Family…
Chen Ji had come to this strange world alone, cautiously feeling his way through its mysteries and dangers.
Every step felt like walking on the edge of a cliff, with the constant threat of falling into an abyss.
The word "family" held a unique allure for him.
Chen Ji was acutely aware that the so-called family was merely the family of the body he now inhabited.
He was an intruder, a stowaway who had entered this world after the original owner of this body had died.
Yet, a sliver of curiosity lingered in his heart… What if his own parents, after passing away, had also come to this world?
After the morning lessons, Chen Ji and his two fellow disciples squatted by the large water jar in the southeast corner of the courtyard, washing up.
He took a willow branch, pressed it into a brush-like shape, and clumsily scrubbed his teeth, mimicking the others.
The tall, burly senior disciple, who had slept like a log the previous night, grimaced as he squatted on the ground.
"Master’s in a bad mood today. Don’t provoke him. It hurts so much—my own father never hit me this hard!"
Chen Ji spat out the saltwater from his mouth and tentatively asked, "Maybe practicing this is useful?"
Liu Quxing curled his lip.
"Useful? I’ve been practicing for over a year and haven’t felt a thing. Have you felt anything?"
"No," Chen Ji shook his head, confirming that the warm flow he felt was something only he could sense.
The burly senior disciple, brushing his teeth, asked, "Liu Quxing, when your mom comes later, will she bring those delicious oil cakes again?"
The skinny Liu Quxing rolled his eyes and spat out the rinse water.
"She Dengke, stop eyeing the food my mom brings."
She Dengke wasn’t pleased.
"We’re fellow disciples. What’s wrong with sharing a bit of your food?"
Chen Ji chuckled.
"Yeah, what’s wrong with sharing a bit?"
At that moment, Old Yao emerged from the main room, holding a bamboo rod.
"Still in the mood for jokes? Wait until tomorrow when I test your studies. Let’s see if you can still laugh then. Get to the main hall and start memorizing your books."
After washing up, the three disciples skipped breakfast and sat in a row on the threshold of the medical hall, each holding a medical book.
Their minds were no longer on the books, eagerly waiting for their families to bring money and food.
Only Chen Ji silently flipped through his book, as he had too much to catch up on.
She Dengke said, "Master’s testing us tomorrow. We’re in this together—no sneaky studying, got it?"
Liu Quxing’s eyes darted around.
"I haven’t touched the book recently. I’ve forgotten everything Master taught."
She Dengke sneered and clenched his fist.
"You better be telling the truth!"
Liu Quxing shrank back.
"Why don’t you say something to Chen Ji? He got the least bamboo strikes this morning, and he’s still reading!"
She Dengke closed the book in Chen Ji’s hands.
"No more reading. We’ll all get beaten together tomorrow. My dad had someone divine my fate—I’ll live to be over seventy. Master can’t beat me to death!"
Chen Ji: "... Your fate’s that strong?"
Time seemed to return to the harsh yet beautiful days of high school, where they would shoulder each other through classes, sweat together on the sports field, and endure the teacher’s scoldings together.
Chen Ji pondered, if life in this world was like this, could he accept it? It seemed possible.
Before long, Liu Quxing suddenly sprang up and ran toward a middle-aged woman in a green ruqun.
The woman wore a silver hairpin and embroidered shoes, exuding elegance and gentleness, with a maid trailing behind her.
When she saw Liu Quxing, she smiled warmly.
"Xing’er, have you been upsetting your master lately?"
"No, no, Master likes me a lot. Why would I upset him?" Liu Quxing happily handed her a bundle.
"Mom, these are my clothes. Could you wash them for me?"
She Dengke, sitting on the threshold, sneered.
"No backbone. How old are you, still having your mom wash your clothes?"
The woman took the clothes and handed Liu Quxing a wooden box and a cloth bundle from the maid.
"The cloth bundle has this month’s tuition and some clean clothes. The box has some snacks I made for you. Share them with your fellow disciples."
At that moment, Chen Ji clearly heard She Dengke swallow hard.
However, Liu Quxing didn’t share the snacks.
He opened the box on the spot and stuffed the oil cakes and mung bean cakes into his mouth one by one.
After about half an hour, Liu Quxing finally stuffed the last piece into his throat and handed the box back to his mother.
"Mom, take the box back."
Chen Ji: Huh?
She Dengke muttered, "You little…"
After a bit more conversation, Liu Quxing happily returned with the cloth bundle, letting out a burp as he stepped over the threshold.
The streets gradually filled with people.
Children chased each other through the alleys, and women carried basins to the Luo River to wash clothes.
A man drove an oxcart eastward, the ox’s tail swishing as it left droppings, filling the street with the earthy scent of grass.
Chen Ji immersed himself in the scene.
She Dengke and Chen Ji waited eagerly until noon when a sturdy man arrived with a bundle.
The dark-skinned man wore a short ruqun and gray trousers, his sleeves rolled up to reveal twisted tattoos on his arms.
"Little brother!"
"Third brother!" She Dengke’s eyes lit up.
The man laughed heartily.
"I got delayed helping out at the east market this morning. Here, Mom prepared two strings of cured meat for you—one for your master, one for you."
"Where’d the meat come from?!" She Dengke exclaimed in delight.
"Big brother and I ran into a wild boar in the mountains the other day. Too bad it was a male—a bit gamey," the third brother replied with a smile.
She Dengke grinned.
"Meat’s meat. Who cares if it’s gamey?"
