After they finished eating, the two older children got up, took the dishes off the table, and placed them in the basin. Ding-Xiang thanked them and told them to continue doing their studies. He kept Hui-Liang with him as he washed up the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. He then went to check on the other two. He saw that Hui-Ling is teaching Hui-Zhong calculations while trying to do her own.
Ding-Xiang could not help but smile as he set down the sleeping Hui-Liang, he surrounded him with the pillows. He sat over at the corner of the kang bed and unwrapped the parcel. He pulled out the robes and looked at them as he ran his hands over them. He tried to think of the embroidery designs that he had learned over the years that would work well with white and blue threads.
A smile soon came to his face and he set aside the second layer robe. He took out the threads and prepped them to begin his work. He decided to use the white and blue threads to embroider an adult red-billed tropicbird, flying over the clouds, but the bill would be blue instead. On the second layer robe, he would embroider smaller ones on the hems and cuffs along with white and blues streaks as if the bird was flying through the air.
If he plans it well, and as long as he put in some extra work, he would meet its deadline. After prepping, he picked up the robe and began his work. His fingers moved fluidly and as the first few stitches were made, he seemed to drown out the outside world. The feeling made him feel as if he was back in his own office researching on a new embroidery he had discovered.
It was only after his fingers began to cramp that he stopped and looked at his progress. He had made great headway so he set aside the robe and let the children go out to play after checking their work. He cleaned Hui-Liang and carried him outside to watch his older siblings play. He looked at them and could not help feeling proud. It had only been a bit over a month but the children had put on more weight and their skin became whiter.
It would not take long before they started to look like the little children back in his time. Often the children of his students had come to visit him; all of them were round as a dumpling and white porcelain skin to match. He laughed at the image and then smiled at Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong, when they looked over, the children waved at him but then immediately went back to playing.
"Hui-Ling, Hui-Zhong."
Ding-Xiang looked up at Ming Shi, who called out to the children as he walked in the yard.
The boy bowed politely at him and greeted, "Aunt De-Lun, hello."
Ding-Xiang returned the greeting and watched as he left with the children. He returned into the house and closed the door. He had been feeling a bit tired so he decided to go and take a nap with Hui-Liang.
When he woke up again Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong were back and had been knocking on the door, he let them in and thanked Ming Shi. Since it was still a bit too early, he decided to give the children a bath first and then start on dinner. He pulled Hui-Zhong to take a bath first and then his sister. When they all freshen, dried, and dressed, he had them wait in the room.
He went through the things they had bought today. He yawned; it seems he was just too tired today, so he just pulled out a few pastries, made a simple rice porridge. He set aside a small bowl of it and added a bit more milk thinning it out for Hui-Liang and then brought the children to the kitchen. They all sat and ate, as he Fed Hui-Liang. The tiny milk bottle stuck his tongue out to lick his lip after every spoon making the others in the room laugh.
The family went to sleep in a peaceful mood, sleeping through the night, and woke up in the same way. The days that followed were the same, except for the growing size of Ding-Xiang's stomach. At some point, Aunt Ming came over to check on him and told him that his pregnancy was now stable and that he should prepare because it will be difficult to move as well as he did before.
Ding-Xiang smiled at her and rubbed his stomach, it was still a bit weird being pregnant but he had gotten used to it. He just hoped it would not be too much trouble since he was the only adult in the house and the children were not big enough to do many things. They already helped with small things, such as gathering the laundry, putting dishes in the basin, and cleaning up their mess after playing.
He closed his eyes and decided not to think about it, there was nothing he could change so he would just do what he could and pray that that man came back before he was bedbound. He used his fingers to calculate compared to the time when the husband had returned in the book and then shook his head. That man would not come back until around the time he needed to deliver the babies, he needed to start making a few preparations.
Cui De-Lun was the only ger in his family and as such, he was the baby, his family did not discriminate between boys, girls, and gers. Everyone was treated with the same amount of respect and to do the same amount of work. The shock he must have received after growing up in such a loving family and then marrying the Yu family was what had made him so timid and respectful.
He thought that if he worked hard and showed his ability those people would appreciate him, but the only one that appreciated him was that husband of his. As for the family, the only thought they had, was since he was so capable then he could do more work. Thus, De-Lun had trapped himself in a cycle that got worse after his husband left for war. It became his doom when the Yu family heard his husband was dead.
