To Help Someone
"Master! Sorry master. I can't find the young master, I search everywhere but I really can't find him." A young man suddenly bursting in disrupting the serious question Yang Fei Xia asked earlier.
"Wait! Here is the young master. Are you alright? Where have you gone? You can get me into trouble if you running away like that you know?"
The young man name is Cheng Hao, one of the soldiers under Yang Ge Xin's command. Yang Ge Xin admits his talent, but also realize his weakness. Which is he cannot ever hide his expression. Whatever is in his mind, come out from his mouth. While seemingly harmless, this weakness makes him impossible to cooperate with a lot of people. So, he took him as his personal aide.
"I am alright brother Cheng." Yang Fei Xia fells guilty at him, but he is at the middle of important matter right now. He looks back at the thief, waiting for his answer.
The thief has stop moving. He failed to get up, but able to find a wall to rest on his back. He stares deeply into Yang Fei Xia, thinking how he is going to answer him. He does not want to get help, but he realizes he needed one right now.
"I was a refugee here, but I never remember what my hometown looks like. All I ever remember is how we get here. There was a lot of us, more than a hundred. Only eight of us manage to arrive here. All the other gave up on our way here." The thief stops for a while. Tears starts to pour from his eyes and something stuck on his throat.
He never was a good storyteller. In his life, there are not much people he can talk to anyway. He may only ever share his stories to three people in his entire life. Telling his story to a stranger now, is not an easy thing for him. Especially the story that he does not want to remember.
"Uncle Zhang saw a rabbit and chase it. But the rabbit is too fast and agile, so he gave up. He starved to death few days after, along with his wife and daughters. Maybe you can just give up and try again, but not for us. We do not have a second chance, everyone I knew is dead when they gave up. Sometimes I want to stop fighting and take a rest too, but I do not want to die. That is why I cannot give up."
Cheng Hao already crying after hear this story. He wants to help this kid, but was held back by Yang Ge Xin. He is looking at his son, waiting for his decision.
"Father, please help him!"
That is all the words he needs to hear. Yang Ge Xin immediately releases Cheng Hao's hand after that sentence.
........
"Why don't you wake me up? My mother must be worried, I never left her this long." It was the first thing the "thief" said after he woke up.
He doesn't care about his injuries at all and hurriedly wants to go "home". Cheng Hao insisted to carry him over, with the father and son following them. They go to the narrow alley first to pick up the stolen goods.
Medicines! The kid just stole some medicines from a famous physician in the town. Cheng Hao insisted that the kid deserved whatever he stole for all the injuries he got, nobody ever work that hard just for some common medicines.
The place he called "home" is a ruin of huge temple, fixed so it has a working roof. The temple has many rooms and one of it are where the thief's mother is staying. A few layers of unknown fabric as a bed and a kettle in front of it, that basically the whole room. It was so pitiful place to stay even for Cheng Hao, let alone the Yang family.
His mother certainly is sick, she cannot even sit properly without any support. She looks so happy to see her son back, but scold him anyway for always making her worried.
"Why do you love trouble so much? Look at that injuries! Giving me medicines. Are you kidding me? You are the one that need medicines badly." Everyone can sense her love for him, deep inside her anger. Every one else except her son, of course.
Li Han or the "thief" starts sulking. He gets out of the room and called for an old man called Uncle Luo. He then gives him the medicines, then looking for a small handkerchief that looks like a great treasure for him. The handkerchief does look too delicate for someone like them, but smeared with blood and dirt all over. From the handkerchief he pulled out a piece of paper and give it to the old man he called earlier.
"Yes, everything is here. Your mother teaches you well." In a slum like that, most kids are not able to read at all. But Li Han are able to read a recipe and get all the medicines written there.
Uncle Luo starts to concoct the medicines and Li Han looking for water to wash his handkerchief. Yang Ge Xin lends a helping hand to make the medicine and offers to check the mother's sickness. Not every martial artist knows about medicines, but almost everyone in the Yang family do.
Cheng Hao, who learns their techniques always boast that their style relies so much on precision. A scratch can kill, but a deep thrust may not be dangerous at all. A lot of people, even some of the greatest martial artists think that this is depends on luck. Yang family's technique does not rely on that luck, since they know exactly where to strike, so they can create that effects. Of course, they have to understand about human's anatomy first. With that knowledge, it is easy for them to learn some medical practice and Yang Ge Xin is one of the best physicians in the Yang family.
"Hey, where did you stole that handkerchief kid?"
After washed the handkerchief look so pretty and Cheng Hao realized right away it is a handkerchief from the Sun and Moon Kingdom. They have a distinctive design to show their cultures and the thief certainly not come from there.
"A "Goddess" gave this to me, I am not stealing it." Li Han does not like to answer, but seeing these people trying to help him and his mother, he does not want to be rude to them.
Uncle Luo soon explains to them. Three days ago, Li Han saved a little girl that lost to look for her mother. As their gratitude the mother gave him a bag of cakes and the little girl gave him her handkerchief. Both of them look so gorgeous, that Li Han always called them as "Goddesses".
"That handkerchief certainly belongs to the royal families. So, they did come here, now we need to know where they are."
A bird over sun and moon is a symbol of a royal family. Along with the rare fabric, nobody dares to wear or giveaway such thing. After realizing this, Yang Ge Xin seems to get anxious and excusing himself from there.
"Wait are you guys not going to eat first, I just cook some porridge. It has been so long, all of you must be hungry and there is a long way home. You should eat to replenish your energy."
It is a plain porridge and it is all they have. She is also sick to the point she cannot even stand, but she still cooks for them. Yang Ge Xin and Cheng Hao moved and took some porridge with them. Cheng Hao especially cannot hide his tears that leaked a little from his eyes.
