SUMMARY
In his life, Cui Ding-Xiang had lived for eighty years, but only knew the feeling of love for three. That feeling was then soured by betrayal, causing him to give up all hope of ever receiving it. His life soon became all about his work and he was content with that. Even in his death, his only regret was not having a child.
He thought that when he died he would be greeted by Granny Meng and hopefully his life after that would be one with love. However, he crossed over into the body of a nineteen-year-old GER called Cui De-Lun.
Cui De-Lun had died from grief after being informed of the death of his husband.
But Cui Ding-Xiang smirked, took the hands of his new children, and walked on with a straight back and a hop in his steps.
"How pitiful."
Cui Ding-Xiang heard someone say, as he put his brush down. However, when he looked at the people around him, they all looked away. He gazed at the group of people, his husband's family, standing across from him. They look so proud as if abandoning the wife and children of their recently deceased son and brother was of no consequence.
His in-laws were completely disappointed when they did not see Cui-Ding Xiang looking aggrieved. Ding-Xiang remained calm, even when they started dividing his husband's compensation from the army. It had only been a week since the news of his husband's death but his in-laws are ready to abandon them, especially after the compensation arrived.
Cui Ding-Xiang snorted, trying to keep himself from laughing because he knew that his husband, Wei-Sheng, would return at the end of the year, alive and well. His husband will receive so many merits and rewards due to successfully completing a secret mission. He knew this because he is not the real Cui Ding-Lun, the original owner of this body.
His name is Cui Ding-Xiang. He was an eighty-year-old professor at PKU. He was famous for his studies in Ancient Chinese Arts. For most of his entire life, he dedicated to research. He had delved into almost every part of Chinese culture, especially in matters dealing with China's history. The night he was supposed to receive an award for his latest work, he died of a stroke. Though he died alone in his office he was able to leave peacefully, because he had a very fulfilling life. His only regret was that he had no children to carry his ashes but his students would make up for that.
Cui Ding-Xiang knew that he could not have children because he's gay. He had only loved once but that person betrayed him. He was emotionally traumatized by the experience that he had utterly closed himself off from having any form of attachment. He decided to delve himself into his research, dedicating the remaining sixty years of his life to it.
He died with a smile on his face. He was expecting to be greeted by his Granny Meng. Well, that did not happen, instead, there were two small children who reached out and called him "mama". He was taken by surprise by these children jumping into his arms. They look to remind him of milk bottles. He will call them milk bottles from now on. When he saw them in distress, he could only calm them down by rubbing their backs.
He was not prepared for the sudden surge of memories. The process was not painful at all but it left him dazed. The first memory was of someone calling him Cui De-Lun, he knew this name very well, and it was from a novel he just read. Only his best friend knew of his strange obsession with web novels, particularly those that have gers. Gers are men who have a special constitution and can become pregnant. He had a secret wish to be one. He wanted to be a ger, so he could sleep with some random person and have a child of his own. Unfortunately, if his colleagues find out, their spit would drown him.
Ciu De-Lun was a minor character from the most recent web novel he read. It was about a soldier that went off into the army. He left his wife, who was a ger and currently pregnant, and his three children. He was assigned on a secret mission that required him to fake his death. He did it took the mission, thinking that even if he died, his family would still look after his wife and children.
When he returned, he was expecting a happy reunion with his family. Unfortunately, what greeted him was the horrible fate his family had suffered. His wife, who's pregnant, had been forced to work in the fields. Due to the hard labor, he miscarried their child. Then, he was sold at a nearby village to a prominent landowner. For an entire year, he suffered grievous torture in the hands of the landowner before he finally committed suicide.
His three children did not fare any better. Without the protection of their father and mother, his family took advantage of them. The eldest daughter, only four at the time, was sold to a rich family, where she worked as a servant. The elder of the family took a liking to the little girl.
Two years later, when she turned six-years-old, the elder assaulted her. The girl's young body could not bear this and she died on his bed. His three-year-old son was also sold but to a so-called martial arts school. A few months later, he was beaten to death. Whereas, his second son, who was a ger, was sold faraway, and ever since no one knew what happened to him.
AD
Knowing how his family suffered drove him insane. That same night he slaughtered his entire family and disappeared. He wandered around the country for a few months before settling down in a quiet village by the sea. There he met another ger that helped him to get better and get over the loss of his family. The book ended with them falling in love, marrying, and having a large family.
At the time, the novel had disgusted him, irritated him, and angered him, but he still ended up finishing the novel. For Cui Ding-Xia, he pitied Cui De-Lun and his children who only existed at the time to set the novel off on the path the writer wanted it to. Why did their ending have to be so miserable? This had Cui Ding-Xiang wondering if the writer was suffering from something mentally, especially when he gave those little milk bottles such a cruel ending.
Cui De-Lun and his children were mentioned only in the first three chapters. Their history was only written in a few paragraphs, mostly during the soldier's reminiscence. In addition, what made it worse was how gentle and kind Cui De-Lun was. He had stayed true to his name. He respected and served his husband and in-laws well, managed the house carefully, and took care of his children. The people loved them because they saw how Cui De-Lun and the children were kind yet clever. This is true, especially for the eldest daughter, who was mature past her current age of four.
Unfortunately, as far as Cui Ding-Xiang was concerned, he also thought Cui De-Lun was an idiot. It was fine for him to live up to his name. However, he did it so well that he became a sacrificial lamb for his husband's family. He was unable to stand up to them once the news of his husband's death had arrived. Cui De-Lun had even given up his one chance of being able to separate from them. With this, he just carved his and his children's fate in stone.
Cui Ding-Xiang was happy that he got here just after the news arrived. If he had gotten here too late, he honestly does not know what would've happened then. Fortunately, Cui De-Lun had passed out after receiving the news, ending up in a coma for almost two days. This did not stop his mother-in-law from barging in while he was recuperating and demanding that he signs the papers that say he and his children will separate from their family.
He looked at her and agreed without a second thought. His mother-in-law's reaction was comical but she still told him that he made the smart choice. She then left in a hurry and Cui De-Lun slumped back on the bed, still holding his two sobbing children to him.
A/N
Cui – Towering
Yu -Rainfall
Ding-Xiang – Stability and Fortune
De-Lun – Virtuous Order
Hui-Liang – Kind and Good
AD
Hui-Zhong – Wise Loyalty
Hui-Ling – Wise Jade Tinkling
Wei-Sheng – Greatness is born "husband's name"
The people continued with their chatter, but he ignored them. He continued to stare at his husband's family. He watched their gloating faces. He would like to see if they can keep being so arrogant when his husband finally returns. He maintained his calm as he collected two boxes containing all his dowry and belongings. The smaller box, which has his dowry, has some money and the deeds for two mou of paddy fields.
While, the larger box contains most of their personal things, such as clothes and some cooking utensils. He also got a copy of the separation document, which stated that they are no longer part of his husband's family. If any of the two parties meddle in each other's life, the offender will be dealt with according to the victim's mercy. Cui Ding-Xiang folded the paper and put it in the smaller box for safekeeping.
He walked towards the village head and asked politely, "Can I bother the village head to lend me some people to help move our things to our new house?"
The village head nodded and then ordered a few people to help them move their things. Cui Ding-Xiang took both Yu Hui-Zhong, his elder son and Yu Hui-Liang, his youngest, from a nearby woman. He called for his daughter, Yu Hui-Ling, who immediately took her brother's hand. As they went on their way, he tried to gauge his children's reaction. He was surprised to see that they don't even look sad, instead, they looked happy.
It seems that his children are really very wise for their age. They already know how to differentiate good people from bad. They probably instinctively know that those people will just take advantage of them. They would rather be abandoned by their mother. If they're with him, everything will be alright.
After walking for a few minutes, they reached a thatched hut. It was closer to the mountain than the other houses. It was bigger and not as badly rundown as he first thought. It just needs a little cleaning and it would be livable. On their own volition, the women and gers that had walked with him, all went in and began cleaning the house. The boxes containing their things soon arrived, brought by the men. The women and ger helped in setting up everything.