Growing up with such a thought that if I work hard I will be treated well, was what caused him to stay in the family and he never questioned those people. He wanted to stay mainly because of his children and the fact that he was pregnant. His mindset was that when he was in labor, someone would be able to help him during his confinement and everything would go just as smoothly as the others had. What he failed to realize was that the only reason he was treated well was due to his husband being there and now that the man was gone, the Yu family really had no use for him.
Cui Ding-Xiang sighed and thought about calling on the Cui family for help but squashed the idea as soon as it surfaced. He was aware of just how different he was from Cui De-Lun. The original's family was very close to De-Lun and they would notice any small changes. The only reason the original suffered such a fate was that his family lived in a separate village, and he never complained o asked for help no matter how hard his life got.
He could not take the chance of those people, finding out he wasn't De-Lun, what if they tried to take his children from him. Ding-Xiang felt a sudden pain in his heart and shook his head; no, he wouldn't let it happen. Even if he had to pull through on his own then he would. When it comes down to it, he could always ask Aunt Ming to accompany him through his later months and pregnancy and just give her something in return.
He made up his mind and left the subject alone. He went to check on his children. The two older ones were working on their study while Hui-Liang was blowing bubbles with his spit as he kicked his feet. He laughed at the sight and sat down to play with the tiny milk bottle, Hui-Liang giggled and reached out to hold his cheeks, and he babbled something and gave a laugh.
Ding-Xiang smiled and placed a kiss on his head, the tiny milk bottle paused for a while as if stunned, then giggled and clapped his hands together. Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong came over and the small family sat to play together. The laughter rang out in the house, going to every corner of it and even Ming Shi who had come to retrieve the children heard it and smiled.
He left the yard deciding to come back later. The tiny milk bottle began fussing, so Ding-Xiang checked him. After finding out that the tiny milk bottle soiled his napkin, Ding-Xiang had to change him. He didn't leave it around, rinsed it out right away, then came back, and rocked Hui-Liang to sleep. He let the two other milk bottles go out to play, then took up his embroidery, and went back to work.
He had made great progress over the last few days and hoped he could stay with the rhythm. He thought that maybe he might have to stop doing embroidery after a while. He will take a break at the last month of his pregnancy leading up to the end of his confinement, and then start back again. Ding-Xiang smiled and nodded to himself, he had decided.
Ding-Xiang stood at the door, he passed the basket that had the parcel and the list he had written inside over to Ming Shi. He watched as the boy left for the early morning travel. It was still early in the morning so he went back to bed and rested until he was awoken by the whimpers of the tiny milk bottle.
Unlike earlier, the sun was already up, shining brightly, while the three children were awake and just lying around in the room. Ding-Xiang greeted all of them and then took them to the kitchen for a bath. He warmed the water and then held Hui-Liang's head and lowered him into the tub of water. The tiny milk bottle cooed, Ding-Xiang smiled and slowly bather him and washed his head. Afterward, he pulled him out, dried him off, dressed and swaddled him, and then placed him in a small basket.
Hui-Zhong, the three-year-old sighed, as he went under the water but did not fuss like he would have had when he first started being bathed regularly. Ding-Xiang took out the loafer and scrubbed his skin as gently as he could and then rinsed him off. He then wrapped Hui-Zhong in cloth. Ding-Xiang changed the water for Hui-Ling before bathing her. He took time to wash her hair which seemed to grow faster than her brothers' hair.
After wrapping Hui-Ling in a cloth just like her brother, Ding-Xiang took them back into the bedroom. He dressed them and braided their hair. When he was satisfied with his handiwork, he let them go to study. While he went to the back of the yard, filled the tub, and went to have his own bath. Since he had reached four months and his pregnancy became stable, Aunt Ming had told him to massage his stomach every occasionally. As he sat in the tub, he took his time to massage his stomach gently and lovingly.
He washed his hair and then got out of the tub. He drained the tub, dried off, got dressed, and then returned to the kitchen where he started on breakfast. He decided to make some egg and scallion pancakes, along with some milk. It was not long before it cooked. He then started setting up the table before he called the children for them to sit down and eat.
