8. The new nursing assistant

It was quiet in the room. Neither of them said a word. Xiang lay silently on his back on his bed. Liu stood by his side and was moving his palsied leg. The peacock didn't look at her, just staring at the ceiling. Liu refrained from starting a conversation and concentrated on bending and stretching his leg, as if walking. She made sure to use every joint between the bones, the hip joint, the knee, as well as every single toe. Sometimes she rubbed her winged hands with oil, which she then massaged onto the leg to better stimulate the blood circulation.

"Why don't you just chop it off?" Xiang muttered after a while.

The peahen sighed, but she didn't interrupt her work.

"The blood circulation is still working properly," she said. "There is no need to take your leg off."

"But you'd have less work to do with me," the peacock growled.

"But I like to do it."

"You like it?" Xiang jerked himself up and glared at her evilly. "So, you like it that I can't run anymore, don't you?!"

"No, of course not!" She protested, letting go of his leg. "I just wanted to say that I don't mind the work. If I could change something for you, then I would it."

Fear crept up in her again when Xiang narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"You can be gladder that I can't move both legs," he hissed. "Otherwise, I would chase you to the afterlife for that! Oh, just get away!"

"But I'm not finished yet."

"What's that supposed to bring?!"

"The leg has to be moved, otherwise the muscles will regress and the joints will become stiff."

"I don't care! I've had enough for today!"

Without responding to her request, he pulled the blanket on and turned on his side. He pressed himself so deep into bed that only his comb feathers peeked out.

Liu's hands shook with anger, but she swallowed down every emotion. She put away the treatment supplies and left the room with disappointment.

No sooner had she closed the sliding door, then she leaned against it and took a few deep breaths. She would really like to give him a tongue-lashing. Not only because of his ruthlessness, but also that he shouldn't constantly behave as if he were a hopeless cripple. She was sure that he could do more than he thought he could. But he didn't want anything. Not even handicrafts or anything else he could improve on. He even refused to do the gait training. She had often toyed with the idea of giving him a sideswipe at least, but then she always had the horrible picture in mind when he had been so terribly injured. She had sacrificed every free minute of her sleep just not to leave him alone. It was especially bad with him at the beginning. He screamed around every night. First, she thought he was in pain, but then he began to talk in his sleep. He kept yelling at someone like someone was threatening him in his dreams. Most of the time it was difficult for her to keep up with wiping the tears off from his face after that. Only when he was gradually fully conscious again, he had banished her from staying in his room at night.

Sighing, she pulled away from the door and walked thoughtfully down the corridor. She couldn't explain it, but she felt that Xiang nourished a great hatred for her. He had already growled at everyone in the cure residence, but he vented his violent insults on her the most. He didn't let a second pass to frazzle her out.

Liu hung her head. She just didn't know how long she was going to get through this.

"Liu, my dear child!" Suddenly Mr. Furu's voice sounded behind her. "I've good news for you."

No sooner had the peahen turned to him than she really started.

Next to the little old pika there stood not only someone else, but also someone of gigantic size. The peahen stared wide-eyed at the large she-bear, who was wearing a wide black hanfu dress.

"W-who... who is... that?" She stammered.

"That, my dear," Mr. Fur said. "is Duona."

Liu swallowed. The name didn't sound harmless. And the bear's face didn't look friendly either. On the other hand, a curmudgeon looked happier. But this one made the impression that she had never laughed before.

Mr. Furu didn't seem to mind her uncertainty and just continued with the announcement.

"You asked for a change of patient and now imagine, today someone from outside contacted us who is ready to take on this job."

Liu's eyes widened even more. "You really want to take care of Lord Xiang in all seriousness?"

"Does that bother you?" Mr. Furu asked in astonishment.

"Well..." The peahen rubbed her wings together nervously. "Xiang is extremely difficult..."

"Then Duona will be a perfect match for him," Mr. Furu finished the sentence for her. "We are currently on the way to him."

"Um, he won't want to talk now," Liu said hesitantly.

"He's going to have to endure that," Mr. Furu said firmly and headed for Xiang's room.

The blue peacock growled under the blanket when Mr. Furu asked him to sit up.

"Can't anybody leave me alone today?" Xiang hissed.

"This is still my house," Mr. Furu instructed him sternly. "And you have an obligation to comply accordingly. So may I ask you to stand up, as I would like to introduce you to someone."

With a deep sigh, Xiang pulled the blanket aside and leaned his back against the pillow. He hardly paid any attention to the tall she-bear next to Mr. Furu, but he did pay attention to Liu, who had thought it best to come along as well. When their eyes met, the peacock let out a scornful snort, as if she were trash.

The pika didn't let Xiang's dislike bothering him and pointed to the she-bear next to him.

"Well, this is Duona. From today, she will take care of you."

The peacock looked indifferently at the giantess. Unlike Liu. The peahen got nervous. Somehow, she didn't want to leave the she-bear near Xiang. But she kept her mouth closed.

Xiang crossed his arms and stared indifferently at the bedspread.

"I don't care. It won't make my life any better either. Maybe it was even worse a few minutes ago."

He gave Liu a withering look. She avoided his gaze, feeling hurt. Mr. Furu didn't seem to understand the tension between the two birds and was rather satisfied.

"Well then everything is settled. I would like to point out, however, that she is not as lenient as her predecessor. She has already filed a complaint against you."

Liu felt ashamed to sink into the ground. As old as Mr. Furu may be, he wasn't particularly wise when it was about consideration. The peahen kept her gaze on the ground, but Xiang's furious eyes pierced her like projectiles.

