Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang

Chapter 12 - Blame it on fate…

Chapter 12: Blame it on fate...

He was still there the next day.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t toss him out according to last night’s plan... because...

Moxi was tugging the sleeve of the unconscious black-clothed man and innocently looking up at me, anxiously hoping I would come over and help him.

I sighed. Would I be a little too cruel if I were to throw this man out right now? The thing I couldn’t bear the most was also having Moxi looking at me with those eyes. I quickly nodded, dragged the man inside the house, stripped him of his clothes and cleansed the wound at his waist before dressing it with some medicine.

His breathing slowly evened and some color was finally restored on Moxi’s little face. If he had been the God of War Moxi, then I was certain he wouldn’t even give this injury a glance. But this was only a seven-year-old Mo Xi who was still so young and innocent.

After I washed my hands, I looked at Moxi and told him quite seriously: “Saving him might bring us a lot of trouble. But since you asked me to save him, don’t go telling me you regret it in the future.”

Moxi nodded albeit with some perplexity.

Watching his big watery eyes blinking up at me, fright not yet gone from his face, my heart softened into a puddle. Unable to help myself, I smacked my lips onto his soft white cheek.

His eyes grew even rounder.

“Does it feel good?” I lifted his chin and asked him like a rogue.

Moxi touched his face and gave my question some serious thought, then solemnly nodded.

I grinned smugly. “Even if it does, this is something you can only do to the most important person in your life. You mustn’t do it casually.”

Moxi softly rubbed his cheek, and then cupped his small hands around my face. My reflection was clearly imprinted in his clear eyes at the moment he stood on tiptoe, copied my action, and gave my cheek a sounding peck.

Afterwards, he touched the spot he had just kissed and kept looking at me as if to say: “I’ll only do this to Sansheng.”

For a second, I couldn’t help giving him several more kisses. I kissed him till his face was smeared in saliva. He was hesitant to push me away in his helpless way, only smiling quietly.

“Tell me, Moxi. How am I not supposed to like you?!” I ruffled the soft hair on his forehead, wishing I could carry him in my pocket and keep him safe from the world.

Our lives went on as usual. We just happened to now have a comatose man in the house. The number of soldiers marching to and fro in the capital increased markedly. The tavern had been searched many times, but they had fortunately not come to search the house just yet.

Three days later, I picked up a book to read in my free time after Moxi went to school. I sat on a rocking chair in the courtyard looking to the sky then looking back at my book. I rocked back and forth counting the days till plum blossoms would fill the garden. Out of the blue, illusory footsteps sounded inside the house. I closed my eyes and listened as they slowly made their way out of the room, circled the living room and then the woodshed, and finally to the yard before they halted.

“Miss, who are you?” he asked in a chilly voice. “Why did you save me?”

“Blame it on fate...” And then, I couldn’t help but lament: “I have a soft spot that made me save you. What else could I do?”

The man behind me fell silent for a short while. His voice carried a hint of awkwardness: “I thank you for your kind feelings, but I’m currently not interested in a relationship.”

He made me want to laugh. I was referring to Moxi as the one I had a soft spot for, but this man tried to be smart and thought himself a ladies’ man. He had obviously and thoroughly misunderstood. I wasn’t one to explain things, and since this wasn’t anything important, I just let him think what he wanted.

Not hearing me speak again, he asked, “For the past few days, was it you who... erm, dressed my wound for me?”

“Yes,” I said without much concern. “Pooping, peeing, farting, shampooing, sponging, wiping your butt, it was I who served you through it all.” After Moxi went to sleep, I used magic for everything.

I gave some thought and then added: “I’m telling you this for your own good. Your excrement has a heavy odor. Get treatment, you’re sick.”

Not one peep behind me.

This silence persisted until the sun went down.

Moxi came back and froze when he opened the door. He ran to me, pulled my hand and pointed to the man. His smile showed that he was pleasantly surprised. At this time, I was carrying a dish of stir-fry vegetables. I nodded as I walked into the house: “Yes, yes, I know, I know.”

The man looked at Moxi, his expression strange for a moment. “He is...”

I gave him a glance. “My little brother.”

Moxi smiled at him. He seemed to have thought of something, for he made a bow to him like a little grown-up. Appearing to have taken interest in Moxi, the man stepped up and circled him a few times, saying: “He has an excellent body for learning martial arts. But, can he not speak?”

“Yes, he was born that way.” He asked very cautiously; on the other hand, I answered very carelessly. Moxi also smiled unconcernedly, attracting his curious glances again and again.

“You’re very open-minded.”

By the time food was laid on the table, like always, I gave some to Moxi while he gestured to me about the interesting things at school. The man couldn’t restrain himself from asking: “He still doesn’t know how to write?”

Moxi’s smile dropped from his face as he lowered his head to eat his food. I placed my chopsticks down. “You got something to say about it?”

“I...”

“I don’t care even if you do.”

He was silent, and then softly sighed: “Miss, you’ve misunderstood me. I only meant that perhaps the teachers are prejudiced when they see him this way and do not teach him properly. You’ve saved me, but I have nothing to give in return. The only thing I can do is teach him some practical things so that he can provide for himself in the future.”

“You should ask Moxi these things. What are you looking at me for?” In my opinion, Moxi had always been my equal. He should decide his own matters. How could I decide for him?

The other person gave another sigh, likely thinking it was nigh impossible to talk to me. As he was about to speak again, Moxi suddenly grabbed his hand, gave him a solemn stare, and nodded vigorously. He froze before laughing: “Then I’m your teacher from now on. There’s no need go to school tomorrow. It will be very difficult to learn from me; you’ll need to be prepared.”

Moxi kept on nodding. I lightly asked, “What’s your name? I can’t always holler ‘hey you’.”

He thought for a moment and then offered: “I go by the name of Bai Jiu.” (1) josei

homonymic with ‘white wine’

Pfft, what an uncreative pseudonym. “That’s great, I’m called Huang Jiu. This kid here is called Xiong Huang Jiu.” (2)