When they finished eating, Hui-Ling helped him to clean up. Since he no longer had any embroidery to do, he went to the room and strapped hui-Liang to himself, took out some bamboo hats, and then took his children for a walk. Since it was a day for the villagers to go to the market, there was hardly anyone around, except for a few naughty children here and there.
They walked around quietly; he used a bamboo fan to cool-off Hui-Liang, so he can fall asleep comfortably. The temperature was high in this area during this time, but a walk once in a while was necessary for the family's health. Especially, for the children that had put on a lot of weight over the past few months because of their upgrade in meals. Their skin also became white and smooth because of having a regular bath.
Hui-Ling tugged on his clothes and Ding-Xiang looked down. The milk bottle had a deep frown on her face, making Ding-Xiang puzzled.
"Mama, let's go back, we're getting close to that place."
Ding-Xing looked up to where the milk bottle had pointed and seen that they were not far from the Yu family's house. He did not want to have to turn back just because of them; however, he was not one that liked to find trouble for himself, so they all turned around to go home. Although, sometimes the tree wishes to be still, yet the breeze just will not leave it alone. A nasally, unpleasant voice broke through the quiet morning.
"Ger-Lun, I almost didn't recognize you with how well you look."
Ding-Xiang sighed with resignation. He wanted to ignore the voice but he still politely looked toward the person that had spoken. It was his former eldest sister-in-law. They had not gotten along since the original married into the family. This woman constantly bullied the De-Lun. It is no surprise because the woman was three times the original's size and could probably crush him. When his husband was alive and present, De-Lun did not suffer much. Nevertheless, it was a completely different circumstance after his husband left; this woman was the cause of ninety percent of his troubles.
"
"
She was even the one that instigated the miserable fate of the three milk bottles and the unborn children. Ding-Xiang looked at her coldly and the smile on the woman's face dropped for a second before her anger erupted. She started to walk over, determined to hit Ding-Xiang. Nevertheless, Ding-Xiang was not the original and would not stand there and wait to be beaten. He stepped aside and pulled his children with him.
Ding-Xiang's movement made the woman stumble, and due to her heavyweight, she could not stop herself from falling. She ended up smashing into the ground. The two milk bottles laughed at her surprised cry and Ding-Xiang could not help but smile. The woman looked up, saw his smile, and erupted in anger again. He watched as she struggled to get up and then waited for her to come at him again before he walked away with his children.
The two milk bottles laughed aloud. The woman who finally steadied herself glared at him, and shouted, "You!"
Ding-Xiang stopped and looked at back her innocently, before asking, "What?"
"How dare you come around here to make trouble?!"
Ding-Xiang arched his brow and replied honestly, "I came around here to take a walk with the children. I didn't know this road belonged to you and the Yu family."
"You clearly came to us to ask for money! Your family probably ran out of money, so now you came to beg!"
Ding-Xiang looked at her as if he had just met an idiot and rolled his eyes. He asked, "Does it look like we need to come here to ask for money?"
"You-"
The woman stopped just as she was about to erupt but stopped herself to looked over him and the milk bottles. She saw that the children had clearly gained weight. Their skin, hair, and clothes were clean. Moreover, they didn't look as if they had any worries in the world.
She huffed and puffed. Glared at him and could not help but refute him, "You may be fine now. However, you look like someone who does not know how to save money. I'll wait until you come begging for money and let's see how you can be arrogant then."
The woman snorted and walked away.
AD
"You do that."
Ding-Xiang turned and walked away with his children deciding to head for the mountains. It was nicer to walk there; they will not have to run into bothersome people. Later, when they got home and Ding-Xiang took his children to go and rest. While they were resting, a knock sounded on the door and Ding-Xiang went out to see who it was. It was Ming-Shi, who had returned from his errands.
Ming-Shi greeted him. Then, the boy brought the things inside and then handed him a parcel with a note attached. Ding-Xiang handed him the payment for the trip and then he sat down to look at the package. He opened it and found a few children's robes in different colors. He looked at the note; it said that the robes were for a set of triplets that had a birthday coming up.
The current client wanted the same design on each robe but in different colors. The robes were for two boys and a girl. He felt the robes and they were of the same quality as the last set of robes he had done before. He looked under the robes and found a small pouch; he opened it and found fifteen and a half pieces of silver with a note.