He couldn't help but smile. He knew that everyone is being so helpful because of Wei-Sheng's and Cui De-Lun's good reputation. Cui Ding-Xiang thanked them and promised to invite them all for a meal when he was able to. The villagers politely shook their heads, telling him they don't mind. In truth, they were giving him face. They know that with Cui De-Lun's current situation, he will not be able to give out free meals.
Ciu Ding-Xiang watched them all disappear. He went in the hut, children in tow. At the corner of the room, there was a large trunk for clothing, pillows, and bed covers. Next to it were small and large boxes. There were three rooms in total: a bedroom, a kitchen, and a storage room. There might be just one bedroom, but it has enough space for all of them, including when Wei-Sheng comes back.
The bedroom, which was the largest room in the house, has a kang bed-stove in it. The kang took up most of the space and would probably need a lot of wood to keep it going. Ding-Xiang placed Hui-Liang on the bed, he placed two pillows on his sides, making sure that he wouldn't fall. Then, he went to look around the rest of the hut.
The kitchen was average in size. It has a stove that could hold three pots at a time. Looking around, he found out that there was only enough food for two days. His brows furrowed. Those former in-laws of his were really seeking trouble. He released a heavy sigh. He continued his inspection and went into the storage room. He looked around and saw that the villagers placed all the farming tools in this room.
He went out the back door and saw that there was a small outhouse. He was surprised to see that it has enough space for taking a shower and on the side a small hole. Ding-Xiang frowned. He knew what the hole is for, but he wouldn't be caught dead squatting over it. Moreover, it'll be impossible to do so because he's pregnant. Although the doctor already confirmed he is carrying twins, the original novel only mentioned one child.
He continued his scrutiny of the backyard; finding a bamboo rack for hanging clothes. He also saw a small vegetable garden, of course, it's empty for now. When he was satisfied with his inspection, he went back inside. He looked at the empty boxes, which held the farming tools before. An idea came to mind. He cut a hole at the bottom of one box, flipped it upside down, and made a makeshift toilet. He thought to himself, he'll bring it later to the outhouse when he takes his shower.
AD
While still lost in his thoughts, he felt a thug on his clothes and looked down to see Hui-Zhong, softly calling out, "Mama, eat."
Cui Ding-Xiang's eyes widened. He suddenly remembered that they had not really eaten breakfast. He was so busy settling the separation papers since this morning and now, it's almost noon. His little milk bottles probably are very hungry now. Ding-Xiang sighed and patting Hui-Zhong's head. The two milk bottles, Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling, followed him into the kitchen. He decided to make a small meal just to abate their hunger for the moment. He'll just make a bigger meal for dinner.
Looking at the ingredients available for him, he decided to make a date porridge. He asked Hui-Ling to get some firewood outside. While he fetched some water from the well and used it to rinse out the pot. He just finished washing the rice and pitting the dates, as Hui-Ling came back. He then put the firewood under the stove and started the fire. Filled the pot with water, threw in the rice, dates, and a sprinkle of sugar. Then covered it with a wooden lid and let it boil.
He stood up and rubbed his back. He went to his two obedient children who are sitting by the table. And patted their heads. Waiting for a few minutes before checking the pot. He stirred the contents to make sure it gets cooked evenly. Then, he covered it again and waited for it to cook. He looked back at his children and they looked back at him, just as their tummies grumbled loudly.
Ding-Xiang thought they might really be starving but the date porridge still needs a few minutes to be cooked. Then he remembered that he boiled some eggs earlier for breakfast but since they didn't have breakfast. He found the boiled eggs beside the rice sack. Taking two and he peeled them. He gave the children one of each and a small bowl of dried dates. He thought that this would stave off some of their hunger until the porridge is done. He took a mental note that next time, he'll start cooking earlier.
When he saw that the two children are happily eating their snacks, he decided to boil some goat milk for Hui-Liang. He put a smaller pot beside the porridge. He then poured some goat milk from one of the bottles and wait until it boils. Afterward, he set it aside to cool off, and then he went to get a small bowl. He poured the now warm milk into the bowl and picked up a small spoon.
He went into the bedroom and saw that Hui-Liang was awake but had been playing quietly by himself. Ding-Xiang put down the bowl by the small bedside table. He then picked up the five-month-old baby. Hui-Liang cooed happily seeing his mama. Ding-Xiang couldn't help but smile. He carefully took the small bowl of milk and fed the baby.
Hui-Liang finished the milk in record time. Ding-Xiang wiped his cheeks. He put down the empty bowl by the table. He then carried the cooing baby and patted him gently on his back so he could burp. His thoughts came back to his former in-laws. Those people had to be black-hearted to sell such a sweet child. Ever since Ding-Xiang transmigrated, Hui-Liang never cried or made a fuss crossed over. The same went for Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong.
He thought to himself that they are the most obedient and well-behaved children he'd ever seen. Ding-Xiang sighed; his heart ached as he thought of the misfortune these children experienced in that novel. He put down Hui-Liang on the bed and surrounded him with pillows. He was still lost in his own thoughts when he heard two sets of small footsteps coming into the room. His two milk bottles entered the room, dusted off their feet, and climbed on the bed to go sit with their brother.
Ding-Xiang patted each of their heads. He told them to look after their younger brother while he checks on the food. The two milk bottles nodded at him obediently. He took the empty bowl with him as he went out of the room. In the kitchen, he rinsed the small bowl and spoon. He set them aside to dry. He then opened the wooden lid, tasted the porridge, nodded to himself in approval, and put out the fire. The date porridge is finally ready.
He started preparing the table. He arranged three bowls. He scooped out some date porridge for each bowl. He went back into the room to call his children. He was met with the sight of all three of them sleeping together, the baby in between the two older children. Ding-Xiang smiled. He went to get some blankets to cover them up and went back into the kitchen. He covered the two other bowls of porridge. Then sat down and ate his own porridge, after finishing his meal, he realized he's still hungry.
"Being pregnant is already difficult. Being in ancient China and pregnant is worse. Why couldn't this stupid book be set in modern times? If only there was a convenience store across the street, my problems would be solved," he muttered to himself as he rubs his small bump. "I even have a delicate stomach due to the pregnancy, including three children to take care of. We have land but no workers. I can't do it myself unless I want to lose these babies. If this was in the eighties, it would've been easier to resolve. Unfortunately, in this setting, I'm a ger and all eyes are on me. Even just breathing loudly is not proper."
These circumstances of his felt so suffocating that he couldn't help but rant. He couldn't stop himself from sobbing and tears spilling out.
"Mama why are you crying?" a soft voice asked.
Ding-Xiang looked at Hui-Ling. She suddenly ran over and reached up to wipe his face. He became a little embarrassed, letting his child seeing him weak. Ever since he was a child, he wasn't an emotional person. Seeing this little child trying to cheer him up, touched his heart and it made him sob more.
"Mama don't cry!" the cute little girl said in a panicky voice.
Ding-Xiang reached down and pulled her into his arms. He held her close and continued to cry.
Smelling the fresh scent of his daughter, he realized that the emotion spilling over is not his. It was the original De-Lun's frustration. Even though the original has already disappeared, all the bottled-up emotions and grief dominated Ding-Xiang's. The milk bottle in his arms, affected by his emotions, started crying too.
Soon, another sob could be heard by the bedroom door. Ding-Xiang looked up and saw Hui-Zhong crying. He reached out his hand to him, gesturing for his son to come. The little guy ran into his arms and continued to cry. He hugged both his children. They cried and cried until they were all tired. He took his little milk bottles into the bedroom for a little nap.
When he woke up, it was dark. Ding-Xiang got up and felt that the bed was a bit cold. All three of his children are still napping, so he went and got some firewood from outside. He used the firewood to warm the kang bed-stove. He noticed that Hui-Liang had wet himself. Ding-Xia picked up Hui-Liang and started to change his clothes. He went to the kitchen to get some towel and water to wipe the baby. When he came back, he moved the children to the dry part of the bed, found a couple of lamps, and lit them up. He left one in the bedroom, so the children will have some light. He then took the other into the kitchen.
He started taking out ingredients from their rations. He went outside and brought in some firewood. He prepared the ingredients and started cooking.
