2 The silent beauty.

A bright light faded into existence as the boy opened his eyes. Everything seemed hazy, but he recognized the ceiling. He was home; it had all been a dream.

He tried to sit up, but his arm felt numb. His face turned pale as he turned to look at the white bandages that were wrapped tightly around his shoulder. It wasn't a dream.

"Agh!" He screamed as he winced in pain. He fell back down onto the soft pillows beneath him as the door to his bedroom shot open.

A woman in a black and white dress rushed in and gasped as she saw the boy with tears in his eyes.

"Young Master Li Jun!" The woman shouted as she rushed to his bedside. "You mustn't move. The doctor said the cut could open up again. You have to rest." She warned him before quickly running back to the door.

"The young master is awake!" She screamed, and the house seemed to burst into life. Footsteps echoed out all around as someone quickly approached his bedroom.

Li Jun watched as the three remaining servants reached his bedroom, one holding a bowl of water and clean clothes, the other with a bottle of green medicine, and the third was the one by his bedside.

"What happened?" He asked as he turned to the maid beside him.

"You don't remember?" She asked with surprise. "Two guards found you outside the city gate; they said you had been attacked by a sword. Do you remember who it was that attacked you?"

Suddenly, another set of footsteps barreled down the corridor, and a woman in a light blue dress stepped in. Her skin was akin to snow, and her hair was like the night sky, but her eyes resembled the surface of an icy river.

She raised her hands to her mouth, and tears welled in her eyes. She quickly rushed to Li Jun's side and threw her arms around him.

"Mm!" Li Jun cried a little as the wound on his shoulder ached from her hand grazing it.

The woman's eyes widened as she quickly got off him and bowed her head three times with a look of sorrow in her eyes.

"You don't have to apologize, mom. I'm ok." Li Jun forced a smile.

His mother looked back at him, and a stern look formed on her face.

"I know I worried you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, but I'm really fine." He said with a nervous smile. His eyes fell down to her neck, where a blue scarf covered a large scar across her throat.

'I should have killed that bastard!' Li Jun thought as he remembered what the other boy had said about his mother.

Suddenly, his mother raised her hand and indicated she wanted something to write on. The maid that had first entered the room quickly rushed to get her a quill and parchment and set it down in front of her.

Li Jun's mother bowed and then quickly began writing on the parchment. She soon presented the parchment to Li Jun, who was trying his best not to show that he was hurting.

"Who did it?" The parchment said as Li Jun tried to act like he couldn't remember.

"I'm not sure…" He said, glancing away from her eyes. He didn't dare to lie while she glared down at him with such a concerned expression.

"How can you not remember? The guards said that you were awake when they found you." She passed the parchment to him again after writing her next question.

"I don't know. It just feels like I lost my memory from what happened. I remember gathering some wheat, and then all of a sudden, I woke up here." He responded and winced as he moved slightly.

The maid holding the basin and washcloths quickly knelt down beside his bed and began to unwrap the bandages.

Li Jun gasped as he saw the gigantic slice in his shoulder. It had been sutured back together, but it quite clearly spanned from his collarbone all the way to his shoulder blade.

His mother handed him the parchment once more.

"How does your arm feel?" It said.

Li Jun met her eyes that looked back with tender love. He felt like he was about to cry but managed to put on a tough act.

"I'm fine. I don't even feel it." He said and forced another smile.

His mother frowned and looked down at the floor. She wanted to write something but seemed hesitant to do so.

"What is it?" He asked before letting out a cry as the maid, redressing his wound, poured the green medicine on it. It burned like a roaring fire.

Li Jun's eyes watered a little as they finished bandaging his shoulder once more, and he looked back to his mother's gaze.

"Mom, you can tell me. What's wrong?" He asked hesitantly.

His mother looked up at the three servants and nodded her head towards the door. The three of them quickly left the room and closed the door behind them. She began to write before handing him the parchment.

"The doctor said that your tendon has been severed. You won't be able to use your arm again. I'm sorry."

Li Jun read the words on the parchment and felt a lump form at the back of his throat. A pit welled up in his stomach, and he wanted to scream. He looked up at the tears forming in his mother's eyes and lay back in his bed.

"Mom, I feel a little bit tired." He said without looking at her. He closed his eyes tightly.

"Do you mind giving me some time to rest?" He asked.

He heard his mother stand up and lean over his bed. She planted a kiss on his head and silently left the room.

Once she was gone, he opened his eyes and checked to make sure she wasn't there. When he saw the empty room, he couldn't hold it back anymore. He began to weep as tears flowed down each of his cheeks.

He tried his best to remain silent as he cried, but he couldn't control himself. He had been working hard plowing the fields for the last two years.

Since his father died, he was the head of the household. His mother couldn't work, and he had to make enough money to feed everyone, including the maids.

With only one arm, he would be considered a cripple. No one would hire him; he would lose his job in the fields. It wouldn't be long until the debt collectors came to possess his house.

He cried even more as the thoughts flooded his head. He was a failure; he could never live up to be the man his father wanted him to become.