The client had apparently arrived just as the robe did and was able to see it right away. He was pleased, so he gave two extra silvers. He also told Aunt Lan that if he sent in any other works, he wanted them to be done by Ding-Xiang. Ding-Xiang smiled because he now had a personal client. He took the parcel to the room and took out his moneybox, opened it and then put the money inside. He appraised the amount he had and then smile.
He now had plenty of savings. He can now hire someone to work on the land he has. The crops would have enough time to grow in time for winter and he would have enough food stored by then for him and the children without having to spend much money. He could not help smiling to himself.
He locked the box and put it back. After putting away the robe in the bedroom, he went back into the kitchen and packed away everything. However, he did leave some spices and the chicken meat out. He finally decided to make a few meat dishes. He decided to cook a spicy dish. He will make Sichuan chicken.
{Apologies for the delay.}
After eating lunch, Ding-Xiang took his children and went over to visit Aunty Ming. They saw the older woman was sitting under the shade of the tree in her yard. She was watching her daughter-in-law wash the clothes. Ding-Xiang left the two oldest milk bottles to play on their own, greeted sister Ming and went over to Aunty Ming.
The older woman looked at him and gave a cheerful smile before gesturing for him to sit next to her. Ding-Xiang sat down and then greeted her before he started talking about the reason for his visit. He wanted to hire some people to work the land, but since he was new to the area and the original had done all of the work himself, neither of them knew how to or where to go to hire workers.
Aunty Ming listened to him and then slowly nodded. She said, "Though I know a lot about it, it would be best to visit the village head as a show of respect. However, it's also the farming season and most of the people are out there working on their lands. Therefore, you might need to hire some from outside the village depending on the situation. As such it's still best for you to speak to him about it. As for me, I have many sons and grandchildren, so in my old age the only thing I need to do is sit back and reap the benefits."
Ding-Xiang smiled and nodded to her. Aunty Ming continued, "But since you're a ger, it's not really appropriate for you to go yourself. Later in the afternoon, I'll take you over, okay?"
Ding-Xiang nodded and thanked her. The woman shook her head and laughed.
"There is no need for you to thank me. That husband of yours has done a lot for the people in the village so we will all help any way we can. Aside from that how are you feeling, no discomfort?"
As Aunty Ming said this, she reached out, took his hand, and checked his pulse.
Ding-Xiang looked at her curiously. He asked politely, "Aunty Ming, how come you know to take pulses it's rare to see a woman who knows medical skills?"
The older woman laughed and shook her head. She answered, "What I know is not something you can refer to as medical skills. I only learned this because when I was younger, I used to help the women and the gers to give birth to their children." She sighed and shook her head. "It seems the death of your husband took more of a toll on you than any of us noticed. You can't even remember who helped you safely deliver Hui-Ling."
Ding-Xiang's eyes widened and he chuckled nervously. He looked away from the older woman but Aunty Ming saw his nervousness and held his hand. Caressing his hand gently, she said, "You don't have to put up such a strong front De-Lun. Everyone can see you are hurting. First, your life partner passes leaving you with three children and two more on the way to raise. Then, you get tossed out by your family as they watched on waiting for you and your children to starve."
"Not many are strong enough to face such circumstances and do as well as you have De-Lun. We can all see how hard you have worked to make it this far, and though it might not seem like much now it will make much of a difference in your children's future lives. Especially, Hui-Ling, she will look at her mama and think, 'yes, I want to be as strong as my mama.' No matter which family she ends up in, that little girl will be able to stand with her head high. It's all because of you.
But it's not good to always put up such a strong front, if you want to cry then cry; if you need to ask for help, then do it straightforwardly. Show her that when you cry or ask for help. It is not because you are weak, but because you are honest with yourself. Can pride feed you, and can it protect you and your children? No, only honesty can. Show her you're sad, you're tired, but you're still strong enough to cope up with whatever comes your way."
Ding-Xiang looked over at the older woman who was giving him a gentle and caring smile. He felt that after all these years of living he had finally been able to speak with his mother again. Oh, how he missed that woman. As he thought of her, tears gathered in his eyes and before he knew it, he was sobbing. Aunty Ming pulled him into a hug, held him tightly, and patted his back, as she whispered gentle words into his ear.