He put their dinner on a tray. He carried the tray into the bedroom. He woke up his children and fed them. As soon as they finished, he took the now empty plates. He went back into the kitchen. When he returned, he was carrying a basin of water and two towels. He gave his children a sponge bath and put them in new clothes. He let them go back to sleep.
AD
He went back to the kitchen and took the bowl of warm milk for his youngest son. He woke up his youngest. Ding-Xiang gently woke up Hui-Liang to give him some milk. He patted Hui-Liang's back until he burped. He coaxed him to sleep. Once done, he placed pillows to surround Hui-Liang, making sure he's safe from rolling off the bed. By that time, it was already too late to take a bath. So, he decided to just wipe himself clean with the leftover warm water. Finally, he laid down beside Hui-Liang and fell asleep.
Ding-Xia woke up before sunrise. He checked on his children, still sleeping peacefully. He smiled and thought to himself 'that was one of the best night sleep he ever had'. He went outside and brought in a bucket of water. He boiled the water. Then poured it back into the bucket and went to the outhouse. He took a bath and washed his hair. His hair is long, it reaches all the way to his butt, and it takes effort to dry. He thought of cutting it but immediately gave up the idea. Letting his hair hang loosely, he left it to dry in the air. He changed into fresh clothes and started preparing for breakfast.
Hui-Liang only needed milk so it wasn't much of an issue but it was different for Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong.
He decided to make some pancakes, soup for himself, and milky porridge for the two milk bottles. He set up the table and went in to check his children. He was braiding his hair when the two older milk bottles woke up. They greeted him with a smile and came over to hug him. He held them tight and finished wrapping the braid into a bun. He then put on a headband that covers his cinnabar mole.
Ding-Xiang told the milk bottles to wait for him. He went into the kitchen and poured the warm water into a bucket. He took Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong to the outhouse to bathe them. Then helped them to brush their teeth and change into fresh clothes. He took them to the table and have them eat some of the milky porridge and pancakes. While the two were eating, he went back into the bedroom, carrying a basin of warm water, and saw Hui-Liang waking up. Hui-Liang waking up without anybody with him, almost started to wail, until he saw Ding-Xiang. His sob became gurgles and coos.
Ding-Xiang picked him up and stripped his clothes. He gave him a quick sponge bath and changed his clothes. He handed Hui-Liang to Hui-Ling. He told Hui-Ling to look after the baby while he washes the bedsheet. He went back into the bedroom and took the soiled bed sheet. Washed it and hung it outside on the bamboo rack. He came back inside and sat down at the table. Ding-Xiang took Hui-Liang and fed him with a spoonful of milk. Afterward, he wiped Hui-Liang's lips and put him back in the bedroom. He finally was able to eat his own breakfast.
Ding-Xiang and his milk bottles were enjoying their food when someone knocked at their door. Hui-Ling jumped down, volunteering to open the door. Ding-Xiang shook his head and gestured for her to sit down. He went to open the door himself. The auntie that came to help him yesterday greeted him with a smile. Ding-Xiang smiled back politely.
"Hui-Ling's Niang, I just came over to check on you all. I was worried that you're having discomfort, especially since you've been busy these past few days," said the aunt with a gentle smile.
Ding-Xiang opened the door wider and let the aunt come in.
When they sat down at the table, the aunt took his wrist and checked his pulse, she reminded him. "You need to be careful, even though your stomach is showing, you're still in the first three months of your pregnancy. The first three months are very risky and carrying twins makes it riskier. It would be best if you had someone else to help you. We all know your situation, so if you need help just call us, and we'll help you out. Don't be foolish and try to everything all on your own, okay?"
Ding-Xiang nodded. The gentle aunt stayed a little bit more just to chat.
When she left, Ding-Xiang warmed up his breakfast. He picked up Hui-Liang and patted his back until he burped. He put back Hui-Liang in the bedroom with the pillows. The other two were playing by themselves outside. He went to the small box. He opened it and took out the money. He counted the money and sighed.
AD
According to the book, Wei-Sheng always sends back all the rewards he would give to De-Lun but De-Lun always hands them to his mother-in-law. So, the idiot had no savings. In addition, those black-hearted people would scold him whenever he asks for some money.
If the original De-Lun saved up the money that his husband sent him, he would've had a lot. But just looking at the amount he's counting, it doesn't even come close to a quarter of what's it supposed to be. Ding-Xiang looks at the measly amount of money he has and thought that it's not enough to even last for a while. A mischievous smirk came across Ding-Xiang's face. He would remember this. He would tell Wei-Sheng everything. What would happen to those arrogant former in-laws of his, when Wei-Sheng finds out about their suffering?
"Thirty silver's worth…" Ding-Xiang mumbled after counting the money.
If only he was not pregnant, these thirty silvers would last them for a long time. If only he had decent in-laws and did not need to leave the house, it would have been much easier. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and these thirty silvers will not last until his husband returns.
Ding-Xiang put the money back in the small box and placed the box back to where it was before. He opened the larger box and picked up some paper, ink, and a brush. Even though De-Lun came from a poor family, his father made sure that he and his brothers are all well learned. He and all his siblings could read and would always carry some cheap paper, ink, and brush with them.
Since the original De-Lun had such a good husband, he was able to keep up with his studies and teach his children too. At the age of four, Hui-Ling was good at reading, writing, and arithmetic. Slaves that can read and write are sold at higher prices.
Ding-Xiang went and sat at the table. He wrote a few words testing out his handwriting. He knows that his calligraphy is good. He was a professor at a well-known university. In the original world, he does his own bookkeeping; he knows he can be an accountant here too. If someone can hire him, he can probably earn a few silvers a week. The only possible problem is that he is a ger. During this period, women and gers are discriminated against indiscriminately. However, gers are seen as weaker and lesser than their female counterparts.
He continued listing his strengths and weaknesses. He crossed out anything that may be impossible or of no use for him in this era. Afterward, he started listing jobs that he may be able to get. Then, he started crossing out anything that would not be available for him as a ger. He also crossed out those that will be too risky for his pregnancy.
He was so focused on what he was doing that a frown was forming on his gentle face. He was so startled when Hui-Ling, the eldest milk bottle, started rubbing his brows and the side of his mouth. He stared at this cute milk bottle while she said in a very serious tone, "Papa said that mama shouldn't think of anything that makes him frown. Also, if mama ever frowns, I should rub it out."
Ding-Xiang let Hui-Ling rub his frown away. They stared at each other for a while and gave his adorable daughter a bright smile.
"My good daughter, mama thanks you. My frown is all gone now," said Ding-Xiang while he pinches his daughter's cheeks, making her laugh. He hugged her and told her gently, "Okay, go play with your brothers. Mama is okay now."
He watched as she went back to her brothers. Then, he went back to his notes. He saw that two big inkblots fell carelessly on the paper. He went down the list and encircled two options. His safest option would be either an embroiderer or a scribe. Although he cannot compete with those professional embroiderers, his embroidery skill is acceptable enough to do small jobs.
For being a scribe, it would be harder to find someone who will hire him. Most scribes are male and the village is already full of them. The competition is too much for him. Even if there were someone who will hire him, it would be too risky to bring important documents home. The risk is too much than what he might gain.
He made up his mind and crossed out the scribe option. He will find a job as an embroiderer. It might take time and patience to finish even one embroidered piece but that job can earn more in one go. Now that he has a general plan, he folded the paper and burned it. He put away his writing tools back into the large box. He went into the bedroom and went to his trunk.
Ding-Xiang looked for some high-grade cotton fabric, thread, and needles. Finding what he was looking for, he went and sat down on the bed with Hui-Liang. He looked at the blank fabric on his lap and smiled. He started working on his sample. As he worked on his project, his mind drifted ahead. When he finishes this sample work, he will take it to the village. Then, if he is hired, he will have enough money to hire a couple of people to work in the fields.
Ding-Xiang leaned back on the pillow as he continued to work on the embroidery. He was happy that the original had an embroidery holder; it made it easier for him to work. He would need to hire someone to bring him firewood. Meat is too expensive, so they might need to eat more eggs and vegetables. He will need to buy a couple of hens, so they will have a daily source of eggs.
