a wonderful thing.

"Everything," he repeats and nods. "That's very good, Mrs.—"

I cut him off. "Let's talk about something else. I don't want to hear 'Mrs. Patient' anymore. I want to be called something better. Haha, to think I used to hate my name just a few months ago."

"Okay, what do you want to talk about? You must have been so bored until now. Sorry about that," he says, looking embarrassed. Ah, my Jian is too endearing.

"No, I was never bored with Jian, but I would like to talk about something. Hmm, let's talk about the girl you love." I watch his face turn bright red. Haha, I chuckle.

[Zhen Jian]

The first conversation we have, and it ends up being something very embarrassing for me. She chuckles again. I really like the sound of her laughing. She has been laughing a lot since she woke up. It's such a nice sight to see.

"Uh, okay," I say, embarrassed.

"Haha, no need to be embarrassed, Jian. These types of things you need to say clearly," she instructs.

I nod and reply, "Okay, so what do you want to know about her?"

"Tell me her name," she says. Didn't she say she remembers everything? Oh well, maybe it's fun for her to talk about these things like Mrs. Qin.

"Her name was Huo Lian," I replied. I will never forget her or her name for as long as I live. I hope she is well.

"I see," she nods while her smile grows. "What is her hair color?" she asks me while twirling her own long hair.

"It was brown, like yours." That too I couldn't forget. It was the same as Mrs. Patient's gentle brown hair.

She nods and says, "Good, very good." I am kind of confused over the conversation, but as long as she is happy, I guess it's fine.