"I’m off. There’s a big family hosting a performance at the east market tonight. I’ll help set up the stage and catch the show," the third brother said briskly, turning to leave without hesitation.
She Dengke strode back into the medical hall.
Liu Quxing leaned against the doorframe, taunting, "I heard male boar meat smells like urine…" Chen Ji praised, "Senior Brother Liu, you’re truly the moral low point of our medical hall."
She Dengke glared at Liu Quxing.
"Do you want me to knock your teeth out?"
Liu Quxing immediately shrank back.
He turned to Chen Ji.
"At this hour, your family’s probably not coming, huh?"
Chen Ji shook his head.
"I don’t know."
Liu Quxing gloated.
"Maybe they don’t want to pay your tuition. Two hundred coins a month is no small sum for an ordinary family. Or you could beg Master for an extension."
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Yao stood behind the counter, slowly tallying the accounts.
"The law is not lightly taught, the path is not cheaply sold, the master does not take detours, and the doctor does not knock on doors. I only teach those with sincerity. If your family thinks two hundred coins is too much, you don’t need to learn."
"Understood, Master," Chen Ji replied.
She Dengke scratched his head.
"Master, we’ll take care of you in your old age. Show a little affection."
Old Yao stroked his beard.
"Even sons aren’t always filial to their fathers. Can I count on you? When you’re old, you’ll understand—money is what matters. Feelings change. Long life brings more humiliation. Only with money can you have dignity. Your families pay the tuition, and I teach you skills. We don’t need too much master-disciple affection."
Chen Ji silently sat on the threshold, from morning to noon, and from noon to evening.
He had returned to the medical hall at the third watch last night, tormented by the cold until the fifth watch.
He couldn’t hold on any longer and leaned against the doorframe, falling into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, someone patted Chen Ji’s shoulder.
He wearily opened his eyes.
She Dengke, holding a bowl of rice and picking at the cured meat, mumbled, "Chen Ji, why don’t you go eat something? I’ll keep watch here. If your family comes, I’ll call you."
Chen Ji didn’t respond.
Across from the medical hall, the clerks from the food shop, pawnshop, and grain shop came out, putting up the door panels to close for the day.
One of the clerks saw Chen Ji and greeted him with a smile.
"Young Doctor Chen, waiting for someone?"
He smiled back.
"Yes."
However, Chen Ji’s family never came.
His birth parents couldn’t have forgotten such an arrangement.
As the sun’s afterglow gradually sank in the west, the number of people returning home dwindled.
The light faded from his face until night fell.
Someone once said, never wake up at dusk.
At that moment, the distant bell fell silent with the world, and the sun turned below the horizon.
The gray sky seemed especially distant, as if it were receding alone.
He suddenly remembered that before the gears of fate turned, someone had asked him:
"Can you endure loneliness?"
Chen Ji had replied, "I can."
…
…
The evening’s afterglow fell, eventually disappearing behind the staggered buildings.
Chen Ji sat on the threshold, watching as the last shop across the street closed its doors and the last pedestrian returned home.
Only then did he stand up and dust himself off.
Life had to go on.
Returning to reality, he had to seriously consider his situation.
At that moment, Old Yao stood behind the counter, tallying the accounts without looking up.
"What, did your family abandon you?"
Chen Ji thought to himself that his master’s words were like poison.
He smiled and replied, "Master, they might have been delayed. They’ll bring the tuition tomorrow."
Old Yao sneered.
"You’ve been here for two years. The other two families at least bring me something during the holidays. Your family hasn’t given me a thing. Even if they pay the tuition on time, I don’t want you as a disciple anymore."
"Give me a month. Maybe I can pay the tuition without relying on my family," Chen Ji said earnestly.
Old Yao shook his head.
"Anyone can make empty promises."
Chen Ji thought for a moment.
"The monthly tuition is two hundred coins. Give me a month’s grace, and from then on, I’ll pay two hundred and forty coins each month."
Old Yao pondered for a moment, then took out some copper coins from his sleeve and tossed them six times.
After interpreting the hexagram, he calmly said, "That’s a bit more sincere… But you’re just an apprentice who can’t even collect consultation fees. Where will you get the money?"
"I’ll find a way."
"Hah, big talk. You’re just an apprentice. You can’t even take a pulse properly. How do you expect to earn money?" Old Yao casually flicked the abacus beads, mocking him.
Liu Quxing, who had been watching the scene, chimed in.
"Chen Ji, maybe I can help you out."
"How do you plan to help, Senior Brother Liu?" Chen Ji asked.
"The three of us take turns with chores. Tomorrow it’s my turn to fetch water, sweep the courtyard, and mop the main hall floor. If you can mop the floor for me, I’ll give you two coins. If you sweep the courtyard, one coin. If you fill the water jar, two coins. It’s not much, but it’s at least fifty coins a month."
The hierarchy among the apprentices became clear in an instant.
Chen Ji: "Alright, I’ll help Senior Brother Liu with the chores."
She Dengke looked at Old Yao.
"Master, is this appropriate?"
"As long as he can make up the tuition, it’s appropriate," Old Yao said indifferently.
She Dengke turned to Chen Ji.
"You’re not mad? Liu Quxing’s treating you like a servant."
Chen Ji smiled.
"Senior Brother Liu is helping me."
"What kind of senior brother is he? The three of us were born on the same day, month, and year, even at the same hour. Why does he get to be the senior brother?" She Dengke scoffed.
Chen Ji was taken aback.
Why had the imperial physician chosen three apprentices with the same birth chart?
(End of Chapter)