Ding-Xiang stopped his work when he heard a small cry. He looked beside him, just in time to see Hui-Liang looking over at him with watery eyes. When he checked he found that Hui-Liang's diaper was wet again. He put away his embroidery and started changing his youngest milk bottle. Then called his Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling to look after their youngest sibling, while he prepares lunch.
He started by cooking the rice. Then, he checked the remaining ingredients and saw that the meat might spoil by tomorrow. He decided to cook some stir-fried vegetables with meat. He diced the meat and marinated it with some salt, soy sauce, and sugar. Then went out and got some firewood. He started the stove. He took out a wok and put some oil in it. He placed the meat to fry. Started chopping some mushrooms, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery. He mixed it with the meat.
It was then sautéed until it was ready. Afterward, he boiled some goat's milk in a smaller pot. When it cooled off a little, he poured it into a small bowl and took it to Hui-Liang. Ding-Xiang picked him up and sat down slowly feeding him until all the milk was gone. He held him close and patted his back until the little one let out a burp, at the same time farted. He could not help but laugh. He wiped Hui-Liang's face and set him back on the bed, surrounded with pillows.
Ding-Xiang woke up Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong. He told them that it is time to eat. The three of them went into the kitchen. Both milk bottles sat down at the table, waiting for their food. He started preparing three bowls of rice and three small plates of stir-fried vegetables with meat. Calculating it they would have enough leftovers for dinner. He then placed all the food on the table. They started eating their lunch.
After eating, he asked the two milk bottles to go back in the bedroom and watch over their brother. He went to his large box and took out two small books for children. He went back into the bedroom and gave those to his two milk-bottles. Then told them to try reading the characters written in the book. They both nodded and opened the books. He smiled approvingly.
He started collecting dirty clothes. He went to the storage room and took out a big basin, where he put the dirty clothes and a bar of soap; he then carried it outside. He went to the well and started filling the basin with water. He started washing the small underclothes. Hui-Liang always wets the bed and ends up with a pile of dirty napkins.
Then, he went and washed Hui-Zhong and Hui-Liang's clothes. Soon, he finally got to his own clothes. He washed, rinsed, and wrung out the water for all three batches. Afterward, on the bamboo rack, he started hanging them up to dry. He looked at the clean clothes gently swaying with the wind and felt a little proud of himself.
Ding-Xiang looked up at the sky and estimated that it is probably about two in the afternoon. He went back in to check his little milk bottles. He saw that Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling are still reading the children's book. He patted their heads and told them they could play outside since they have been such good children. The two milk bottles hugged him, jumped down the bed, and ran outside. Ding-Xiang then checked Hui-Liang's napkin and as he expected it is wet. He changed Hui-Liang's clothes and napkins before putting him back on the bed, surrounded with pillows.
He looked around the room and stopped to stare at the box in the corner that had the hole in it. He had forgotten to take it out last time. He went over and decided to just take it out now. When he set it up, he tested it out and it seems to be stable.
He went back inside and decided to continue working on his embroidery. He wanted to make a simple but meaningful pattern. Many years ago, he learned all about Shu embroidery, a style of embroidery more specialized in floral designs, when he visited the Sichuan province. He smiled to himself, at that time he didn't think that it would turn out to be useful. Now, he was grateful, he took the time to learn it.
Earlier, he already decided to do camellias. In Chinese culture, camellias are the national flower of southern China and symbolize young sons and daughters. Ding-Xiang resumed the outline of his design; three pink blooming camellias, with two smaller white buds under, surrounded by healthy green leaves. He looked at his work and he was very much pleased with the outcome.
His thoughts went to his three milk bottles and the twins he was pregnant with; he thought to himself that it was very fitting. After completing the outline, he changed the color of the thread and started filling out the spaces in the outline with satin stitches. He went on working for an hour, slowly filling his embroidery with color.
As Ding-Xiang was putting the final stitches, Hui-Liang woke up. He started stretching his little chubby arms and cooing at Ding-Xiang. He carefully put away his embroidery in a satchel, stretched, and looked at Hui-Liang. He checked Hui-Liang's napkin and changed it again. He then swaddled the little milk bottle with a soft cloth, which he strapped in front of him. He went outside locking the door behind him.
He called out to the two milk bottles, who came running. He told them it is time to pick up some firewood. The two milk bottles were happy to help and nodded vigorously. He smiled and helped them put on the gathering baskets behind them. Their goal is to pick up as many firewoods that they can before nightfall.
Ding-Xiang could not help but smile as he watched the two milk bottles leading the way. They got to an area where a lot of sticks and branches are on the ground. He helped the children remove the wooden baskets and told them to start gathering the logs. He kept an eye on the two children while gathering some on his own. Soon, they had the two baskets halfway filled.
Ding-Xiang helped the two milk bottles strap the basket on their back again. He tried to look around some more but he figured that they would need to go further into the woods to find something useful, but it was too risky. It would be impossible for him and the three children to defend themselves if anything happened. Thus, in the end, he decided to go back home. He lifted the baskets by the handles so that it would not be too heavy for the children.
It was still light when they reached their little hut. Ding-Xiang opened the door and let his children take the firewood into the kitchen. He helped them untie the baskets, while the milk bottles arrange the woods that they gathered.
Ding-Xiang went back to his room and unwrapped Hui-Liang from his chest. Their clothes were wet from pee, so he changed both of their clothes and set the dirty ones into a makeshift hamper. He looked out the bedroom window and soon that the sun is setting, it is probably almost five in the afternoon now. He determined that the clothes are probably dry by now. He called Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling to look after their brother while he takes in the laundry. He gathered the clean wash and folded them in the basket. He carried it back into the house and put them away in their trunk. Ding-Xiang chuckled as he looked behind him and saw the three milk bottles playing happily. He suddenly felt a warm fuzzy feeling spreading in him and he thought that this was what he had been missing all his life.
Although he was able to study and have the career he wanted, he was always missing having a family, with children of his own. After his ex-boyfriend betrayed him, he felt numb. He lost all hope of ever experiencing this kind of emotion ever again. He started taking in disciples and treating them like his own, but it is not the same. The warmth they give was just never enough. He always blamed his ex-boyfriend for ruthlessly taking away his hopes and dreams. Nevertheless, after a few years, he accepted the fact that he will always be alone. Now though, he is grateful for his second chance in life. Looking at the three children and rubbing his small baby bump, Ding-Xiang finally felt contented.
"
"
The three children played for a while until Hui-Liang made a strange gurgle. Ding-Xiang saw that the little milk bottle just wet himself again. Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling started giggling, and he could not help laughing. Ding-Xiang went to the kitchen to get some warm water; while he was there, he also boiled some milk. He cleaned and changed Hui-Liang. He went back to the kitchen to get some milk and feed Hui-Liang. He patted the little milk bottle until he burped. Ding-Xiang hummed some lullaby for the little milk bottle. Hui-Liang shortly fell asleep.
Ding-Xiang set Hui-Liang down and surrounded him with pillows. He gestured for Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling to be quiet and go to the kitchen. He gave them both a bath and wrapped a towel for each of them. He found a clean set of clothes and helped the two milk bottles into it. He threw the dirty water outback. He told the two milk bottles to watch over their little brother, while he washes up. He used the remaining warm water to give himself a bath. He changed into clean clothes. He then locked up the hut, lit the lamps, and then called Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling to come into the kitchen.
Ding-Xiang prepared their dinner, which is the same meal they ate for lunch. They finished everything. He washed the dishes and the children help dry them up. He told the children to carry some firewood, so they can heat up the bedroom. Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling followed him with some firewood in their arms. They put it under the kang and he started the fire. The two children took off their shoes and climbed on the bed. He added more wood into the kang before he took off his own shoes and got on the bed. He arranged the other two milk bottles on Hui-Liang's right, while he laid on Hui-Liang's left.
However, Hui-Ling went to his side and asked gently, "Mama… is Baba coming back?"
The sudden question startled Ding-Xiang, but he quickly covered up his expression. He pinched the milk bottle's cheeks, hugged her, and whispered, "Yes, your Baba will be back at the end of the year."
