AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One should not try an unknown medicine.
The I Ching or Book of Changes
‘You catch on quick,’ said Jiang, as he and Robin walked back past the chicken coop.
‘What d’you mean?’ asked Robin.
‘Knowing the right responses,’ said Jiang, again rubbing the eye with the tic, and Robin thought she detected a hint of resentment. ‘Already.’
To their left lay the open fields. Marion Huxley and Penny Brown were staggering over the deeply rutted earth, leading the Shire horses in their endless ploughing, a pointless exercise, given that the field was already ploughed.
‘Metal Group,’ said Jiang with a snigger. Confirmed in her impression that this morning’s group reconfiguration had been a ranking exercise, Robin merely asked,
‘Why does Dr Zhou want to see me?’
‘Medical,’ said Jiang. ‘Check you’re ready to fast.’
They passed the laundry and dining hall, and then the older barns, one of which had a cobwebbed padlock on the door.
‘What do you keep in there?’ Robin asked.
‘Junk,’ said Jiang. Then, making Robin jump, he bellowed,
‘Oi!’
Jiang was pointing at Will Edensor, who was crouching in the shade of a tree off the path and appeared to be comforting a child of maybe two, who was crying. Will Edensor jumped up as though he’d been scalded. The little girl, whose white hair hadn’t been shaved like that of the other children, but stood out around her head like a dandelion clock, raised her arms, imploring Will to pick her up. A group of nursery age were toddling about behind him among more trees, under the supervision of shaven-headed Louise Pirbright.
‘Are you on child duty?’ Jiang shouted at Will.
‘No,’ said Will. ‘She just fell over, so I—’
‘You’re committing materialist possession,’ shouted Jiang, and specks of spittle issued from his mouth. Robin was sure her presence was making Jiang more aggressive, that he was enjoying asserting his authority in front of her.
‘It was only because she fell over,’ said Will. ‘I was going to the laundry and—’
‘Then go to the laundry!’
Will hurried off on his long legs. The little girl attempted to follow him, tripped, fell and cried harder than ever. Within a few seconds, Louise had scooped the child up and retreated with her into the trees where the rest of the little ones were roaming.
‘He’s been warned,’ said Jiang, heading off again. ‘I’m going to have to report that.’
He seemed to take pleasure in the prospect.
‘Why isn’t he allowed near children?’ asked Robin, hurrying to keep up with Jiang as they rounded the side of the temple.
‘Nothing like that,’ said Jiang quickly, answering an unspoken question. ‘But we’ve got to be careful about who works with the little ones.’
‘Oh, right,’ said Robin.
‘Not because of – it’s spiritual,’ growled Jiang. ‘People get ego hits from materialist possession. It interferes with spiritual growth.’
‘I see,’ said Robin.
‘You’ve got to kill the false self,’ said Jiang. ‘He hasn’t killed his false self yet.’
They were now crossing the courtyard. When they crouched down at the pool of the Drowned Prophet between the tombs of the Stolen and Golden Prophets, Robin picked up a tiny pebble lying on the ground and hid it in her left hand before dipping the forefinger of her right into the water, anointing her forehead and intoning ‘The Drowned Prophet will bless all who worship her.’
‘You know who she was?’ Jiang asked Robin, as he stood up and pointed at the statue of Daiyu.
