Chapter 15 – The Debauchee and Trickster (2)

Her own hands moved nimbly, cracking, peeling, picking and eating the meat from the crabs and prawns in record time. Although as a physician she was not supposed to keep long nails, she kept her nails just a bit longer on her thumb and pinky finger, so she could peel medicinal herbs efficiently.

She had finished her own bowl of porridge. The man before her had already stopped eating. Shen Fei had lost so much weight that he was like a sack of bones. Since it was a rare occurrence that he didn’t dislike his food, but rather found the eating process cumbersome, Zhao Xi took the liberty of taking the shells from the seafood.

Due to her experience in handling medicinal herbs, Zhao Xi’s hands were agile. She cracked and peeled the crabs and prawns quickly, and Shen Fei cooperated in eating one whenever it was ready, until all was gone, and the bowl became empty.

Seeing the Shen Fei liked the food, Zhao Xi steamed crabs and prawns again in the afternoon. Learning from the previous meal that Shen Fei wasn’t fond of herbs and spices, she decided not to add them in the dish this time. In the end, instead of eating more, Shen Fei ate less than before.

As Shen Fei doesn’t provide feedback, complain, or react on the food—and the only way to tell he found it tasty is when he would eat—Zhao Xi felt troubled as she pondered over whether to add herbs and spices for dinner.

Having three meals of crabs and prawns in a day wasn’t healthy as they were food that cooled the body; eating too much would weaken a person’s body. At the same time, crabs and prawns contain a lot of nutrition and should not be removed from the diet.

Zhao Xi thought about it and decided to reduce the seafood’s cooling effect by mixing some medicine. For dinner, she cooked another pot and used the same herbs and condiments. As expected, Shen Fei removed all of them. But with Zhao Xi’s help on deshelling the crabs and prawns, Shen Fei ate just as much at breakfast. This meant that Shen Fei likes steamed crabs and prawns. He also had good eyesight to eb able to remove all the herbs and condiments from the dish.

Zhao Xi learned another preference of his. He especially likes deshelled prawns; if the prawns were not deshelled, he would not eat even one of them. As Shen Fei knew that deshelling prawns were a chore, he never once made the request for Zhao Xi to help. If she was willing to deshell the prawns, he would eat them; if she was unwilling to deshell, then he wouldn’t eat them.

Having lived with Shen Fei for a few days and having tried many different dishes, Zhao Xi was only able to discover this single food that Shen Fei likes. Realizing how picky he was, such that he would not even eat half a bowl if the food was not to his liking, and watching him becoming skinnier over the days, Zhao Xi was more than happy to indulge him in this liking. After all, prawns differ from other seafood and have more nutritional value.

Now that it was autumn, it was past the season for prawns. The prawns would hide in depths and were no longer easy to catch. She had to throw out three to four fish baskets just to catch enough prawns for one serving.

Afraid that he would have some health problems if he kept eating them, Zhao Xi prepared some medicine to remedy the side effects. To Shen Fei, eating the prawns was such a blissful moment of enjoyment, and drinking the medicine was like crashing down into the depths of fiery hell.

It is easy for different tonics to counteract against each other and cause negative side effects, therefore, Zhao Xi was very careful to ensure the medicine she brewed did not clash but neutralize each other instead. Unfortunately, this made the medicine taste more bitter than before. Shen Fei could no longer stand drinking it any longer.

It was on the sixth day living with Shen Fei did Zhao Xi finally realize that he was no longer taking his medicine.

*

Ever since the day that she requested to learn how to read, even though Shen Fei did not acknowledge her request, he had silently agreed to the condition to protect himself. Whenever Zhao Xi took a book to him, he was always serious when teaching her how to read the words, explain its meaning and usage. It was as if nothing was too difficult for Shen Fei; he was truly erudite.

As Zhao Xi was focused on learning, it took her a long time before she noticed that something was not quite right. Shen Fei was so detailed not because he was conscientious in his teaching, but because he didn’t want to drink the medicine.

He delayed drinking his medicine until it would turn cold. Cold medicine couldn’t be taken, and so Zhao Xi would reheat it. But some of the medicine would evaporate during the reheating, leaving less tonic behind. Using this trick, the man could slyly drink only a few mouthfuls.

Seeing that Shen Fei was going to such extent, she was unwilling to reveal his trick. But drinking the medicine was an important matter, as it concerned his weakened body. As such, Zhao Xi would no longer come to him for teaching when it was time to drink his medicine; all matters could wait till he was done consuming it.

Shen Fei seemed to realize that his trick was discovered and started to think of other methods. He sneakily pouring the concoction away while reading, acted as if he drank the medicine and even ate the preserves after.

Zhao Xi was dumbfounded as she watched this whole elaborate act just to avoid the bitter tonic.