Blood of Youth Chapter 4: The Doctor’s Deception

“Open up!” a deep voice called. “Miss Xiao! Open the door!”

The girl’s eyes brightened. She shoved Li Wei roughly aside, turned the key. The door swung open. A tall, gray-haired man came into the room, stopped short as he saw Li Wei.

“You’ve got it!” the girl screamed. “Give it to me!” She clung to the gray-haired man, pulling at his jacket. He gripped her arms, backed her to the bed.

“Keep quiet!” he snapped. Then, turning to Li Wei. “I’ve been looking for you, Mr. Li. My name is Dr. Wang. I can’t tell you how sorry I am about the incident of last night. Miss Zhang’s caretaker was over-cautious. He had no right attacking you. Please accept my apologies.”

“Where is—is my—my sister?” Li Wei blurted.

“There is no longer any need for subterfuge, Mr. Li,” the physician said calmly. “Mrs. Li admitted that she was married. It’s quite all right. She’s gone to the city on an errand for Miss Zhang. She will be back some time tonight.”

The leaden weight of anxiety dropped from Li Wei’s heart. That was why Li Mei hadn’t written. She was coming in. Evidently their trains had passed.

The platinum blonde on the bed began to whimper and grovel. A sharp sob wracked her shoulders and the net bandeau fell away completely from one trembling breast. Dr. Wang motioned Li Wei out of the room, locked the door from the outside.

“A niece of Miss Zhang’s,” he said softly. “I have been trying to break her of the morphine habit. Truly a pitiful case.” He led the way down carpeted steps to a large, walnut-paneled dining room. “You must be hungry, Mr. Li. I’ll see that you get some food.”

Li Wei sank into a chair, at rest for the first time since Li Mei had left. Now he could smile at his groundless fears. It was amazing how the human mind conjured up fantastic horrors from nothing.

Dr. Wang returned bearing a tray. There were sandwiches, hot coffee, cookies. Li Wei wolfed the food down, explained why he had come.

“I can understand readily,” the physician said. “You must let me bandage your fingers when you’re through. I can’t tell you how much I regret the occurrence. Fortunately, I drove up from the city this morning. Otherwise, you might have gone mad from the mystery of it all.”

The doctor was attentively solicitous, repeating his apology again and again. When Li Wei was finished, he brought bandages and adhesive tape.

“I should like to have you meet Miss Zhang,” he said. “She is quite pleased with your wife.”

Li Wei followed him upstairs, through a long hallway. He knocked at a door, opened it before there was any response.

“Come in, Mr. Li,” he said.

Li Wei entered a tremendous bedroom. Seated in a chair at the window was a tiny, shriveled-up old lady. The skin of her face was like time-worn parchment. Her hands, folded in her lap, were tallow white, almost opalescent in their thinness.

“A young man to see you, Zhang,” Dr. Wang said. “A nice young man. I promised I’d bring one and I did, didn’t I?”

The old lady’s eyes lit up. Her emaciated body quivered. “You did, doctor,” she wheezed. “Yes, you did.” A bloodless tongue licked around her gray lips. As she looked at Li Wei, her eyes became brighter, flickered like candle flames.

Dr. Wang moved close to Li Wei. “I forgot to tell you,” he whispered. “She’s just a bit queer.”

Zhang’s hand came up. “Come here, young man,” she croaked. “Come closer.”

Li Wei hesitated. There was something ghoulish about the woman. Something in the pupils of her bright eyes that wasn’t clean. He stood there, looking at the shriveled old woman, his flesh creeping. He didn’t see Dr. Wang back to the door, slip outside. But he heard a key grate in a lock. He spun around. The physician was gone. Li Wei was alone with Zhang.