Reunion of the Jades — Meilin

When I arrived at the village, it was already nighttime.

My stomach grumbled. It felt like I hadn’t eaten in ages. Soon, Yulan returned, with Himari limping behind her, and introduced me to her sister, Yuhua. They brought us to Yuhua’s house, where we had dinner together.

I soon learned that Yuhua was the eldest sister of Yulan, and from her looks, I’d expect her to be in her forties. She had gorgeous, long hair similar to Yulan's, and a radiant smile that could light up an entire room. Her hair was not the same colour as Yulan's, being a brunette, but her eyes were the same blue and had a similar shine.

Now that I think of it, Yulan’s hair colour seemed to be quite different from the people I’ve met on my journey. A pretty shade of gray…Just as I thought, Yuhua brought up the fact that Yulan used to have the same brown hair as she did when she was a child. Yuhua chirped cheerfully,  "My sister had changed so drastically that I almost didn’t recognise her at first!"

I wasn’t invested in the conversation as I wolfed down the dishes on the table. Yuhua’s attendants seemed to be disgusted at the fact that I was eating without etiquette, gossiping among themselves until Yuhua shooed them away.

Yuhua then mentioned that she had once been the previous emperor's consort. Not surprisingly, I thought while munching, judging by her good looks. Himari didn’t understand a huge part of the conversation, so Yulan had to do some explaining.

Turns out the systems in Elysium are quite similar to the ones on Earth. How nations operated were taught in history classes back on Earth. Although I wasn't paying attention, I think it was part of the curriculum. I ended up learning everything from C-dramas.

Back to Yuhua, it must be hard for her to transition from such a luxurious life to a life of poverty in rural areas. She seemed to adjust just fine, though, having maids and a large house.

Yuhua said that this village had become quite developed after a large number of people moved in following the disaster. The town was comparable to Kazemura, and considering that the disaster had only occurred four years ago, they had done a commendable job in developing the place.

I also heard that Himari had a nasty wound on her leg, but when I asked her about it, she just denied it and said she was fine.

We finished dinner, and Yuhua offered to let us stay at her place for a couple of days. We were all grateful, thanking Yuhua over and over again.

I shared a room with Himari, and Yuhua shared one with Yulan. The maids took an interest in Haruki and were playing around with him all night, so I assumed either they lent him a spare room or shared one with him.

I stared at the ceiling for a while, lost in thought, about the wish orb. Yuhua had questioned me about it a few times during dinner, but noticing my unease, she quickly changed the subject.

I was still not over that vision.

Having your own mother upset like this.

Just thinking of it makes me want to cry.

During the vision, I had a few thoughts of going back to Earth.

But I chose to leave. I didn’t like it there. I felt hopeless after Haokei had passed away. I had no hope for a better future. However, I still regretted the decision. I was torn between the excitement of exploring a new world and the unwillingness to let go of a familiar place.

What should I do…

Next morning:

Yulan wanted to spend some time with her sister and asked me to take Himari to the doctor for a checkup.

This time, I finally got a proper look at the village.

There were many traditional buildings and a narrow street in the middle. People selling street food called out to others passing by, urging them to have a taste. The place was decorated with lanterns, and children ran around, with adults chasing behind them. I wouldn’t call this a village; it almost meets the level of a small city.

Occasionally, we’d see some people in more extravagant clothing, and servants following them closely behind. I suppose they came from wealthy families or held important positions in the village. One of them seemed to be displeased at my appearance, probably because I was a witch. She and her maids glared at me as we passed by. Himari reassured me by saying they were jealous of my good looks. I sighed. At least lie a bit better…

We arrived at the clinic, and the doctor’s assistant ushered us inside.

Cough—

Such a strong smell of medicinal herbs…

“I thought Ms Yuhua was the assistant.” The assistant had us take a seat while we waited for the doctor. “Of course not!” The assistant chuckled, “Lady Yuhua is a significant figure; she aids the village chief. I took a few days off since I was feeling unwell. The old doctor can’t handle everything on his own due to his age, so we had to find someone to assist him while I was gone. Lady Yuhua heard of the news, and since she didn’t have any special plans, she decided to fill in my spot out of kindness.”

The doctor finally arrived and examined Himari’s leg.

Perhaps I had missed home a bit too much; the doctor oddly resembled my grandpa. He took the bandages off Himari’s leg.

There was a ghastly wound on her leg. “Oh my.” The doctor sighed, “It seems like you would need extra treatment. I do hope you aren’t in a rush to leave, as the wound would take a while to heal.”

I didn’t mind. But Himari winced at the pain, and a sense of guilt awakened inside me.

Then I remembered.

Souta.

I cured him with my orb the last time; there was no reason I couldn’t heal Himari this time.

“Doctor.” I took out my staff and said, “I think I can heal this wound.”

“Oh?” The doctor’s eyes shone at the sight of the wish orb. “Go ahead.”

I cast a spell on Himari’s leg, and the wound magically disappeared. “Thank you so much, Meilin.” Himari hugged me tightly, and we celebrated for a little while.

When we were about to leave the clinic, the doctor asked me to stay behind.

Huh?

That’s weird.

The assistant prepared two cups of tea for both of us, and we sat down at a table. “Young girl, may I ask for your name?” The doctor took a sip of his tea.

“I’m Meilin. Is there something you needed to discuss with me?” Is it because I’m a witch? Or because of the spell?

“Meilin. Such a wonderful name.” The doctor smiled, “I’m Doctor Hu. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Please get to the point already.

“I’ve noticed that you wield the wish orb and have strong healing capabilities. May I ask for your wish? Would it perhaps be related to healing the people?”

Such a nosy doctor. His resemblance to my grandpa is overwhelming; even the way he talks is the same. “I haven’t yet decided on a wish.”

“I see.” Dr.Hu tapped the table gently as the assistant poured another cup of tea. “Nothing in mind?”

“Well…” I don’t think there’s any harm in telling him. I could easily blow him away if he were to try stealing the orb, even though that wouldn’t be very nice. The memory of me hitting my grandpa playfully entered my head. Just like that. “I thought of meeting an old friend who is no longer with me, or returning to the world I was originally from.”

“Originally from?” Dr.Hu’s eyes widened with shock, “I see. I thought that you were from Tian Cheng, given your name. I was originally hoping that you’d have an interest in finding a cure for a mysterious disease. But going back to someplace you left sounds good. If I were given the chance, I would love to be back in Tian Cheng when it was still striving.”

We chatted for a bit about Tian Cheng, then I left the clinic shortly after.

He gave me some herbs. “But I didn’t know how to use them,” I muttered to myself. I looked around at the people of the village, most of whom were former citizens of Tian Cheng.

The people of Tian Cheng are really attached to the nation they once took for granted.

They forgot to cherish it, and now can only relive it in their minds.

Now that I think of it…

I miss Earth too.