"So, baba is not dead?" Hui-Ling whispered back in a trembling voice. Ding-Xiang saw Hui-Ling's tears forming and falling down her pink cheeks. The little milk bottle rubbed her eyes and continued, "Gamma said that baba died… that he wouldn't come back… that we were a burden to them…"
Ding-Xiang felt angry, he couldn't wait for his husband to return to deal with those black-hearted people. However, for now, he could only sigh and hug the milk bottle. He answered her honestly, "Good daughter, your baba will be back. Your baba is alive. And, you were never a burden, okay?"
The next morning when Ding-Xiang woke up, Hui-Ling was still curled up in his arms while her brothers were huddled together in the corner of the bed. Ding-Xiang looked down to see her eyes were puffy and red as she had tear tracks running down her face. Ding-Xiang sighed and eased her onto the bed before getting up. He looked up and found that the sky was still dark but he could tell that it was morning so he lit the lamps and checked on the children. Both of the boys had wet the bed at some point but had shifted over to different spots ending up huddled together.
He sighed and went to warm up some water and came back with a small basin and a clean cloth. He woke up the children, wiped them down, changed them into clean clothes, replaced the dirty bedding, and then went to the kitchen taking a clean set of clothes with him. Since it was still dark he didn't want to open the doors, so he stood in the empty tub and dipped water from the stove to bathe his skin and wash his hair. When he was done he dried himself off and got dressed leaving his hair to air dry.
The basin was set aside and he began to prepare breakfast for his family. He checked the milk and found it had gone bad so he had to set it aside and decided to make some rice sweet rice paste for Hui-Liang. He simply boiled the rice, scooped out a little, and then added water and a little sugar and mixed it, and then set it aside with the rice.
For breakfast, he opted to prepare a vegetable omelet. He heated up the wok with oil. Then, he took out the remaining vegetables and chopped them. In a bowl, he cracked two eggs added some salt and pepper, and mix in the chopped vegetables. He beat the eggs with the vegetables and poured it on the wok. He flipped it on both sides and put it on a big plate.
By the time he was finished, the sun had begun to rise so he opened the door, threw out the dirty bathwater, and spoiled milk. Then went out to hang the bedding on the bamboo rack, when he went inside he sat down and ate his breakfast and covered down the ones for Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong. He was heading into town early in the morning and couldn't bring all of them, so he decided to leave the two of them at home and only take Hui-Liang with him.
He fetched the rice paste to the room and patted Hui-Liang awake before feeding and burping him. He cleaned up his face and laid him back on the bed and then headed to the storage room; he found a basket and returned to the room. He packed in the embroidery he had done along with, a napkin for Hui-Liang and some money before hiding the locked box near the back of the kang bed. By the time he sat down back, his hair was dry so he braided it and then pulled it into the same style he had worn it in the day before and then put the band around his head.
From the memories of De-Lun, he knew that the other 'gers' in the village liked to dress and carry themselves as women. They would even wear lipstick and jewelry and if they were one of the more well-off families, they would always wear full-face make-up. But Ding-Xiang found himself thankful that he had taken over De-Lun's body because since he was a child his parents never encouraged him to act or carry himself as a woman. So even after he married and had enough money the most he did was put a sash with a symbol on it around his head, to show he was married.
Ding-Xiang was even grateful to De-Lun for this because even though he was gay the most jewelry he ever wore was a watch. The thought of having to wear makeup just didn't sit right with him. If the original De-Lun used to wear all those things and he suddenly came in and stopped doing it, it would be weird. Of course, he could blame it on grief and the villagers would believe it but would have to put it on again when his husband returned. Fortunately, his husband accepted the original the way he was.
When he was finished, he took a clean cloth and used it to wrap Hui-Liang to his chest, he made sure the tiny milk bottle was comfortable enough to sleep, set the basket on his back, and then took the brush dipped it in the ink after preparing it and wrote a quick note to the two milk bottles. He covered them down and then left the note under one of their bowls just enough so it could be read but it won't fly away. Then, he left the house, locking the door behind him, and headed towards the head of the village.
As he walked, he ran into some villagers that were headed in the same direction, the males glanced at him and moved forward with pity written on their face, while a few older women and gers walked along with him and started talking. The first one that spoke to him was the same aunt that came over before to check on him "Hui-Ling's Niang, you're heading into town?"
Ding-Xiang nodded to her with a smile "Yes, I need to go buy some things for the family. We ran out of oil and other things this morning."
The aunt's face stiffened and some other aunts began muttering "I can't believe that family, when we saw that they gave you food we didn't say anything because we thought it would be enough for a while. But who knew it could only last three days?"
AD
The aunts became angrier and started going back and forth about how terrible that family was, while he just kept quiet. He had no plans to interject or bad mouth that family because he knew when that man returned he would clean them up well, they wouldn't have the same fate as in the book but maybe it will be better if they just died.
When they reached the head of the village three carts were waiting so Ding-Xiang got on the same one as the aunt before and rode with them. Though it was an hour-long ride to the town it wasn't too hard to bear since it was filled with the laughter and chatter of the aunts and everyone else around him. At one point Hui-Liang had woken up and became the main topic of everyone's chatter. He had gotten fatter and whiter since they moved out even though it had only been a few days. One of the aunts said that she had seen the two milk bottles playing before and they looked happier.
When they reached the town, everyone split up and agreed to meet back in three hours, the carriage would go back and then return. Ding-Xiang followed the memories of the original and went past the market going to the better part of town, he looked around and soon found what he was looking for. He went up and stopped in front of a large storefront, the doors were open and as you walked in you could see rows upon rows of fabric, ready-made clothes, and embroidery of all levels and types. There were clear sections for people of different statuses and it showed just how well the store was doing.
Ding-Xiang was reassured and went into the store, a woman that sat at the front desk looked at him and then ran her eyes over his cotton clothes, even though it wasn't the best value she still sat up and welcomed him in "And, what can I do for this ger?"
Ding-Xiang went up to her and smiled "I was wondering if this ma'am would be interested in hiring another embroiderer."
The woman looked him up and down "If you have a sample of your work I can take a look and then decide whether to take you in, of course even if I do, how much you get paid depends on the value of your work."
Ding-Xiang nodded and took off the basket from his back. He reached in and pulled out the satchel containing the sample he just finished. The woman opened the satchel and a look of surprise passed her eyes but she immediately covered it up. She returned the satchel to Ding-Xiang and told him, "Your skill in embroidery is very good. It might even be on par with the professional embroiderers I hired before. But…" the woman stopped talking, looked at him for a minute, and cautiously asked, "Are you able to embroider on other materials besides cotton?"
Ding-Xiang nodded affirmatively. The woman also nodded in exchange. She then reached down and took out a square piece of cloth that was hooked to a wooden frame. Honestly, Ding-Xiang couldn't tell for certain what kind of fabric it was but it seemed to be linen but much thicker and of higher value than the cotton he was wearing. But it was also not something truly noble families would wear, maybe it would be worn by their servants of a certain level.
He took it from the woman along with a needle and thread, sat down in a chair near her, and began to embroider on it, he could feel her eyes on him but he focused on his work. Around fifteen minutes later, he handed the embroidered fabric to the woman and she nodded.
"The work is good and it seems that you're skilled enough not to mess up this kind of cloth, so I'll give you some client work that has been piled up for a while now," the woman said encouragingly.
She got up and went through the door that was behind her desk and came out a few minutes later holding a bundle of fabric that seemed to be the one that the square piece of fabric was cut from, she wrapped it up in some coarse cloth and then passed it over to him.
"This is the second layer and outer layer robe that a client wanted to be embroidered. She did not have any specific request just for it to be beautiful. I have a second set of replacement robes, so I will give you this one to work on. Bring it back to me at the end of the month depending on the quality, you'll get from two to twelve taels and I will see what type of work to give you going forward."
Ding-Xiang nodded and took the robes and embroider tools from her, placed them in the basket. He did not forget to politely thank her and then left and walked from the better side of town to the market area. He stopped at a stall and ordered some warmed milk in a bowl, when he got it; he paid and then sat down to feed Hui-Liang. When the tiny milk bottle was finished feeding he set him back in the sling and went into the market, as he walked he thought of the things missing from the house and the fact that he didn't want to have to come back to town until he was ready to bring back the robes.
