Chapter 4: Setbacks
Alone in the crowd, a young man stood,
It was A Che.
A smear of dried blood stained the corners of his mouth, a stark contrast to his pale skin. His outer robe, once pristine, was now a mess of clinging grass.
He looked disheveled, as if he'd been caught in a struggle, rolling through a field in a desperate attempt to escape.
He must have suffered a lot.
When he saw Ji Li approaching, he quickly lowered his head and clenched his fists under his clothes.
The whispers of the people around him reached his ears, mostly about A Che stealing things.
But she didn't believe it.
"General Ji, Miss Ji," the abbot came out and bowed, "The situation arose suddenly and involved Miss Ji, so I had to call you early in the morning."
Ji Li pretended not to understand, "No problem. May I ask what this is about, Abbot?"
The old abbot no longer managed the matters, this newcomer to him looked unfamiliar.
She didn't ask any more questions, just waited quietly.
The abbot seemed hesitant, "This..."
Ji Li glanced at him, her gaze serious.
Two young monks beside her couldn't sit still and suddenly spoke out, "Miss Ji, you don't know! It's this kid, he stole something from you!"
Before Ji Li could speak, the people around her began whispering again.
In their words, it was mentioned that A Che was no stranger to such acts.
The crowd closed in, with even a few of the boys that Ji Yunshan had found for him yesterday among them.
Ji Li couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly, glanced at them and then looked away, focusing on the person in the distance.
The young man's eyes were full of fear.
She couldn't help but remember last night in the chilly wind, despite being cold, the young man insisted on thanking her.
She recalled the look of disbelief and fear in his eyes when she handed him the warm heater.
It was a stark contrast from the darkness of resignation and acceptance, without a hint of light in his eyes.
"Since you say he stole, what did he steal?" she asked the monk who had accused him, her tone very calm.
"Look!" he presented a delicately crafted small porcelain bottle, "This is the priceless medicinal wine! How could a wilderness orphan like him afford such good medicine?!"
His tone was very certain, causing Ji Li's heart to feel even more complicated.
A Che, what kind of life have you been living all these years?
"That was a gift from me to him," before the man could continue, Ji Li looked at the abbot, "Master, regarding this theft matter, let me and... him resolve it privately."
"For now, can you please disperse these people immediately?" she stared at the shocked monk, emphasizing each word, "Especially these people who come to conclusions about others without knowing the truth... people who talk nonsense."
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent, only the sound of the breeze rustling through the autumn leaves.
Ji Li took a quick look and realized there were only a dozen or so people, far fewer than she had thought.
Some people with ulterior motives just made a big fuss out of this.
The abbot quickly responded, "Of course, this is what I should do." He no longer showed the hesitation he had a moment ago.
After instructing the abbot, she approached the stunned and disheveled young man who was standing there.
"Let's go, let's talk somewhere else." After a few steps, she didn't hear him following, so she turned back to him, "What's wrong?"
Seeing the young man standing still, reverting to his familiar appearance from last night, she raised an eyebrow and lightly pulled him, jokingly, "Why are you standing there? I've chased away those petty people for you."
She thought the young man was worrying over unnecessary things again, and comforted him in a low voice, "Don't worry, I believe you. Let's go back and talk."
A Che seemed to be activated by some kind of switch, he nodded quietly and followed behind her like a little maid.
Inside the side room, the two of them sat facing each other.
Ji Li ignored the request from her own father to also be present and listen in, and naturally poured a cup of hot tea for the person in front of her.
The young man had skin as white as jade, resembling the precious glass jade often brought back by frontier merchants.
One wrong move, and it might easily shatter.
She looked at A Che's cautious demeanor and couldn't help but soften her tone, "Have some tea to warm up first."
"Are they always so reckless and disrespectful?" she asked.
The young man seemed taken aback by the question, "Not really, it's just... I have some old grudges with them."
Remembering the mocking looks and the harsh words like "orphan" thrown at A Che, she chose to remain silent.
Thinking she might have been too direct, she decided to change the topic.
After a while, she heard the young man nervously ask, "Did I cause trouble for Miss Ji this time...?" his tone apologetic, "I'm sorry."
Ji Li avoided answering directly, adding more tea for him, "Have you always been living in Ronghua Temple?"
"Not really, it's just that after my mother passed away when I was ten..." he recounted, "Others wouldn't take me in because I was young, so I had no choice but to follow the refugees and ended up here by chance. Later, the old abbot took pity on me and kept me here ever since."
She suddenly realized she had some misconceptions about him and asked, "How old are you now?"
A Che honestly replied, "I'm fifteen." His hands under the table twisted the worn cuffs of his clothes.
