Apart from the obvious lack of modernity, one of the details that struck Arthur the most in this era was the water—or rather, the bodies of water. There were quite a lot of small lakes and canals; of course there were currently a lot of them as well (in modern times!) but somehow, they just looked so much more present here. Along the way, they had actually already crossed two bridges. They didn’t walk that long and the streets were still bustling with life, although the neighborhood looked much more residential rather than commercial.

Turning a few corners and heading to small and discreet, almost quiet alleys, they reached the wooden gates of an isolated house. Compared to others in the louder and more crowded streets, this one looked much bigger but also almost abandoned by the sheer amount of trees peeking out from the top of the wall surrounding the property. Was it perhaps, Duy Anh’s place? If it was so, he had quite a peculiar taste, Arthur thought.

“We’ve come. Please follow me, let’s enter”, Duy Anh told Arthur, while gesturing towards the half-opened gate.

Duy Anh entered first, not bothering to push the gate further. Arthur followed, sneaking in. As expected, it was quite a large residence. Not quite as big as a modern villa but it would be bigger than most modern properties or at least those than regular people could afford. The entrance opened the way to a courtyard. A stone path was built, leading to what looked like the main house, a one story house that was slightly elevated from the ground with roof made of scale-like dark red tiles dotted with moss. On each side of the courtyard were other smaller buildings built on the ground. On the center was the stone path, as well as unkempt gravel in which grass and other plants seem to have grown. Actually, there were quite a lot of plants around, both in various glazed pots and as big, healthy-looking trees providing shade to the property. Something about it reminded Arthur of Gh*bli movies although...sloppier. Just not as tidy. But it had its own natural charm. Looking closely, it seems like there was even an enclosure for hens and chickens!

Duy Anh knocked twice at the door of the main house (even if it was open). “Hello, is there anyone? It is Ly Duy Anh, I have come with someone and would like to inquire your services as I need your help.”

There was a short moment of silence until someone came and opened the door wider.

“Hello, it has been a while.”

The man didn’t seem to have even noticed Arthur, scratching his neck while looking at Duy Anh. It was hard to tell if it was before he was crouching or whether it was really the case but despite looking quite tall and lanky, he was slightly smaller than Arthur. He had long ashy dark hair, half loosely kept into a bun with strands of hair falling to the sides as well as front of his face. Although his messy hairstyle and the shade made it hard to see it properly, it was quite obvious that the man looked exhausted. He had deep eye bags and an unshaven grey-ish face. Arthur almost missed it at first because it was hidden by his curtain of hair but the right side of his face as well as neck seemed to have be covered by a big burn scar. The man wore a similar outfit to Duy Anh’s although with no embellishments nor any kind of embroideries and in earthy, natural colors as well as a long, sleeveless jacket. His robe’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a bandaged right arm.

When the man finally noticed Arthur staring at him, he didn’t say a word. Instead he looked at him from his face to his toes, then back to his face before giving Arthur a small nod of acknowledgment.

“How can help you?” the man asked.

“The man right there is named Pham Hai Long. The...he was found in the streets this morning but as you can see, he suffered a few bruises and injuries. He doesn’t seem to remember anything much and seems to be pretty confused about his...hm...about everything”, Duy Anh replied.

“...that’s new. Come in, I will take a quick look.”

Entering the house, the strong earthy yet minty smell overwhelmed Arthur. He knew of this smell—the smell of medicinal herbs. It was the same smell as the one he’d get whenever he opened the bathroom cabinet at his parents’ place, the strong smell of this infamous green oil and Salonp*s patches (1). This person must be some kind of physician then, either that or he was in a lot of pain which required him to hoard on Chinese medicine.

Duy Anh then whispered to Arthur, “he is doctor Chinh (2). I know he doesn’t seem trustworthy but he is great so please do not worry. I just want to have him conduct a quick check-up for you”. At this point, Arthur didn’t have much of a say in this so he went with the flow and followed them to another room, one that looked a lot more what he could expect from a doctor’s office. It was pretty much the same as modern ones but with...less modern furniture. A desk, or table, was put in the center of the room while a narrow wooden bed was set on the side. The table was however full of paper sheets and small jars.

The doctor gestured at the chair sitting in front of the table. Arthur sat down and nervously looked around. Once again, it was still similar to the health check-ups he was used to but even those made him slightly anxious so this time wasn’t different. However, before Arthur could even relax, the doctor was already done with his examination and proceeded to apply some kind of ointment on his bruises as well as his ankle before bandaging it.

“He is healthy, that’s for sure, there aren’t any major abnormalities. However he does seem a bit shaken up and he has a few bruises and scratches. The back of his head as well as his ankle seem to be quite swollen.” Doctor Chinh stopped for a small instant, hesitating to continue. “I will give you some medicine for his wounds. Sir Ly, could you please follow me?” The doctor crossed the room and pulled a few drawers open, quickly grabbing some roots and leaves and then glanced at Duy Anh before speaking in a low voice.

