Purple Tulips

Red Tulips - Chapter TWO 🌷

There was no other person inside the room except for the two of them so the one called Lixue must be her. She tested her name in her tongue.. Lixue.. Lixue.. Great! It sounded nice and it did not have a bad or funny meaning. One problem solved but another was added to her countless dilemma as a woman with no recollection of her past experiences. 

The problem was she did not know how to react or what to reply to the middle-aged woman. Eliminating all the other options, she chose to just smile to make herself appear more amiable. Given the right situation, smiling was harmless so when you do not know what to do, just smile.

The woman did not seem to notice her troubles as she proceeded to touch her forehead, checking her body's temperature. She had the urge to flinch away from the woman's invading hand but suppressed it as it may cause unnecessary concerns. She did not want the woman to have bad opinions of her seeing that right now the woman was her only source of information. Besides, she came into the conclusion that the woman was close to the past her, judging from the amount of attention she was giving her.

"You look all right now. You were bedridden for two days and three nights and you had not woken up even once. Last night, your fever was so high but what's baffling was that despite the high temperature, your face was too pale. Your breathing was so shallow... We thought that you would..." 

Listening to the woman ramble about the events last night, her mind spun as she tried to deduce what happened to her. Okay, so she was sick but how did she get sick? Was it an inborn sickness or acquired and if so, then what caused it? 

The woman continued to talk. "Ai, let's not mention what happened anymore. It's a blessing that you have recovered. Or do you still feel uncomfortable? Tell this old lady so I will know what to do." The middle-aged woman fussed over her, just like a mother taking care of her daughter. Looking closely at the worried woman, she could not see nor sense any pretense from the woman and her actions warmed her heart a little. Was she her mother perhaps?

"I'm all right now. Thank you for taking care of me." She did not know what to call the woman so she did not say any honorific. She wanted to ask why she was sick but thinking that she might arouse the woman's suspicion, she hesitated. 

Even though the woman appeared genuinely concerned for her well-being, she did not trust the woman enough to tell the woman that she lost her memories, that being the most important and only secret her current self had. She did not even know the woman's name or her relationship with her. Keeping her secret to herself for a while longer seemed to be the more logical choice and her best course of action. She still needed to collect more information about the woman, herself, and this place so in the end, she did not ask.

"Oh, this child. Of course I would take care of you. I'm your only relative here and your only family left! What are we going to do aside from taking care of each other?" Before she could react, the woman already enclosed her into a hug, caressing her hair in the process. "But Lixue, please don't make it difficult for this auntie of yours. Why did you let yourself get soaked in the rain? When I found you, you were slumped on the ground, like a lifeless doll!" Leaning back, the woman looked at her with questioning eyes. "Tell this auntie, why did you that?"

She was at a lost of what to say to the sudden question. She could only shake her head and bury her face on the woman's chest, as if she was seeking for warmth and consolation. Sighing at her unwillingness to tell the truth, the woman just hugged her more tightly and patted her back.