Liang Xing and An An: The Beginning of Lu Bai House of Children

Awake

For three days An An suffered through a fever.

For three days Liang Xing stayed by her side until his frayed nerves had been stripped almost completely, but he still would not move.

Finally, the night of the third day An An slowly and disorientedly opened her bottomless eyes. She looked around as her vision focused, that's when she saw a pair of black eyes glittering like stars looking down at her. 

"L-l-x-" She tried to say his name, but her parched throat and tired vocal chords would not cooperate.

"An An, you finally woke up." Lian Xing's red eyes turned up as his dry mouth parted into a smile. His lips were so dry they instantly cracked and little droplets of blood bloomed.

An An saw this tired and worried man and her eyebrows couldn't help but move slightly in worry. ""W-t-t" she tried to ask for water, but she was completely unintelligible.

However, Liang Xing understood and brought a cup of room temperature water to her lips. He fed her a single droplet to wet her lips first and then he helped her part them and let her drink slowly

An An drank slowly and then even slower. Each sip made her stomach hurt, a sharp pain that traveled from her toes to her head.

Finally, she stopped, and exhausted, closed her eyes.

"An An, don't worry. You feel really tired right now, but the doctor said you will be fine." Liang Xing reassured her. But he was lying. The doctor had said it still remained to be seen of the blood clot would disperse.

An An had received a lot of treatment, but her injuries were not light, and the fever had made it all worse.

An An took small shallow breaths and tried to nod but all she could manage was a tiny movement.

"An An, I will get the doctor so he can look again. Just hold on a moment." Liang Xing left the room and called out for a servant to go and get the doctor.

Actually, he could have called the servant from the room, but seeing An An so weak had made him nearly fall to his knees. But he could not let her see such weakness, not when what she needed now was a rock to keep her solidly grounded, so he had used this chance to take a deep breath and regroup.

Feeling better he turned to go back into the room, but before he could take a step he saw the room closing in and suddenly the world was gone.

The servants still remaining immediately caused a commotion. The Young Master had fainted!

Liang Xing was taken into a nearby room and the doctor looked him over.

Madam Liang was there, she had arrived together with madam Ru who had been on her way to see An An.

"So how is he?" She asked as she held Madam Ru's hand tightly. There had been so much misfortune that had befallen their household recently that she was determined to call a shaman once this was all over to have him purify the entire estate. 

"Do not worry Madam, the Young Master will be fine. He has not been sleeping or eating well, so when the lady woke up his taut nerves finally got the better of him. I will prescribe some nourishments and with enough rest he will be fine." He reported.

Madam Liang felt a weigh fall from her heart. Her son was fine. Fine. 

"Alright then, go look at An An, go now." She hurried the doctor out. Madam Ru wanted to follow the doctor too, but she suddenly felt that she should stay. Throughout this entire ordeal she had relied heavily on Madam Liang, so if Madam Liang needed a shoulder to cry on now she wanted to be there for her. 

Madam Liang walked up to her son and caressed his cheek. "It is only today that I realize my son has grown up." She said out loud.

Madam Ru listened quietly and nodded. 

"Only when our children have struggles of their own and we see them trying to fight them with their own strength does one remember a child full of innocence is not the same a child that can think and fight for themselves." Madam Liang said as she tucked her son's blanket up higher.

Madam Ru looked at the young boy and felt sad for him. This boy was only eighteen years old. Still so young, but already he felt so deeply and cared just as deeply. He had suffered so many blows but at every turn she had seen him trying to be strong for her daughter. She would not forget this.