******** After 2 months. ********
"Uncle Mo, I'm leaving now."
Xie Ra put a bag on his shoulder before walk out the front door. He saw Mo Xing waving at him through the window.
It wasn't his workday. Thank god. Carrying heavy stuff here and there wasn't a game even though he was stronger than his colleagues. When he begged in front of the laborer crew leader a few weeks before, he didn't imagine work to be this hard.
But, he didn't regret his decision for two reasons.
First, he got a decent payment end of each week so, he didn't have to be a burden to uncle Mo.
Second, the look was in the boss's face when he was forced by his own crewmates to hire Xie Ra.
"You? Skinny boy, if we hire you, we'll have to carry you too."
"Please give me one chance, Sir."
"You really don't know when to stop, do you? Okay. You asked for this." He pointed to a large box rested in the corner. "If you lift that box, I'll give you the job. Deal?"
"Thank you, Sir."
However, the look on his face when Xie Ra lift the box was priceless.
Xie Ra checked the stuff in his bag. Lunch-check, water bottle-check, steamed buns-check, Money pouch-check.
This would be enough for the journey, right?
Xie Ra moved his money pouch to his belt. He had to be careful with Yan Ye's money. It wasn't like Xie Ra can afford the medicine Yan Ye ordered if he loses this. Why did he volunteer for this journey again?
Oh yeah. For sight-seeing purposes. Xie Ra wanted to see this so-called majestic Yulong city everyone was talking about.
First of all, Xie Ra had to find Yan ye's assistant boy. His name was "Ning Bo."
'Ning Bo' was a 16-year-old who was slightly shorter than Xie Ra. His short raven hair has the charm to look always excessively neat. He has a fair complexion and an innocent face which reminds you of a rabbit.
Even though he was famous as a kind, caring, a humble gem among patients, Ning Bo was proud to the extent his friends get annoyed to death.
For some reason, he seemed to despise Xie Ra with a passion. Maybe because his partial albino look made him uncomfortable. Or maybe he got scared that Yan Yi might replace Xie Ra In his position.
The second one was a stupid reason. Even though doctor Yan Lou shows affection towards Xie Ra, he wouldn't replace his skilled assistant with a newbie who had no idea about medicine.
Whatever the reason was, Ning Bo kept his distance from the white-haired boy. It made this situation more uncomfortable for Ning Bo. But, Xie Ra couldn't pass up the chance to learn about his surroundings more. Could he?
Compare to Ning Bo, Xie Ra was so pale. Within the past two months, his hair grew and reached his shoulders. It shone with a silvery-white in the sunlight. Silver bangs always fell over his right eye, covering his vision. Xie Ra used to put on a small ponytail to look somewhat neat but, his hair managed to escape resulting in a disheveled appearance.
He finally managed to put up some weight and muscle mass in the past two months, thanks to Mo Xing's pamperings.
Xie Ra was shorter than an average worker, although his slender build made him look taller.
His electric blue eyes always shone with determination or excitement. Unfortunately, his handsome face mostly showed a cold and unimpressed look, which made many people uncomfortable.
Faded commoners' clothes were his favorite wear. However, he had only one pair of skin ankle boots which he had to wear every day.
Xie Ra shuddered as a cold breeze hit his face. It carried a pleasant smell which gave a refreshing feeling. Everything hinted that the winter season was about to arrive. Even though the autumn leaves were shredded everywhere, they weren't enough to hide the surrounding beauty.
The path Xie Ra had to walk was wide enough for a small bullock cart to pass. He heard the faint melody of rushing water from far away.
This was completely different from the bland look of his village that was always buzzing with people. Maybe it looked better than city corners like the villagers said. Well, Xie Ra never saw them. Even if he did, he had forgotten.
Xie Ra sighed. Maybe he might gain his memory one day. He shook his head to chase away depressed feelings and forced his focus on the beauty in the path.
His lips curved up into a faint smile. Well, he loved nature. When he was doing his job back in the village, he used to have many stray animal friends. He used to feed them. It's kind of weird that animals tried to follow him while humans tried to stay away.
Yet, he wasn't disappointed. He hated being in crowds. Yet, sometimes he felt alone. However, a voice deep inside him told him to stay away from people. It said if not, he would regret it sooner or later.
As he was tangled in such a thought process, he felt a human presence ahead of him. Ning Bo was standing, exactly where he promised he would be.
Xie Ra always got one feeling whenever he saw Ning Bo. Too neat. Xie Ra wondered if he looked like a sore thumb when standing next to him. Usually, he wasn't conscious about his looks. But, now he started to question whether what he wore was too shabby for visiting the city.
He awkwardly said, "Hey."
Ning Bo lifted his head. "Hm, right on time. Good."
He nodded slightly before starting to walk. Xie Ra followed him silently.
If someone witnessed them at that moment, he might see two youths walking calmly, one after the other.
From the outside, Xie Ra looked calm. However, his heart thumped against his ribcage like a drum.