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

Family...

Arriving in this strange world all alone, Chen Ji could only cautiously touch the world around him, sensing its mysteries and dangers.

Every step felt like walking on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall into the abyss at any moment.

The word "family" held a unique attraction for him.

Chen Ji was soberly aware that this so-called family was merely the family of the body he now inhabited, while he was nothing more than a stowaway who had broken into this world after the original owner died.

Yet, a sliver of curiosity couldn't help but rise in his heart... What if his parents had also come to this world after they passed away?

Morning lessons ended, and Chen Ji and his two fellow apprentices squatted by the large water vat in the southeast corner of the courtyard to wash up.

He took a willow twig, pressed the end into a brush-like shape, and, imitating his fellow apprentices, began to scrape his teeth awkwardly.

The tall, sturdy senior apprentice, who had slept like a log the night before, squatted on the ground, grimacing: "Master is in a foul mood today, don't you dare provoke him. It hurts like hell—my own father never beat me this hard!"

Chen Ji spat out the saltwater and probed, "Perhaps practicing this is useful?"

Liu Quxing curled his lip: "What use is it? We've been practicing for over a year and haven't felt a thing. Do you feel anything?"

"No," Chen Ji shook his head. He had confirmed that the warm current was something only he could feel.

The tall, sturdy apprentice asked while brushing his teeth: "Liu Quxing, when your mother comes later, will she bring those delicious scallion pancakes like last time?"

The thin Liu Quxing rolled his eyes and spat out his rinse water: "She Dengke, stop coveting the food my mother brings."

She Dengke was displeased: "We're all fellow apprentices, what's wrong with eating a little of your food?"

Chen Ji laughed heartily: "Exactly, what's wrong with eating a little of your food?"

At this moment, Old Man Yao emerged from the main room, brandishing a bamboo rod: "Still in the mood to joke? Wait until I test your studies tomorrow; let's see if you can still laugh then. Get out of here and go to the main hall to recite your books!"

After washing up, the three apprentices didn't even eat breakfast; they sat in a row on the threshold of the clinic, each holding a medical text.

In truth, their minds were no longer on their books; they were waiting longingly for their families to arrive with money and food. Only Chen Ji flipped through his pages silently, for he had too many gaps to fill.

She Dengke said: "Master is testing us tomorrow. We are brothers who share blessings and hardships; no one is allowed to study in secret, you hear?"

Liu Quxing’s eyes darted around: "I haven't opened a book lately, and I've forgotten everything Master taught before."

She Dengke sneered and clenched his fist: "You’d better be telling the truth, kid!"

Liu Quxing shrank his neck: "Why don't you talk about Chen Ji? He took the fewest hits from the bamboo rod this morning, and he's still reading!"

She Dengke closed the book in Chen Ji's hands: "No more reading. We'll get beaten together tomorrow. My father had someone calculate my fortune; I'm supposed to live past seventy. Master can't beat me to death!"

Chen Ji: "...Is your fate really that resilient?"

It felt as if time had returned to the harsh yet beautiful high school days, where everyone walked with arms around each other's shoulders, going to class, leaving school, sweating on the playground, and getting scolded by teachers together.

Chen Ji pondered: If life in this world were always like this, could he accept it? It seemed he could.

Before long, he saw Liu Quxing bolt up and dash out to meet a middle-aged woman dressed in a cyan *ruqun*.

The woman wore a silver hairpin and embroidered shoes; she looked elegant and gentle, followed by a maidservant.

She smiled the moment she saw Liu Quxing, her expression exceptionally tender: "Xing'er, have you been causing Master any trouble lately?"

"No, no, Master likes me very much. How could I possibly make him angry?" Liu Quxing happily handed a bundle to her: "Mother, these are my clothes to be washed. Please take them back and wash them for me."

She Dengke sat on the threshold and sneered: "Pathetic. How old are you, still hoarding clothes for your mother to wash!"

The woman took the clothes and handed a wooden box and a cloth parcel from the maid to Liu Quxing: "The cloth parcel has this month's tuition and some fresh clothes. The box contains some snacks I made for you; you can share them with your fellow apprentices."

In that instant, Chen Ji clearly heard She Dengke swallow his saliva.

However, Liu Quxing did not offer the snacks to them. He opened the box on the spot and began stuffing the scallion pancakes and mung bean cakes into his mouth one by one.

Watching Liu Quxing stuff his face for a quarter of an hour until the snacks were stuck in his throat, he finally handed the box back to the woman: "Mother, you can take the box back now."

Chen Ji: Huh?

She Dengke muttered: "You son of a..."

The mother and son spoke for a while longer before Liu Quxing returned, jubilant, carrying the cloth parcel. He even let out a burp as he stepped over the threshold.

Pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Between the scattered buildings, children chased each other in the alleys, and women carried basins to the Luo River to wash clothes.

Someone drove an ox cart heading east; the ox flicked its tail and dropped dung, and the entire street was filled with a grassy, earthy scent.

Chen Ji immersed himself in the scene.

She Dengke and Chen Ji waited longingly until noon, when a capable-looking man arrived carrying a bundle.

The dark-skinned man wore a short jacket and gray cloth trousers, his sleeves rolled up to reveal a twisted tattoo: "Youngest!"

"Third Brother!" She Dengke’s eyes lit up instantly.

The man laughed heartily: "I was delayed helping someone at the East Market this morning. Here, this is two strings of cured meat Mother prepared for you—one for your Master, and one for you to keep."

"Where did the meat come from?!" She Dengke asked, pleasantly surprised.

"The eldest brother and I ran into a wild boar in the mountains a few days ago. It’s a shame it was a male; it has a bit of a gamey smell," the third brother replied with a smile.

