Chapter 8: Born on the Same Day, Month, and Year

Family...

Alone, having journeyed to this strange world, Chen Ji could only cautiously, tentatively navigate its mysteries and dangers. Each step felt akin to treading a precipice, the abyss ever-present beneath his feet. The word "family" held a unique allure for him.

Chen Ji was acutely aware that this body's family was merely that of its original owner, and he, a mere interloper who had arrived after that soul's departure. Yet, an inevitable curiosity stirred within him… what if his own parents, after death, had also found their way to this realm?

With morning classes concluded, Chen Ji and his two senior brothers crouched by the large water jar in the southeast corner of the courtyard to perform their ablutions. He grasped a willow twig, stripping its inner fibers to fashion a makeshift brush. Mimicking his seniors, he began to stiffly scrape at his teeth.

She Deng Ke, the stout senior brother who had slept soundly through the previous night, grimaced as he squatted. "Master's temper is fierce today. Whatever you do, don't provoke him. It hurts like hell! My own father has never beaten me this hard!"

Chen Ji spat out the salty water, cautiously venturing, "Perhaps this practice is beneficial?"

Liu Qu Xing, the lanky senior brother, pursed his lips. "Beneficial? What use is it? I've been practicing for over a year and feel nothing. Do you feel anything?"

"No," Chen Ji shook his head, confirming that the warm current was something only he could perceive.

The burly She Deng Ke, still brushing his teeth, asked, "Liu Qu Xing, when your mother comes later, will she bring those delicious oil pancakes like last time?"

The thin Liu Qu Xing rolled his eyes and spat out his mouthwash. "She Deng Ke, stop thinking about the food my mother sends."

She Deng Ke retorted, clearly unhappy, "We're all fellow disciples! What's wrong with eating some of your food?"

Chen Ji chuckled good-naturedly. "Precisely! What's wrong with eating some of your food?"

At that moment, Old Man Yao emerged from the main house, carrying a bamboo strip. "Still in the mood for jokes? Wait until tomorrow when I test your knowledge. See if you can still laugh then. All of you, get back to the main hall and read!"

After washing up, the three senior brothers, without even pausing for breakfast, lined up on the medical hall's threshold, each holding a medical text. Their minds were clearly not on the books, eagerly awaiting the arrival of family with money and provisions. Only Chen Ji silently turned the pages, for he had too many gaps to fill.

She Deng Ke declared, "Master tests our knowledge tomorrow. As fellow disciples, we share blessings and endure hardship together. No one is allowed to secretly revise, understand?"

Liu Qu Xing's eyes darted about. "I haven't even looked at the book lately. I've forgotten everything Master taught before."

She Deng Ke let out a cold laugh, clenching his fist. "You better be telling the truth, boy!"

Liu Qu Xing recoiled. "Why don't you say anything about Chen Ji? He got the fewest bamboo strikes this morning and he's still reading!"

She Deng Ke snatched the book from Chen Ji's hand. "No reading allowed! We'll all get beaten together tomorrow. My father had someone calculate my fate, and they said I'll live to over seventy! Master can't beat me to death!"

Chen Ji was speechless. "… Your eight characters are that resilient?"

Time seemed to rewind to the harsh yet beautiful days of high school, where everyone would link arms and shoulders, heading to and from class, sweating profusely on the playground, and being scolded by the teachers together. Chen Ji mused, if life in this world was to be like this, could he accept it? It seemed plausible.

After a short wait, Liu Qu Xing suddenly leaped up, greeting a middle-aged woman in a green dress. The woman, adorned with a silver hairpin and wearing embroidered shoes, was elegant and gentle. A maid followed behind her. Her face lit up with a particularly gentle smile when she saw Liu Qu Xing. "Xing Er, have you been upsetting Master lately?"

"No, no, Master likes me very much. How could I possibly upset the old man?" Liu Qu Xing happily handed her a bundle. "Mother, these are my clothes. Please take them back and wash them for me."

She Deng Ke sat on the threshold, sneering. "Worthless! How old are you and you're still giving your clothes to your mother to wash!"

