Chapter 4
Looking Back
Everyone in the Li house gathered up at the kitchen to have breakfast with General Li before he left to war. Jen Chun had done her best with the meal and they all complimented her kindness and good taste.
"Son," the General spoke up dropping the chopsticks on his bowl, "You told me you didn't know Lieutenant Qiao Den's daughter." He made a pause and stared at his blushing son suspiciously, "How come you were consoling her last night?" No trace of anger was on him, in fact, he seemed simply curious and slightly cheerful.
Shang choked his food and hit his chest. "I."he said reluctantly, "I was just trying to be nice with the girl. Gods, he envied the grains of rice in his bowl that were about to be eaten, if he were one of them he wouldn't have to put up with his father's teasing.
General Li let out a laugh turning to his young wife, "I must say, he has an exquisite taste for women."
Chan Juan uttered a laugh covering her face with the fancy colourful fan she carried everywhere she went.
Meanwhile, Shang counted numbers trying to keep his temper cool but inside his loathing for Chan Juan wanted to explode like fireworks on New Year's Day. "It's not true," said Shang through gritted teeth.
"Indeed," assented the General, "Son it's all right to like a woman as long as you keep yourself focused on what's important, and that is your military career."
"Yes, father," he replied, "but maybe I'm not ready for that yet."
Once done with breakfast, the whole family followed the General to the stables to bid him "fair well".
Chan Juan burst into tears and kissed her husband like twenty times pleading him to take care and return home soon. Shang felt a little out of place, as if his presence was not required there, for his father didn't take his eyes off the sappy little woman holding him close. Things had changed a lot since Chan Juan appeared in their lives; his father had traded him for a wife and he wondered what was next, probably the child she carried would be more loved by his father than he was; after all, that baby was conceived by the woman his father truly loved and not by the woman with whom he was forced to marry and fought all the time.
When the General finally let go from Chan Juan, he turned to his son. They stared at each other as if they were complete strangers meeting face to face for the very first time. Perhaps they had become that, Shang had turned even quieter and the General was too busy with Chan Juan. The elder man placed his hand on the young man's shoulder giving him a light pat. "Take care of the house."
Shang stepped back. "Father, may I go to war with you?" asked Shang, his eyes pleading like a child wanting a new toy, "I am old enough to assume my responsibility as your eldest son."
The General shook his head, a fond grin showed on his face. "You will not go to war.yet, for you are still very young," he concluded, "Though you will assume your responsibility by staying in your home taking care of your family."
It was not fair, other men his age and even younger were sent to war, and he couldn't go only because his father wanted him to take care of his pregnant stepmother. What could happen to them at home? War was in the battlefield, not at homes and least of all in the Imperial City. Shang's features turned somber. "She is not my family," he spat sourly turning to Chan Juan, "My family died when Mother passed away to the heavens."
"What?" the father raised his voice angrily, "I am getting tired of you always showing lack of courtesy to your stepmother. She has done you no harm!"
Shang frowned and walked away heading to his room without saying goodbye. He locked himself from everyone and everything, grieving, complaining and cursing his ancestors for letting him suffer so much throughout his life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A week later, Shang was outside practicing some sword moves, when he heard a cry coming from the inside. He rushed to see what was happening. There, he found Jen Chun helping Chan Juan walk to her room.she was about to give birth. "Young master Li, could you go and fetch the doctor?" the lady asked calmly, "your sibling is about to be born." Shang nodded and ran outside to get his horse.
He returned within an hour and decided to walk along through the neighborhood; maybe by chance he would meet Na Lei there. Tired of waiting, he sat on the ground resting his head on both hands. It was a bit embarrassing to hear the screams coming from his house. Was childbirth that painful? He sighed, thanking the gods he was a man, therefore, he would never know. His father came to his thoughts. 'What is he doing now?' he wondered. He swallowed hard as he remembered the dispute they had before he left, it was so silly now that he looked things back, and for that he had not said goodbye to him and wish him good luck. 'What if something happened to him at the battlefield?' Shang began to torture himself with questions, 'What if he never comes home?' A shrill cry reached his ears disturbing his thoughts echoing inside his head. That moment, he pitied all women for coping with childbirth, wondering why the gods requested them to fulfill such a dreadful errand when they were so fragile and weak.
The baby was born, and no longer were her cries heard outside. Lost in his own thoughts he had not happened to notice. Na Lei was studying his back. He noticed until she sat next to him.
"What are you thinking?" she inquired merrily, "You look so pensive."
His worries vanished the moment he caught a glimpse of Na Lei, mustering all the courage inside of him, Shang answered, "My father."
"You miss him?"
"It's not that."
