Chapter 10: ☾ | VII : Guy Talk

In an attempt to please the young lady, I tried to help her get ready for her day. Unfortunately, I ended up misunderstanding her and things got uncomfortable. Without a moment to spare, she called in her maid, Rui and they began talking. Suddenly, Lord Jahei entered and the situation got more chaotic. The young lady looked stressed and perturbed upon seeing her father who was glaring rather intensely at us.

Indeed, I wanted to say something but then my lady got up and ran off to the dining room leaving me alone with her father. Oh great, is he going to kill me now? I couldn’t help but think with disdain. “Come with me, I’ll show you to your room. There is a wash room nearby so you can bathe and prepare yourself as well,” the intimidating father said while walking out of the bedroom door and ordering me to follow him. Not wanting to get on his bad side, I didn’t waste a moment and quickly ran behind him.

 

“My Lord, about last night- Nothing happened between me and the young lady, I swear! I didn’t touch her.” Cautiously, I tried to explain myself but the master was cold and silent as he pushed open the door right beside the young lady’s bedroom. Wait… we’re next door to each other? Horrified, I stared at the lord wondering what this was all about.

 

“Don’t stand there like a fool, come in. My daughter prepared a room for you right next to hers. My room is the door across the hall. Rui and Granny Suyin are in the rooms down the hall. On the opposite end is the kitchen, dining room and living room area. If you go to the living room, and turn to the back there is a communal bathing area and the garden. The building in front is my medical office. What do you think of your room?” Lord Jahei continued to say in a stern voice.

 

In awe, I was so impressed by the lavish room I could barely speak. It was well furnished and had a bathroom area connected to the room. What kind of advance civilization did I enter? My mind went on with these strange thoughts as I tried to grasp what was happening to me. This household was bizarre and everyone was being so generous and kind, I didn’t know if this was a good thing or a sign of my impending doom.

“It’s a lot,” I admitted unsure of what to say. “Indeed. I personally don’t care for such amenities but the lady likes things to be convenient. Upon her request, we build a house with plenty of rooms and bathroom facilities in each bed room. The toilet and sewer system were built by me so it’s much more complicated than what you’d normally find in this country. We used a Persian style blueprint to design the property. It’s much nicer and more elaborate than common homes in this area. Oh, that door is the bathroom, and that one is the closet.

The outdoor bathroom is more spacious but the interior ones have your basic necessities. A toilet, sink and basin for washing. It’s up to you on what to use. The lady bought an entire wardrobe for you, some things may not fit properly so whatever is too tight or loose leave it out and we’ll have it tailored tomorrow. You can ask one of the ladies to take your measurements or do it yourself.

Everything from daywear to underwear can be found in the dressers and closets. By the way, don’t call me lord, Risa disapproves of it. Just call me Jahei,” Jahei explained in great detail to the point where I barely absorbed half of what he said. He just continued talking while leaning against the bedroom door. Desperately, I tried to listen to his every word but I was so speechless by the way this home was designed, just what kind of wealthy immigrants lived here?

“My goodness, this is a little overwhelming but thank you for providing me with so many nice things Jahei… Are you people foreigners? The way the house is built and the clothes the lady wears, it’s definitely not typical of native culture. And it’s still disrespectful to call an elder by their name so can I call you Shifu instead since you are a doctor?” I asked the intimidating man in front of me.

 

“Indeed, we are not Chinese at all. The lady’s origins are from India but our people are mixed with Persian and Arab blood as well. It’s probably uncommon to see citizens like us in Ningxia but we often travel so that’s how we ended up here. And I suppose that’s fine if you wish to call my Shifu,” Jahei said without much room for argument.

It was still unusual to meet people like Shifu but under the circumstances it was best not to ask too many questions. The real problem now was what should I do first? I have all of this stuff and this new life what should I do? Why was I even chosen to live here? It made no sense… but I knew I had to try and adapt quickly. As if he could read minds, Shifu immediately spoke with his usual icy tone.

“I can see it in your face. You probably have no idea what the hell is going on and you want some answers. Well, I’ll cut to the chase and just say it. Your mother and father were friends of mine years ago. But a war happened and your father died while protecting a comrade. Then your mom passed away after giving birth to you. In the end, you were left in the care of your grandmother. At the time, my own family was suffering and I was left with a sickly child, Risa. She is also an orphan who lost her family due to unfortunate circumstances.

