Chapter 3 Wind Crane: Settling In
The doctor came in and placed two fingers on Feng Luodi"s wrist to measure her pulse in a practiced motion. The man dressed in simple clothes stood in a corner and looked at Feng Luodi, eyes filled with concern despite his serious demeanor.
“Luodi.”
Even though she was keenly aware of the fact that it was not the same name she had, the familiar warmth and care in his tone turned her eyes red. Recalling the few memories she had about Feng Luodi, she replied.
“Father.” Her voice quivered.
The man was Feng Luodi"s father, the Chamberlain for Justice of the Xuan Dynasty. His lips twitched into a smile upon hearing her voice.
“I"m glad you"re awake. Even though I am busy with matters of the court most of the time, I would never be too busy to forget about my own daughter. Next time, tell me if you run into any problem, or if you need anything from me. Alright?”
Feng Luodi nodded silently, trying her best to look obedient and quiet, just like how the Feng Luodi of the past looked like when she was playing the zither in the gardens. No one noticed how nervous she was: sweat staining the blanket where her hand held it in a death grip and drenching the back of her blouse.
The doctor spoke up timely, stopping the Chamberlain from asking any further questions.
“The young miss has mostly recovered, and it shouldn"t take more than half a month of rest before she will be in good health again, but it"s best to continue medication for another ten days to stabilize her Qi*. Just be careful to let her consume only liquid food for a few more days, her body has to get accustomed to solid food again after a long period of not eating anything.” The doctor stood up to write a prescription.
Jet dutifully left the room with the doctor for him to collect his payment, and to collect the medication from a pharmacy.
Meanwhile, the Chamberlain stayed to chat with Feng Luodi for a few more minutes, completely oblivious to the fact that the person before him wasn"t his daughter. Scarlet came back into the room, and upon seeing it was the liquid food that the doctor advise, he silently nodded to himself in satisfaction.
“Rest well after eating,” the Chamberlain reminded her, “and visit your Mother when you feel better. She has been worried sick for the past few days, don"t do anymore foolish things that might upset her – you know how poor her health is.”
Feng Luodi nodded. “Yes, Father. Please take care of yourself too, Father. I will be more careful, so that Mother doesn"t worry about me anymore."
As soon as the Chamberlain left the room, Scarlet hurried over with the food and helped Feng Luodi to sit up on her bed.
Feng Luodi took the bowl of food from her, and let out a sigh of relief.
“Open the windows and let in some air, Scarlet. The room is too stuffy.”
“But…” Scarlet hesitated, looking back at Feng Luodi. "You have yet to fully recover from your cold, if you fall sick because of the breeze I"ll get in trouble.”
Feng Luodi stopped stirring her porridge and stared back at her. "I"m just following the doctor"s orders, you didn"t hear them just now because you were away. It is supposed to help the patient recover faster. Are you going to question his words?”
Feng Luodi said it convincingly, and apparently the doctor was held in high regard as Scarlet immediately went to open the windows without hesitation.
As soon as she turned around, the expression on Feng Luodi"s face changed: it became a mixture of melancholy and loneliness. This was a real world, with real people and events, but it was not the one she was accustomed to, without anyone she knew. She even had to pretend to be someone else, someone that has already pa.s.sed away, to continue living in on in this world.
The air inside the room was gloomy and despondent, but beyond the windows the flowers bloomed in great abundance. Jasmines, Begonias, Magnolias, Redbuds, Lilacs and Kapok flowers painted the world in a wash of colour, brightening up the Spring scenery. The sun shone brightly onto the Paulownia tree in the courtyard, while the earth was dotted with purple and white. It was a sight to behold, a scene of prosperity and tranquility, so very different from the emptiness in her heart.