The porridge has a little taste, it is certain she put some seasoning in it. Even so it still tastes too plain, especially for Yang Fei Xia. He would not take a sip, if his father did not insist him. Now he eats it, he cannot hide his dislike.
"How can you do not like it. My mother is the best cook, you know."
Li Han is about the same age as Yang Fei Xia, but he never complains. As soon as her mother serves him a bowl, he devours it. He keeps his eyes on the kettle after. He wants more, but try not to eat all of it before his mother full. But he certainly will race for it, if someone else try to eat the remaining porridge. It was at that time he notices Yang Fei Xia's expression and get hurts.
"Li Han!" His mother scolds him and gives him a stern look, which make him quiet and sulks once again.
"Please forgive my son. I know this plain porridge cannot repay all of your help. I do hope one day I can pay you, but for now this is all we have."
The mother tries to bow at them, but of course held back by Yang Ge Xin.
"You do not need to do that. I only give your son a little bit of my time, but you give me all of your food. Whatever debt you think you have certainly has been paid by these porridge"
She immediately thanks them and then looks back at her son Li Han already ate the remaining porridge and now licking his own bowl. After finishing his meal, he goes back to the corner and admiring the handkerchief he washed before. He smiles while doing it. A bowl of porridge and a handkerchief, that is all ever needed to see a thief smile.
"He is a good boy, you know. He may seem rude, but he loves to helps other. A hard worker and a fast learner as well." Her love to her son shown every time she speaks, this time a little pride can be seen as well.
"Do you want me to take him with me?" It is not the first-time parents offers their children as his protege. The poor one did it, so their children can have a better life. But Yang family have their own charms to warriors and officials as well, whether it is for status or martial arts.
"I would love to, but he will never agree. He will not leave me alone. I used to protect him and think I will forever protect him. It never crossed my mind that I will become a burden to my own son."
Yang Ge Xin keep listening to her with a cold look, while Cheng Hao is already on the verge of tears. Yang Fei Xia on the other hand still looking at the porridge at his bowl. Wondering.
"I was a good cook." It is the first time a sad tone heard from her.
"It just he never really knows it. He heard it, but never taste it. It has been years since the last time I cooked a proper meal." She paused a little, looking at her son before continues,
"If I can make one wish, it is so that I can cook a proper meal for him. Just once, I want him to taste it and remembers it if possible. The only thing I can proud off besides himself."
........
The three of them finally excuse themselves with Li Han being ordered to send them out. Just outside the room he reaches for a piece of paper, hidden in the bag used to envelope the medicines he stole.
"This is why they beat me yesterday, I happened to stole this with the medicine. I only give it to you because I think you guys are good. I hope you can help them." The kid turns back to his room after giving the document to Yang Ge Xin
"This! This! So, it is true. I think now I am the one owing this kid." Yang Ge Xin is shocked once he reads it.
"Father, that kid is really strong. He is smaller than me, also never learn any technique properly. But I cannot beat him. No matter how hard I try, he always gets back to me. If he learns martial art properly and eat as good as I am, is he going to be stronger than I am?" Yang Fei Xia starts to ask his father on their way out.
"Nobody is the same. People have their own strengths and weaknesses. His is his determination. A determination made by his hard life. If he did not need to struggle when he was smaller, he may never have that kind of determination."
"If he learns proper martial arts can I beat him next time? Father you have to teach him martial arts. You should help him, he deserves it.
"Sure, you can win. If he can learn martial arts, you also can learn his determination. The most important thing you should learn today, is to never look down on someone. If today you can learn from a poor kid, everyday you can learn something new from someone new. You should always remember this." Yang Fei Xia nods passionately. One way and another he already built that determination inside him.
"Hmm, teaching him is easy, but to make him wants to learn is another story. Sometimes it is not that easy to help someone and he is the hardest type to help. This time though, he just gives me a great favor. I guess I have to go all out after all."
Before going out Yang Ge Xin called for Uncle Luo and shows him an improved recipe he wrote earlier.
"The kid is smart, but he can only get a small amount of ingredients. I will get some more with a few other ingredients to make it more potent. Can you make it?"
"Of course, I can make it, but these ingredients are so expensive…" Uncle Luo immediately stops, since he realizes the person he talks to is not going to have any problem with money.
Yang Ge Xin then gives some money for him and called Cheng Hao to buy the medicines.
"Buy her a chicken as well and some seasonings, I am curious as how good of a cook she is." He gives Cheng Hao some money along with the recipe.
Cheng Hao accepts it happily. He sympathized with the mother and son. He was sad to hear her story before and angry when he thought the kid stole the handkerchief. Right now, he cannot hide his happiness. He wants to help them so much, since he heard their stories. It just that he has limited resources to help them. Now he is given the resources, Cheng Hao so happy that he finally able to help them.
"Don't worry about it, I will surely buy a fat one. I will put my own money if it is not enough."
Cheng Hao jiggles a little bit as he walks, showing how happy he is. He takes out the recipe and read it, so he can the ingredients faster. There also might be something he learn from it since he learns some medical technique as well.
"Master, are you making a mistake?" Chang Hao suddenly stops after he reads the recipe.
"This medicine is only to reduce some pain, it cannot actually cure any sickness. Aren't we suppose to cure her disease? Why only kill her pain?" He looks back at his master. Confused.
"It is too late, she cannot be cured. Her lung almost stops working at all. It is a miracle already that she still alive until now. I guess it is only her determination that keeps her alive for now. Not only her, but her son as well. Right now, their will to protect each other and make them happy is their only reason to live."