Chapter 3
A few days later, Song Ling and Li Xinjun embarked on their journey to the city. Along the way, they encountered numerous corpses lying by the roadside. Unable to bear the sight of the bodies exposed to the elements, they joined forces and dug a pit in the nearby forest, providing a simple burial for the deceased. They also chanted sutras to guide the departed souls to the afterlife.
With heavy hearts, they resumed their journey. After crossing a hillside, they finally reached the city gates. This was the city where Li Xinjun was born, a place filled with cherished memories of her family and, at the same time, the scene of her tragic experiences.
She gazed at the city gates with a somber expression, remaining silent. However, Song Ling understood her unspoken grief. She took Li Xinjun’s small hand and led her into the city.
“Everything is in the past now. From now on, you have me by your side.”
Li Xinjun felt Song Ling’s care. She tightly grasped Song Ling’s hand, looked into her eyes, and nodded slightly.
“Mm.”
“Let’s not go to your house tonight. We’ll rent a room outside. I don’t want you to be reminded of unpleasant memories.”
Initially, they had planned to stay at Li Xinjun’s residence, but seeing Li Xinjun’s current state, Song Ling changed her mind.
“Sister Ling, I’m fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been back, and I miss it. Besides, I have you with me now.”
Seeing Li Xinjun’s determination, Song Ling didn’t argue further. She let Li Xinjun lead the way to the grand entrance of the Li residence. It was evident that this had once been a wealthy household. Two stone lions flanked the entrance, and the words “Li Residence” were inscribed above the gate. Song Ling silently followed behind Li Xinjun, not daring to speak, as she didn’t want to disturb Li Xinjun’s thoughts of her family.
Li Xinjun entered the house with familiarity. The mansion, abandoned for days, wasn’t in ruins, but much of the furniture had been damaged or overturned by the refugees who had forced their way in. It was no longer the tidy and comfortable home it once was.
She slowly walked to the main hall and lifted a fallen chair, placing it back in its original position. She then surveyed the entire house, her heart filled with a mix of emotions she couldn’t express. She gazed at the two main seats in the hall, which had once belonged to her parents. Countless times, the family had gathered there to chat and laugh. Sadly, things were different now.
Song Ling approached Li Xinjun and turned her around to face her. She squatted down, meeting Li Xinjun’s gaze.
“I know you’re sad, but life must go on, right? Let’s just tidy up the bedrooms for tonight. We can organize the rest tomorrow. We’ll have the house cleaned up in no time.”
Li Xinjun understood Song Ling’s comforting words. Although her family was gone, she still wanted to restore the house to its former cleanliness. Her mother had always been meticulous about cleanliness, insisting that even the slightest speck of dust be removed. Sometimes, she would even clean herself.
Li Xinjun led Song Ling to the backyard, where they found brooms and rags. They cleaned the main hall and two bedrooms, placing the undamaged furniture back in its original positions and discarding the broken pieces in the alleyway. Gradually, the house began to regain its former appearance. Although it wasn’t as grand as before, it was a significant improvement from when they first entered.
Since there were spare rooms in the house, Song Ling chose to sleep in a separate room without hesitation. Li Xinjun didn’t object. They each returned to their respective rooms. Li Xinjun looked at the small stool beside her bed, where her mother used to sit every night, singing her lullabies. She walked over, bent down, and touched the stool, softly humming the familiar melodies. Her nose tingled, and tears silently streamed down her face.
Exhausted from crying, Li Xinjun fell asleep on the stool. She had a dream. In her dream, her parents were still alive. Her father spoke gently to her mother, who listened while embroidering. Li Xinjun ran towards them happily and called out, “Father, Mother!” However, they couldn’t hear her. She tried again, raising her voice, hoping they would notice her, but they seemed oblivious to her presence.
She wanted to hug them, but just as she was about to reach them, they vanished. She quickly turned around, searching for them. She saw them standing not far away and tried to run towards them, but her father suddenly spoke.
“Jun’er, we won’t be by your side anymore. You have to take care of yourself, alright?”
“Father, why won’t you be by my side? Jun’er doesn’t want to, Jun’er doesn’t want to be separated from you.”
“Be good, Jun’er, and listen to your father. Your mother wants you to live a happy life, always.”
“Mother, are you leaving me too? Jun’er is scared, Jun’er doesn’t want to be alone.”
In her dream, Li Xinjun ran desperately, trying to catch up to her parents. But no matter how hard she ran, she couldn’t reach them. She could only watch helplessly as they moved further and further away, slowly disappearing from sight.
“Father! Mother! Don’t go, don’t leave Jun’er alone! Jun’er doesn’t want to be alone!”
Li Xinjun cried out loudly, and her voice echoed in reality. Song Ling was startled awake by the sudden cry. She rushed to Li Xinjun’s room and pushed open the door. She saw Li Xinjun sitting on the floor, her upper body resting on the small stool, fast asleep. Seeing the sweat on Li Xinjun’s forehead and hearing her mumbles, Song Ling could easily guess the content of her nightmare.
With a heavy heart, she lifted Li Xinjun into her arms and gently placed her on the bed. She held Li Xinjun’s hand, softly comforting her.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Hearing Song Ling’s voice, Li Xinjun calmed down as if a reassuring pill had been administered. Song Ling sighed and climbed onto the bed, lying down beside Li Xinjun and embracing her.
The next morning, Li Xinjun woke up and saw Song Ling lying next to her. Although she didn’t know when Song Ling had come in, she knew that Song Ling must have been worried about her and had come to keep her company. She lifted Song Ling’s hand, snuggled closer, and placed Song Ling’s hand on her chest, contentedly continuing to laze in bed.