The woman accepted the clothes and handed Liu Qu Xing a wooden box and a cloth wrap from the maid. "The cloth wrap contains this month's school fees and your clean clothes. The box has some pastries your mother made for you. You can share them with your senior brothers."

At that moment, Chen Ji distinctly heard She Deng Ke swallow hard. However, Liu Qu Xing made no move to share the pastries. He immediately opened the box and began stuffing the oil pancakes and mung bean cakes into his mouth, one by one. He continued stuffing himself for two full quarters of an hour, finally swallowing all the pastries before handing the box back to the woman. "Mother, you can take the box back now."

Chen Ji blinked in surprise.

She Deng Ke muttered under his breath, "You motherf…"

Mother and son exchanged a few more words, and then Liu Qu Xing excitedly carried the cloth wrap back inside, letting out a burp as he stepped over the threshold.

The street gradually filled with pedestrians. Children chased each other in the narrow alleys between the uneven buildings, and women carried basins to the Luo River to wash clothes. Some people drove ox carts eastward, the oxen's swinging tails leaving behind trails of dung, the entire street permeated with a rustic scent of earth and grass. Chen Ji was immersed in it all.

She Deng Ke and Chen Ji waited eagerly, and it wasn't until noon that a robust man carrying a bundle finally arrived. The dark-skinned man wore a short upper garment and grey cloth trousers, his rolled-up sleeves revealing intricate tattoos. "Youngest!"

"Third Brother!" She Deng Ke's eyes lit up.

The man laughed heartily. "Was helping people at the east market early this morning, so I'm a bit delayed. Here, Mother prepared two strings of cured meat for you. One string is for Master, and the other is for you to keep and eat."

"Where did the meat come from?!" She Deng Ke exclaimed in surprise.

"Big Brother and I encountered a wild boar in the mountains a few days ago. It was a male, unfortunately, so it's a bit gamey," Third Brother replied with a laugh.

She Deng Ke beamed with joy. "Having meat to eat is good enough! Who cares about being gamey!"

"Come on, there's a banquet at a big household in the east market tonight. I'm going to help set up the stage, and I might even catch a show," Third Brother was decisive and turned to leave without hesitation.

She Deng Ke strode back into the medical hall. Liu Qu Xing leaned against the doorframe, sourly remarking, "I heard wild boar meat from the mountains smells like urine…"

Chen Ji sighed. "Senior Brother Liu, you truly are the moral low ground of our medical hall."

She Deng Ke glared fiercely at Liu Qu Xing. "Believe it or not, I'll knock out your front teeth?"

Liu Qu Xing immediately shrank back. He then turned his head to look at Chen Ji. "Your family still hasn't come this time. They probably aren't coming, right?"

Chen Ji shook his head. "I don't know."

Liu Qu Xing gloated. "Perhaps they're unwilling to pay your school fees. Two hundred *wen* a month is indeed not a small sum for an average family. Or maybe you should beg Master to extend the deadline."

The words had barely left his mouth when Old Man Yao, who was standing behind the counter counting his accounts, spoke unhurriedly without lifting his head. "Law is not easily passed down, the Dao is not cheaply sold, a master does not travel a common path, and a doctor does not knock on doors. I only teach those who are sincere. If your family considers two hundred *wen* too much, you need not learn."

"Understood, Master," Chen Ji replied.

She Deng Ke scratched his head. "Master, we will eventually care for you in your old age. Have some compassion."

Old Man Yao stroked his beard. "Sons are not necessarily truly filial to their birth fathers. Can I count on you? When you are old, you will see everything clearly. Money is the only thing that matters. Emotions all change. Life is filled with much hardship. Only with money is there dignity. Your family pays the school fees, and I teach you skills. There is no need for excessive master-disciple sentiment between us."

