Love Concurs Destiny

The First Cue-I

First time is a great time they say. For Liying it isn't. Setting up the stall turned out to be pretty easy as she did it with her brother almost everyday. Pushing the cart and organizing the things? Nope, not at all easy. After a bit of struggle, Liying managed to put everything in its place and started the fire in the mud stove.
The lanterns had been hung and the vegetables chopped at home by Xie Yun himself. He even did the kindness of mixing the spices and condiments for different dishes that Liying would be selling that day.
Now all Liying had to do was let the chicken and vegetables boil so that the soup could get ready before sunset.

She put the vegetables and meat in the pot when the water was boiling and set about cleaning the space a bit and setting up small stools for customers.
Just as Liying was putting the last stool down, she heard light footsteps behind her.
She kept her back to the person till they were close enough for attacking and as soon as the footsteps reached within a metre, Liying turned around abruptly with her blade held in front of her to find a stunned boy standing there with the tip of her blade touching his throat. The boy was frozen and seem to be holding his breath, afraid that even moving a muscle of his throat would kill him, an amateur.

" Who are you?" Liying asked without removing her blade from its place. The boy had been trying to sneak up to her, she couldn't let him go easily.
When the boy showed no sign of speaking, she pressed the blade a bit, the sharp tip putting a bit of pressure on thin skin.
The boy raised a hand and pointed towards the blade on his throat but Liying simply raised a brow, silently challenging the boy.
" Speak or else...." The boy seemed closed to fainting but still managed to utter some words," Ah..I am no one. Please lower you blade."
" You seem pretty knowledgeable for someone who is no one."
" I really am a nobody."
" You can talk. I haven't lowered my blade, yet."
"...."
The boy fell silent at that, caught in his act.
"Ahhhahh...." he laughed nervously, his gaze averted.
" I said speak not laugh."
The boy promptly shut his mouth but he was still fidgeting.
"Still won't speak ?Fine, so be it." With that Liying knocked him out before the other could even open his mouth.

Dragging the boy to the Li Manor was tiresome and not easy. He was heavy and even when knocked out, flayed his limbs whenever Liying so much as adjusted him. Finally, after what felt like hours but might have been only few minutes, she deposited the unconscious boy in front of a confused Li Sheng as Madam Li was meeting with some heads of other villages.

" So...why did you bring him here ?"
Li Sheng asked and Liying could feel the incredulity dripping in his voice.
" He is suspicious. "
" Why so ?"
" He sneaked up on me."
" Did he attempt an attack ?"
" No"
" Stole something ?"
" No"
" Caused loss ?"
"....no.."
" Then why did he sneak up on you?"
" You are the next village head, not an air head. Figure it out yourself."
" You–" Just then heavy footsteps sounded near them, causing them to turn.
Madam Li was standing in the corridor with two elderly people dressed in fine robes best suited for festivities. The elderly lady had stopped with their eyes fixed on the them, which caused Li Jin Rong to stop as well.
The woman's eyes landed on the body lying in the ground and in an instant, Liying found herself being pushed aside with quite a force.
" Son..son! Wake up my boy. You! What have you done to my precious child ? Answer me!" The woman burst out with an accusing finger pointed at Liying and Li Sheng.

" What ? How can you accuse us so confidently without knowing anything ?" Liying asked angrily. The old lady just saw the boy unconscious and decided that they were responsible for his condition without knowing anything, that's the height of prejudice.
Beside her, she heard Li Sheng trying to control himself though his lips were twisted wryly.

Li Jin Rong chose that moment to interfere. " Madame Xu, I am afraid that accusing my people randomly will not be good for you and your husband if you wish to maintain a good trade relations between both the villages. So I hope that you will take your words back." She spoke in a firm and authoritative voice, making the other lady look away. A single glare also stopped her husband from intervening.

" Liying, who is this boy ?" But Liying heard clearly explain now or else...
" He sneaked up on me and lied when I asked about his intentions. He has a dagger so I knocked him out before coming here. " meaning I don't know him but he is suspicious.
Li Jin Rong was a village head but before that she had been and still was a martial artist who had roamed Jianghu and experienced life. She knew how to read between lines and what to look for, so she immediately understood.
" Xu zongzhu, I suppose you both need some rest. The maid will show you towards your room, this way."
It was a dismissal and a direct one.
Madam Xu didn't even get to say another word before her husband signalled her to stop and follow.

It was evening when Li Jin Rong called Liying who had just come to tell Li Sheng that Xie Yun will not come to the Manor for a few days.
" A Ying."
" Li ayi, you called ?"
" Yes. I didn't see Xie Yun today, what happened ?"
" Nothing Li ayi, ge is just ill."
" Oh...is he okay now or do you need a healer to look at him ?"
" Ge is resting. He will be okay in a few days."
" What about you A Ying ?"
" I am good Li ayi! Just going to set up the stall. "
" Hmm, okay then, I won't take much of your time."

Liying always found a strange comfort when talking to Li ayi. She was a firm lady whose aura demanded respect. Though she was tough and strict, Liying had seen how great of a mother she was. Whenever Li Sheng or Li Yan would be sick or they hurt themselves, it was Li ayi who looked after them, those stuck up nobles waiting to discuss whatever be damned.
And sometimes, a tiny part of her wished that maybe, if she had a mother, she would have been like Li ayi.

Today, the stall was full of customers as usual which kept Liying busy throughout the night. Even when Chuchu and Li Yan came, she couldn't talk to them more than three sentences.
Only after she arrived home did she breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't wait to flop on her bed and sleep.
Taking a bath and refreshing herself, Liying looked around but didn't spot Xie Yun.
Maybe ge is in the pond.
With this thought she went towards the pond, roaming her eyes for a piece of cloth or towel but there were none. But then a splash sounded and she turned around to find Xie Yun slumped on a rock.
" Ge!!" Taking a spare robe kept there, she ran towards the other edge but the water was waist deep on that side.
She jumped in and draping the robe around Xie Yun, dragged him out.
Laying her brother on the ground Liying patted his cheek and when Xie Yun still didn't respond, she put her hand on his chest just where the heart was. Finding the steady beat, she sighed in relief.
" Did he....oh no!" Turning her brother a bit she found that the back of the robe had a crimson red spot and some of it had even dripped on the ground blow.
" Agh....I need to take him inside."

Liying managed to take her brother inside with great difficulty, given her physic but she did. After tiding the bed and tucking Xie Yun in, she checked his temperature.
" He is burning !" She brought a small basin with cool water and wetting a cloth, put it on his forehead. Making sure that her brother was comfortable for the moment, she took her bedding and came inside the room.
" Guess I will sleep here. I cannot leave him here like this."
And just like that, Xie Liying spent the entire night in her brother's room, hoping that everything will be okay when morning came.

23 May, 2021
Published: 4 June,2021