Song Ling was awakened by Li Xinjun’s movements, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable. She followed Li Xinjun’s lead and embraced her, allowing her to nestle comfortably in her arms.
“Silly girl, you’re awake? You had another nightmare last night. I was worried, so I came to check on you.”
“I dreamt of my parents. The dream felt so real. I saw them leaving me, and I didn’t want them to go, but I couldn’t stop them. They told me to live a good life.”
Song Ling held Li Xinjun tighter.
“Yes, you must live a good life to honor your parents’ wishes.”
“Sometimes I wonder what the meaning of my life is.”
“Doesn’t Jun’er have any dreams? Have you ever thought about what you want to do when you grow up?”
Li Xinjun shook her head and sighed softly.
“No. My parents used to tell me that they would find me a good husband when I grew up, but I never wanted to get married. I would always tell them that I just wanted to stay with them forever. They would laugh and say that I was still young and hadn’t met someone I wanted to spend my life with yet. They said that when I did, I wouldn’t say such things anymore.”
Song Ling felt a pang of sadness in her heart for some reason, but she still comforted Li Xinjun.
“When you grow up, you’ll definitely meet someone you can entrust your life to,” Song Ling said, instinctively pulling Li Xinjun closer.
“Sister Ling, can I stay with you forever?”
“Of course. We’ll travel the world together, explore every corner, taste all the delicious food. I’ll be your family from now on.”
The two girls, who shared a similar fate, clung to each other for comfort.
That day, they ventured out early in the morning to assess the situation in the city. The officials dispatched by the imperial court for disaster relief had arrived a few days ago. The supplies they brought had temporarily alleviated the hunger of the refugees. However, due to the prolonged period of famine, they discovered that many refugees were suffering from illnesses.
Song Ling took Li Xinjun to the refugee camp established by the imperial court. She offered free medical treatment to those who were sick or injured. Li Xinjun assisted her by writing prescriptions, fetching medicine from the herbalist, and returning to the camp to brew the medicine. They were incredibly busy. Once Li Xinjun finished brewing the medicine, Song Ling distributed it to the patients. Seeing the two young girls working tirelessly, the soldiers guarding the camp also offered their help.
Suddenly, a scream erupted from within the camp. Several refugees rushed out in panic. A middle-aged man in the camp had gone berserk and started biting people. The soldiers rushed over to restrain him, but with unexpected strength, the man lifted one soldier high into the air and threw him onto a table, causing him to cough up blood and lose consciousness. Seeing this, the other soldiers drew their swords and shouted at the man.
“We order you to surrender immediately, or we will not hesitate to use force!”
But the crazed man couldn’t comprehend their words. He lunged towards one of the soldiers, intending to attack him. The soldier, seeing no other option, raised his sword and pierced the man’s abdomen. However, instead of falling, the man grabbed the soldier and started biting him ferociously. Terrified, the soldier dropped his sword and retreated.
Just as the man was about to pounce on the soldier again, another soldier thrust his spear directly into the man’s heart. The soldier who had narrowly escaped another attack quickly retrieved his sword from the man’s abdomen and, with a swift motion, decapitated him. Blood sprayed from the man’s neck, creating a gruesome scene.
Everything happened so fast. From the initial incident to the man’s beheading, Song Ling had no time to intervene. She rushed to the scene and looked at the headless corpse, then at the injured soldiers, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
“Soldier brother, what happened to that man? Why did he suddenly attack people?”
“Young lady, we don’t know either. We heard the commotion and came to investigate. Then we saw this man attacking people indiscriminately. We initially just wanted to restrain him, but it was as if he had gone completely mad. He wouldn’t listen to reason and didn’t even fear swords. We had no choice but to kill him in self-defense.”
“Yes, yes, look at my hand. He bit me, drawing blood and taking a chunk of flesh.”
Another soldier showed Song Ling his injured hand. Song Ling examined it and saw that a large piece of flesh had indeed been bitten off, leaving a bloody and mangled wound.
“Brother, come see me later, and I’ll treat your wound.”
Song Ling then turned to the dead man on the ground. She squatted down and examined the body carefully but found nothing unusual. She felt puzzled. Why would a seemingly normal person suddenly go berserk and attack others? She stood up helplessly and looked at the uninjured soldier. “Brother, please handle the man’s body properly. I’ll go treat that soldier’s arm wound.”
“Leave it to me.”
Song Ling took the injured soldier to the medical station outside. She carefully cleaned the wound and asked Li Xinjun to help bandage it. Li Xinjun took a clean gauze and meticulously wrapped it around the wound, layer by layer. Although she had learned a lot about medicine from Song Ling, she hadn’t had much practical experience, so her movements were still a little clumsy. Fearing that she might hurt the soldier, she bandaged the wound with extra care.
“Soldier brother, I’m done. Does it hurt?”
The soldier, looking at the sweet little girl tending to his wound, felt nothing but warmth in his heart. How could he feel any pain? He smiled at Li Xinjun.
“Thank you. It doesn’t hurt, little sister. You’re so skilled. You can already bandage wounds at such a young age. You’ll definitely be a beautiful and talented doctor when you grow up.”
“Thank you, brother, for the compliment. Jun’er also wants to be as skilled as Sister Song Ling when she grows up and help many, many people.”
Song Ling, who was standing nearby, overheard their conversation and smiled at Li Xinjun with affection.
“Jun’er, you’ll definitely be even more skilled than me when you grow up. You’re more talented than I am. You’ll achieve great things in the future.”
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