"What's it then?" she spoke softly, "You can tell me."
"Well, it's just that I didn't behave like a son when he left."
"You mean you two argued about something?"
"Yes, and I didn't even said goodbye to him."
Na Lei sighed, all this time she had fooled herself thinking Shang's family was perfect, that his relationship with his father was sacred, untouched by quarrels.
"I wanted to go to battle with him, but he didn't let me," Shang went on to her surprise," I got frustrated for all the years I've been training to be a warrior and the only task I get is to stay home taking care of my stepmother and her baby."
"I don't want to be taken wrong but he's probably doing it to keep you from peril," Na Le offered.
"You must be right, then in the other hand he knows better that I am bound to fight in battle. Sooner or later I must leave home and soar in search of glory within the battlefield."
The wisdom in Shang's words amazed Na Lei and she was about to say something but then Jen Chun interrupted them, "Young Master Li, come, quick. You must see the baby."
He turned to Na Lei immediately and she assented.
"You have the cutest brother, he's so much alike you," the maid said on their way.
What did he care for that baby? "He's not your brother," he reminded himself, "You have no brothers or sisters because mother only had you."
Shang walked into the house and Jen Chun carried the new born baby to him. "See? He has the same eyes you have."
Shang stared at the fragile creature in the maid's arms, he meant no harm and put his little hand inside his mouth. Involuntarily, a chuckle escaped from Shang.
"I'd better take him to his mother before he begins to cry," Jen Chun said, "The child must be hungry." Shang nodded. The baby did not seem to be the evil half-brother he created in his imagination. There was no malice in that little baby so innocent.
Jen Chun came out of the room holding her hands together grinning. "Oh that baby reminds me so much of you when you were one," said the woman timidly, "I was with your mother when you were born, and I was the first to hold you." She sighed and drifted off to the memories. "You were so little and so adorable and your mother was filled with joy. That was the day I saw her smile the most. She told me you were her little bundle of joy. She loved you more than life itself."
A grin appeared on Shang's sturdy features, half of him was glad to remember his mother and the other half was melancholy.
Thanks for requesting me to update. Lol. Sorry for the delay.writing 3 stories at the same time is not easy toil. Lol. Well the people who read this story and appreciate my work thank you very much: Lynn, Traum, YunCyn, Bakaro, ToughSpirit and the future readers and reviewers.
Everyone in the Li house gathered up at the kitchen to have breakfast with General Li before he left to war. Jen Chun had done her best with the meal and they all complimented her kindness and good taste.
"Son," the General spoke up dropping the chopsticks on his bowl, "You told me you didn't know Lieutenant Qiao Den's daughter." He made a pause and stared at his blushing son suspiciously, "How come you were consoling her last night?" No trace of anger was on him, in fact, he seemed simply curious and slightly cheerful.
Shang choked his food and hit his chest. "I."he said reluctantly, "I was just trying to be nice with the girl. Gods, he envied the grains of rice in his bowl that were about to be eaten, if he were one of them he wouldn't have to put up with his father's teasing.
General Li let out a laugh turning to his young wife, "I must say, he has an exquisite taste for women."
Chan Juan uttered a laugh covering her face with the fancy colourful fan she carried everywhere she went.
Meanwhile, Shang counted numbers trying to keep his temper cool but inside his loathing for Chan Juan wanted to explode like fireworks on New Year's Day. "It's not true," said Shang through gritted teeth.
"Indeed," assented the General, "Son it's all right to like a woman as long as you keep yourself focused on what's important, and that is your military career."
"Yes, father," he replied, "but maybe I'm not ready for that yet."
Once done with breakfast, the whole family followed the General to the stables to bid him "fair well".
Chan Juan burst into tears and kissed her husband like twenty times pleading him to take care and return home soon. Shang felt a little out of place, as if his presence was not required there, for his father didn't take his eyes off the sappy little woman holding him close. Things had changed a lot since Chan Juan appeared in their lives; his father had traded him for a wife and he wondered what was next, probably the child she carried would be more loved by his father than he was; after all, that baby was conceived by the woman his father truly loved and not by the woman with whom he was forced to marry and fought all the time.
When the General finally let go from Chan Juan, he turned to his son. They stared at each other as if they were complete strangers meeting face to face for the very first time. Perhaps they had become that, Shang had turned even quieter and the General was too busy with Chan Juan. The elder man placed his hand on the young man's shoulder giving him a light pat. "Take care of the house."
Shang stepped back. "Father, may I go to war with you?" asked Shang, his eyes pleading like a child wanting a new toy, "I am old enough to assume my responsibility as your eldest son."