He got a second basket and then began to buy rice, flour, sugar, oil, salt, soy sauce, and other spices. He purchased some pickled vegetables and fresh ones and then looked around until he found a pot for sale. It was a bit expensive but he bit the bullet and bought it. He knew in a month he might be twice as big so using one pot for everything and constantly having to rinse it out would waste time, water, firewood, and make him unbelievably tired so getting another pot was in his best interest.
When he was done he went and bought two egg-laying chickens along with a few eggs and a piece of meat that might be the last until his cheap husband came back. Not that they couldn't afford it, but that it would be troublesome to come and buy it. If anything he could wait and see if anyone would kill any pigs or chickens in the village and buy from them but that might not happen. He went and bought some medicine in case one of the milk bottles got sick and then slowly carried everything back to the cart.
Halfway there he ran into some fellow villagers, they helped him carry everything back while he kept the robes with him. They all got on the cart and waited for a while for the others to come, soon everyone was present, and the cart set off. The ride was a bit more uncomfortable this time because of how tired everyone was after doing all the selling and buying they had to do. The ride seemed a bit longer, so Ding-Xiang dozed off until someone tapped him to let him know that they had reached.
Ding-Xiang wiped his eyes and looked down at the little milk bottle, who was staring up at him with bright eyes, he smiled and rubbed the baby's head and then got off the carriage. The villagers helped him to carry the things to the house he thanked them politely before they left.
When he went back inside, he saw the two milk bottles looking at him with watery eyes, and before he could say anything they ran over and latched on to him, causing him to be startled. Ding-Xiang stooped down and pulled them down into a hug, he felt it as they began trembling and could only sigh while saying in a gentle voice, "Didn't I leave you a note, I said I was coming back, why are you crying?"
Hui-Ling hiccupped and held onto his clothes "Mama lied once! Mama said that we would be fine but then Mama fell asleep and we saw Mama wasn't breathing. Mama can't leave again!"
AD
The loud sobs rang out as the words of the milk bottle stunned Ding-Xiang, he didn't think of the possibility at the time, but the two had watched De-Lun die. How long he had died before Ding-Xiang crossed over, he couldn't tell, but what matters is two little toddlers watched as their mother die and had no one to turn to. That is why they had sobbed and hugged him like that when he first woke up.
There was no way for Ding-Xiang to comfort them aside from hugging them tightly. Their mother had truly died, if he hadn't crossed over would these children suffer the same fate they had in the book, or would it have been worse?
Ding-Xiang sighed again, "Mama is here and Mama will never leave you behind and if you want the next time Mama goes anywhere I'll take you with me."
The two milk bottles pulled away and looked at him through their tears, their heads bobbed and he laughed, "Okay then my milk bottles need to be good and always listen to Mama and I swear I will always stay here, by your side, okay?"
The milk bottles nodded again and he placed a kiss on each of their heads and wiped their tears. The two children nodded and he said in a happy tone, "Okay, mama brought back a lot of things and can't fetch them all by myself, so the two of you go bring in what you can lift and leave the rest to me, okay?"
They nodded again and Ding-Xiang patted them on their butts, "Okay, go!"
Ding-Xiang watched as they ran out and then the smile on his face faded, he went to the room and set Hui-Liang down on the bed and then touched his stomach "It's impossible…" he couldn't help but mumble as he rubbed it.
He had remembered it clearly, the aunt had come over and said that everything was fine, so even if the original De-Lun had died it couldn't have been for long. At least not long enough to take the two lives inside him, but he was dead for some time could it have been enough to cause some type of damage to them, would they come out handicapped or with mental issues, if they did how would that man take it?
Ding-Xiang knew for sure that he wouldn't have a problem if the children came out like that, he wouldn't mind taking care of two handicapped children, but it was already difficult for those kinds of people to live in the modern world. How could they possibly survive in these ancient times? If he gave birth to two boys it might be fine, they could always just purchase a wife if it came down to it, but who would be willing to take a wife that suffers from a mental disability and the thought of marrying a husband for them would just make that poor person suffer terribly.
Ding-Xiang sighed and sat down, he rubbed his stomach as he mumbled, "Please be healthy, your father is already suffering mentally and I can't tell how he'll react to the two of you have the same issue, so please come out normally. I don't think you'll be able to live well if you don't, you survived De-Lun's death, so I'm sure you're strong enough to push through this barrier, I'm rooting for you!"
Ding-Xiang sat there with his hand on his stomach until he heard the footsteps of the two milk bottles as they ran into the room, he smiled at them as they grinned and hopped over to him. "Mama, we're done! We fetched in all the things we could carry and for the things we couldn't we helped each other lift them and only those we could drag in were left outside!" Two children said at the same time, looking proud and happy.
Ding-Xiang chuckled and petted their heads, "Good job, stay here and watch your brother. Mama will go bring in everything else." The two milk bottles shouted "Yes!" and dusted off their feet before jumping onto the bed. Ding-Xiang watched them with a smile and then went out of the room, the smile dropping as he did, he let out a deep sigh, rubbed his stomach, and then went to get the things.
There was still some time before lunch, so Ding-Xiang went and gathered the dirty clothes. He went to the kitchen to wash it. The dirty clothes mostly came from Hui-Liang and Hui-Zhong, since both of them always wet the bed. During the separation process, Ding-Xiang was so busy that he had forgotten to ask for a latrine pot from his former in-laws. He thought it was dangerous to go out at night to use the toilet.
Hui-Ling was mature enough that she just held it in until the morning, and then ran out to pee. However, Ding-Xiang needed to get one soon because as he gets nearer to his due date, he will not be able to hold it anymore. He washed the clothes quickly, rinsed them, and then took them out to dry. When he was done, he tossed out the dirty water and went to prepare lunch for his family.
There was enough meat for his family to use for today. He divided it in half and prepared it for dinner, before moving on to make lunch. He simply washed out the new pot in salt water and then put on the rice. He went over to the basket and took out the tofu and vegetables he had bought, chopped them up. He added some salt and ginger, then with the meat, stir-fried them in oil.
There was nothing much left to do while waiting for the food to be ready, so Ding-Xiang started his embroidery. He took the robes to his room; he spread them out and stared at them until he came up with a design. It was large enough and could match the blue; it also matched the client's criteria for being pretty. Ding-Xiang first put away the outer robe and began working on the second layer. At one point he asked told Hui-Ling to check on the rice and then continued working. He knew the work would take close to a month so he did not rush but worked diligently.
It was noon when he got up and went to the kitchen. He prepared the table when he remembered about Hui-Liang. He took out some money and called Hui-Ling. He told her, "Take a bowl and go to the uncle that sells milk. Ask him if he has any more milk left and buy some."
Hui-Ling nodded. She took the money and the bowl, and then dashed out of the house.
Ding-Xiang went back to prepare lunch. Startled by a loud cry, he went into the room to see Hui-Liang looking at him with watery eyes. He picked him up and swayed him but he continued to cry. Ding-Xiang sighed and checked his napkin; it was a bit damp but was clean. He decided to wake up Hui-Zhong while he carried Hui-Liang into the kitchen with him. As they went in Hui-Ling came back with the bowl filled with milk and set it on the table.
"Uncle said that he had sold out the milk. However, he was just boiling some for birdy, so he sent this over. I tried to give him the money but he wouldn't take it; and said that tomorrow when he milks the goat, he'll keep some so you can come and buy for Liang-er," Hui-Ling said breathlessly.
Ding-Xiang took the money from her and put it away. He let them eat, poured some milk into a smaller bowl, and started feeding Hui-Liang. At the first scoop of milk, Hui-Liang stopped crying and just whimpered as he ate. Ding-Xiang sighed and fed him slowly, cooing sweetly to the baby, he said, "Mama's sorry for forgetting your milk, it won't happen again, okay?"
He was not sure if Hui-Liang understood him but he stopped whimpering and contentedly drank his milk. When he finished, he was burped but refused to be put down back so Ding-Xiang held him and ate his lunch. Hui-Liang cooed and tried to reach for his older brother, but Hui-Zhong had his head down as he ate and did not notice his brother's movements. Ding-Xiang chuckled and patted Hui-Liang's head.
