| "This again. Yichen is going to be so worried when I wake up." Mochou thought as he found himself in the strange dream once more. This time he was sitting against a wall along the street in pain.
"I must be a child again. These injuries... was the original owner beaten by his parents again?" He wondered while he leaned against the wall struggling to breathe.
From down the road an older woman walked over. She had ruddy cheeks and a sorrowful look in her eyes as she looked at Mochou.
"Poor dear, come here. Let's go see my husband." She said.
The original owner didn't move. Mochou wasn't sure if it was from pain or because the young boy was afraid to trust anyone. The older woman didn't seem upset or fazed by his unmoving self. She bent down and took the boy's small pale hand. The boy tried to pull away but she held him tight.
"Mochou, do not be afraid. We only wish to help." She said.
Mochou was touched by the older woman's kindness. If it was him he would go with the older woman. The original owner however had suffered too long. He used the last of his strength to pull his hand free and run away.
...
The lights flashed before his eyes. Mochou hoped it was the end but when he opened them again he found himself still stuck in the dream. This time his body seemed to be a little bigger yet still plagued with wounds.
Laying in a field, buried in the grass Mochou was once again approached by the old lady.
"I guess she didn't give up. That's good." Mochou thought. The original owner must have felt the same because he forced himself off the ground and silently followed the old woman.
"Have you eaten?" The old woman asked.
The original owner shook his head. Mochou wasn't surprised to find out he hadn't eaten and neither was the old woman. A few minutes later they reached the same gate Mochou remembered walking through just before he collapsed.
"I see... the old woman's husband is the doctor." Mochou now understood why he was having the dream.
Mochou followed the old woman inside. His body slumped over and his eyes looking down cowardly. Despite his gaze pointing to the floor Mochou noticed the friendly old man walking towards them.
The man seemed accustomed to treating the troubled Mochou. He led Mochou to the back room where a tub of warm water and a clean robe was waiting for him. The old lady went inside and helped Mochou wash up.
Mochou never said a word the entire time. The old woman and man didn't force him either. The simply treated him kindly.
"Caihong made some sweet osmanthus cakes. You can have one after you finish your porridge" she said. Mochou could feel himself smiling. Seeing how well the old couple treated the original owner of his body Mochou also wanted to smile.
"It's great to know there are at least a few people in this world who couldn't ignore the suffering of a child. What makes it even better is knowing Yichen is now working with the kind old doctor."
...
The lights before his eyes flashed again and he found himself a little older again. The memory was very similar to the other two. He was injured and the old woman and doctor helped him wash up, treat his wounds, and feed him. After the fifth time Mochou began to worry.
"I want to see Yichen." He thought as he drank another herbal tea the doctor had prepared for him. It felt like a long time had passed and he was getting tired of the repetition.
Changing scenes again Mochou found himself standing outside the wall looking over at his hut. The place looked even more dilapidated than when he first woke up in this world. Next to him was the old woman.
"This is a good thing poor child. Now you do not need to live in fear. Make this your home. Find a man and be happy. I'll come by whenever I can to help you." She said as she handed Mochou a basket with some household items.
Mochou raised his shaky hand wrapped tight in bandages to take the box. Mochou was glad the boy who pulled his hand away at the beginning was now reaching out to accept her kindness.
Once again the lights began to flash before his head. This time however was different. It was accompanied by an intense pain. Mochou wanted to scream from the agony but he held his tongue in case Yichen was listening. He didn't want to worry him. |
The pain began to subside and Mochou woke up in Yichen's arms. His body felt heavy and Yichen held him so tight he felt a little smothered.
"Yichen?" He quietly called out his throat dry and rough. The moment he did Yichen noticed.
"Mochou?" He said. His eyes red and voice cracking.
Mochou was surprised to see him so distraught. Wondering why, Mochou raised his hand and lightly touched Yichen's cheek.
"Did I worry you?" He asked.
"Two days. My sweet bae, it's been two days of torture." Yichen revealed as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Mochou was shocked. He had a strange feeling a long time had passed but he believed it was because of all the timelapses . He never thought he would be asleep for two days.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional." Mochou said.
