The Eldest Brother is Handsome but Sick. - Chapter 5

To the east of Sansheng Hall lies a mountain named “Wofo” (The Reclining Buddha). In local folklore, such names usually come with legends about a Buddha who once slept there or a Buddha who simply enjoyed his naps. This mountain was no exception, and as a result, it housed a modest temple.

Calling it a temple was a bit generous; it was really just a mud-brick room housing a Buddhist statue and a small courtyard where people lived. However, because of the name “Reclining Buddha,” travelers were often willing to make the climb to offer a prayer for peace.

After many days of tireless work, Yan Jin finally found a moment to rest.

He reclined on the kang bed by the window, his plain white robes cascading over the edge. Outside, fine snow drifted through the air. On a small red clay stove, tea had just begun to boil, sending up plumes of white steam infused with a faint, medicinal fragrance.

Su Huai was in the backyard decocting medicine.

For some reason, ever since the day Su Huai was buried in the snow, his temper had mellowed slightly. Although he still lacked a filter for kind words, he no longer met Yan Jin with the sharp “needle-against-wheat” hostility of before.

When this house call to Wofo Mountain came up, Su Huai had actually volunteered to accompany him.

The moods of adolescent boys change faster than the weather, Yan Jin thought. Could the snow have actually damaged his brain?

As he stared gloomily at the snow, the rustle of a heavy door curtain being lifted snapped him back to reality. He hurried forward to greet Grandmother Li. He brushed the stray snowflakes from her clothes before taking her hand to lead her into the inner room.

“The lunch is simple today, Little Yan. Are you used to such plain food?”

Her voice was warm and thick; every word wrapped in a gentle smile. Yan Jin was reminded of the smell of sun-dried cotton in winter, and he felt an immediate sense of peace.

“I’m not that delicate,” he replied, helping Grandmother Li sit down. “I couldn’t make it out here recently, so I had to send someone to deliver your medicine. Have you been taking it on time?”

He had met Grandmother Li while climbing the mountain months ago. At the time, she was carrying a massive basket of steamed buns.

The city outskirts were crawling with beggars, and the “little runts” the orphans couldn’t even get a crumb of leftover food without a fight. Grandmother Li, moved by their plight but wary of drawing too much attention, bought buns every day and made a pact to meet the children at the temple at a specific hour to distribute them.

Yan Jin had helped her carry the basket to the temple, where he found a group of half-grown ragamuffins sitting in orderly rows on the ground.

“Here, this is yours.” During a moment of distraction, a steaming bun was shoved into his hand. The sweet aroma filled his senses. Seeing the children eating with such gusto, Yan Jin, who hadn’t been hungry, felt his stomach begin to rumble.

“Thank you.”

Yan Jin placed two copper coins in the bamboo basket to pay for the bun, intending to continue his climb. However, as he turned, he saw Grandmother Li sitting in a corner. She pulled a patched cloth bag from her sleeve and took out a single roasted pea, chewing it slowly with eyes full of contentment.

Peas were a common snack for the poor, but they were never meant to be a main meal. Yan Jin froze. Suddenly, a child ran past him. He looked back to see the children who had finished their buns helping Grandmother Li wipe the Buddhist statue and sweep the courtyard.

This is a good place, Yan Jin had thought.

From then on, he and Grandmother Li became close, and he visited frequently to check on her health. This year, Grandmother Li had reached the venerable age of ninety, and her physical ailments were catching up with her.

“I’ve taken all the medicine you sent,” Grandmother Li said, patting the back of Yan Jin’s hand. She pulled a small object wrapped in oil paper from her robes. “A pilgrim gave this to me a few days ago. He looked like he was enjoying it so much, I wanted to save some for you to taste.”

It was a piece of chestnut candy, common in the city, wrapped carefully in several layers of oil paper. The outer paper had turned dark with age, but the candy inside was perfectly preserved.

Grandmother Li added, “You can only have half. We must save the rest for Little Huai.”

Yan Jin immediately began to grumble. “You used to give me the whole piece.”

“I only managed to get one piece.” Grandmother Li cradled the paper and placed the candy carefully in Yan Jin’s palm. “I didn’t expect your Junior Brother to come along. You’re the Senior Brother; you mustn’t be stingy.”

She spoke the words, yet her face carried a hint of guilt for not being able to provide for both. Seeing this, Yan Jin leaned in to act spoiled. “You’ve truly wronged me! Everyone in these ten miles of villages knows that I, Yan Jin, am the most generous man alive.”

“Yes, yes.” Grandmother Li laughed, smoothing the stray hairs on his forehead. “My generous Little Physician Yan, go check on Little Huai. I fear he’s quite bored in the backyard.”

“I’m not going, I’m not going!” Yan Jin suddenly flipped over and flopped straight onto the kang bed like a landed fish. “The moment he shows up, you start doting on him and forget all about me.”

Grandmother Li simply smiled and waited patiently. Sure enough, within a few breaths, Yan Jin performed a “carp leap” and bounced back up.

