an ancient chinese story

4

when the morning came, feng leng had still not gotten a bit of sleep. the endless thoughts now had come to an end. he had now decided what he must do. and that was to find the beauty for himself.

jing yi woke up by the noise of a rooster.he was shocked and still for a moment. first, he was glad his plan worked. he knew that falling off the cliff was a risk but he was almost sure for himself that he would survive the fall as he had landed into a river.

he was in a room. he tried moving to find out where he was but he ended up feeling pain all over his body and so he didnt move further. he heard some noises outside and then through the only door in the room, came an old man nearly enough to be jing yi's grandfather. he was carrying a bowl.

"oh, you woke up! haha. you are probably hungry , i brought some soup."the man jollily said and sat near jingyi, and offered to feed jing yi the soup. dumbfounded, jing yi only watched the old man.

"child, you must eat to recover fast. i dont know how you got at the riverbank all injured. and i will not question you if you dont want to answer but still, have some soup.now, open your mouth." now jing yi had understood the situation. he obediently accepted the soup, as he also couldnt ignore his hungry stomach.

the old man fed jing yi and came back with the medicines and new bandages. jing yi didnt realize it but half of his body was bandaged. jingyi grew anxious at the thought of his secret being found out. he watched as the old man came in. the old man said in a careful manner "Child, you were injured and wet when i found you. so i had changed your clothes and treated the injuries...." the reality that jing yi dreaded has become real. tears were at the verge of falling. jing yi now feared the future that he would have now that the old man had found out.

the old man continued,"i seemed to have unknowingly found out your state and i beg forgiveness for that. but still i would like to help you to recover and then if you want to stay then i will happily welcome you but you dont want to, then i will not hold you back."

jing yi was shocked a lot, as he didnt hear the old man call him an abomination or anything of the sorts but rather had allowed him to stay here. as he found acceptance here more than from his home, he couldnt help but be happy. the tears that came because of fear now fell for the newfound happiness.

the days went by, the old man only had introduced himself to be a normal farmer, whose wife and daughter had been taken away by a deadly storm many years ago. ever since that event the old man started living near the river, built a house there a little far off from the nearest village.

jing yi also got better and better with each passing day. after 6 weeks ,jing yi had completely recovered and could move by himself. he also started to help the old man around the house.

jing yi had finished making the meal, they both ate their dinner and were preparing for bed. the old man came to jign yi's room and asked if he could talk to jing yi for a bit. jing yi accepted and both went out to the patio to talk. the night was relaxing as many stars were out tonight and the wind was whispering around their ears.

"xiao yi, i know it's been the time that you make a decision. and i will happily accept anything you wish to do. just know that your presence in this old man's life has made me feel how having a family was like and how happy it is to have a child. i am thankful to you for these few weeks we've been together." the old man said with a content smile.

jing yi looked up at the starry sky and recalled how happy he had been in this few weeks. it had been a long time since his mother died that jing yi was this happy. he found the father in the old man that his supposed father could never be. jing yi had already made the decision when the old man accept him for who he was.

"xian sheng, i have told my story to you and , you still treated me the same and accepted me. for which i would forever be grateful. i wish to stay and help you. and also take care of you in the future.i hope you would grant me that wish."

the old man couldnt hold his happiness and hugged jing yi. though it was surprised jing yi , he also happily hugged back. "haha.,, i feel so happy. xiao yi ,dont ever feel alone. i will look after you now and from now on, will you call me... father?" the old man asked with hopeful eyes as he pulled back.

"f-father.."jing yi tried with a smiling face."

two lonely souls had found the person they had been longing in each other that day.