The day was uneventful. Ian did not have his cell phone with him. He stayed in bed. Patients from the other rooms who had been an audience to his playing visited him throughout the day requesting him to play. Playing his Chenqing had always been a thing that took away his anxiety which helped him deal with so many people. The hospital food was as bland as it was back home, so he had no points of complaint. Yang yang visited him twice more, each time checking on his vision and hearing. It was evening and the sun had set. She explained that the hospital were mostly concerned with his brain swelling. Before he was discharged he would have to undergo an EEG and a CT Scan.
"Do what you need to," Ian urged. "I am guessing that my wallet wasn't on me either when your brother brought me in. So he is going to pay for everything," he joked.
"Oh, don't worry. You were injured on a property belonging to our family. Your treatment is free of cost," Yang yang assured.
"That entire hill belongs to the Lan family? Then why was it so desolate?" he questioned.
"It was Hanguangjun's place. He stayed in the cave under the valley where you fell. He liked the seclusion of it." Yangyang informed.
"Oh, you mean Lan Zhan. He lived there. Where is he living now?" Ian questioned.
Yangyang looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "
"Doctor Lan, where is he right now?" Ian asked, his concern growing.
"This way," Lan Zhan's voice sounded from outside. He came in followed by two burly men carrying a large sofa.
"What's that?" Yangyang asked in surprise.
"A'Die is renovating the top floor of the music institute for me to stay. Till then he has asked me to put up in any of the available rooms here. I have been staying here for the last few nights. But the short couch has been giving me a backache. Hence, I got a longer one," he explained. Then he bowed to the men as they were about to leave.
"You have been staying here for all the time that I have been here?" Ian asked, surprised.
"That was before you woke up. Last night he stayed at the hotel next door," Yangyang provided. "He is awake now," Yangyang emphasized nodding towards Ian and looking at Hanguangjun.
"Oh yes. I won't disturb." Lan Zhan insisted.
"Hanguangjun, you can't possibly intend to intrude on someone else's personal space. It's you that we are talking about," Yangyang gestured.
"Have you completed your examination of your patient?" he asked in a tone that broached no argument.
Yangyang nodded and left. But as she reached the door she bowed forward facing Hanguangjun before exiting.
"Why did she bow to you?" Ian asked.
"We respect each other as siblings," Lan Zhan fibbed.
"Isn't she your older sister?" Ian reminded.
"She is Lan Zouchen's firstborn. She isn't essentially an elder to me," Lan Zhan said cryptically.
"Wait, you're twins. You're twenty-five years old?" Ian confirmed.
Lan Zhan knew what he was referring to. "You didn't take advantage of me last night." he clarified.
Ian gulped. "Well, that's a guilt off my shoulder," he said. "Also, you could have mentioned that you had already spent three nights on that couch," Ian hoped.
"Why? Then you wouldn't invite into the bed?" Lan Zhan countered.
"Perhaps," Ian blushed.
"Have dinner with me," Lan Zhan asked.
Ian blinked. "What the f*ck?" he exclaimed. Just then the hospital staff came inside pushing a tray full of food.
Lan Zhan nodded to them as they left the tray of food and left. "It's not a date," he said, turning towards Wei Ying.
"I am sorry. I am letting my mind run wild. We can be friends, you know," Ian suggested.
Lan Zhan poured themselves two cups of tea and raised a toast. "To friendship," he said.
That broke the tension between them.
Lan Zhan opened a jar and poured Chilli oil on his congee. "How can you eat so much spice?" Ian commented.
"Spice is common in Hubei," Lan Zhan reminded.
"Well, it's not common in Connecticut," Ian reminded.
"Try it," he suggested.
Ian tentatively took the spoonful that Lan Zhan offered.
"Ow! that's super hot," he commented. "How can you eat that?" Ian commented.
"Practice," Lan Zhan said without elaborating. He opened a bottle of water and offered it to him.
Lan Zhan was about to use the same spoon to eat himself. Then he looked at Ian. "Does my using your spoon make you anxious?" he asked.
Ian tried to deny it but his good leg bounced up hitting the food tray. Lan Zhan placed the spoon aside, picked up the bowl and drank from it. Ian blinked and turned to his own bland food which now tasted like goop.
"Can I get some chilli oil too, not so much?" he requested.
Lan Zhan unscrewed the chilli oil, then he covered the mouth with the lid and drizzled a few drops into Ian's bowl.
"Thanks," he greeted.
They ate in silence for a while. It was Ian who broke the silence. "Do you know what happened today?" he asked.
Lan Zhan shook his head. "The patients from the different wards came over and asked me to play. Some insisted that my playing helped with their blood pressure or diabetes or heart palpitations. I played so much that I had to take a nap in the afternoon," he narrated with excitement.
"Don't overexert yourself, " Lan Zhan warned.
"I have thought about your institute. I need to clear it by Soochow first but they shouldn't have any problem if the classes are after hours or on weekends. After all the field is totally different from bio-anthropology," Ian explained.
"What draw you to bioanthropology?" Lan Zhan asked.
"I have always believed that humans are capable of superhuman feats. It's just that they haven't reached their full potential yet. The secret hides either in the human body or the human DNA." Ian explained.
"That sounds closer to genetics than anthropology," Lan Zhan pointed out.
"Well, I also believe that there must have been a point in history when human beings understood more of their powers than now. Every culture has some form of superhuman feats mentioned. Whether it be the immortals and gods of China, the Nephilim of the Bible, stories of demons, beasts, monsters etc. there are such narratives available globally without any reason or rhyme. What could have led mankind to visualize such fantastic things if it were not real?" Ian mentioned.
"Do you believe in cultivation sects and martial arts?" Lan Zhan asked.
"Doctor Lan mentioned your fascination with them. I don't know much about it to believe in it," Ian confessed honestly.
"Cultivation is improving one's spiritual energy by self-discovery through meditation, breathing exercises and other activities. It is believed that when done well you can project your internal energy externally using spiritual weapons, like a sword, or even a Xiao." Lan Zhan explained.
"A Xiao is a musical instrument, not a weapon," Ian pointed out.
"A Lan ancestor once commanded spiritual energy by using a Xiao," Lan Zhan exclaimed.
"Really. Do you think that I could do it with Chenqing?" Ian asked half-jokingly.
"Time will tell," Lan Zhan commented, before finishing his meal.
YOU ARE READING
Hanguangjun- The Waiting
Fanfiction[SLOW UPDATE] A Wangxian fan fiction inspired by the books, the TV series and other fanfictions. Modern day Suzhou, formerly Gusu Zhou boasts of many things. But amidst the ruins of an abandoned hill it hides a secret-an ancient power waiting to be...