The words she whispered in his ear seemed to calm his heart. Even though it was clear, it had nothing to do with the reason why he was crying. The things that happened to De-Lun and his children in this life were already the best outcome he could hope for. If it had followed the path of the original story, he would not be able to cry, even if he had all the tears in the world.
The reason for his crying was that Aunty Ming was the spitting image of his mother in his last life, not in looks but spirit. That woman was the quirkiest person he had ever known and no matter what he had decided to do, she was always on his side. When he was young, he grew up in a farming county and his father wanted for him was to learn his farming skills, work hard on it, get a wife, have some children, and live the same mundane life he had.
However, from the time he was born, his mother had started saving up every penny she could. Therefore, when it was time for him to go to school and his dad refused to send him, his mother pulled out the money, surprising his father. She bought cloth, stitched him a uniform, made him a pair of shoes, and used the money for his books, and everything else he would need to attend school.
She nearly beat his father half to death, on his first day of school. The man tried to stop him from going. His mother took him herself, registered him up, and waited outside for him until his first day was over. After that, his parents got into many arguments. Nevertheless, his mother refused for him to ever go near any form of fieldwork.
His mother had no thought of grandeur when it came to him. All she wanted was for him to get an education. What is stranger is that his mother refused to have another child. When his father threatened to divorce her, she told his father to get out. His mother even said that she would change his name if she had to. The old man could do nothing but keep his mouth shut and accept his fate. As for his mother, she went about earning money and never asked his father for a single scent.
Years later, when it was time for him to get a career, his father tried to get him involved with the factories. His father received another round of beatings from his mother. She looked at him in his eyes and asked him what he wanted to do with his life. When he said he wanted to be a researcher, his mother fully supported him. A few years later, when Ding-Xiang told his mother of his like for men, the woman just looked at him and laughed.
"I like men too," she responded.
Ding-Xiang could remember just how stunned his father and the rest of his family were. His father flew into a rage and wanted to beat him, but received a beating from his mother instead. His mother did not shed a single tear when they divorced, and she even asked his father's permission for Ding-Xiang to change his last name to hers. Of course, such a traditional man did not want the type of person he was for a son. When it was clear, he could not change him, his father agreed and left.
Days later, his mother packed their things and moved to the area where he worked. He thought the woman was going to move in with him, but to his surprise, she pulled out a fortune, that he knew nothing about, and bought a large penthouse for them. She never explained to him where it came from. However, now that he thought about it, she might have been just like him, someone who transmigrated.
Instead of chasing after grandeur for herself, she settled down. She brought him into the world, raised him into the best man he could be, and lived the rest of her life in peace. She died when he was in his forties and the only thing she said was, "Go forward on your own now brat. I've done all I could, oh and here's your allowance don't spend it all in one place."
AD
He would never forget that cheerful laugh of hers as she shut her eyes, even to this day, he could hear it ringing in his ears.
Later in the afternoon, when everyone returned Ding-Xiang and Aunty Ming left the children in the care of her daughter-in-law, and they headed to the center of the village. The further in they walked, the more the houses seems to look better. Instead of regular separated houses, they were now quadrangle dwellings that are made of different materials and ranged in sizes. The biggest was made of bricks and tiles and laid in the center of the village.
Aunty Ming took him to the door and knocked. A young man dressed in cotton clothes, that were in the style only scholars would wear, opened the door. The man smiled gently at Aunty Ming and then nodded to Ding-Xiang. He gave politely greeted them, "Greetings Aunty Ming and ger'Lun."
Aunty Ming returned his greeting, "Well if it isn't Chen'er, Aunty didn't know that you would be home at this time. How are your studies going?"
"They are going well Aunty Ming, how have you been recently?" Chen'er replied cheerfully.
As the two talked they entered the residence, Ding-Xiang followed behind them. He was silent as he watched them get along and checked through his memories. There were only a few memories of someone called Chen'er being mentioned but the original had never had time to meet the person. It was obvious they were not close which made it inappropriate for Ding-Xiang and the person to talk, especially since the person was clearly a man.
As he followed along, they reached the main hall and an old man was sitting there. The old man was drinking some tea. The old man, whom Ding-Xiang recognized as the village head, looked over at them and gave a kind smile. He set aside his tea and called out to Aunty Ming. The two old people greeted each other enthusiastically before Aunty Ming told him their reason for visiting.
