ZuoMeng: To Dream

House

"Where do you live?" asked JinGe. "At the corner there and turn right," he told her weakly as he gave her directions to his house. JinGe noticed that even in the dark, he seems to be getting paler at the moment.

"You can't die yet," said JinGe unconsciously. She can't have him die like that, so easy, so pleasantly, without knowing anything.

"Oh... do not worry. I will be fine," said YongSan who misunderstand and thought that the girl was worried about him. "Here, turn right again," as he continued to give the directions to his home.

They walked along several streets and the more directions he gave her, the angrier she was. JinGe recognized every street they were going through.

They were not going to his house, this was expected because YongSan is a general now, he would not be living in old house anymore but, "How dare you!" she thought to herself as she followed his instructions and reached the back door of a house.

JinGe stared at the door, the familiar door, that she had stepped across so many times.

"Even without your instructions, I would reach this place a million times blind folded," thought JinGe because the place was her house, the Sun's Mansion, where she had spent her whole eighteen years growing up within its wall with her beloved family.

JinGe tried to keep calm and called out to the people inside, "Anyone home?"

She waited for a while before the door opened and a young girl came out of the house. "Who is it?" asked the girl coldly until she noticed YongSan.

"Brother San, what happened to you? Why are you hurt?" asked the girl anxiously.

"My sister," introduced YongSan.

"You are hurt," the girl said to YongSan, ignoring JinGe.

The girl turned around to the servants and ordered them angrily, "Stupid fools why are you standing there like logs, quickly call for the doctor and carry the Master back into the house."

The servants scrambled to carry out her orders and it was chaotic as they took him back to his room. "You must YongSan's saviour," stated YongSan's sister.

There was no gratitude or any emotion in it at all as the girl took out some money and handed it to JinGe. "Here is some money. Thank you."

"I didn't help him for a reward," refused JinGe as she returned the money to the girl, but the young girl didn't accept it and insisted, "You are brother's saviour. This is gratitude from us so that we don't owe you anything in the future."

"We don't owe each other anything."

"Take it," the girl persisted.

They were staring at each other, unwilling to give up first. There was an unexplainable displeasure between the girls.

YongSan turned around before the girls began to argue and stated, "LiQin needed some dry clothes. Bring her... some to change."

The young girl stared at JinGe rudely, measuring her with her eyes. JinGe felt naked as water dripped from the edges of her clothes.

JinGe felt her displeasure, but the girl forced her a smile on her face and said, "Oh no. You are wet. I didn't notice. You should come in. We can't treat you, the 'saviour' like this. Sorry brother."

JinGe, YongSan and the sister all went inside.

YongSan went back to his room while JinGe was assigned to a guest room so she could change. "Give her my old clothes," YongSan's sister whispered to a maid, yet she made it loud enough that JinGe could hear her.