parting
Chen Bozhou's words "I must go" were like the final judgment. After it fell heavily in the Yun family courtyard, everything seemed to freeze.
Yunwu did not ask any more questions, nor did he cry. He just stared at the conscription order, as if he wanted to carve every word into his bones and blood, his face was frighteningly pale.
After a long time, he suddenly turned around and rushed into his own hut without saying a word. He slammed the door shut, isolating Chen Bozhou from everything outside.
Chen Bozhou stood frozen in the courtyard, staring at the tightly closed door. His heart felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cellar. He wanted to knock on the door, to say something more, but his throat felt blocked and his feet felt like they were filled with lead.
He knew that any words would be pale and powerless at this moment. In the end, he just leaned dejectedly against the courtyard wall, slowly slid to the ground, and buried his face deeply in his knees.
There was only deathly silence in the yard, and the tender green buds just breaking through the soil under the window, still unaware of the sorrows of separation, swayed unconsciously in the breeze.
That night, the lights in the Yun family courtyard were not on all night.
Chen Bozhou sat in the courtyard until midnight, when he was half-persuaded and half-dragged back home by Chen Boyuan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, his eyes red. Yunwu's door remained firmly shut.
The next day, the Shen family was filled with gloom. Shen's mother's eyes were swollen like walnuts. She forced herself to pack her son's luggage, rubbing each piece of clothing repeatedly, tears dripping from her eyes from time to time.
Village Chief Shen smoked his pipe silently, his back appearing even more hunched in the smoke. Chen Bozhou, like a wandering spirit, mechanically helped his mother tidy up, his gaze drifting occasionally toward the west end of the village.
He didn't go to the Yun family again the entire day. He didn't dare. He was afraid of seeing Yun Wu become even more desperate, afraid that the psychological defenses he had built up with great difficulty would collapse in an instant.
At dusk, Chen Boyuan returned from outside and whispered to him with a complicated expression, "I went to see... Yunwu... He has locked himself in the room for a whole day and night. He hasn't come out and there's no movement. Grandma Yun said he was tinkering with medicinal herbs in there..."
Chen Bozhou's heart suddenly sank. Medicinal herbs? He immediately understood. A mixture of immense heartache and indescribable warmth washed over him, nearly knocking him off his feet.
He couldn't bear it any longer and rushed to the Yun family courtyard again.
The courtyard door was still ajar. He gently pushed it open, and the first thing he saw was a brand new, sturdily woven rattan medicine box placed outside the threshold of Yunwu's room.
Next to the medicine box, there were several small packages neatly placed, tightly wrapped in oil paper.
Chen Bozhou paused, took a deep breath, walked over slowly, squatted down, and opened the medicine box with trembling hands. Inside, he saw various medicine bottles, jars, and bags, each clearly marked with tiny handwriting indicating its purpose:
"Golden wound medicine, stops bleeding and promotes tissue regeneration, for external use."
"Qingxin Pills, taken orally during high fever and convulsions."
"Avoid miasma, wear it with you to protect against the foul air of the mountains and forests."
"Detoxification pill, general use in emergency situations, can be taken internally or applied topically."
…
There were more than a dozen different kinds of medicine, covering almost every possible injury, illness, and danger encountered during the march. Each medicine was in sufficient quantity and meticulously packaged.
One can imagine how much thought and energy it took to make all of this. And Yunwu, in just one day and one night, worked tirelessly to prepare all of this for him.
Chen Bozhou's vision blurred instantly. He picked up a packet of powder labeled "An Shen San" and, as if through the oil-paper, could see the thin figure beneath the oil lamp, pursing his pale lips. With the same hands that always caressed the herbs, he worked tirelessly, grinding, mixing, and packaging them... In this almost self-torturing way, he fought against the impending, irresistible separation, expressing his deepest fear and concern, which he could not express in words.
He tightly grasped the packet of medicine powder, his knuckles turning white, and tears finally burst out, dripping onto the wicker medicine box, leaving dark marks.