The village head finally looked at him and slowly nodded. "Yes, you're right. It is not the right time to be hiring people within the village, but I will ask around and if no one in the village agrees; then, I will send for a few from the county. Aside from that, it is not expensive to hire a few farmhands but for you, ger'Lun are you sure you can afford to pay them? If not it's best to just buy the vegetables you need until you can work the land yourself."
"I assure you village head, I wouldn't come to ask you for your help if I couldn't pay," Ding-Xiang politely answered.
The village head looked at Ding-Xiang for a few seconds and then nodded. He said, "That's good! You can go back for now and I'll let you know tomorrow."
Ding-Xiang nodded and thanked the village head one last time before he and Aunty Ming left. As soon they returned to Ming's residence, he saw Sister Ming dancing around with a giggling Hui-Liang in her arms. Meanwhile, the other two milk bottles were chasing after Ming-Shi. The cheerful laughter that rang out from the three milk bottles made Ding-Xiang feel happy. He went over and sat with Aunty Ming, just enjoying the cheerful sight, until it was time for the family to go home.
When they finally got home, he gave the children a warm bath and changed them into clean clothes. He also took a bath, before making dinner. Their dinner was something simple. Afterward, he locked up the house and the family settled into bed and had a peaceful sleep.
The next day, everyone woke up at the same time and went through the usual routine of warm baths and breakfast. Then, each family member settled into his or her own tasks. Ding-Xiang took out three children's robes from the basket, looked at the threads, and started going through all the embroidery designs he had stored in his memory.
AD
A few moments passed and he thought of something that would suit the children. Since, it was a birthday, what people most liked on those days were well wishes for long and fulfilling life. Moreover, the children were most likely the treasure of their family; hence, he had decided to embroider the chrysanthemum on their clothing.
He smiled and picked out the threads that would blend the design well with the robes and then prepped them before he began his work. His fingers seemed to dance with the thread as he embroidered, and he felt a bit more joyful since this meant that his embroidery skills had improved. Going forward, he would be able to make more money than before. This means his and his children's lives will be stable until his husband's return.
As he thought of the man, his eyes drifted off to his children. The two older milk bottles were studying while the youngest, who is sleeping, had curled into himself. Ding-Xiang smiled and shook his head, refocusing on his work. A few hours had passed, he heard someone call for him from the front door. He set aside his work, massaged his fingers, and went to the door.
His brow shot up in surprise, as he looked out his house to find Chen'er standing there.
Chen'er nodded to him, and greeted, "Good afternoon, Ger'Lun. My grandfather sent me to tell you that he had spoken to the villagers and they are unable to help. He had sent someone to town and found three people who are willing to help with the farm work. They are two men and a ger. They will arrive tomorrow and you can go over to our house to talk to them."
Ding-Xiang nodded and thanked the man who simply nodded and left. Ding-Xiang looked at the man a bit puzzled. He had heard that scholars of this time were a bit stuck up and full of themselves so why would one of them lower themselves just to send a message to widowed ger. It was not as if he was the only grandchild of the village head nor was he the least favored. Ding-Xiang frowned but put the thought aside and went back inside. Since there was nothing much to do, another day ended without any mishap.
After eating breakfast the next day, Ding-Xiang and his children met up with Aunty Ming. They all headed to the village head's house. They sat in the main hall. Ding-Xiang observed the three people that sat across from him. All three of them were dressed in coarse clothing and their skins are tanned, evidence that they have worked hard under the sun.
At first, the two men did not speak to Ding-Xiang and talked with the village head and Aunty Ming, until they were told that he was the one they would be working for. Ding-Xiang had a bit of disapproval with these men because of their attitudes, and so he made sure to ask them thoroughly about their skills and experiences. It took time for them to agree.
Since it was inappropriate for Ding-Xiang and his children to be alone with these people, the village head took it upon himself to lead the way. It took a while before they reached the inner part of the village where all the farming land could be found. The other villagers were there and looked curiously at the group of people that had just arrived.
The village head showed the people the land Ding-Xiang owned and they talked about what could be planted and all the other necessary things. Since they were outside and needed someplace to stay the village head just let them stay in one of the old houses near the field. Especially since it was inappropriate for men to stay with a widowed ger.