 

In an effort to help Risa, I traveled in search of a cure for her medical conditions. While I was working, she would stay in nearby nunneries. We travelled around India, Nepal, Tibet, and China. As you may have noticed, I am an apothecary and a doctor who specializes in curing rare diseases. At the time of your parent’s death, I was living in another country researching medical treatments to help Risa.

 

Unfortunately, I didn’t hear about your mother’s death until years later. Since I was busy with work and with all the political wars going on, it was hard to re-enter Mongolia freely. By the time I could return, years had passed but I immediately went to see your family. Through my travels to your mother’s village, I found out your grandmother passed away and you were somewhere in Ningxia. Since things were more complicated, I decided to build a house near Ningxia and move Risa to that home so she could live with me rather than leave her in a Tibetan temple.

 

After settling with Risa and talking about your circumstances, we decided to help you. My original intention was to just send you to the monastery with the others but Risa wanted a friend and it seemed like a good idea to have the son of an old friend live with her. Risa begged me to help you and allowed you to stay here, saying if you really hated it here, we could then send you to an Anuah temple later on.

 

To be honest, I think after spending so much time without family, Risa felt lonely. She is my relative’s daughter whom I adopted when she was little. As of now, I am her only family that lives on this Earth. She has been weak and sickly since she was a baby and often suffers from depression and anxiety. My desire to help her was what inspired me to become a doctor in the first place. I’ve been making progress so she is much better than when she was a child but unfortunately, she is very small and doesn’t age as quickly as others. Although, she is lively so that puts my mind at ease.

At this point, I plan to stay by her side and take care of her more attentively. I won’t leave her alone anymore now that her illness is stable and nonlethal. I also do not intend to travel anymore. I plan to stay here for a long time. Hmm, I guess that’s about it? I hope that clears things up for you. Risa is a lonely kid and I knew your family so I sympathized with your situation. Due to that reason, I ended up helping you in my own way. I hope that answers some of your questions, Mei Shen.” Shifu went into detail about the entire situation and I couldn’t help but feel speechless.

 

After unveiling such a plot twisting story, I couldn’t help but fall back and catch myself on the bedside. Shifu noticed my discomfort and walked over to help me adjust myself. More than anything, I was stunned that he knew my parents. Yet, I was sad to hear my grandmother died. Despite hating my family for selling me to a whore house at the age of six, my grandmother was always so kind to me and a loving person. She was the only one I knew. My grandfather was a deadbeat who beat her and sold me off. Unfortunately, I never heard from her after the last seven years of being apart and I always wondered what ever happened to her.

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“I- how did she died?” I asked Shifu who stood beside me and looked out the window. “She committed suicide earlier this year shortly after your grandfather died,” he spoke distantly without a trace of emotion. Instantly, I could feel tears flowing down my cheeks. A mixture of sorrow and relief plagued my heart knowing the man who abused me was dead but the woman who raised me with love took her own life shortly after. “Why… did she have to do that?” I cried helplessly, unsure of how to respond in this type of situation.

 

“Perhaps, she didn’t know what else to do. But I’m sure she was always trying her best. I believe she is looking down at you hoping you are alright and safe now,” Jahei spoke softly, almost sympathetically for such a soulless demon he was really trying to show compassion. “Does she have a grave? Is it next to my mom’s tomb?” I continued to ask, knowing I would hear something sorrowful.

 

“Yes, she is now with your parents in Heaven. Rest assured, she is in peace,” Jahei was oddly kind in his manner of speech, I was thankful for his words. Timidly, I tried to wipe away my tears, not wanting to look weak in front of the lady’s father, but it was no use. While I cried Shifu was rummaging through his pocket and held out his hand to me. Something shiny was there, a necklace of some sort with a handkerchief placed in front of me.

 

“This is to wipe your face, and this is from your grandmother. I was given a pouch of hair from the village elder. He said your grandmother left it behind in case you returned to the village. The young lady took it upon herself to put the hair in a vial pendant and string it onto a necklace for you. If you would like it, please accept it,” the man before me handed me the necklace and helped me wipe my tears. Strangely, he was not as creepy as I thought and I was beginning to feel respect towards this man. Thankfully, I bowed my head and whispered, “Shifu… thank you. Please thank the lady too for her kindness.” I sniffled and wore the necklace at once, trying my best to clean up my face and ease my aching heart. 

