A LOTUS BORN OF MUD

CHAPTER 33 - THE LAST DROP

  The two's head that was previously staring at the door turned towards each other. BiMing's slumbering instincts woke again as he slapped XiuYin's head.

  "Look at you! Must you go making trouble?" BiMing pushed back a shocked XiuYin who held his head because only his mother had ever hit him like that yet... he felt no anger or urge for revenge against him.

  "Mr Lu you still haven't answered my question..." XiuYin muttered, looking at BiMing.

  BiMing cleared his throat, "Pass me my robes, I'm blind and old, poor me ah..."

  XiuYin "..." He eventually stood and passed the robes to BiMing, watching out of the corner of his eyes as BiMing slid each layer on over his lithe body.

  "You ungrateful brat! How did I raise you to be like this! How dare you lay a hand on my second so- eh, patient!" XiuYin's mother evidently strode in shouting.

  BiMing could not stop a small laugh escaping his lips as a loud whacking sound was heard.

  "Mother!" XiuYin exclaimed, now with two red bumps forming on his head.

  "What? I can't hit my son? Aiya, BiMing, please forgive my son... He's a little odd in the head... more ways than one."

  BiMing couldn't contain his laughter anymore. The mother and son pair stared at the jade-like face that lit up with laughter as small wrinkles appeared at his eyes. XiuYin scratched his chest where his heart lay below, distantly he heard the same laughter, but different, overlapping with BiMing's current laugh. XiuYin clenched his fist as he walked out of the room. He felt for sure now, he and this man must've met during the decade that he remembers nothing of.

  KeNiang sighed watching his son leave the room. "Aiya, that kid... I think he's still hung up on the past that he can't remember. You know... I suspect his miserable because he misses someone, and not being able to remember that person makes it worse. I tried setting him up with many young beauties but he was never into it... such a shame... I really want a grandchild..."

  BiMing felt kilo after kilo of guilt pile onto his heart as he lowered his head.

  "Anyways, that's off topic, come, I've made the eye drops for your eyes. I'll show you how to use it." BiMing stood and laid his hand on KeNiang's shoulder as she led him into a small room filled with cupboards and shelves. "This vial of eyedrop will last a week, I can't make any more than that because these fresh ingredients will deteriorate after a short period so I will make you a vial every week. Now, this requires a pipette, only one drop per eye once in the day and once at night so you'll have to ask for others assistance. The girls and I are always around to help, maybe at night ask my son, he's around which makes it convenient. Got that?"

  BiMing nodded distractedly because, through his blurry vision, he saw a jaw with a few red pills inside. He reached for it, opened it and sniffed. His hands shook. This was his blood pill... there was only one jar with a few left in it... what's the meaning of this, he's supposed to have found a cure by now...

  KeNiang saw BiMing's interest and explained, "Ah, those are for XiuYin. He's got an illness even I don't know of... If he doesn't take those pills regularly a blood lust appears in his eyes and he begins spitting blood. There used to be so many jars of it, when he turned up with no memory, a later these arrived with a note telling XiuYin to take them... I don't know whether to thank or curse this benefactor."

  "...hasn't he travelled to find a cure?"BiMing asked with a shaky voice.

  "Tch, you've seen his state, he like suffering in self-pity, he hasn't left this town once since he came back."