The third day, the day of departure, finally arrived.
The open space at the village entrance was packed with people bidding farewell. Cries, exhortations, and sighs mingled in a mournful cacophony. The five young men who had been drafted stood at the front of the procession, their expressions solemn, each one trying to suppress their sorrow.
Chen Bozhou stood there, wearing the new shoes his mother had made him overnight, carrying a simple bag and a heavy wicker medicine box. His eyes were fixed on the path leading to the Yun family's courtyard.
The people of the Shen family surrounded him. Mother Shen cried so hard that she almost fainted. She was supported by Shen Boyuan and Father Shen on the left and right.
Father Shen’s eyes were red, and he patted his son’s shoulder heavily. Thousands of words turned into a heavy sigh: “…Take care.”
The officials were already urging the troops to leave. Chen Bozhou's heart sank bit by bit, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss. He still hadn't come... After all, was he unwilling to watch him leave with his own eyes?
The immense loss and heartache nearly overwhelmed him. He took one last look at the empty path, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to turn around, ready to take the heavy step forward.
At this moment, there was a slight commotion at the back of the crowd. A thin figure, as if breaking free from some restraint, staggered through the crowd and rushed over!
It's clouds!
He was running breathlessly, his face was paler than in the past few days, and his lips were bloodless. Only his eyes were bloodshot, but surprisingly bright, burning with a desperate determination.
He rushed straight to Shen Bozhou who had turned around, in the astonished eyes of everyone, the impatient scolding of the officials, and the complicated and indescribable gaze of Shen's parents.
He suddenly opened his arms, used all his strength, and hugged Chen Bozhou tightly.
The hug was so strong that it almost broke Chen Bozhou's bones.
Yunwu's body was shaking violently, her cold cheeks pressed tightly against Shen Bozhou's warm neck, and her warm breath, choked with sobs, sprayed hotly on his earlobes.
The whole world seemed to stop at this moment.
All the noise, crying, and urging turned into distant background noise.
Chen Bozhou froze in place, his mind blank. He could only feel the cold, trembling body of the man in his arms, and his broken, sobbing, oath-like words, clearly drilling into his ears:
"Come back alive..."
These four words, used up all his courage and strength, carried with them unspeakable fear, deep attachment and the most humble prayer.
Chen Bozhou's tears burst forth once more. He suddenly tightened his arms, pulling the frail body deeper into his embrace, as if to rub him into his own flesh and blood, and carry him along to the unknown battlefield.
He lowered his head and buried his face in Yunwu's hair, which was fragrant with herbs. In a voice that only the two of them could hear, he choked with sobs and promised solemnly:
"Wait for me... I will definitely come back alive!"
The official's urging became more urgent. Chen Bozhou hardened his heart and hugged Yunwu one last time, then suddenly let go and looked at Yunwu deeply, as if he wanted to carve his appearance into the depths of his soul.
Then, he resolutely turned around and strode towards the team that was about to set off, without looking back.
He didn't dare look back. He was afraid that if he looked back, he would see Yunwu's tearful eyes, full of despair and hope, and he would lose all his courage.
Yunwu stood there, watching the tall and straight figure join the team, gradually go away, and finally disappear at the end of the dusty road.
He still maintained the same posture after the hug, with his arms hanging limply at his sides, as if the warmth in his arms had not yet dissipated.
Tears fell silently, but he was unaware of it.
The crowd around gradually dispersed, and the Shen family also left silently with a heart full of sadness and the shocking scene that had just happened.
In the end, Yunwu was the only one left at the empty village entrance. He stood there for a long time like a sculpture that had lost its soul.
The wind blew up the dust from the ground, carrying with it the bitterness of parting. The wicker medicine box he had given Shen Bozhou was now clinging tightly to his back, accompanying him on a journey where his life and death were uncertain.
It is not only filled with life-saving herbs, but also carries a person's heaviest, most silent, yet most passionate oath and expectation.
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