OLD MAN

CHAPTER THREE

Feifei woke up sore and regretful. He feels like his body was tossed, chopped and grinded into minced meat.

If only he was home when his sister in law gave birth. He could have helped.

Then he wouldn't have to suffer now.

He was with his Master out traveling when he was asked by his Aunt Meg to return. But when he came back to the Village, he just rested for a few days and was tossed back to travel again!

"We received Shen's letter a few days ago. Your cousin is waiting for you to replace him. He must be very worried about his wife and children." His Aunt Meg cried. "Feifei, go help your cousin, okay? His family is so pitiful." Aunt Meg begged him.

And that's what brought him here.

Dragging his heavy body to the wash stand, he took a bottle of his self made toothpaste. A toothpaste made from powdered eggshells, mint leaves and dried plum blossom flowers.

This mixture, he has carefully experimented. It makes the teeth clean, sparkling white and leaves a cold breath of mint with the fragrance of plum blossoms. Perfect!

Taking a small amount of toothpaste, he put it in his mouth as he then took a teeth sweeper made of hog neck bristles attached to a bamboo stick.

While brushing his teeth, he was thinking how his Master would react knowing he left without waiting for his return.

He left a letter, though.

Feifei's thoughts drifted as he recalled the time he met his Master.

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When Feifei was young, he was always bullied by the village children for not having parents. Saying his mother doesn't love him and his father not wanting him. But Feifei doesn't know why he doesn't have parents.

Everytime he asks Aunt Meg, she would always show a very sad crying face. And Feifei would also be distressed. So, he stopped asking.

Criticized and ostracized by the village children, Feifei was always plagued by night terrors. He would then often get sick. So Feifei started wanting to be alone, except for his cousins. Them, he can tolerate.

One day, Feifei wandered to a nearby mountain alone. It was an unconscious act on his part. He was compelled and enticed to go to the mountain. He felt a calling. A sense of familiarity and safety.

By the time Feifei was aware of his actions, it was too late! He was far into the mountains that he doesn't even know how to return!

Then he heard hair raising howls from wolves. He ran and found a cave for solice. That's when he met an injured old man. The old man was unconscious and bleeding.

Instead of being afraid of the old man, Feifei was actually happy and relieved. He has someone with him whom he can spend the night together. He is not alone.

Since Feifei was always bullied by other children, he always get hurt. Especially by the girls. So he always carries a pouch of a dried plant which he mashed into powder. The plant is good for blood clotting.

Taking out the powder from his pouch, he applied it to the old man's bleeding wounds.

At dawn, the old man woke up and violently strangled his neck, asking who he was, what his intentions were.

That's when Feifei knew how to be really scared! He was not happy and relieved anymore. He regretted it!

When the old man was sober, feeling no ominous aura from the young boy, the old man released him. The old man then realized, it was only just an ordinary child.

The old man was troubled as he closely scrutinized the child infront of him.

How odd.

His senses gave him an alarm. An alarm of great danger. He did not expect his intuition to fail him the first time at his old age. He was facing a child of five or six years of age.

What kind of danger can this young child present? He really is getting on his age.