Chen Ji silently sat on the threshold, from early morning until noon, and then from noon until evening. Having returned to the medical hall at the third watch the previous night and being tormented by the icy flow until the fifth watch, he was truly unable to bear it and leaned against the doorframe, falling into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when someone patted his shoulder. He tiredly opened his eyes. She Deng Ke held a rice bowl, shoveling in cured meat as he spoke indistinctly. "Chen Ji, why don't you go eat something first? I'll stay here and watch. If your family comes, I'll call you."

Chen Ji didn't reply.

Opposite the medical hall, the clerks from the rice shop, pawn shop, and grain and oil shop were emerging, installing their door boards one by one in preparation for closing. One clerk saw Chen Ji and smiled, greeting him, "Little Doctor Chen, waiting for someone?"

He smiled back and replied, "Yes."

However, Chen Ji's family never came. It was impossible for his birth parents to forget such an agreement. As the sun's afterglow gradually sank westward, and the pedestrians returning home became sparse, the light and shadow slowly faded from his face, until night fell completely.

Someone once said, never wake up at dusk. At that moment, the distant bell tolls and the heavens and earth are silent. The sun has also dipped below the horizon. The grey sky appears particularly distant, as if he were alone, journeying far away. He suddenly remembered, before the gears of fate turned, someone had once asked him:

"Can you endure loneliness?"

Chen Ji's answer at that time was, "Yes."

***

The evening afterglow fell, finally disappearing behind the scattered buildings. Chen Ji sat on the threshold, watching the last shop opposite close its door and the last pedestrian return home. Only then did he stand up and brush the dust from his clothes.

Life still had to continue. Returning to reality, he had to seriously consider his own situation.

At this moment, Old Man Yao stood behind the counter, still counting his accounts. Without lifting his head, he spoke scornfully. "What, your family doesn't want you?"

Chen Ji thought to himself that his master's words were like being poisoned. He smiled and replied, "Master, perhaps they were delayed by something. They will bring the school fees tomorrow."

Old Man Yao let out a cold laugh. "You've been here for two years. The other two families at least know to bring me things during festivals. Your family hasn't sent anything. Even if you can't pay the school fees on time, I don't want you as a disciple."

"Give me one month. By then, perhaps I can pay the school fees without relying on my family," Chen Ji said sincerely.

Old Man Yao shook his head. "Empty promises? Who can't make those?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment. "The monthly school fee is two hundred *wen*. If you extend it for one month, I will pay two hundred and forty *wen* each month thereafter."

Old Man Yao pondered for a moment, took out some copper coins from his sleeve, and tossed them six times. After divining, he calmly said, "There is indeed some sincerity in that… But you, an apprentice not even qualified to receive a consultation fee, where will you earn money?"

"I will find a way."

"Heh, such a big tone. You are just an apprentice now, and your pulse reading isn't even accurate. What will you rely on to earn money?" Old Man Yao casually moved the abacus beads, scoffing.

Liu Qu Xing, who was watching the scene with delight, said, "Chen Ji, how about I help you out?"

"How does Senior Brother Liu plan to help?" Chen Ji asked.

"The three of us rotate our chores. Tomorrow, it's supposed to be my turn to carry water, sweep the courtyard, and wipe the main hall floor. If you can help wipe the floor, I'll give you two *wen*; if you can help sweep the courtyard, I'll give you one *wen*; if you can help fill the water jar, I'll give you two *wen*. It's not much, but it's at least fifty *wen* a month."

Within the apprentice hierarchy, the pecking order was clear.

Chen Ji agreed, "Good. I will help Senior Brother Liu with the chores."

She Deng Ke looked at Old Man Yao. "Master, is this appropriate?"

"As long as the school fees are replenished, it is appropriate," Old Man Yao said indifferently.

She Deng Ke looked at Chen Ji. "Aren't you angry? Liu Qu Xing, that grandson, is treating you like a hired hand."

Chen Ji smiled. "Senior Brother Liu is also helping me."

"What 'Senior Brother Liu'? The three of us were born in the same year, same month, same day, even the same hour. What makes him a senior brother?" She Deng Ke said with disdain.

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback. Why would an imperial physician choose three apprentices with the same eight characters?