His Peasant Wife : Yao Ling

Both Xiao Xiao and Xiao Li didn’t recognize her at all. They looked around and their gaze was passing through her. They never glanced at her. Not once. Yao Ling grinned to herself, it meant her disguise was pretty good, to begin with.

"Xiao Xia... Xiao Li..." Yao Ling called them and smiled widely.

Xiao Xia looked at her in confusion, "Do I know you?"

Xiao Li scrutinized her. After that, he nudged Xiao Xia and asked, "Isn’t she your favorite pretty lady?"

"What?" Xiao Xia was surprised. She stared at Yao Ling until she finally recognized her. The pretty lady wore old grey robe which slightly bigger than her actual size. She looked like a pretty boy with her feminine traits. "Pretty Lady... why are you disguising yourself as a man?" Xiao Xia asked hesitantly.

Yao Ling laughed at the child’s innocence. "You finally recognize me. It’s more convenience this way. When I am in disguise, just call me Ge ge. You see... I’m a man now."

Xiao Xia nodded in agreement. "It will be weird if I call you jie jie. Okay then... From now on, I will call you Ge ge." She cutely behaved like an adult and it made her look more adorable. Xiao Xia elbowed Xiao Li’s arm softly and whispered, "You have to greet Ge ge too. Be polite, please!"

Xiao Li was annoyed, but still did what she told him to do. "Ge ge!"

Yao Ling could see the indignant expression on Xiao Li’s face. She teased him by patting his head which earned her a glare from Xiao Li. However, it didn’t deter and Yao Ling instead said, "Good boy!" Xiao Li once again glared at her in annoyance. She was only bigger than him for a few years, but she treated him like a little kid.

"Come on. Ning jie has been waiting for you, Ge ge." Xiao Xia reminded her about their appointment.

Yao Ling nodded. "Take me there, please. I will try to remember the way this time."

"Okay. Follow me, Ge ge." Xiao Xia and Xiao Li led the way. Yao Ling tried to remember step by step and she had a slightly better understanding about the road than before.

"Is Ning jie waiting for me in your house?"Yao Ling asked curiously.

"Yes. Xiao Yang is sick, so Ning jie has to take care of him. Fortunately, Ge ge gave us money yesterday. We were able to call a doctor to check him up. You are our savior, Ge ge." Xiao Xia told her the story excitedly. The little girl was really admiring the pretty lady and she always looks at Yao Ling with starry eyes.

Yao Ling felt embarrassed with Xiao Xia’s praise. She didn’t really deserve it because she also had ulterior motives. "Your praise is too much. I just want to help a little bit. No need to mention it." Yao Ling could only say that much.

"Pretty Lady is very kind, generous, and humble." Xiao Xia once again looked at her with eyes full of worship.

"..."

Yao Ling didn’t know what else to say, so she just smiled. Xiao Li snorted at the side, feeling annoyed with Xiao Xia’s blind worship. Xiao Xia never looked at him that way and it made him feel quite jealous.

"Who is Xiao Yang?" Yao Ling decided to ask.

"He’s one of my brothers. You will meet him later. I believe Ning jie stays and takes care of him at the moment," Xiao Xia explained. Yao Ling nodded at her explanation.

When they arrived at the children’s house, they were welcomed by the same scene as yesterday. The kids were loitering around on the yard, but this time... their faces were etched with worry.

"Are they worried about Xiao Yang?" Yao Ling asked in concern. It seemed that Xiao Yang’s condition was quite serious.

Without another thought, Yao Ling pulled up her sleeves and asked, "Can I see Xiao Yang? I used to help my mother treating patients, maybe I can help."

Xiao Xia’s eyes lit up after hearing what the pretty lady said. In her opinion, Pretty jie jie was perfect! She even understood about medicine. "Come with me, Ge ge!" Xiao Xia didn’t forget to call her ge ge.

Xiao Xia led her in inside their run-down humble house. They had to walk carefully due to the broken tiles. The door was wide open because it was actually broken beyond repair. She wondered how they passed through winter season with this hopeless state. It was a miracle they could survive under the harsh weather.

The house wasn’t too big. It consisted of one small main hall, two small bedrooms, and a small kitchen. In the big main hall, there were several placemats -- probably those were where the children slept. One bedroom was filled with the cries of infants and Yao Ling noticed that it was a special room for babies. Xiao Xia led her to the other bedroom. It was the opposite of the baby room.

Inside the bedroom, there was a shabby bed where a sick child slept in. His face looked pale with slightly flushing cheeks. His face was crumpled with a hint of pain and he kept mumbling incoherent words. A young woman’s back was facing Yao Ling and she couldn’t see the woman’s face. Before she could scrutinize the woman’s appearance any further, Xiao Xia called the woman, "Ning jie, the pretty lady is here. It seems like she knows a little bit of medical knowledge."

The woman turned around and Yao Ling was in awe. This woman was a beauty, even though she only wore a worn-out pink ruqun [1]. Her silky white skin was in contrast with her long black hair that fell beautifully on her back. Her phoenix eyes were deep and sharp. Her nose was high and it was completed with voluptuous pink lips. All in all - she was perfectly beautiful. Even the smudge of dirt on her face didn’t diminish her beauty.

"Are you the lady that gave us some pocket money yesterday?" Ning jie asked in a pleasant voice. Ning jie looked the same age as Yao Ying, so Yao Ling should probably call her jie jie too.

Yao Ling shyly nodded. "Yes, I am."

"What is benefactor’s name?" Ning jie asked Yao Ling politely. She didn’t know how to address their savior.

"Just call me Yao Ling."

"This slave doesn’t dare. Can I just call you Young Mistress?" Ning jie asked.

"No... no... just call me Yao Ling and I will call you Ning jie."

"But..."

"There’s no but!" Yao Ling was adamant.

Ning Qing Xue could only nod in agreement helplessly. "Then... I will call you Ling mei. How is that sound?"

"That’s fine," Yao Ling agreed.

"It’s good that you are wearing men’s clothing because coming here as a lady will ruin your reputation," Ning jie said with a smile. Although the young lady was wearing men’s clothing, Ning Qing Xue could see that she was a great beauty. "Do you really have medical knowledge?"

Yao Ling nodded. "Yes, I used to help my mother when she was treating patients. She taught me a bit," Yao Ling explained.

"It’s good then. Can you check Xiao Yang? He has been sick for a few days, but he didn’t tell me." Ning Qing Xue looked down, feeling sad. "He said that he didn’t want to add my burden. What a silly child!"

"I can try." Yao Ling could see that Ning jie really cared about the boy. She quickly went closer and touched the boy’s forehead. It was burning hot. She turned to Ning jie and asked, "May I?"

Ning Qing Xue nodded and stepped back, giving way for Yao Ling. It would make it easier for Yao Ling to check up on Xiao Yang if she gave her a little space. She knew that a doctor had already checked on him, but she just wanted to make sure that what the doctor said was true. Because after one night she didn’t see any improvement in Xiao Yang’s condition.

***

[1]. Ruqun is an item of traditional Chinese attire (hanfu). It consists of a blouse and a wrap-around skirt.