After eating, Ding-Xiang passed Hui-Liang over to his older sister and sent them into the bedroom. He cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. He went outside and looked into the tank, it needed to be refilled, but he and the children obviously could not do it, so he had to go and ask someone to do it.
He went back to the bedroom, sat down, and looked at Hui-Ling. He asked, "What's the name of that aunt that came to the house the other day to check my pulse?"
AD
The milk bottle looked up at him, she furrowed her brows for a second and then smiled at him. She replied sweetly, "Auntie Ming."
"Does she live close by?"
The milk bottle nodded and Ding-Xiang then told her, "Go to her and ask if she knows anyone that can refill our tank. I'll pay them some coppers to get it done today."
"What about firewood, mama, we're almost out?" the little milk bottle asked. She continued, "I can ask Auntie Ming to get someone to fetch firewood for us while I'm there."
Ding-Xiang nodded and said, "Good thinking! Go on now and come back quickly."
Hui-Ling quickly went out. Ding-Xiang watched her leave. Then he picked up a robe and continued his work. He had decided to embroider a Tibetan Bunting on a bed of flowers for the back of the outer robe. The lapels and cuffs would have butterflies and leaves on them. The inner layer would have the flowers embroidered on it. The image in his head looked beautiful, which made him smile as he continued to work.
After a while, he heard footsteps. Hui-Ling ran into the room. She patted her chest before looking at him.
"Mama, I went over to Auntie Ming and she said that her grandson is coming over just now. He'll fetch the water and the firewood. You can pay him when he is done. Auntie Ming said that her grandson is a good boy and won't slack on his work."
Ding-Xiang nodded and smiled at her.
"Thank you, baby. Go and get some water to drink, and then come and rest."
The milk bottle nodded. Ding-Xiang smiled to himself and continued his work. He calculated that he'll be able to finish his embroidery, a few days before it's due. By that time, he should be over four months pregnant and so it would be hard to go back and forth from town. He might need to ask Auntie Ming's grandson to go to town and pick up more stuff. Maybe, he can even have him continue to work for them until Wei-Sheng came back.
Aunt Ming's grandson came over; the boy appeared to thirteen-years-old. He was tall and lanky but was cleanly dressed.
AD
The boy smiled and politely greeted, "Hello Hui-Lings Niang. I am Ming Shi. My grandma told me you needed my help?"
Ding-Xiang nodded and told the boy his work.
"Don't worry I can get it done, I'll go ahead now," Ming Shi said reassuringly.
Ding-Xiang went back to the room and continued his embroidery. From time to time, he could hear Ming Shi coming and going, water splashing as he filled the tank.
Hui-Zhong suddenly got up and jumped off the bed, startling Ding-Xiang from his work.
Hui-Zhong shouted, "Got to go pee!"
Ding-Xiang laughed. He took this time to check on Hui-Liang. The baby looked at him, tears flooding his eyes, and then he started peeing. Ding-Xiang let him finish and started to change him. He changed him into a fresh set of clothes and napkin and laid him down on the bed. He surrounded Hui-Liang with pillows before going out to check the laundry. The clothes he hung up were already dry, so he rinsed his hands and picked them up, folded them, and carried them back into the house.
He put them away in the trunk and then checked on Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong. They were both working quietly on their numbers. Hui-Ling was teaching Hui-Zhong, she counted it out and then wrote the answer down for him. Ding-Xiang saw this, smiled to himself, and then went back to his work.
"Hui-Ling's Niang," Ming Shi called out.
Ding-Xiang got up and went out to see him.
He checked the tank and it was filled to the brim. The firewood was piled high in the kitchen. They obviously would not need to go and fetch more for a long time.
Ding-Xiang took out twelve wens and handed them to him.
AD
"Thank you, Ming Shi. I might need some more help in the near future. I hope I can count on you."
The boy smiled and said, "Okay, whenever you need me, just let me know."
Ding-Xiang watched as Ming Shi left and then went back inside; he shut the door and sat back on the bed to continue his work, his fingers moved fluidly as he worked. The day became quiet with the members of the family doing their own thing. Eventually, Ding-Xiang looked up from his work and found Hui-Ling looking at what he was doing.
He smiled at her and signaled for her to come over when did he showed her the image.
"Do you think it's pretty?" The milk bottle nodded and he laughed, "Then, would you like to learn it?"
Hui-Ling looked up at him and smiled "Yes mama, but I want to finish what I'm learning now and then I'll do this."
Ding-Xiang reached up and brushed her hair from her face. "Okay, when you're ready let me know and I'll teach you."
Hui-Ling nodded and then went back with her brothers, Ding-Xiang watched her and then continued his work, and he began to hum as he wondered if their days will continue to be like this.
Maybe until Wei-Sheng came back, at current that man was still on the mission, and Cui Ding-Xiang could not help thinking about what kind of man he was. There was not much detail about him before he left for the army, but he knew that the man would go through some changes after the mission. He hoped that they would be good changes; if he turned out to be an asshole then he will personally deal with him.
Ding-Xiang hummed to himself and then continued his work. At some point, the children came to him and asked him to go play. He checked their work and when he saw that it was good, he let them go. He picked up Hui-Liang and set him in a round basket after placing a sheet in it, when he was finished he moved to the door and sat down to continue with the basket at his feet.
From time to time, he would look up to make sure the children were okay, and then when it was time he got up and went to the kitchen to start on dinner. After thinking for a while he decided to make a simple egg drop soup. He put the chicken to a boil with some seasoning and left it for some time. By the time it was done, it was getting dark so he called the children in and sent them to the room with their brother, and continued to cook.
He took all the chicken out of the pot and set it aside, he poured some sesame oil and soy sauce, he let it boil and since there was no cornstarch, he simply beat the egg and poured it in. He let it boil, and then added the chives and a little more seasoning. He poured it out into three bowls, placed some chicken on a plate, and then went to call the children.
He brought Hui-Liang which was in his basket and then went to boil some milk for him. When it was finished he allowed the children to start eating. The children seemed to enjoy the soup as they slurped it down and the sound made him wish that he had made noodles. He put it on the menu for the next day and then continued his dinner.
When they had all finished eating he cleaned up, and then got water to give them all a bath, he knew that he was bathing them much more than they had been. Nevertheless, he personally could not stand the thought of having to scrub a layer of dirt off them every time they had a bath. Especially the baby, there was no way his tender skin could handle being scrubbed so much, and babies needed to remain clean state or they would get sick.
AD
After finishing up, he took them to the room, dried them all off, and dressed them for bed. He left them in the room, took a bath, and then returned to the room with the lamp after locking up the house. He coaxed the three children to sleep and then blew out the lamp before going to sleep. The warm kang helped him to sleep through the night.
The days that followed had the same rhythm and besides asking Ming Shi to come over occasionally, the family stayed at home by themselves. Because he was constantly coming over to work Ming Shi had become close with Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong, he would stay in the yard to play with them. Unless he had to fill the tank and stack the firewood, he would not go inside.
At first, Ding-Xiang felt weird about his actions, but then remembered that he himself was a ger and Ming-shi was approaching marital age. If he stayed for too long, other people would use this to start rumors about him. He knew even though those black-hearted people had been quiet due to their separation, it does not mean that they wouldn't be mad at him for being able to live as peacefully as he could after the separation.
They probably think he is going to run out of money and will starve soon, not knowing he actually is has a viable income now. Even though he is not bothered by it, he knew just how people in these times were, especially since he was a ger and he did not want to implicate an innocent person.
He had decided to let the children go and play with Ming-Shi at his house in the afternoon to prevent any rumors. When they headed out to play after studying, he would stay with Hui-Liang to do his work. He finished the embroidery a few days before the due date, so he decided to deliver it the next morning.
He packed it up neatly and then left the house with Hui-Liang to go find Auntie Ming. After walking for a while, he found the house and saw his two children playing in the yard, with Ming Shi. The young man looked up and nodded to him, asking if he had come for the two children.
He shook his head "No, I came to speak to your grandmother, is she in?"
"Yeah, she's in the kitchen, I'll show you to her."
The boy walked ahead and led him to a separate section of the house, it was the kitchen. Auntie Ming stood before the stove making something, as another woman stood by her watching what she was doing.
