☆、Twenty-Nine、Nightmare (2209 words)

When Feng Zihao went to the kitchen to make breakfast early in the morning, he saw that the kitchen cabinets were piled up with things. He squatted down to organize the things and called out to Li Yaxi, "Yaxi, where did all these things come from?"

Li Yaxi dried her face and went to the kitchen. "What do you mean, where did it come from? I bought it, otherwise do you think I stole it?"

"You bought it? You went out yesterday?"

Li Yaxi didn't hide anything from him, "Yes, I went out and bought a lot of things yesterday, and I also cleaned the whole house. I was almost exhausted."

Feng Zihao closed the cabinet door and stood up. Looking at the pale face still damp with sweat, he felt a pang of emotion. He held back his anger and said, "Tell me what you want to buy and I'll go buy it. Who asked you to clean? You're sick and you're still making a fuss. Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Thinking that yesterday's fever might have been caused by being too tired during the day, Feng Zihao felt both angry and heartbroken.

Li Yaxi suddenly hugged Feng Zihao's waist and nuzzled her head against his neck. "Zihao, don't blame me. So many people have colds now. What if it's some kind of contagious virus? I was just worried you'd get infected, so I prepared everything. We're planning to stay home for a while and not go anywhere."

Feng Zihao was silent for a moment, then hugged the incredibly thin little body in front of him. "You, can't you just tell me what's wrong? Why do you have to do everything yourself? When will you start relying on me more?"

Feng Zihao stayed at home with Li Yaxi for a few days before finally going back to school. However, since SARS had been declared to be spreading rapidly, everyone was very aware of the need for protection.

Li Yaxi looked at the Banangen (a type of herbal drink) that Feng Zihao had made for him with a headache. He knew that if he drank this cup, it meant he would have to drink it every day from now on. He had a poor constitution, but that didn't mean he would be infected.

With her eyebrows furrowed in several knots, she looked at Feng Zihao and said, "Zihao~~"

He could allow Li Yaxi to be a little picky about food as long as it didn't affect her health, but she absolutely couldn't be willful about medication, especially now that SARS was so serious.

"No, it will give me a stomachache."

Ignoring Li Yaxi's excuses, Feng Zihao forcefully placed the medicine in front of him, saying, "Either I force-feed you, or you drink it yourself."

Li Yaxi remained resolute. If Feng Zihao hadn't been focused on getting her to drink the medicine, he might have noticed the fear in her eyes. Unfortunately, he overlooked it.

"I said I won't drink, and I mean it. Feng Zihao, don't force me, or don't blame me for turning against you!"

Feng Zihao paused, his hand holding the cup trembled slightly, and his voice sounded like it was being forced out of his throat, "This is as a precaution. Things are very serious outside right now. Ya Xi, drink it."

Li Yaxi glanced at Feng Zihao without saying a word, then got up and walked towards the door.

Feng Zihao grabbed him and pulled him into his arms. "Ya Xi! Stop fooling around, drink it obediently, it's not bad."

Li Yaxi was furious and kicked him, but unfortunately, the difference in strength was too great. She could only yell, "Let go of me! What right do you have to tell me what to do? I said I won't drink, and I won't! Feng Zihao, let go of me!"

Feng Zihao keenly sensed that Li Yaxi's refusal to drink it seemed to have nothing to do with the taste, so he tentatively suggested, "Okay, okay, let's not drink this, how about we try a different medicine?"

Li Yaxi stopped struggling, looking up at him, unsure why Feng Zihao was being so agreeable. In the past, although he always won in the end, the process was always a long and agonizing one. "Really? You really won't force me to drink? If you're lying to me, I won't talk to you anymore."

Feng Zihao nodded, reluctantly letting go of him, and drank the Banlangen granules in one gulp right in front of him.

As Feng Zihao acted, some scenes he had deliberately forgotten suddenly became clear. Li Yaxi felt a tightness in her stomach and, without even having time to run to the bathroom, knelt on the ground and began to vomit violently.

Feng Zihao was startled and didn't understand what was wrong with Li Yaxi. She was just acting quite energetic and joking around with him. Could it be that he used too much force when he was holding her and made her feel nauseous?

Feng Zihao didn't have time to think. He helped the kneeling man up, patting his back to help him catch his breath. Li Yaxi vomited until there was nothing left to vomit, and then collapsed into Feng Zihao's arms, completely exhausted.

Feng Zihao carried him to the bathroom to wash up, then put him on the bed with a worried look on his face. "Ya Xi, if you feel really bad, we'll go to the hospital." Although hospitals are not safe these days, he didn't want Ya Xi to suffer.

Li Yaxi closed her eyes to try and calm her dizziness, and said in a hoarse voice, "No need, Zihao... don't let me see that thing again, it makes me think of... bad things."

Feng Zihao was filled with regret. He could sense Li Yaxi's aversion to Banlangen, but he never expected that just seeing someone else drink it would make her feel so uncomfortable. Only after seeing that Li Yaxi was sleeping peacefully did he quietly get up and go downstairs to clean the floor that Yaxi had dirtied.

Li Yaxi is trapped in a recurring nightmare. In his dream, he is still the boy he is now, but he sees himself at seven or eight years old. Because he has been coughing for too long without treatment, the man doesn't care about him at all, and the woman certainly won't waste a penny on him.

Eight-year-old Li Yaxi was feeling unwell and searched for medicine at home, but only found a few packets of Banlangen (Isatis root). He knew it wasn't exactly medicine, but it could still help, so he brewed one packet and drank it. After a nap, his throat felt much better, but then his stepmother flew into a rage. She grabbed a clothes hanger and beat Li Yaxi's thin body hard, yelling that he was a bastard and a thief, and that she was already being kind by giving him food, yet he dared to steal from the house.

Li Yaxi didn't understand why his stepmother was so angry after he had only drunk a packet of Banlangen (a traditional Chinese medicine). The ignorant boy cried and begged for mercy, promising he would never do it again. He thought his stepmother would stop when she got tired of beating him, as usual. But she didn't stop. Instead, she poured the remaining packets of Banlangen into a basin, dissolved it with boiling water, and then mixed it with water she had saved from flushing the toilet after washing clothes. The basin was full of what seemed like either Banlangen or dirty water. His stepmother pinned him to the ground and forced him to drink the entire basin of water with a ladle.

He kept cursing, "Drink it all, you little beast, you motherless bastard..." Not satisfied after forcing him down the water, he stomped hard twice on the boy's bloated stomach. A child can't withstand the pressure of an adult, especially after being forced to drink so much water. Li Yaxi had almost forgotten how he survived that period; it was after that experience that his body was completely ruined.

Young Li Yaxi coldly watched as the woman abused and beat his younger brother, Li Yaxi. The boy vomited repeatedly, the water stained with blood. Li Yaxi appeared calm on the surface, but inside, it felt as if a sharp claw was pressing down on him, rendering him immobile. How he longed to rush forward and kill that woman, how he longed to pick up the child on the ground and tell him not to be afraid, how he longed… He hadn't forgotten those hatreds; they had simply never been brought up.