"I know. How do you feel?" Yichen asked while softly caressing Mochou's face.
"My body feels a little stiff and I'm a bit thirsty." Mochou honestly admitted. He considered lying so as not to worry Yichen. However he knew Yichen would never believe him if he claimed to be okay.
"I'll get you some water." Yichen said. The next second he rolled out of bed and got up to leave.
Laying in bed alone Mochou realized it was the middle of the night. He looked around the familiar hut and was surprised to see that things had changed. There was a pot and bamboo basket he didn't recognize. As well as a few bowls.
Curious Mochou forced himself out of bed to get a better look. Moving closer it seemed Yichen had been cooking... or maybe someone brought him food. It was actually a little disgusting because the food seemed to have gone uneaten and had begun to rot. The moment Yichen returned Mochou felt compelled to ask him about the food.
"Why is there rotten food all over the place?"
Yichen looked back at Mochou without saying a word. Thinking about how difficult it was to think let alone eat while Mochou was unconscious the last couple days made it difficult for him to breathe.
"You've lost so much weight." Mochou said as he grabbed Yichen's face. Looking at Yichen made him feel incredibly guilty for being unconscious for so long.
Despite it being the middle of the night Mochou could still see the terrible condition he was in. Yichen was now thin, had deep dark bags under his eyes, and his clothes looked disheveled and dirty.
"So have you. At a time when you should be getting rounder your shrinking instead. Mochou, what happened? I tried everything I could think of but nothing worked. You were running a high fever and refused to wake up." Yichen asked. His voice shaking as he spoke.
"I was having one of those dreams. A long dream about the past." Mochou revealed. He had previously talked to Yichen about his memory problems the last time he collapsed. Yichen understood but he was still concerned.
"Collapsing for so long isn't good. If it happens again I might end up worrying myself to death." Yichen said.
Yichen wasn't exaggerating. While Mochou was feverish he felt himself falling into a deep depression. He only left Mochou's side long enough to use the toilet and fetch water for Mochou. He couldn't eat or sleep and barely had the strength to talk to anyone.
"I really am sorry." Mochou said feeling incredibly guilty. He grabbed one of the bowls full of crusty old porridge. He couldn't recognize the bowl which left him feeling confused and sad.
"This food..."
"My mom brought some food over." Yichen said.
"Are things better between the two of you?" Mochou asked a little hopeful things had improved. He still felt incredibly guilty for ruining things between Yichen and his family.
"She heard about you collapsing. Thinking she might have been the cause she rushed over and has been coming by every few hours to check on you and bring by some food." Yichen explained. As he spoke he looked a little conflicted.
"Are you unhappy about her coming by?"
Yichen took Mochou's hand and led him to the bed. He was worried about his health and a little hesitant to talk about his mother.
Mochou couldn't quite understand his hesitation. Even so he sat down on the bed and quietly waited. Once settled Yichen took a breath and decided to speak.
"I'm glad she came but she hasn't apologized."
"She hasn't?"
"Not about the right thing." Yichen said.
"What do you mean?"
"She apologized for making you overwork while you were pregnant. Saying if she knew she would have let you rest."
"That's not right?" Mochou wondered aloud.
"She keeps bringing up the pregnancy when she apologizes. The way she treated you has nothing to do with the pregnancy. She needs to apologize for making you work when I specifically asked her to let you rest. Mochou how can I ever leave you at my parents place if I can't trust her to do what I ask?"
"She isn't the only one at fault. I shouldn't have gone along with her demands. Unlike your mother I knew I was pregnant." Mochou said.
Yichen hugged him tight. He didn't intend to make Mochou feel guilty.
"Don't blame yourself. I put you in a difficult position when I brought you to the house."
"It feels like we're all to blame for what happened. Being angry at your mother alone seems unfair." Mochou hinted. He wanted things to be better between Yichen and his mother as soon as possible. Especially considering she had made an effort while he was unconscious.
Yichen couldn't disagree with Mochou's point of view. He wasn't in the best frame of mind to think about his mother before but now that Mochou had regained consciousness he could consider forgiving her.
