Chapter 115: Chapter 117: She Endured It
Suddenly, he placed his hand over his mouth and coughed. A sweet, metallic taste filled his throat. Trembling, he opened his hand and sure enough, saw streaks of blood in his palm.
“I wonder how many more years I can hold on,” Chen Zhong sighed, putting down the medicinal herbs he had been carrying on his back. He then prepared himself a medicinal brew. The place he had chosen to settle was good, nestled up against an untouched mountain. A place with mountains and waters, it was a suitable place for eternal rest.
He had no children. So, before his death, he intended to help treat the illnesses of the villagers. At least, by the time he died here, he would have a burial ground instead of rotting away unceremoniously.
If he hadn’t happened to accept a disciple who could carry on his mantle, he might already be gone. He wanted to live a few more years, and teach her as much as he could.
“Live a few more years,” he sighed again, as he placed the herbs into the pot. Soon, the entire room was filled with a heavy scent of traditional Chinese medicine. Various herbal scents were entwined together, as confusing as the worries on his face, emanating an air of inexplicable regret.
When Tang Yuxin arrived at school in the afternoon, she made sure the desk was stable after propping its leg up with bricks. No matter what, the desk wouldn’t fall now.
The snotty boy was still sniffling, occasionally wiping his nose with his sleeve. He glanced at Tang Yuxin, fumbled in his pocket, and pulled out a peanut.
“For you.”
Tang Yuxin accepted the peanut without aversion, peeling and eating it. The boy cracked a smile, let out a sniffle, and looked rather adorable in his rustic innocence.
The primary school curriculum was simple: phonics, Chinese, math. There were no art classes, but music classes were given, primarily teaching popular songs of the day.
“Learn from Lei Feng, we are the successors of socialism”, with the national anthem being a must.
Tang Yuxin behaved like the other children, doing what they did. Mostly though, she spent her time studying the remedies in the notebook Sun Zhong had compiled for her.
This was the knowledge Chen Zhong had gained over his life as a doctor. The scribbles were so illegible that nobody else could possibly discern the content. Only she could.
Of course, she was careful not to let the teacher discover it. The teachers at that time were very sharp-eyed and responsible – and also big on corporal punishment.
After school, she packed up her bag, and then took the broom from the sanitation corner to clean up. The children were pretty obedient to the teacher. Whatever the teacher said, they followed, sweeping when told to sweep, sprinkling water when told to do so, and not leaving the school when told not to. They were all teacher’s good students. In their innocent eyes, it seemed briefly, as if all one’s anger just vanished.
Tang Yuxin packed her bag and headed home.
“Tang Yuxin…” Her desk-mate, the snotty boy, came running over. His bag was hanging messily from his body, and his runny nose was streaming again. At first, Tang Yuxin had wanted nothing more than to kick him away, as far as the Pacific Ocean.
But then, she got used to him, and she could bear it.
“Tang Yuxin, can we walk home together?”