Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 98: She Is Sick
"...And I hope that as long as you live there, you will take good care of ’her’."
"That is where my happiness lies."
...
Li Xu and Song Sisi fell into deep thought after watching.
Who was ’her’?
They both realized they had been on the wrong track.
’She’ wasn’t a third party.
"Is it the house?"
Song Sisi asked.
Li Xu thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, I think it must be the ’Xiao An’ that Bai Han mentioned in the last video. But ’Xiao An’ isn’t a person..."
"Not a person? Then what is it? A pet?" Song Sisi guessed.
"I’m not sure. Let’s keep watching."
On the screen,
Xiao Xi suddenly took out a two-toned paper rabbit and stared at Bai Han, asking, "What’s this?"
It was the same two-toned paper rabbit Li Xu and Song Sisi had seen earlier in the lookout tower.
Bai Han said, "It’s a rabbit, just like the other paper rabbits you fold."
Xiao Xi pressed on, "And?"
It was obvious.
Bai Han, on screen, looked a little baffled. ’Isn’t it just a rabbit? Made of paper?’
’Why does she keep asking?’
He couldn’t understand.
Not giving up, Xiao Xi continued to press, "What else?"
Bai Han didn’t get angry. Instead, he observed it carefully and then said, "Its body is yellow, and the other parts are blue."
A flash of joy crossed Xiao Xi’s face. "Exactly! And?"
Bai Han finally grew impatient.
He changed the subject. "I just composed a piece for you. I’ll play it for you."
He had gone to the trouble of moving the piano from the living room into the bedroom.
Bai Han said proudly, "The piece is called ’To Xiao Xi’."
Xiao Xi teased him warmly, "Why such a corny name!"
At that moment,
piano music began to play in the video.
It was incredibly beautiful and moving.
Amid the wonderful music,
Li Xu noticed a copy of Andersen’s *The Emperor’s New Clothes* by Xiao Xi’s bed.
As the music stopped,
the video ended.
...
"That’s so touching."
Song Sisi’s eyes were red. She said with envy, "I wish I could have a love like that, too."
Li Xu nodded, silently agreeing with her.
Then he continued, playing an even earlier videotape.
...
This videotape wasn’t recorded long after the previous one.
And it was also very short.
It turned out that when Bai Han was moving the piano in the previous video, he was too old to do it alone, so he had called his good friend Zhou Gu to help.
Zhou Gu was also quite old.
With great effort, the two of them only managed to move it a meter.
"This is never going to work," Zhou Gu complained.
Bai Han didn’t give up. "What if we take it apart to move it?"
Zhou Gu gave a wry smile. "Look at us, my friend. We’re long past the age where we can move a piano."
"...I can’t help you much with saving that house, so this is the least I can do for you."
"You know, if it’s really that important to you, I’m willing to pay for professionals to help."
...
"The house?"
Li Xu was surprised to realize that the house in the video was different from the one they were in now.
"I get it."
Understanding dawned on Li Xu.
When the video was recorded, the house hadn’t been built yet.
And they had run into funding problems during its construction.
Bai Han had once asked Zhou Gu for a loan.
Zhou Gu didn’t have the money either, so he hadn’t been able to help at the time.
In this video, Li Xu also spotted a jar of pickled radishes.
The video was short.
There wasn’t much useful information.
Li Xu took out another, even older tape.
...
He pressed play.
This videotape was from a much earlier time.
Back then, the house hadn’t been built yet.
Bai Han and Xiao Xi were still young.
Bai Han sat there, looking distressed. "What are we going to do about the money?"
「The scene shifted.」
A woman named Xiao Shu came to Bai Han’s side. "This is amazing! To think the house we dreamed of could be built in such a beautiful place!"
"The woods, the lookout tower... it’s a paradise on earth."
Zhou Gu came over as well.
He and Xiao Shu were husband and wife.
Zhou Gu said, "Years ago, you got married at that lookout tower, didn’t you?"
"By the way, I brought you a jar of pickled radishes. They’re your favorite."
"Thanks," Bai Han said.
"Did you tell Xiao Xi?" Zhou Gu asked.
"I did," Bai Han replied.
"How did she react?"
"She took it calmly... for the most part."
It turned out that at this point, Xiao Xi had been diagnosed with some kind of illness.
And it was already in its late stages.
Although it was curable, the high medical fees had become a burden for them.
It also meant that the house would never be finished.
Even if her illness could be cured,
they couldn’t come up with that much money.
Bai Han held his head in his hands, looking to be in great pain. "And the strange thing is... I keep feeling like I owe her something... but I can’t remember what."
A moment later,
Bai Han added, "This house is very important to Xiao Xi. So, I’m going to tell her we have enough money for her treatment and enough money to finish the house."
Of course,
this was a lie.
Bai Han didn’t want to see Xiao Xi make any impulsive decisions because of it.
In reality,
Bai Han only wanted to use the money to treat Xiao Xi’s illness.
He didn’t want to lose his wife.
...
Li Xu understood now.
It connected back to a video he’d seen earlier.
Xiao Xi had told Bai Han that he must finish the house.
That he shouldn’t spend the money on her treatment.
Because the money was nowhere near enough.
Even if they spent it all, it wouldn’t cure her.
Since that was the case, it was better to save the money and finish the house.
’In Xiao Xi’s eyes, this house is extremely important. What does it mean?’
Li Xu’s eyes moved from the video to the house around him.
The house was exquisite.
The surroundings were also wonderful.
It would definitely be comfortable to live here.
’But there has to be more to it than that.’
It must have some other meaning, one great enough for Xiao Xi to give up her own life for it.
The video continued.
Xiao Shu took out a music box and handed it to Bai Han. "This is from Zhou Gu."
"He said it’s called ’All As You Wish,’ a charm to ensure everything turns out all right."
Bai Han took the music box and said with a bitter smile, "...How is that even possible?"
As the music box began to play its lovely tune, the video ended.
...
He continued, playing an even earlier video.
This time,
construction on the house hadn’t even started.
Bai Han, Xiao Xi, Zhou Gu, and Xiao Shu were sitting in the dining room, eating and chatting.
On the table, again, was the jar of pickled radishes Bai Han loved.
During their chat,
Bai Han brought up the house. "...Yes, construction will begin in a few months."
"Even though we don’t have quite enough money, we can get a loan and pay it off in installments."
Zhou Gu said with a smile, "Years ago, you and Xiao Xi got married in the lookout tower over there, didn’t you?"
Bai Han looked proud. "There’s much more to it that makes it special."
He glanced dotingly at Xiao Xi beside him. "This place and we go way back."
