Chapter 8 – Your Name (2)

Translator: Lunarise
Editor: Lunarise
Proofreader: Livyuna

Early the next morning, after serving him a meager breakfast and more of the dreaded concoction, Zhao Xi took out a dusty measuring stick so she could know the size of the clothes she would buy. Already accustomed to being seen fully naked, the man did not resist or even make a single sound when she made him lie down on the bed with the blanket drawn down. The healer considered measuring his feet as well. But his legs are still broken, he’s not going anywhere, she thought. But then, Fei would need something for his feet because he would still have to go to the toilet.

Speaking of more purchases for her patient, Zhao Xi resolved to buy a bottle of body wash as well, if it was available. She made her own soap bars from whatever was available around her, but these were rough. And besides, the body wash could be used to wash both body and hair, making it more convenient. Though there is the problem of where am I going to get the money to pay for all of this, she mused.

Lastly, she would also need to buy a jar of honey for Ping An. The bear was stung badly yesterday when it tried to touch a beehive. It had gotten quite good at getting honey quickly, before the bees attacked. But nobody’s perfect, she thought with a smile.

Having finalized her mental list, Zhao Xi thought of how her patient would cope without her. On foot, the trip would take a few hours and it would take a miracle for her to be back by noon. As a solution, she went to the tree right beside the house and climbed up to a branch where a bird’s nest was balanced on. She took out two of the eggs there, walked back to the house and handed it to Fei.

These were usually kept for Ping An as a treat. The bear loved bird eggs almost as much as honey and would do anything for it. Birds usually wised up after the first theft of their eggs and would build another nest farther away. Zhao Xi used the bear’s appetite for these and trained it to do tricks in exchange for eggs.

She told Fei, “If you’re hungry at noon, you can just knock the eggs out and eat them raw, or you can give them to Ping An. It will be nice to anybody who gives it food. If you give the eggs to it, it’ll pick fruits for you. You can eat those for lunch.” Zhao Xi didn’t expect him to eat those raw. She was counting on it so that once Shen Fei handed over the eggs, Ping An would become friendlier towards him.

After all, no matter how tame a bear is, it sill is a bear. A fully-grown one would have the strength to knock down trees, as well as the fangs and claws to go through the hardest of them. Ping An might be considered a teenager in bear years, but even it could mangle a man who couldn’t stand up on his own two feet.

She explained, “Don’t think Ping An is stupid, it’s almost as smart as a three or four-year-old. It can understand some simple sentences, such as picking fruits, or pouring the water.” Ping An could even make a fire. But it was one of the things the bear hated so even though grilled fish was another favorite treat of hers, Zhao Xi just couldn’t train her to go anywhere near a fire.

Having finished her instructions to Shen Fei, she went out and called to Ping An. She stroked the animal’s snout lovingly while whispering instructions to keep the crippled man safe. She knew that from the latter’s eyes, it seemed silly. But she was sure the bear would probably understand half of what she was saying and it would be enough to keep the man safe. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she mentioned honey, making Ping An’s eyes light up with both recognition and anticipation.

She saved the painful task for last. As a healer, she loved to collect all kinds of herbs. If her master lived to “collect” male bodies, this was her obsession. Her teacher kept a drawer full of portraits of beautiful men, hers was brimming with these plants on healing, even magical properties. These ranged from common ones which grew anywhere in the forest and could be brewed into a tea to cure a cough, to a 500 year-old stalk of ginseng which Zhao Xi used to bring back Shen Fei from near death.

The man’s injuries were too serious. She did not have a single gold coin to her name. The only thing she had of value to the outside world were here skills, and these. And only the latter could be sold quickly. Her heart ached at the prospect of losing what took her years to collect, but it had to be done. She had resolved to save this man’s life, whatever it took. A small tear came out of one eye and slid down silently. She wiped it off with the back of her hand and then grin, a thought suddenly blossoming in her mind.

Zhao Xi turned back to look at Shen Fei.

“You haven’t used the bathroom since I got you back here,” she said, remembering how she found his near-lifeless body on the riverbank two days ago. “I won’t return until later tonight. Do you want to go now, before I leave?”