Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I got it,” Song Ruiping said.
“I’ll have to trouble you then,” the woman said. “I’ll leave now.”
“Did you come by yourself?” Song Ruiping asked.
“A driver is waiting outside,” the woman said.
“Alright, walk slowly,” Song Ruiping said.
The pregnant woman got up and walked out slowly.
“Ah, that child!” Song Ruiping sighed.
“Madame, her body probably does not allow her to have children, right?” Chu Lian softly asked.
“Yes, she is in bad health and has a bad heart,” Song Ruiping said. “She has had two miscarriages already. She has seen many doctors. All of them recommended her to not have children. She’s pregnant again now, and look at that face of hers.”
“Is Xiaoxue still in Lianshan?” Chu Lian asked.
“Yes,” Song Ruiping said. “I’ll give her a call. It would be best if Wang Yao could come. Since she is finally with child, it would be best if she could keep it.” She called her daughter after that.
“OK, I got it, Mom.” After hanging up, Su Xiaoxue told Wang Yao about the woman’s situation.
“Poor health and a bad heart?” Wang Yao asked.
“Yes, I remember hearing from my mother that this cousin of mine seems to have congenital heart disease. She has had two major operations, so her health is very poor.” Regarding this cousin, Su Xiaoxue’s impression of her was that she had been ill since childhood and had a poor spirit.
“Well, when are you going back?” Wang Yao asked. “I’ll go with you.”
“Sure,” Su Xiaoxue said.
Thousands of miles away, north of the Great Wall, the wind was strong. The sand was whirling around.
Among the Singing Sang were famous caves and Buddha statues. There was an endless stream of visitors every year. Wisps of smoke rose from the desert. It looked very magnificent. However, the climate there was very bad. It was windy, sandy and dry. It was fine if someone were to stay for a day or two when traveling, but most people chose not to live there.
As the sun was setting, a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap arrived in the county. His face was slightly dark.
In an ordinary residential area…
He came to the door of a house and rang the doorbell.
“Who is it?” A man’s slightly hoarse voice sounded from inside. With a click, the door opened, but it didn’t fully open. He just opened it a crack. Through the crack, he could see a dark and narrow face. The man’s eyes were slightly yellow, and he had bushy brows.
“You are here,” the middle-aged man said.
“Is it you?” The other man was shocked.
He hesitated for a moment before opening the door wide and letting the man in.
The man outside the door took off his hat after entering the room and looked at the layout of the room. It was a small room. It looked to be about less than a square meter in size. It had two bedrooms and a living room. The furnishings inside were simple. Some were even old and worn. There was a special scent in the house. It was a Chinese medicine scent.
“The house is not big enough,” the middle-aged man said.
“It is enough for one person,” the owner of the house said.
He didn’t make tea. Instead, he just gave his guest a glass of water.
“I thought you were dead,” he said.
“I thought I would die as well, but God did not accept me and I survived.” The middle-aged man took a drink of the water. “The water doesn’t taste good!”
“The mineral content is higher, so it is a little odd,” the other man said.
“Why did you choose such a place?” the middle-aged man asked. “The climate is bad, and the location is remote.”
“I like this kind of weather,” the man said. “You know that there are some problems with my body. The climate here is nice. It can alleviate the problems.”
“Have you not recovered yet?” the middle-aged man asked.
“I won’t be able to recover,” the man said. “I shall just drag on and live one day at a time.”
“Look at what this is!” The middle-aged man took out a small vacuum-packed plastic bag from his carry-on bag. There was a flower in it. It was crimson red like blood.
“That is… It’s a Blood Orchid!” When the owner of the house saw the flower, he instantly shot up. “Does it really exist?”
“Take a look at it,” the middle-aged man said.
The owner of the house carefully opened the bag. He took a whiff of the flower’s scent. He tore off a piece and placed it in his mouth. He chewed it carefully for a while before swallowing it.
“Good stuff, this is good stuff!” After a long time, he sighed as his mood gradually settled down. “Where did you find it?”
“A secret place in southern Yunnan,” the middle-aged man said.
“Are you able to live to this day because of this flower?” the other man asked.
“Yes, it’s all thanks to it,” the middle-aged man said.
