The Garden Of Hibiscus

4

The day is all shiny. It is the middle of summer. So the day is pretty hot. Li Huan has taken a stroll in the street to look at what is happening in the city.

"How dare you! You stinky lowlife!"

As he heard some ruckus ahead of the street, he fastened his footsteps to caught what is happening.

"I am very sorry my lord! I wish your grace and pardon. You will be fortuned by the heaven and the earth. I seek no evil. " a man seems rather poor than the man who has been making a scene.

"Now you bring the nature in between" the man slapped him a little hard and it made him fell on the ground while some of the blood splashed.

The people around keep looking pathetically as they have no authority to meddle here. They may cause some trouble for themselves, so it is better this way to be an audience than a protester.

"Please forgive me my lord!" the poor man keep begging while being beaten up. Li Huan, who has been absorbing the whole incident became impatience  already and spoke up.

"Hold on a moment. " Li huan's deep and sharp, precisely speaking rather charming voice made everyone look at him.

"Why are you making things complicated here? What the evil deed he has done to you?" he said and waits for a reply.

"Hm..." the man looks at Li Huan, closer even. Li Huan,his eyes are sharp and bigger. With double eyelids. It has a light brown colour which is really different from everyone. He has some beard in his face but that doesn’t make him looks old. He still seems quite young. He is fair,but not the people like them. His fairness has a pretty darkness too. Making it a beautiful shade of white.

"And you are?" the man asked,looks displeased.

"That's not something relevant. What did that poor lad did so bad to you to be beaten in this crowd?”

" He bumped with me. This lowlife,tch!" the man said while spiting on the street.

"You don't look so important too. What made you say he is a lowlife?"

"Huh?” he threw a confused look at Li Huan and continued, ❝ He is someone who plant trees. Obviously that made him low in status. While me? I am one who deals with cash in military office. "

The man's tantrum made Li Huan feel disgusted. Li Huan, who is not from here and unknown with this culture still,even spending nearly three years in count couldn’t grasp the general idea how people think here. What made people low or high. As he supplies books to the Imperial palace and even write for the emperor. He himself is quite high in status but always has to feel low whenever he has to attend any banquet.  He is also a personal reader for master Xian who is the military head in this country. But Li Huan has never seen him being hostile to any of his servants or attendants.

"What he means by you plant trees? Are you a farmer?" Li Huans question has made that poor man who is in despair or probably cursing his existence looked at him slightly moving his eyes while bowing in the ground.

"You don't need to fear me. " as Li Huan assured he sat to face him and then he speaks

"I am just a florists! I plant trees and flower and I have a garden of herbs for the palace. "

"I see. " Li Huan said, he now is pretty confused what to do with them. He had never really involved him in such situation.

"Why are you meddling here? I am from military office, I know what should be done. "

"No, you do not. You work don’t have the authority to punish people. "

"What did you say?" he was about to make another part of the cinema when there has a change of scenery.

"Perhaps I should look out this matter for you?" 

There they are! The soldiers of military with master Xian himself. He came out from his horse and stand beside Li Huan.  Li Huan bowed him and left a sigh out of relief that made master Xian chuckle.

"So what is the matter here. This time of the day is precious. And people are all energetic to do work properly. What is the reason for this unsettling occurrence? " Master Xian asked Li Huan. But before he could say anything the man from the military office has spoken up.

"My lord! Pardon this unpleasing incident. This is what happened when you have to go around with all this filthy creatures side by side. I assure you, I will handle this matter to a proper end. " he said so politely and his expression made this sound so simple yet insulting for the poor man who was still on the ground. Li Huan felt his blood boil hot.

"Hm.." Master Xian took a deep breath and asked Li Huan "What is your say in this incident. You were present here, weren’t you?"

"I did,sir. It will be very unfair to be left this in this evil man. He doesn’t understand the value of life, simply think everybody who has a life lower facilities than him should be treated as insects. "

"Lower facilities! " master Xian put his hand on his chin as he was thinking. "That's a good word to put it. " he seems rather impressed.

"Yes,sir. This poor man, in my opinion deserves more respect than the higher man in question who is so low in mind. "
"And why is that?"
"He is important, he is a florists, and has sense of apothecary. He harvest herbs for medicines which is why we can see he is knowledgeable. Knowledgeable person should be respected in all ways. "

"Um. Sounds fair enough. Don’t worry, I will let one of my people to handle it. Since then they should go with the soldiers. " Master Xian moves his eyes as to give some orders to the men he came along.

"If you permit, I want to tag along with them. "

"You shouldn’t involve with hostile matter my guy. " Master Xian, hold Li Huan by his shoulder and slaps genyly twice. With Li Huan's eyes it is clear what he has meant by that.

"If lord Xian permits, I want to look in this matter. "

Another voice,but it is not a man. Li Huan looked at someone. Someone seems a little closer to him. Why is that he wonder! The one who said that was a woman in disguise of a man. Disguise? Or she just stays like that always he doesn’t know.

"Is she also in military? " Li Huan thought, she wore a navy and light blue uniform. Different from everybody. She ties her hair in a bun but it is so perfectly done and has unique touch to it. In front of her face, she has bangs. It looks like the bangs has grown bigger. That simply makes her look pretty. But her posture is rather manly.

"Oh! Hibi,if you're going to look into it then I don’t have to worry about anything. I am leaving things to you. " Master Xian said.

The woman called Hibi give a bow to master Xian and left with all of them. She didn’t give a single glance to Li Huan. "She maintains her aura " Li Huan said to himself but clearly heard.

"Oh you can tell?" master Xian said

"Uh-huh!"

Li Huan thought to himself again. Why does she look someone closer to him? Like very familiar. Why would someone like he- WAIT! He thought, she looks exactly like the people of his country. The original one. That one in the real life and not in this dream. He felt like she might be dreaming too. She doesn’t look Chinese. "Maybe I should find some way to meet her. "

He chuckls while master Xian left dumbfounded.

TBC:')