“Scaling walls and leaping onto roofs? Isn’t that something only Jianghu experts can do? Could it be that this mountain man is an expert in hiding?” the apprentice doctor said.
“I wouldn’t know about that, they only farm fruit trees and crops now, and it’s best not to meddle in other affairs, so I dare not ask too much. However, Abao mentioned that her father used to be a sailor, and had traveled to many places.”
“I heard that there used to be some kind of security on ships, responsible for safeguarding the cargo. Could it be that kind?” the apprentice doctor asked again.
“That I wouldn’t know. It’s best we ask less about things that aren’t our business,” said Tian Xiaobei.
The apprentice doctor laughed and said, “Alright, alright, I know Young Master always understands propriety. But his daughter…that Abao…seems quite fond of you, huh? She couldn’t have taken a liking to you, could she?”
Tian Xiaobei couldn’t help but smile and ask the apprentice doctor, “Then what do you think of that girl?”
“What about her?” The apprentice doctor pondered: “She’s just a girl from the village, what about her? She’s neither dignified and noble nor gentle and demure.”
Tian Xiaobei glared at the apprentice doctor, “What do you know? If you got to know her, you’d find she’s a hundred times, no, ten thousand times more adorable than the average young lady.”
“Young Master, you don’t intend to marry her, do you? Would the Master and Mistress agree to you marrying such a girl from the village?” the apprentice doctor started to get anxious on behalf of Tian Xiaobei.
Tian Xiaobei laughed, “Yes, I plan to marry her. One day I will e back and marry her.”
The apprentice doctor’s eyes widened in disbelief.
…
After Tian Xiaobei left, Xia Dabao would occasionally visit the “Xiaobei Medicine Shop.”
Now, the medicine shop was looked after by Doctor Li from the village. Honestly, Doctor Li had little medical skill; even Nan Feng understood his so-called treatments that only addressed symptoms superficially and couldn’t cure plex diseases at all.
So, the villagers started to miss Tian Xiaobei. Back when he was around, one or two prescriptions could do the job, whereas with Doctor Li, even ten prescriptions might not cure the ailment. It was all hit-or-miss, and it was merely luck if the treatment happened to be right.
The villagers started to plain, and eventually, the village chief had no choice but to close the medicine shop, returning the village to its previous state.
Probably only Xia Dabao would continue to remember Tian Xiaobei. Gradually, Xiaobei would fade from the villagers’ memories.
Xia Dabao used to chat with Tian Xiaobei whenever she had the chance, heading into the mountains with him to pick herbs. Indeed, they had much to talk about: various stories, legends, and fun happenings in the Provincial City—all shared with Xia Dabao by Tian Xiaobei.
But now, Xia Dabao was alone. Sometimes she played with Axian, but Axian could never understand her feelings, and visiting Lanlan, who only knew about matters concerning the mountains and fields and a handful of Bull Daughter plays she had seen, meant that they soon ran out of topics.
Her parents were another story entirely, what with the age difference and all.
The more time passed, the more Xia Dabao found herself missing Tian Xiaobei.
“Mother, I want to find Xiaobei,” said Xia Dabao. It had been two months since Tian Xiaobei had last visited the village, and therefore, Xia Dabao was feeling very anxious. She didn’t know how he was faring in the Provincial City.
“Let’s wait a bit longer,” said Nan Feng, finally assuming the mantle of a mother and advising Xia Dabao, “Girls shouldn’t be so forward, you know. Girls who are too forward tend to lose their value in the eyes of boys.”
“But, Mother, Xiaobei once said…he said he would e back and marry me someday. I want to know if his word still stands,” Xia Dabao finally opened up about her feelings to Nan Feng.
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