“Your face is pale and blue, which means that the toxins in your body have not been completely dissolved yet,” the man said. “This flower might be able to save your life temporarily, but it may not be able to save your life in the long run!”
“Not necessarily. I don’t think I have any problems,” the middle-aged man said.
“Oh?”
“Look at this.” The middle-aged man held out his hand.
The owner of the house put his hand on his wrist and only moved away after a while.
“This is unbelievable!” the owner of the house exclaimed in surprise. “This poison has already become a part of your body. Not only is it harmless, but it is also beneficial to you!”
“I’ve experimented,” the middle-aged man said. “Those poisonous insects and toxins don’t have any effect on me. I’m immune to all poisons now.”
“Ha-ha, you are a poisonous person now,” the other man said. “If something were to bite you, it would probably be the ones who would get poisoned.” Cough! Cough! The owner of the house started coughing.
“I only brought this much.” The middle-aged man took a box out of his bag and placed it on the table. He opened the lid. Inside the box were dozens of Blood Orchids preserved by ice.
The owner of the house stared at the dozens of flowers. After a long silence, he asked, “What do you want to do?”
He had traveled thousands of miles with such precious things. His motives could not be as simple as wanting to visit an old friend. Besides, they were not friends at all. They were just making use of each other.
“It’s too windy and dusty here,” the middle-aged man said. “Would you like to live in another place?”
The dark-faced middle-aged man stared at him.
“I’m tired,” the other man said. “I don’t want to run around anymore.”
The middle-aged man looked around the room again.
“Don’t you want to take revenge for what happened back then?” he asked.
“How can I possibly get revenge?” the man asked. “You are a poisonous person now. Can you fight against them? Putting the others aside, that person would be able to kill the two of us with only one finger.”
“There’s no rush,” the middle-aged man said. “Think about it.”
“Take this away.” The owner of the house pushed the box on the table back to him.
“Keep it,” the middle-aged man said. “Brew it with water to drink. It tastes quite good.”
He got up and left without looking back.
The wind was still blowing fiercely outside.
In the house, the man stared at the Blood Orchids on the table.
Tut, sigh, I almost agreed!
Whoosh! There was a strong gust of wind outside. It seemed as if sand and stone were hitting against the glass, making a crisp sound.
It looks like he doesn’t want to leave this place!
The middle-aged man went downstairs with his baseball cap and looked up. The man in the house was looking at him through the glass window.
A gust of wind swept the dust up.
“Think about it carefully.” He turned and left. His back looked lonely.
With just a figure and a shadow to accompany him, he was like a lone wolf.
Thousands of miles away in Lianshan County, the sky was azure, and the air was fresh.
“Why? Are you going out again?” Zhang Xiuying asked.
“Yes, Xiaoxue is going back to Jing,” Wang Yao said. “I’ll take her back and visit a patient on the way.”
“That’s good, accompany Xiaoxue more. Don’t hurry to come back,” Zhang Xiuying said with a smile. Her daughter had been married, so that matter was dealt with and settled. Now, she hoped that her son could get married as soon as possible and a grandson would soon arrive.
“You don’t have to worry about things at home,” she said. “There’s your father and me.”
“Alright, sure,” Wang Yao said.
After Du Mingyang took Wang Ru home to visit his relatives, Wang Yao and Su Xiaoxue went to Jing.
It was noon when they got off the plane.
“I’m famished,” Su Xiaoxue said. “Shall we find a place to eat?”
“Sure,” Wang Yao said.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to a place,” Su Xiaoxue said.
They took a taxi to an old house with a courtyard house. There were no signs. After they went in, they realized there was something different. The old courtyard was simply decorated. Authentic specialty dishes were being served.
They ordered a few specialty dishes and a bottle of wine.
“I know you don’t like drinking, but this is their homemade rice wine,” Su Xiaoxue said. “I heard that it’s good. Sir, try it.”
“OK, I’ll try it,” Wang Yao said with a smile.
The wine had a sweet taste and low-alcohol content. Girls probably liked it very much. For example, Su Xiaoxue. She poured herself a drink. After two sips, her face had already turned crimson.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, it’s quite good.”
After the meal, the two of them strolled along the old alley.