"And don't forget that you are only here because King Wang ordered it," the pika warned. "You should really be grateful to him for his generosity. From what I've heard from our last conversation, he'd rather see you stewing in the dungeon. So, it has nothing to do with the fact that you are a lord – or more, you were."

While these last words, Liu noticed how the peacock's eyelids tightened slightly and again a feeling of pity broke out inside of her.

At least Mr. Furu finally came to an end.

"Well, now that we have everything sorted out, I wish you a good time. And now to you," and turned to the she-bear, whom he gently pushed to the door. "I will now explain his schedule to you…"

The two left the room and Liu was left alone with Xiang. The peahen found it difficult to say something and managed to make a short sentence.

"Well, well... Then I'll say goodbye to you now."

Even though she had asked for a change, she felt a touch of sadness, which could not be said of Xiang.

"Save your drivel," he snapped at her. "Just leave. You wanted that the whole time anyway!"

Liu gasped for breath. She had never meant to offend him directly. "I... I'm sorry. I was just... I worked too much that day... and it just came over me..."

Her breath caught. Xiang had clutched his pillow and threw it on her. Liu was just able to dodge. But she was even more shocked by Xiang's demeanor. He looked like a mad cat in a kind of cramped lurking position, although with his lame leg he could never have attacked her. But his presence was now like poison that could have killed everything around. Liu took a few steps away from him, but she didn't forget to bow first and quickly hurried out of the room.

Liu didn't feel good about the whole situation. She was restless. Something scared her of Duona. Something terrifying. This thought didn't leave her in peace, which is why she had stayed in the administrative quarters for a while and waited for that Duona leaves Mr. Furu's office to talk to him again. When the she-bear finally left the room and disappeared around the next corner, she ran to the door, knocked hastily on the door frame and entered without waiting for an answer.

"What brings you here...?" Mr. Furu began in surprise, but Liu walked straight up to him and looked at him intently.

"Mr. Furu, where does she come from?"

"Oh, her family comes from very far, I think over the pier..."

"That's not what I meant! Where did she work?!"

"Oh, her last job was somewhere in the Shànggào Hospital..."

Liu's eyes widened. "Shànggào?! The prison hospital?! You are not serious, are you?! They are ruthless! They know no consideration."

"And that's exactly what - I think - will do him good."

Liu was about to lose her temper. As much as she loathed this peacock for his whims, now her concern was only greater.

"According Xiang's temper, I'm afraid it will only end in disaster. I know him! Better you hire someone else."

The pika gently put his palms on top of each other. "My dear, good child, either one way or another. Unless you'd rather go back to the laundry."

Liu sighed dejectedly. "No."

And that ended the conversation between them.

Liu thought she had stones in her stomach while she put dinner on a tray. The only difference was that this time it wasn't meant for Xiang.

She was assigned to an older patient who came to the cure with a herniated disc. Perhaps she would have been glad about this easier work, if Duona hadn't made such a horrible impression. Again and again her gaze wandered over to her and watched as she almost mechanically stamped plates, cups and jugs on the tray. The entire time the she-bear hadn't spoken a single word. Neither with the cook nor with herself. The peahen watched with a pounding heart as the she-bear made off with the tray. Then she had to start on her way too, albeit in the opposite direction.

When Xiang saw his new caregiver walk in with dinner, he kept his mouth closed. His mouth wasn't as big as it was before Liu, but he wasn't worried either. He couldn't imagine being with a peahen that was worse.

Duona just stomped on his bed and slammed the tray onto the bed table.

Xiang regarded the contents with a disdainful look. And what he saw there he didn't like at all. As if the cook was intent on causing mischief, because tofu casserole wasn't exactly his favorite food. He always had one complaint about tofu.

"Eat," the she-bear grunted in a deep, rough voice, as if she had swallowed smoke and left the room.

The peacock made no comment. Nevertheless, he only picked out the vegetables and rice and he left the tofu where it was. When the giantess came back and saw the tofu on the plate, she pointed sternly to it.

"Eat up."

But Xiang crossed his arms and turned his head to the side.

The she-bear grunted again. "Eat up."

"No," the peacock smashed her request. "I hate this stuff."

"Eat up!"

Now it was getting too much for the peacock, too. "No, take it with you again..."

What followed after that, even Xiang hadn't been prepared for it. Maybe he wouldn't believe it if he hadn't been on the floor instead of the bed in the next moment. He felt his face numbly. He had expected everything, even the cheekiest answer - but not a hard slap in the face.

Hesitantly, his gaze wandered up to Duona, who had risen threateningly in front of him.

Suddenly the plate with the tofu landed on the floor in front of him.

"Eat up!" The she-bear thundered again.

Xiang swallowed hard. "I can't…"

The peacock screamed when a huge paw grabbed his shirt, yanked him up and pressed him onto the bed mattress. Xiang wriggled wildly. The bear pressed so hard on his chest that he got breathless. Worse still for him, she stuffed the tofu into his mouth and held his beak shut until he swallowed.

Panting and breathing heavily, she released him after this force-feeding. Then she left the room with a snort and just left the coughing peacock on the bed. Xiang sat up, trembling. All around him were leftovers of tofu. Disgusted, he wiped the crumbs away. Gradually, his fear subsided and turned into sheer anger. He swore vengeance for this crime.

Liu's hands were trembling and she almost spilled the tea, which she was pouring into a cup.

"Is anything wrong?" her patient, an older rabbit woman, in front of her asked.

"No, no," the peahen said. "I just thought... oh nothing."