A life of two souls traveling through time

In the early morning, the smoke from cooking in the small village rises, the sound of chickens and dogs can be heard, the chirping of mountain birds is accompanied by the sound of children playing. At the foot of the mountain, the only two yellow cows in the village are stepping on the green grass with dew on it, concentrating on eating. Occasionally, the cow moos, and the calf jumps out from the thorn bush. The farmers are either holding hoes in the fields; or carrying axes on their shoulders to chop wood in the mountains; or cutting grass on the ridges to feed fish. Although they are all busy, they are peaceful and calm. Under an old locust tree in the village, three octogenarians are chatting here, and their wrinkled faces all show a bit of worry:

"Have you heard? The north is unstable, and I'm afraid there will be another war!"

"I've heard that too. The world is in chaos!"

"Alas, we have only had peace for so many years, and now with all the fighting, it is us ordinary people who are suffering!"

At the entrance of the village, in the farmyard next to the Taoist temple, the peasant woman Chunying was sitting under the thatched eaves, looking at the forest in front of her with a hint of worry. Si Yao brought the boiled medicine to her and asked:

"Why aren't Fubao and Shitou here so early in the morning?"

"They followed my uncle into the mountains to chop firewood." Chunying pointed to the forest ahead and sighed.

"Are you worried about them?" Si Yao asked again, noticing the strangeness in her eyes.

"They are still young and should be taken care of by their parents for a few more years like other children in the village, but they have to shoulder the burden of adults so early..." Chunying said, and couldn't help wiping away tears again. Then she glanced at Si Yao who was silent, and smiled embarrassedly: "Look at me, my illness is almost cured, but I'm still having nonsense in front of you, a doctor." After that, she silently drank the medicine in front of her.

"As a mother, it is natural for you to love your children." Si Yao said, then she took out a heavy purse from her sleeve and stuffed it into Chunying's hand, and continued, "Your illness is almost healed. You only need to recuperate for a period of time and you will be fully recovered. Remember not to overwork yourself."

"I have taken note of what Doctor Si Yao said, but I cannot ask for your money anymore..."

Chunying tried to refuse and wanted to return the purse, but before she could finish her words, she heard Siyao say:

"This money should be used to prepare for the two children's education. In today's world, the only way for poor people to change their fate is to study. If you don't want them to continue to repeat the days you can't see the end of in this small place when they grow up, let them go to school and take the imperial examination. Last time, I heard from Aunt Zhen that there is a village school in the next village. The teacher is a kind-hearted scholar. He doesn't charge a penny for teaching, but only some food. Many children go there to learn to read and write. Shitou and Fubao are smart, it would be a pity if they don't go to school."

"But I heard from Shi Tou that you owed others high-interest debts in order to treat my illness. How can I still accept your money?" Chunying was moved, but quickly shook her head and stuffed the purse back into Si Yao's hands. She was unable to repay the life-saving grace and really could not accept this favor anymore.

"To be honest, my friend who got separated from me earlier has found me and paid off my high-interest debt, so you don't need to worry. I have medical skills, so I don't have to worry about not being able to support myself. You are my patient, and your family is in such a difficult situation. The only thing I can do to help you is to give you some money. Only then can I leave with peace of mind."

"Doctor Si Yao is leaving?" Chunying was surprised, but soon sighed: "Look at what I said, you stayed here for so long just to cure my illness!"

"Sister Siyao!"

Just as she finished speaking, Fubao's baby voice suddenly came. Si Yao put the purse back into Chunying's hand and stood up to greet him.

"Sister Siyao, I saw you coming from a distance!" Soon, Fubao ran into the farmyard, his face dripping with sweat, his two thin black hands holding a handful of gorgeous blooming azaleas, the flowers were as red as blood, warm and blazing, and made the child's innocent and tender face look particularly bright. When he saw Siyao, he held the flowers high in front of her and said with a bright smile: "Sister Siyao, I picked the azaleas from the mountain for you!"

Si Yao silently took the bunch of azalea flowers, then squatted in front of him, picked off the dead branches stuck on his coarse linen clothes for him, and smiled back.

After breakfast, Si Yao went back to the Taoist temple to pack up and left the village without saying goodbye to anyone. Hong Hua was waiting by the roadside in a horse-drawn carriage. In the past few days, Si Yao was worried that Hong Hua would behave strangely and scare the children, so she did not let her appear in the village.

"Oh, you've been here for less than half a month, and a lover has sent you flowers?" Honghua was slightly startled when she saw Si Yao, who had a cold expression, holding a bunch of bright red azalea flowers in her hand from afar, and then laughed jokingly.

"The child gave it to me, be careful with what you say." Si Yao shook her head helplessly, and then asked, "Why don't you see Mr. Zhou?"

"When I saw Youmei leaving in a hurry that day, he must have learned something important. I was worried about southern Xinjiang, so I asked Lao Zhou to follow him quietly." Honghua raised his hand to help Si Yao onto the carriage and said.

"But it's been a few days. Did he really go to Southern Xinjiang?" Si Yao said, and seeing Hong Hua's worried look, she added, "If it really doesn't work, you should rush back to Southern Xinjiang as well. Just send me to the town."

"No, I can't leave you here alone. You're a road idiot. What if you get kidnapped?" Although Honghua was worried about her sister who was far away in southern Xinjiang, she couldn't just ignore Si Yao.

"...I am a road idiot, not an idiot."

Si Yao once again came to the Lin Mansion in the small town for a medical consultation. The mansion was as dead silent as ever. This time, Madam Bai was not there, and Mr. Lin was still out. Only the housekeeper of the Lin Mansion took her to the backyard, and then the maid took her to Mrs. Lin's residence. At the same time, Mrs. Lin was already sitting in the room, staring out the window in a daze, and did not react to anyone coming to her side.

"Madam has been taking medicine according to Doctor Si Yao's instructions these days, and her complexion has indeed improved." Si Yao put down the medicine box and said as the maid brought her a cup of tea.

"Thank you." Si Yao took the teacup, but did not drink it. She just put it back on the table, then sat down in front of Madam Lin and took her pulse. His eyes wandered over her still haggard face. Her complexion was indeed not as haggard as it was a few days ago. Her pulse was faintly strong, and her body fluids had been replenished. The next step was to relieve depression and resolve phlegm...

Just as Si Yao was about to stand up, Madam Lin suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly. She looked up in surprise and happened to meet Madam Lin's eyes. At this moment, subtle emotional fluctuations emerged in those stupid eyes. Si Yao did not hesitate and turned around to the maid waiting beside her and said:

"Today I have to give my lady acupuncture. Please prepare a basin of water for me."

The maid responded and left. Si Yao stood up and closed the doors and windows, then turned his gaze back to Madam Lin. Just as he was about to ask, he was surprised to see Madam Lin raising her two skinny hands tremblingly, slowly unbuttoning her collar, and the brocade shirt slipped off her shoulders, revealing her snow-white skin and a pink mandarin duck bellyband.

Si Yao was still puzzled. Mrs. Lin's pale lips opened slightly, but no sound came out. She suddenly trembled all over, then hugged herself and cried hoarsely. Countless scars appeared on her arched back, which was so shocking that Si Yao's face changed color. These scars were of varying ages and were obviously caused by burns. They were densely packed from the spine to the waist, large and small.

"help me..."