The Song of Spirits Volume 2 Chapter 29

Chapter 30 A Medicine for Memory Loss

These days, all the residents were busy with the marriage of the new couple after their farm work was finished. Sister Three went to their new apartment many times a day, asking Lotus to try on the new wedding dress and discussed with her how to make it perfect, to highlight her beauty. Ye, however, went with the farmers to the fields to till land or to the rivers to catch fish. He got a pleasant feeling that living in a mountain village was so comfortable.

The wedding day was coming near, and some warm-hearted residents helped to decorate their little house with ribbons and lanterns. This evening, Sister Three brought them their suits. Ye thanked her earnestly. “Sorry we brought you so much trouble. These suits are very well tailored, so no need to make more changes. . .”

Before he could finish, Sister Three turned unhappy, and she complained, “How t so? Women are not like men. You can marry many women; however, a girl only has one chance to choose a husband. This is the most important thing for her, so how could we be so casual?”

Lotus, who was standing to the side, was shocked when she heard the saying that she had only one chance to choose a husband. She murmured to herself, “Only one chance for the rest of my life. No change anymore . . . no change anymore. . .”

Ye agreed and nodded. He then began to accuse himself.

Sister Three laughed and pushed him out of the room, and said, “You are not allowed to be here to watch a girl changing clothes. Go wait in the yard.”

Ye’s face turned red immediately and he ran out.

Sister Three went back to Lotus and closed the door. She stepped near and fixed her eyes on Lotus.

Lotus asked, “What are you looking at, Sister Three?”

Sister Three smiled at her. “Younger sister, I am experienced. I see you have some thoughts that you cannot hide.”

Though Lotus was surprised by her, she tried to give her a smile. “How can I have any thoughts?”

Sister Three sighed to sit down on the edge of the bed, and then said, “Before my marriage, I fell in love with another young man of our village. I thought of him all of the time. However, when I saw him, I was shy to say anything. I regarded him as my only happiness. However, my parents disliked him and found me another person. I tried my best to reject this marriage, but my father was irritated by me to the point of illness. Finally, I gave up and married my current husband. Now I am regretting my compliance, because I still think of him, even when I am in this marriage. I felt sorry for both my husband and myself.”

Lotus became confused when she heard the sister’s story. She sat back in her seat and was lost in thoughts. She felt that Sister Three was forecasting her future with Ye. At the moment, Canyi’s bitter expression appeared in her mind, she got heart palpitations.

The sister continued, “Younger sister, I know you have someone in your heart, though you also like Bother Ye. However, you can only choose one as your only love. If you can forget the man, it is the best. Otherwise, you may hurt all three involved.”

Lotus couldn’t help let her tears fall. “Ye, Ye loves me so deeply. I don’t want to make him disappointed. Meanwhile, he, he can’t go back to me anymore. He won’t love me in the future. But yes, I can’t forget him yet.”

Sister Three was so clever in her understanding of what she meant. She sighed and asked, “So, younger sister, you really want to marry Brother Ye, do you?”

Lotus nodded.

Sister Three stood up and took out a little pack covered with yellow paper. “Then, eat this.”

Lotus took the pack and asked with curiosity, “What’s this?”

Sister Three answered, “This is a medicine called ‘Forgetting Love’, which I begged to get from a wandering doctor. I did think of eating the medicine to forget the young man, but I still can’t do it. If you have made up your mind, you can eat it.”

Lotus took the pack, but felt hard to believe what she was told the medicine could do. Sister Three took the dress and walked toward the outside. “Think this issue through carefully. This medicine has no antidote. . .”

After Sister Three had left for some time, Lotus was still out of mind, thinking. She contemplated what she was told until Ye came in. Still absorbed in her thoughts, she hid the medicine in the chest of her clothing.

Ye smiled at her and asked, “Well? The dress is not good?”

Lotus shook her head and said, “I am tired. I want to sleep now.” She went back to her bedroom.

Though Ye still had some more words to say to her, he found she was very weary, and he went back to his own bedroom to rest.

During the night, Lotus struggled with the choice. She knew should make a decision, eat the medicine to forget Canyi, and marry Ye, or . . .  She looked at the medicine, and again and again, Canyi’s handsome face and his unworldly personality were still clearly printed in her brain. She thought of the years when he was beside her, helping her and caring for her. She couldn’t forget him, or lose him.

However, he had chosen to leave her, with all the hatred. She understood that the life she wanted was not something he could supply. And the life he wanted was also not favorable to her. They two had no future.

For the whole night, Lotus’s tears made the pillow and her dress wet, but she couldn’t let those memories go.

Chapter end