“I don’t think he suffers from any memory loss unless he suffers from some illness but he doesn’t look like he does. He doesn’t seem to fake it either, he’s a foreigner isn’t he? He seems fairly genuine. I don’t think he’s lying nor hiding anything but I cannot guarantee you anything either. I cannot tell because he cannot say much.”

Doctor Chinh was a bit suspicious but there was nothing much he could do, nor did he want to get deeply involved in those matters. Duy Anh didn’t react much to the doctor’s words either, probably having expected such an outcome.

The doctor turned back to Arthur. “Those will be useful for you to heal.” Opening one of the jars on his table, he poured a mossy green colored powder on a piece of paper that he gently folded into a palm-sized package. “This medicine should be boiled in equal portions with water and drank every morning after the first meal. This should last for about ten days and will help with swelling and bruises. Especially your ankle.”

Doctor Chinh then looked at Duy Anh, repeating the use of each item and substance. “Just in case, come back once you’ve used up all the medicine, I’ll have another check-up. If it gets worse or you have any other inquiry, please do not hesitate to come back before that.” After saying those words, Duy Anh handed him a few coins that Doctor Chinh put in his jacket. He must have some kind of pocket in there. Everyone gave their greetings and bows and left as quickly as they had entered.

Duy Anh stayed silent while they walked back, lost in thought. Arthur felt a bit awkward but didn’t know what to say nor do; there weren’t a lot of reasons for Duy Anh to take care of him and he was thankful for it but also felt a bit burdened.

Once they had reached merchant streets, Duy Anh turned to Arthur hesitantly and asked him: “do you...have any place to go back to?”

Arthur didn’t completely get the meaning behind Duy Anh words and asked him to explain what he meant because he couldn’t understand. Duy Anh got flustered—fiddled with his sleeves while looking down. “Your...home?”

Arthur thought for a second before replying. “Not here. Don’t have a home here.” Duy Anh interpreted his answer as a no, which meant he didn’t have a place to go for the night. Or maybe even the following nights. If Duy Anh had to be honest, he did stop and accompanied Arthur with the thought of housing and befriended him to begin with; however it was mostly an impulse and he didn’t think of all the proper steps nor what to do or ask Arthur without looking like a creep.

“Hm! Er...rather than go to an inn...you...don’t have money, right? Would you like to join me? I mean, until you heal that is. I can offer you a roof for the days to come.” It was a quite weird sentence and Arthur didn’t understand a single word except for “money” and “roof” but he had a feeling Duy Anh was offering him a place to stay so he lightly nodded. “Can I really?”, he asked.

Unexpectedly, Duy Anh looked up with excitedly—his grey eyes looking like they were sparkling under the sunlight shining on his face. “Yes, yes of course, you’re welcome to! Actually, I feel lonely sometimes and I haven’t had a guest in a long time so it doesn’t bother me at all! Please stay as long as you need!”

Duy Anh always had the corner of his lips slightly turned up in a small smile but it was the first time Arthur had seen him with a large, bright smile. It was quite endearing, if he dared say so.

“Ah! While we’re still out, maybe I should...buy you some new clothes. I feel bad for making you around in such a manner. I also do not own anything of your size at home, even less clean, new outfits. Do not worry about the money about the money, you can repay me later by keeping me company. Actually! You can repay me by telling me more about you and where you come from, I would love to hear of your stories.”

Now that Arthur looked around, it’s true that others were staring a lot. It was pretty obvious that he didn’t had nearly enough fabric on him, it could be the same as seeing a man walking half-naked for locals! The sudden realization made Arthur blush in embarrassment. He wasn’t ever the type to care about his appearance, even less about his clothes, but it was hot and humid so he had only worn a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved white linen shirt. His pair of shorts was those fashionable ripped jeans, a style that his parents didn’t understand (he liked them a lot though!) and he bet everyone here could relate with his parents as well. To them, he must look like even less than a peasant. Well, he couldn’t comment much on it, he did buy his clothes during a garage sale and found them very comfortable. What was style when comfort should come first!

For the remaining of the evening, Duy Anh dragged Arthur along, from shop to shop, looking for clothes that could fit the tall man. Arthur didn’t mind and even had fun even if a part of him also felt guilty, so he carried anything Duy Anh had wished to buy and played along as Duy Anh asked him to try on an immeasurable amount of different outfits at Arthur didn’t even know how to put on at first.

He didn’t quite know how it happened but here he was, on a shopping date and freeloading at a stranger’s place from another era.

1. The green oil is some medicinal oil, usually used to relieve muscle pain. Same goes for Salonp*s patches.

2. Duy Anh addresses the doctor by his given name here, as it is not a formal environment. It is also more common to address to others by their last given name as acquaintances rather than surnames or full names