She Dengke beamed: "Having meat is good enough! Who cares about a gamey smell!"

"I'm off. There's a wealthy family hosting a performance at the East Market tonight; I'm going to help set up the stage and catch a show," the third brother said, turning to leave with brisk, decisive steps.

She Dengke strode back into the clinic. Liu Quxing leaned against the doorframe, sourly remarking: "I heard male wild boar meat always smells like urine..."

Chen Ji sighed in admiration: "Senior Brother Liu, you truly are the moral bottom of our clinic."

She Dengke glared fiercely at Liu Quxing: "Do you want me to knock your front teeth out?"

Liu Quxing immediately shrank his neck. He turned to look at Chen Ji: "It's this late and they haven't come. I guess your family isn't coming, right?"

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

Liu Quxing gloated: "Don't tell me they aren't willing to pay your tuition? Two hundred *wen* a month is no small sum for an average family. Maybe you should go beg Master for an extension."

No sooner had he spoken than Old Man Yao, who was counting accounts behind the counter, said in a measured tone: "The Law is not easily taught, the Dao is not sold cheaply, the Master does not go out of his way, and the Physician does not knock on doors. I only teach those with a sincere heart. If your family thinks two hundred *wen* is too much, then you don't need to learn."

"I understand, Master," Chen Ji replied.

She Dengke scratched his head: "Master, we're going to take care of you in your old age, have a little heart."

Old Man Yao stroked his beard: "A son isn't necessarily filial to his own father; can I count on you lot? When you get old, you'll understand—money is what matters most. Feelings change. Longevity brings humiliation; only money brings dignity. If your family pays the tuition, I teach you skills. We don't need much of a master-disciple bond."

Chen Ji sat silently on the threshold, from dawn until noon, and from noon until dusk.

Having returned to the clinic at 3:00 AM and been tortured by the icy current until 5:00 AM, he couldn't hold on any longer. Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when someone tapped his shoulder. He opened his weary eyes.

She Dengke was holding a rice bowl, shoveling in cured meat while mumbling: "Chen Ji, why don't you go eat something? I'll watch here; if your family comes, I'll call you."

Chen Ji did not answer.

Across from the clinic, the clerks of the eateries, pawnshops, and grain stores came out to install the door panels, preparing to close for the night.

A clerk saw Chen Ji and greeted him with a smile: "Little Doctor Chen, waiting for someone?"

He smiled and replied: "Yes."

However, Chen Ji's family never came, and his biological parents could not have forgotten such a promise.

As the sun's afterglow gradually sank and the returning pedestrians grew sparse, the light faded from his face bit by bit, until night fell.

Someone once said, never wake up at dusk.

At that moment, the distant bell tolls fell silent along with the world, the sun dipped below the horizon, and you looked at the gray sky, feeling it was exceptionally distant, as if it were drifting away all on its own.

He suddenly remembered that before the gears of fate turned, someone had asked him

"Can you endure loneliness?"

Chen Ji had answered at the time: "I can."

...

...

The evening afterglow fell, finally disappearing behind the scattered pavilions.

Chen Ji sat on the threshold, watching the last shop across the street close its doors and the last pedestrian return home, before standing up and dusting off his clothes.

Life had to go on. Back in reality, he had to think carefully about his situation.

At this moment, Old Man Yao was standing behind the counter counting accounts. Without looking up, he said with disdain: "What, your family doesn't want you anymore?"

Chen Ji thought to himself that his master's mouth was as if it had been dipped in poison. He smiled and replied: "Master, perhaps they were delayed by something. They will send the tuition tomorrow."

Old Man Yao sneered: "You've been here for two years. The other two families at least know to bring me something during the holidays, but your family has never sent a thing. Even if you pay the tuition on time, I don't want you as a disciple anymore."

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

Old Man Yao shook his head: "Who can't make empty promises?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "The monthly tuition is two hundred *wen*. If you grant me a one-month extension, I will pay two hundred and forty *wen* every month thereafter."

Old Man Yao contemplated for a moment, took copper coins from his sleeve, and cast them six times. After interpreting the hexagram, he said calmly: "That shows some sincerity... But you, an apprentice who isn't even qualified to collect a consultation fee, where will you get the money?"

"I will find a way."

"Heh, big talk. You're just an apprentice right now, you can't even take a pulse properly. What makes you think you can earn money?" Old Man Yao scoffed, flicking the abacus beads.

Liu Quxing, watching the spectacle from the side, was amused: "Chen Ji, how about I help you out?"

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

"The three of us take turns doing chores. Tomorrow is my turn to fetch water, sweep the courtyard, and mop the main hall floor. If you can mop the floor for me, I'll give you two *wen*. If you can sweep the courtyard, I'll give you one *wen*. If you can fill the water vat, I'll give you two *wen*. It's not much, but at least you'll have fifty *wen* a month."

The hierarchy among the apprentices became clear in an instant.

Chen Ji: "Fine, I'll do the chores for Senior Brother Liu."

She Dengke looked at Old Man Yao: "Master, is this appropriate?"

"As long as the tuition is paid, it's appropriate," Old Man Yao said indifferently.

She Dengke looked at Chen Ji: "Aren't you angry? That grandson Liu Quxing is treating you like a servant."

Chen Ji smiled and said: "Senior Brother Liu is helping me, too."

"What kind of 'Senior Brother' is he? The three of us were born in the same year, same month, same day, and even the same hour. Why should he be the senior?" She Dengke said with disdain.

Chen Ji froze for a moment. Why would the Imperial Physician choose three apprentices with the exact same birth chart?

(End of chapter)