"Gramma, Aunt De-Lun is here." After he said that, he turned and walked away.
Auntie Ming turned around and looked and Ding-Xiang with a smile "Ger-Lun, you're here."
AD
Ding-Xiang nodded to her and went into the kitchen to sit down after Auntie Ming gestured to him. "Yes, I came to ask you a favor concerning my work."
The woman nodded and came to sit across from him.
"So I was able to get a job doing embroidery for Aunt Lan's Embroidery house and I would get a work once a month to do. When I finish the order, I would need to deliver them back but since I am pregnant and expecting my stomach to get bigger it wouldn't be too convenient for me to do it myself.
I wanted to ask if you could allow Ming-Shi to deliver them and bring back more work for me every month. I would pay him of course. If it's fine with you, I want to bring him with me when I go to town tomorrow. I could introduce him to Aunt Lan that way when he starts delivering the orders, she would know I sent him."
Auntie Ming nodded, "Yes, that's fine with me, but you should still ask him and then sort out the payment." She called in Ming Shi and had him sit and talk to Ding-Xiang, they soon came to an agreement. Then they agreed on a time to head out, and since Ming-Shi was coming with him, he decided to bring the children.
Right now, the children were clearly suffering from some kind of separation anxiety, it was not that severe since they could still go out and play. However, they would run back to make sure he was still at home when they were out playing with Ming-Shi. He let them go out and play partly because of this and hoped they would get better soon and forget about the incident before their father came back.
Yu Wei-Sheng was a soldier and one that constantly went on missions, so his ability to read anyone was top-notch, it was fine if he did not know that at some point the original had stopped breathing. However, if he did know, he would grow suspicious, and once he had that it would not take much for him to know that Ding-Xiang was not his wife.
He could not think of what the outcome would be if he actually found out since it was clear the man no longer had a sound mind, maybe one day he would tell him. Maybe on his deathbed but before that he did not want to deal with it.
After they came to an agreement, he returned home and prepared to go out for the next day. When he was finished he went and started on dinner and looked after Hui-Liang until it was almost dark. Ming-Shi brought the older children and then returned home. The family sat and had dinner before Ding-Xiang gave them all a bath and got them to bed. When he was done, he locked up the house, had a bath himself, and then went to bed.
The next day he woke up and it was still dark but he knew that it was around five am; he lit the lamp and went to prepare some potato pancakes for breakfast along with boiling some milk for Hui-Liang. As the sun rose he woke up the children and let them eat, since today was going to be a hot day and they would sweat and would need to bathe, he simply wiped them down and changed them into clean clothes. He did the same for himself. He decided that when they returned, he would give them all a bath.
He strapped hui-Liang to himself, picked up the basket, and then left the house locking it up behind him. He took the children's hands and then started heading to the head of the village. On the way Auntie Ming and Ming Shi met with them, he picked up the children to allow them to rest before continuing on their way. When they got into the carriage, a few people were already there and more were on their way. They quickly found a seat and waited for the carriage to set off.
It took some time for them to reach but by the time they did, Ding-Xiang knew everything that had happened in the village for the last month. Since the separation between and the Yu family, the village didn't look on them kindly, but since they had most of the money that his husband had earned they looked down on everyone else, so the villagers stayed away from them and told their children to do the same, leaving the Yu family's children to play among themselves.
Even though the Yu family was a prominent one in the village, the one his husband came from was just considered a branch, so when the separation happened the main Yu family and the other's didn't want their daughters-in-Law and married in Ger's to feel that the same thing that happened to him would happen to them if their husbands died. They decided to keep away from this particular branch, so the family was isolated even in their own family.
Of course, since his husband's family had money they did not care but he knew it would affect the children. The children like playing with other children and would become moody if they ended up alone. Over time when the family noticed the change in their children, they would have to care, by then it might be too late. Since they will not blame their own family and will not blame themselves. They will definitely put the blame on him.
He sighed at the thought and decided to let them be until Wei-Sheng returns. The thing he hated the most was wasting his time on conflict and the most cliché thing in all those novels was the constant face slapping. He would leave it for Wei-Sheng to deal with but if those people crossed his bottom line then he would clean them up, whether or not people like him, he would not care.
Ding-Xiang lead Ming Shi and the others to the embroidery house and went in the see Aunt Lan, the woman looked surprised at the sight of him. However, gave him a bright smile "Ger-Lun, you're back a bit early, did something happen?"
Ding-Xiang smiled at her and shook his head.
"No, I finished a bit early and decided to bring it in," he said as he took the package out of the basket and unwrapped the cloth to reveal the robes.
Aunt Lan marveled at it, a sincere smile coming to her face.
"This is so beautiful, I wasn't expecting it to be so good, and the customer will love this."
Ding-Xiang stood and watched as she admired it before carefully putting it away, she reached into her desk and pulled out a few loose silvers and coins.
"Since you finished it early and the quality is higher than commissioned I'll give you a bit extra and I have another one that came in. I was thinking whether to give it to someone else but since you're here you can have it."
She counted out the money and said, "I only gave you an average for what you would be paid earlier, so I'll give you twelve silver's plus an extra."
Ding-Xiang took the money and smiled before putting it away. Aunt Lan went to the back and then came back with a different set of robes.
"This one is for a man and is of higher quality. The robes are black and the customer asked to use blue and white threads to embroider a design. It's due in a month and it is for an important event. The customer is a big shot, so he offered a higher price, if you do well I will pay you thirteen and a half silvers but if you surprise me, I will give you extra. Here's the thread."
Ding-Xiang collected the things and then packed them into his basket before looking back at Aunt Lan.
"Right now I'm only a few month's pregnant, but since I'm carrying twins we're expecting my stomach to grow rapidly so it would be inconvenient for me to come myself, but the work still needs to be done."
He pointed to Ming Shi. "This is Ming-Shi he works with our family, so I wanted to send him to retrieve and turn in work for me if it was okay with you?"
Aunt Lan looked at Ming Shi and stared at his face for a good minute before saying, "Alright, I'll remember him, just send it with him. If there is work, I will send it with him too. I hope you stay in good health, I don't want to lose such a good embroiderer."
They spoke for a while more before Ding-Xiang and the other's left, they headed to the market and began to buy the things they would need for the next month, not including meat. When it started to get cold again, then he would stock up on meat. He decided that he would pay Ming Shi extra to have him go to the market for him every month and then they would eat meat once a month.
Since Ming Shi was with them he was able to buy a bit more, he looked around and found a snack shop and bought a few pastries and sweets for him and the children. Since he now had a steady income, he would not treat him and the children badly. Children that were well fed were the best and he also had a bit of a sweet tooth that he had been holding back since coming here but since he had the money, he could treat himself.
When they returned to the carriage, they got a few looks from the other villagers and as to not start anything, he simply told them about his embroidery job. Though he wouldn't tell anyone about what he had earned, less someone broke in on him and the children to steal the money. The children had spent some time walking in the hot sun so they rested quietly on the way back.
AD
Ming-Shi helped them to take the things to the kitchen and received his payment, they talked about him doing the monthly shopping and after agreeing on the payment, he left. Ding-Xiang got some water, warmed it, and stripped the children to bathe them. He wiped the little milk bottles off, dressed them, and put them to sleep.
He packed away the things they bought. Then, he went to take a bath. He soaked in the tub and nearly fell asleep but got out and got dressed. He drained the water and then took the dirty clothes from the house and put it to soak in a tub. He went to the kitchen and washed off the meat, separated it from the fat, and put it to marinate. He put the fat on the stove and began making lard, according to the memories from the original.
When he was done he set it aside and went out to start washing, the sun was blisteringly hot so he pulled on the bamboo hat and went to work. He sweated out the clothes after washing and realized his error in judgment. He decided to take another bath. Afterward, he checked on the children and then went to make lunch. He took out the ingredients and began making noodles; he knew they would not spoil easily, so he made a lot. These will take care of a few meals.
He used the leftover dough to make some wontons, the process was long but he finished it soon and then made wonton soup. The children woke up as lunch finished; while they sat and ate, he made some mung bean soup. The family sat together and enjoyed a quiet lunch.