"I'll talk to her in the morning." He said.
Mochou was glad things might go back to the way it was between Yichen and his mother.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat." Yichen offered.
Before Mochou could answer him he got up to start a fire. Mochou quietly stayed in bed and let him do whatever he wanted. He didn't want to worry Yichen more and to be honest he was feeling a little weak.
Yichen busily started the fire and put a pot of water on the stove to cook. He planned to make his usual medicinal porridge but Mochou didn't really want it. So when it came time to prepare the porridge Mochou stepped in to cook despite feeling unwell.
"I'll cook. You should wash those before they start attracting pests." Mochou said.
Yichen was still worried about him. However he had to admit it was disgusting. He grabbed the dishes and headed outside to dispose of the rotten food and wash them.
Mochou added an egg to the porridge he was making. He knew how important it was to Yichen that he eat eggs. Although, eating eggs wasn't an appetizing thought at the moment for Mochou. Wanting to make the egg porridge more appealing he added some pickled bamboo shoots for a little crunch and flavour.
By the time Yichen finished washing the dishes Mochou had also finished making their late night meal. When he returned they both sat down to eat.
Yichen looked at his bowl full of porridge and felt his stomach growl in anticipation. It was the first time since Mochou collapsed he felt hungry.
"Eat slowly. Your stomach will be fragile after not eating anything for so long." Yichen advised.
"I could say the same to you." Mochou said. He meant it as a joke but ended up feeling horrible because of it.
"I'm sorry I worried you." He added a few seconds later.
"As long as you're okay. That's all that matters." Yichen responded.
The two slowly ate their porridge. The sound of crickets chirping throughout the forest and bright moonlight made the night seem peaceful. Both Mochou and Yichen felt themselves relax.
"Will you be going back to work tomorrow?" Mochou asked.
"I can take another day off to spend here with you." Yichen offered.
"Actually I was thinking maybe I could go to work with you." Mochou said a little nervous of Yichen's response.
"That would be amazing. The place is so quiet it wouldn't be a problem having you there." Yichen said. He loved the idea of having Mochou close by.
Mochou was glad to be able to join Yichen for the day. He also wanted the chance to thank Doctor Yen and his wife for all the help they gave him over the years. He just wasn't sure how to thank them yet.
"If you are going to join me tomorrow we'll need to go to sleep early."
Mochou agreed and decided to start cleaning up. He stood up to clear the table but Yichen stopped him.
"Is that all you're going to eat?" Yichen asked with concern. Mochou looked at his half eaten bowl of porridge. He knew he hadn't eaten much but he wasn't hungry for more.
"I'm full. Do you want the rest of mine?" Mochou asked. Unlike him Yichen had nearly licked his bowl clean. Yichen was still hungry but he wouldn't take food from Mochou.
"Have a few more bites. Then I'll finish what's left." Yichen said.
Mochou considered eating a little more. He wasn't hungry but he decided a few more bites would be okay. He sat back down and ate a little more before passing the bowl over to Yichen to finish.
Yichen still wasn't satisfied with the little amount Mochou ate. He considered asking him to eat more, but looking at Mochou's disinterested expression he decided not to force things.
After he finished eaten the last of Mochou's porridge Yichen gathered the dishes to wash. Mochou who wasn't ready to lay down again decided to follow along.
"You don't have to come with me." He said.
"I'd like to walk around a little. My body feels stiff and it isn't good to sleep right after eating." Mochou said.
Yichen agreed and together they went outside. While he washed the dishes Mochou walked around the yard slowly. He also stopped by the toilet and checked on the chickens.
"They still haven't laid any eggs?" Mochou asked a little disappointed.
"It takes a few weeks for chickens to feel comfortable in a new place. They'll start laying eggs soon." Yichen explained. He had finished washing the dishes and was ready to go back inside. Seeing Mochou by the chickens pen he decided to walk over to his side and check on his Little MoMo.
Considering it was late at night the little quail was asleep in his small box they had made him. Not wanting to disturb it Yichen only quietly watched the little quail before taking Mochou's hand and leading him back to the hut.
...