 

“Now, I realize hearing all of this is hard for you and you probably want to mourn but the young lady and the hags are waiting in the dining room. Should I tell them you don’t want to eat or would you like a moment to wash your face and get dressed? I’ll wait outside for you if that’s the case,” Shifu considerately asked as he stood there leaning against the door waiting for my reply. “No, I’ll go eat with the young miss. I don’t want to be alone thinking about sad things right now. I’ll just wash my face and change my clothes then we can go eat with the others.” I replied timidly, still in shock by everything I just heard.

 

“Very well, I shall stand outside, come out when you are ready,” Jahei stated before walking out and closing the door behind him. “Thank you, Shifu,” I mumbled as he closed the door. “It’s fine. You owe me nothing at all child. If you must thank anyone, give all your love and thanks to Risa. After all, she is the one that wanted to save you. I simply agreed with her,” he said as the door closed entirely. Once more, I began to tear up just thinking how grateful I was to meet Jahei and lady Risa. Even now, I didn’t understand everything that was happening but I felt welcomed and loved for the first time in a really long time. It was nice to feel this way.  

 

Trying not to focus on my sorrows, I got up and decided to change my clothes. First, I began to shuffled through the wardrobe and picked the whatever caught my attention. Nearly all the clothes were foreign garments and a handful of traditional Chinese clothing. Perhaps the lady’s taste in fashion was of her own people? The clothes certainly looked fancy, I liked that the majority of clothes were black and red shades.

 

However, I wasn’t used to wearing nice things so often especially men’s clothing. In fact, I barely wore a few expensive women’s dresses at the brothel, most of the time I was in plain clothes getting beaten and mistreated. Trying to pick something easy to put on, I held up the garments in my closet and decided just to put on whatever fit best. Hopefully I didn’t look foolish in foreign clothing.

Next, I went to wash my face and tidy up my appearance, taking extra care to cover my scars and marks. Mainly, I was trying to hide my injuries because I noticed the young lady saw my chest last night and she looked upset by what she saw. I felt so ashamed of myself. Stupidly, it was my own fault for undressing like a prick in front of such an innocently lady! I wanted to slap myself for acting so emotional and arrogant in front of her.

 

Yet, despite my actions her reaction was so different. She was feisty and little, barely reaching my chest with her height. Uncharacteristically, I chuckled as I recalled the events of last night. After me and the young miss had our heated conversation, I ended up crying a waterfall into her arms and eventually we sat on her bed and hugged. “I can’t believe I ended up falling asleep right after that!” I berated myself feeling like a savage for lying in bed with an unmarried little girl.

 

She’s not like me or those women at the brothel, she’s a delicate princess without knowledge of such vulgar things. She probably heard about sex from gossiping old ladies at the market. With the way she was going on about things last night she is definitely a virgin, she got so flustered when I was undressing. Just thinking about last night made me want throw myself out the window and die. “Mei Shen, are you almost done?” Shifu called out to me while I was recalling the other night. Oh shit, I made him wait too long!

 

Hastily, I wiped my face with a damp cloth and dash over to the door, adjusting my hair as I slide the door open. “Forgive me for making you wait Shifu, I’m all ready now,” I stated politely. Even though this man was acting calmer and a little nicer, I still knew what he was capable of so I dared not to get on his bad side. The little lady was one thing but I wouldn’t even try my luck with this beast.

“Let’s go then, the women probably ate half the table already. Ah, a word of caution, the women in this family are far more intimidating than the men so don’t underestimate them. Especially during meal time,” Shifu warned me with an irritated sigh. Somehow, I had a feeling I was about to meet some spicy women in the next room. “Oh, I heard my daughter call you Xiao Bai, why is that?”

Taken back that the miss’s father was so observant, I carefully replied. “Oh, Mei Shen was not my real name it was my stage name. Zhou Bai is my real name, the young lady decided to call me Xiao Bai.” Once I stated my reasoning behind the new name, Jahei nodded and said he would inform the others to call me Xiao Bai. So now, everyone was going to refer to me in that way. I was a bit embarrassed to tell them I was fine with Zhou Bai but I guess they didn’t want to be formal and so I left it alone.

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