"I never doubted you, quite the opposite, I trust that you wouldn't do something like that," Ji Li quickly reassured as she noticed his declining tone.
The young man looked up at her abruptly.
Outside, the day was already bright, with a large halo of light pouring into the room.
In the light, his eyes were full of surprise.
On his cold white face, each eyelash was distinct, trembling slightly as if stirring up a gust of wind.
With the gentle voice of the young girl, in the flickering light, she dispelled the long-held unease in his heart.
"I felt from our first meeting that you are a person of good nature."
"As for the trouble you mentioned just now, it doesn't really count as trouble. You have never caused me any trouble, so don't worry about it."
Ji Li spoke earnestly, "I may have asked too many questions earlier, I didn't mean to interrogate or imply anything else."
"I have another matter I'd like to ask your opinion on." Staring at the small mole at the corner of the young man's eye, she asked, "Would you like to accompany me back to the general's mansion?"
A Che didn't respond, just stared at her without blinking, then after a while, he lowered his head, "Me... me?"
He felt as if he were losing his mind, how else could a person of high status offer him an olive branch?
But in the next instant, he felt a bit timid, unsure if he should say this to Ji Li or to himself, "Miss Ji has already helped me a lot..."
He shouldn't expect more, he didn't deserve to receive so much.
Ji Li was unsure of what was on his mind, assuming he must have something else troubling him, "There's no rush in the next couple of days, if there's anything on your mind, deal with it before coming."
"I always thought we had some kind of connection, wouldn't it be nice for you and me to work at the general's mansion together?" she suggested.
Seeing the young man tightly purse his lips, curling up in himself, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He was only fifteen, still just a child.
Just as she was about to say something else, she suddenly saw tears welling up in the young man's eyes, emitting soft sobs from his throat.
Ji Li froze in place.
Slightly flustered, she hurriedly said, "No, don't cry! Did I say something wrong? I apologize, please don't cry."
Seeing his eyes welling up even more with her words, she handed him a handkerchief, urging him to wipe his tears, "Don't be sad, don't be sad."
A Che closed his lips, wiped away the tears in silence for a while, and then reverted back to his old self, filled with self-doubt.
The remnants of moisture in his eyes proved his earlier loss of control.
"It's okay, I won't cry anymore," he finally calmed down, his voice still slightly hoarse.
As if mustering up great courage, he earnestly asked, "Is what Miss just said still valid? I won't be a burden to you, I'm very strong and can do a lot of physical work."
Almost like afraid of being rejected, he added, "I don't eat much, I can eat even less."
Ji Li was taken aback by his childish words.
Realizing he had agreed, she smiled and replied, "No, eat more."
"It's the time for you to grow, so eat more." Looking at the young man's clear eyes, she felt a strange feeling she couldn't explain.
Helping others to the end, reciprocating kindness.
Everything has its consequences, so she considered it a give-and-take situation, helping when she could.
Even if she had made a mistake in her judgment, she had no regrets.
"By the way, since you agreed to come back with me, then..."
Unexpectedly, the young man misunderstood, earnestly pledging, "I will do anything for Miss Ji, I won't hesitate."
Ji Li chuckled, "No, I know you are sincere." She gazed at the blushing young man across from her, "I... want you to..."
"I want you to change your name."
"Since you are about to go to the general's mansion, why not start afresh with a new name?"
"If possible, please let you choose a name for me." A Che quickly agreed, as if afraid the casual offer would slip away.
Seeing his acceptance, she continued, "How about the homophonous character 'Che'? I hope you can maintain your original intention, clarity, and purity in the future." Gazing into his resolute eyes, she explained each word carefully.
"As for your surname, you can take your mother's surname from now on, is that okay?"
The young man blinked a few times, as if trying to conceal something poorly.
His gaze never left her face, scrutinizing every subtle change in her expression. With a barely audible voice, he responded, "Alright."
It was unclear whether he was acknowledging his new name or fulfilling her expectations.
Lowering his eyes, he added, "But I won't be able to leave for a couple of days. I have... some matters to attend to here."
Ji Li replied, "It's fine. I happen to be visiting the temple again in two days. You can join me back to the manor then once you're done."
Noticing the curious look on A-Che's face, she inquired, "What's the matter? Do you need my help?"
"No, I can handle it myself."
She nodded without further questioning. But in the next instant, she saw the young man stand up abruptly and bow before her, saying, "Your servant, Xi Che, bows deeply to thank the young lady for her kindness in saving my life."
Ji Li, her mouth still full of warm tea, froze in her tracks upon hearing that familiar name.
Xi Che?
The surname Xi?