Part 2, Chapter 2

Love will find a way

Ch 2 

Xun and Xiaomin carried the heavy basket between them.

“What is Mistress Lai sending to the Healer’s Palace, anyway,” Xiaomin complained as they set the basket down for yet another rest break. “And why send us and not Leng Zai or one of the other boys?”

Xun shrugged, “The Emperor is sending thank you gifts to the Goddess of Healing in return for the pregnancy preservation potion she sent the other day. It’s us because Leng Zai would probably get lost and the other boys are busy with restocking the pantry today.”

Xiaomin muttered under her breath. Xun only caught the words logical and who asked in the quiet stream of words and smiled to herself. Xiaomin had proved as likable as Xun had thought she would be and the two had become fast friends. Xiaomin was bright, outgoing, and had a sharp sense of humor that Xun enjoyed, even if she didn’t have the courage to match it. The two had taken turns defending Leng Zai as he stumbled into one incident after the other around the kitchen.

“No! Stop! Please!” The high, scared voice came from around the corner. Xun and Xiaomin glanced at each other, abandoned the basket, and ran.

Around the corner a maid was fighting a blue bird for a small purse. “Please, give it back.” She cried. Xun reached the girl first and grabbed the bag, pulling hard. With a loud rip the bag tore, dropping a small white pill on the ground. The bird shrieked in triumph and dove for the pill. Xiaomin reached it first, snatching it from the bird and getting three long, parallel scratches across her forearm in return. Xun spun, swatting at the bird and forcing it back into the air. With a disappointed cry it flapped off, losing a single tail feather in its escape.

“Are you alright?” the girl asked, rushing over to wrap Xiaomin’s arm with cloth torn from the hem of her robe. She looked up at Xiaomin with shining eyes. “That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen...” 

Xiaomin looked down at her like she had just been poleaxed.  Xun stepped in, “My name is Lai Xun, and this is Fu Xiaomin. We work in the Emperor’s kitchen.”

The girl looked down shyly, “I’m Shun. I work in the pharmacy at the Healer’s palace. The medicine!” The last sentence was said with an edge of panic, but the girl didn’t raise her head. Xiaomin opened her hand, revealing the pill she had rescued. Shun looked up through her lashes at Xiaomin, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Xiaomin stared down at the pretty girl, who looked at her with hero worship and swallowed hard. “It was nothing,” she said.

Xun sighed and went back to get the basket of food they had been delivering, it was going to take even longer to move the heavy container by herself.