In the backyard, beside Su Huai, was the oldest of the village children, Li Danian. He was holding a calligraphy model Su Huai had written for him in one hand and a brush in the other. Su Huai would look back occasionally to check his progress.

Yan Jin’s eyebrows arched in interest. He walked up behind Li Danian and snatched the model away.

Li Danian, who had been focused, was caught off guard. His brush slipped, leaving a “bold and heavy” black streak across the paper. He shouted and began chasing Yan Jin. “Yan Jin, you’re dead! Is something wrong with you? Give me my calligraphy back!”

Yan Jin ignored him, pointing at the writing and laughing. “Writing like this and you’re trying to teach people? You still need a lot of practice, Little Physician Su.”

Su Huai didn’t even give him a sidelong glance, instinctively Retorting, “If you’re so good, you do it.” He paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering that Yan Jin actually was that good.

He then watched as a rare, serious Yan Jin sat down, rewrote the entire calligraphy model from memory, and even added instructional annotations next to Li Danian’s crooked characters.

Li Danian gasped in awe. “Your handwriting is so beautiful. It looks like the girls from the Peony Pavilion.”

“Hey!” Yan Jin was offended. “What kind of talk is that? Who compares calligraphy to girls? If you must compare it to something, compare it to a grand martial arts master, alright?”

“I won’t! Everyone in town says that Physician Yan of Sansheng Hall is even prettier than Mistress Qi. The storybooks even call you ‘Physician Fairy Yan,’ the one whose beauty shames the fish and the birds,” Li Danian teased. “I even heard Boss Chen saying the other day that you can’t find a wife.”

The “Beautiful Physician Fairy”: “…………” Old Chen, you bastard!

While the two bickered, Su Huai sat on a low stool and watched quietly. It was a strange scene, but one that made him feel inexplicably happy.

Su Huai thought he finally understood why Yan Jin liked coming here.

By the time the two began their journey back to Sansheng Hall, the snow had stopped.

“The mountain paths are slippery in the snow. Be careful where you step,” Grandmother Li warned.

“We know, Grandmother. Please take care of your health.” Yan Jin flashed a sudden smile. “I’ll come see you again after the New Year.” With a wave of his hand, he walked out of the courtyard and followed Su Huai down the mountain.

Snow covered the entire trail. Pine branches hung low, occasionally dropping clumps of white with a soft rustle. Neither spoke; the world was silent around them.

Suddenly, Su Huai stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Yan Jin, who was trudging behind him, his footsteps uneven and his expression low.

Su Huai’s expression shifted. This was the first time he had accompanied Yan Jin on a house call, and only now did he realize that the places Yan Jin went were all exceptionally difficult to reach.

Doctors from typical clinics usually saw patients in their offices or were invited out to wealthy homes. Even Su Huai’s own calls were within the town or the near suburbs. Very few, like Yan Jin, trekked over mountains and through valleys to find patients. He ran himself ragged keeping the clinic afloat while looking after villages that had nothing to do with him, all while wearing a smile as if he never knew exhaustion.

As a physician, if summoned, one must go, regardless of status or distance.

Yet Yan Jin himself was a patient who needed constant care.

Su Huai suppressed the irritation in his heart and tsked. “A few days ago, I saw the light still on in your room at dawn. You stayed up all night just to research Grandmother Li’s prescription?”

Yan Jin stopped as well, responding in a muffled voice, “A life was entrusted to me. I dare not be negligent.”

“I’ve checked her pulse.” She likely doesn’t have much time left.

Su Huai swallowed the second half of that sentence. He suspected Yan Jin already knew. So, the words that came out were: “I heard I have half a piece of chestnut candy. Where is it? Did you eat it all yourself?”

“What do you mean, ‘yours’? Would you have even seen it if it weren’t for me?” Yan Jin countered. “Want a bite? Remember to pay me ten taels of silver for it.”

Su Huai hadn’t even tasted the candy yet, but he already owed silver. No one but Yan Jin could pull off such a scoundrel move. But this time, Su Huai didn’t get angry. Instead, he mimicked Yan Jin’s tone: “Fine. Write me a promissory note. Since my expenses are paid by Sansheng Hall anyway, it’s just silver moving from your left pocket to your right.”

Yan Jin’s eyes widened in shock. Everything else was forgotten; he hadn’t expected Su Huai to learn to be even more shameless than him. He was completely caught off guard.

[System, we have a major problem. Su Huai is broken.]

He hasn’t even finished the age for “nine years of compulsory education” how did he end up like this? Before, he was just snarky and sarcastic, but he still cared about his dignity.

A man without shame is invincible, Yan Jin thought. If he isn’t careful, he’ll grow up to be a total hoodlum.

He walked down the mountain in a daze, beginning to seriously contemplate the child’s education.

“There is a saying that children are the shadows of their parents.”

Late that night, Yan Jin snapped his eyes open, that sentence replaying on a loop in his head.

It’s over. The culprit is me.