The General shook his head, a fond grin showed on his face. "You will not go to war.yet, for you are still very young," he concluded, "Though you will assume your responsibility by staying in your home taking care of your family."
It was not fair, other men his age and even younger were sent to war, and he couldn't go only because his father wanted him to take care of his pregnant stepmother. What could happen to them at home? War was in the battlefield, not at homes and least of all in the Imperial City. Shang's features turned somber. "She is not my family," he spat sourly turning to Chan Juan, "My family died when Mother passed away to the heavens."
"What?" the father raised his voice angrily, "I am getting tired of you always showing lack of courtesy to your stepmother. She has done you no harm!"
Shang frowned and walked away heading to his room without saying goodbye. He locked himself from everyone and everything, grieving, complaining and cursing his ancestors for letting him suffer so much throughout his life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A week later, Shang was outside practicing some sword moves, when he heard a cry coming from the inside. He rushed to see what was happening. There, he found Jen Chun helping Chan Juan walk to her room.she was about to give birth. "Young master Li, could you go and fetch the doctor?" the lady asked calmly, "your sibling is about to be born." Shang nodded and ran outside to get his horse.
He returned within an hour and decided to walk along through the neighborhood; maybe by chance he would meet Na Lei there. Tired of waiting, he sat on the ground resting his head on both hands. It was a bit embarrassing to hear the screams coming from his house. Was childbirth that painful? He sighed, thanking the gods he was a man, therefore, he would never know. His father came to his thoughts. 'What is he doing now?' he wondered. He swallowed hard as he remembered the dispute they had before he left, it was so silly now that he looked things back, and for that he had not said goodbye to him and wish him good luck. 'What if something happened to him at the battlefield?' Shang began to torture himself with questions, 'What if he never comes home?' A shrill cry reached his ears disturbing his thoughts echoing inside his head. That moment, he pitied all women for coping with childbirth, wondering why the gods requested them to fulfill such a dreadful errand when they were so fragile and weak.
The baby was born, and no longer were her cries heard outside. Lost in his own thoughts he had not happened to notice. Na Lei was studying his back. He noticed until she sat next to him.
"What are you thinking?" she inquired merrily, "You look so pensive."
His worries vanished the moment he caught a glimpse of Na Lei, mustering all the courage inside of him, Shang answered, "My father."
"You miss him?"
"It's not that."
"What's it then?" she spoke softly, "You can tell me."
"Well, it's just that I didn't behave like a son when he left."
"You mean you two argued about something?"
"Yes, and I didn't even said goodbye to him."
Na Lei sighed, all this time she had fooled herself thinking Shang's family was perfect, that his relationship with his father was sacred, untouched by quarrels.
"I wanted to go to battle with him, but he didn't let me," Shang went on to her surprise," I got frustrated for all the years I've been training to be a warrior and the only task I get is to stay home taking care of my stepmother and her baby."
"I don't want to be taken wrong but he's probably doing it to keep you from peril," Na Le offered.
"You must be right, then in the other hand he knows better that I am bound to fight in battle. Sooner or later I must leave home and soar in search of glory within the battlefield."
The wisdom in Shang's words amazed Na Lei and she was about to say something but then Jen Chun interrupted them, "Young Master Li, come, quick. You must see the baby."
He turned to Na Lei immediately and she assented.
"You have the cutest brother, he's so much alike you," the maid said on their way.
What did he care for that baby? "He's not your brother," he reminded himself, "You have no brothers or sisters because mother only had you."
Shang walked into the house and Jen Chun carried the new born baby to him. "See? He has the same eyes you have."
Shang stared at the fragile creature in the maid's arms, he meant no harm and put his little hand inside his mouth. Involuntarily, a chuckle escaped from Shang.
"I'd better take him to his mother before he begins to cry," Jen Chun said, "The child must be hungry." Shang nodded. The baby did not seem to be the evil half-brother he created in his imagination. There was no malice in that little baby so innocent.
Jen Chun came out of the room holding her hands together grinning. "Oh that baby reminds me so much of you when you were one," said the woman timidly, "I was with your mother when you were born, and I was the first to hold you." She sighed and drifted off to the memories. "You were so little and so adorable and your mother was filled with joy. That was the day I saw her smile the most. She told me you were her little bundle of joy. She loved you more than life itself."
A grin appeared on Shang's sturdy features, half of him was glad to remember his mother and the other half was melancholy.
Thanks for requesting me to update. Lol. Sorry for the delay.writing 3 stories at the same time is not easy toil. Lol. Well the people who read this story and appreciate my work thank you very much: Lynn, Traum, YunCyn, Bakaro, ToughSpirit and the future readers and reviewers.
