'I had a little brother?'
Upon the mere mention of his name, a surge of sweetness swelled from within her. But-
"My little brother… he's dying?"
As she mumbled out those words, her heart suddenly wretched in extreme pain as if an invisible hand had grabbed her heart and squeezed it hard. Nie Ling soon found herself having a hard time breathing.
"A-Auntie, please bring me to my little brother." She begged the older woman, to which the woman quickly agreed, looking exceedingly frantic herself.
Though the journey was hasty, Auntie Lu didn't forget to express her heartfelt sympathy towards the pair of brother and sister who had had it hard since the first day they arrived in the village.
From the chatty older woman, Nie Ling learnt that the previous owner and her little brother had moved into the village for a little more than a year. With the absence of adults in their small family, the villagers naturally took them as poor orphans who had to fend for themselves at a very young age.
Truth to be told, life in the village was harsh and orphans like them weren't that hard to come by. However, what's especially tragic about the pair was that the little brother was terminally-ill.
Because of this, the previous owner was often seen working day and night just to earn enough for her little brother's treatment and medicine fees. Alas, the sister's hard work and sacrifice would soon be proven to be of no avail for her little brother was destined to live a short life.
After the passing of approximately a quarter hour, Nie Ling found herself pulled to the further edge of the village where lesser and lesser cottages could be seen scattered around the place.
It didn't take long for her to arrive in front of an old thatched hut with numerous villagers huddled together, blocking the small entrance of the hut that only consisted of one room.
"Excuse me, make way make way! Nie lass is here!"
Auntie Lu shouted in a high-pitched voice as she helped Nie Ling dive through the crowd. When Nie Ling stood before the opened door, she saw three people inside the cramped room.
The sickly young boy lying on the small bed with his eyes closed and his eyebrows furrowed together must be her little brother. As for the other two…
As she swept her gaze across the unfamiliar faces in the room, she found the other two staring back at her as well, each sporting an expression vastly different from the other.
The old man sitting on the wooden stool beside the bed must be the doctor, judging by the way he dressed and the fully-loaded medical suitcase placed beside his feet.
As for the young man standing behind the doctor, Nie Ling thought that he and the previous owner mustn't share a deep connection as she had felt nothing when she landed her eyes on the young man's seemingly guilty face, unlike the uneasiness overflowing from within the depths of her heart whenever it came to her little brother's matters.
Under Nie Ling's scrutinizing gaze, the young man fidgeted around, his hand squeezing the other as he tried to explain himself. "Ling, I…"
Nie Ling retrieved her gaze and ignored the stuttering man, placing her entire focus on the pale young boy lying on the bed instead as she limped to his side and pulled the boy's sweating hand.
"Yun…" She softly whispered, a mist of tears gradually veiling her sight. That word just naturally came out of her throat when she touched the boy. Nie Ling understood that this must've been the workings of something similar to the body's muscle memory.
"Doctor, what happened to my brother? Can he be saved?" Nie Ling turned her head to ask the old doctor. Her heart literally dropped when she saw the old doctor shake his head whilst letting out a heavy sigh.
"I've done my best. The child has been suffering from this serious illness for a long time. After this severe relapse, I'm afraid that he won't be able to recover and live for long. As for the time before he heaves his last breath, that'll depend on the boy's fighting will."
Tears flooded down her cheeks when the doctor gave out his final statement. Stilling there like a statue, Nie Ling wouldn't react no matter how many times the doctor had called for her.
Helplessly shaking his head, the doctor turned to the pale young man behind him instead, pulling him to the side before saying in a low voice.
"Young Master Jiang, I will take my leave first. As for the medical bill, we can talk on a later date."
Jiang Zelin blankly nodded, only to come back to his senses the second later. He pulled the doctor's hand, stopping the old man in his tracks.
"Doctor Xie, before that, can you take a look at Lingling's injuries?"
Doctor Xie looked at the silently weeping young woman by the side of the bed. It was only then did he remember, the young woman seemed to have limped her way to the bed.
Besides that, the small cuts littered all over her face seemed fresh and new as well. Had she met with another misfortune on her way here? Doctor Xie couldn't help but pity the poor young woman even more.
"Alright," He agreed without much thought.
"Excuse me then, young lady." Doctor Xie said before lowering himself to roll up her tattered pants, intending to inspect her wound when Jiang Zelin abruptly stopped him for the second time.
"Wait," Sporting a panicked look, Jiang Zelin looked away with a slightly reddened face.
"I'll wait outside." He quickly said, before leaving the room with hurried steps.
"What are you looking at?" The young man's face turned fearsome when he saw the idle villagers still standing there by the entrance, trying to peek at what's going on inside the room.
"You guys better scram before I make you do it myself." Jiang Zelin threatened, his eyes scrutinizing each of their faces as if he was etching their looks deep into his memories.
It was only then did the crowd disperse, leaving behind displeased grunts as they cursed the young man for being unreasonable.