Bai Suzhen

"Well, I don't," said the girl in green pettishly. She whispered vehemently into her companion's ear, who only smiled.

"I am not afraid of him, Xiaoqing."

"Then--" I gestured awkwardly. "If you will do me the honour of following me--"

"We will be five steps behind you." The Beautiful One moved after me and the one she called Xiaoqing had no choice but to follow.

"I am Xuxian, a humble physician." I managed a clumsy bow as I walked. Little rivulets of water ran off my tunic as I did so and I tripped while trying to face her. Her hand shot out and steadied me from the elbow, a surprisingly firm grasp for such a delicate hand.

"Be careful, Mr Xu." she said gently. "You had better not talk while you walk."

Xiaoqing didn't bother hiding her laugh. "Sister, just tell him he's frightfully clumsy." She rolled her eyes.

I had never managed to control my blushes and I knew my ears were burning now. Abashed, I turned away, hoping the cool rain stinging my hot cheeks would wash away their redness. "My humble home is just ahead, if you two ladies don't despise it you can take shelter there until the rain stops. Please step in--be careful of the gate, there are splinters--watch your step, there's a rut here. Just up those steps, carefully."

As the roar of the rain died away into the drumming of water on the roof above our heads, I finally turned to face them, now the blush had faded. "Please take a seat in my humble abode while I fetch the medicine," I stammered, gesturing shamefacedly at the rude bench I had been so proud of when I first carved it from a piece of scrap wood. Now I could barely look at it without feeling embarrassed.

"Mr Xu is kind," she merely said, sweeping the damp white folds of her robes aside and sitting down on the bench without even looking at it. I didn't realize I was staring at her stupidly until Xiaoqing coughed pointedly. "Mr Xu's kindness is somewhat blind, however," she added dryly, tapping a shapely foot impatiently against the wooden slats.

I came to myself hastily. "Forgive my rudeness--let me fetch a seat for you."

Shaking my head, I hurried indoors to fetch a stool for her. Thankful to retreat again into my hut and escape from her piercing gaze, I ransacked my homemade medicines and found some clean bandages.

When I finally emerged from the hut, the Beautiful One was still sitting in the same position; only her head turned ever so slightly in my direction, so even the lock of dark hair falling over her shoulder never moved. Xiaoqing was pacing about the verandah restlessly, unable to sit on the stool I had fetched for her, flicking drops of water off her sleeves and hair.

"I must ask Miss' forgiveness in being so bold as to--to--to touch you, in order to dress your wound," I muttered, paralyzed as I stood before her clutching the clean linen and phial.

In answer, she held out her arm, drawing back the sleeve. "Please."

I knelt before her, gently peeling off the sodden handkerchief, and turned the arm slightly to examine the wound. It was a deep wound, seemingly from a large knife, and the blood ought to have been pouring in torrents, judging from how fresh it was. Strangely, the flimsy handkerchief seemed to have staunched it. I forgot Xiaoqing, forgot the rain, forgot everything as I cleaned it and shook some powder from the phial over it. As always, when it came to a patient, my hands--normally so clumsy--became sure and steady.

"Miss, you must have been in great pain, yet you never showed any signs of it. I admire your bravery," I said at last, earnestly, as I bound it up. "Who could have been so despicable as to hurt you this badly?"

Xiaoqing gave a short laugh. "Despicable is the word. It's a pity their bodies aren't floating in the river. I tell you they'll give us trouble in the future one day, Sister. Our good little physician here, you won't believe it if I tell you three men ganged up on my sister?"

I dropped the phial, horrified at the very idea. "Unbelievable! You must report them, Miss. Such atrocities in broad daylight, they are truly villains without morals! Harassing helpless maidens without any sense of honour--what a mercy that you escaped from their clutches." Burning with indignation, I wondered in disbelief how the parents of such a lovely, gentle maiden would be so careless as to let her roam around with only another girl for company, helpless before the ill intentions of any low men.

Xiaoqing stupefied me by bursting out unabashedly into laughter--full-blown ringing laughter with her head tipped back and mouth wide open in a way that certainly did not reflect a genteel highborn lady. I looked confusedly to the lovely one in white and was bewildered to see her hide a smile behind her sleeve.

"Pardon me," I stammered, "but did I say something wrong?"

Xiaoqing shrieked with laughter. "He's so amusing, Sister. I haven't laughed this hard in a hundred years."

"Don't laugh at Mr Xu. His concern is courteous." she said reprovingly, and her fine brows narrowed. "And speaking of that, whose fault was it that things came to this, by the way?"

Xiaoqing clapped a hand over her mouth sulkily and turned away with a pout.

She withdrew her arm and examined the bandage with interest. "Mr Xu, your handiwork is skilful. I thank you."

As she rose to go I also got to my feet. "May I have the honour of knowing your name?" I blurted out, painfully conscious of Xiaoqing's laughing face in the background.

She hesitated. "Bai," she replied at last. "Bai Suzhen."

Bai Suzhen, I repeated dazedly to myself as she swept off the verandah with Xiaoqing hurrying after her.

The rain seemed to have stopped, yet I barely noticed.