The village head also told them to come to him in case of anything and he would handle it. He did not want one bit of misunderstanding to occur because if it did it would not just affect Ding-Xiang but the entire village. Among the group of people, stood the people from the Yu family. Ding-Xiang had seen them since he arrived and could feel their ugly stares on him but did not care; as long as their stares did not kill him, it would not affect him much.
After everything was straightened out, Ding-Xiang returned home with his children. He washed their hands and feet and let the children head to study, while he went to the kitchen to prep lunch. Since there was no meat left, he decided to substitute it with tofu and began to chop up the vegetables and seasoning. He wanted to make braised tofu, some soup, and rice. He wanted to make enough for dinner too.
He heated some milk and then pulled Hui-Liang to fee him as the other milk bottles sat to eat. Ding-Xiang looked at his children that were eating with relish and a slight smile came to his face. Since the village head was taking lead on the land, then all he needed to do was embroider and look after his small family. Moreover, when the crops grew and were ready to be gathered, he would not need to worry about feeding his family through the winter. With that thought in mind, a small hum left his lips.
Ding-Xiang looked at the robe that he had just completed and sighed; he folded it, wrapped it in cotton with the other two, and then set it in the basket to be taken to town the next day. It had been a month since he had received the work from Aunt Lan, and after working tirelessly for a few days he was able to finish ahead of time and now all he wanted was to rest.
He massaged his shoulder as got up and went over to check on Hui-Liang, the tiny milk bottle was wide-awake and laying on his stomach as he played with the cotton doll that Ding-Xiang had made for him. At seven months old, he was bigger and healthier than the other children of his age. Thus, he was able to do things that the others could not because of their poor circumstances.
For one, he started showing signs that he was going to begin crawling soon. Every time he saw his older siblings, he would greet them with a cute "ahh". When he spotted Ding-Xiang, he would reach out and tried to grasp him even if he was far away. He had started to eating plain porridge and mashed potatoes, but most of all it was only a few days ago that Ding-Xiang noticed a little canine that had poked out of his gum.
At first, he was puzzled why that tooth started coming out first; but he stopped worrying when he saw that the little milk bottle was fine. Hui-Liang was not the only one that had grown well over the last two months. Hui-Zhong and Hui-Ling had also shown improvement. Not only in their health but also in their learning abilities. After observing the two for a while, Ding-Xiang could see that they were both born to learn.
It was just that their talents are different from each other. Hui-Ling was good in words, literature, and writing; while, Hui-Zhong was good with numbers. The second milk bottle had trouble learning words and would often forget them, even after writing them down. However, when it came to numbers, he had already started on addition and multiplications. Hui-Ling did not seem to have much of an issue with math. It was more of a lack of interest. Nevertheless, when it came to writing, reading, and her calligraphy she seemed to enjoy it and thus learned faster.
This made Ding-Xiang a bit upset because if she was born around his time then she would have been able to go to school, then her learning talent would not have gone to waste. He would have been ecstatic to take in a student such as her. However, sadly, she was born in a time where her skills would not be much appreciated, but it would not stop Ding-Xiang from using the knowledge he had to teach her.
Ding-Xiang smiled and turned Hui-Liang onto his back. At the sight of his mother, the tiny milk bottle gurgled and reached out excitedly. Ding-Xiang picked him up and bounced him.
"Look at you. You seem excited to see me. Does it mean you're hungry or you really like me?"
In response to his soft voice, the baby cooed and held onto him, he opened his mouth and nibbled on his shoulder causing Ding-Xiang to laugh.
"I guess you're hungry, okay let's go."
Ding-Xiang held the milk bottle to his shoulder and went to the kitchen. As he braced his stomach with his other arm, aside from the children, the other two that were on the way were also growing swiftly. Because of that, his stomach was quite large for someone that was just five months pregnant. Aunt Ming was worried for him and would often come over to check on him. She even told him that he should eat a little less, but there was no way Ding-Xiang would do that especially since he was eating for three people.
The babies would come out bigger than expected and this might put both them and their mother at risk because it would be a natural birth. For people of this era, they try not to eat too much while they are pregnant, to ensure the life of both mother and child. You could always make up for it when the child was born. However, that was not how Ding-Xiang thinks. He felt that it was very crucial for a child to develop properly in the womb because no amount of effort could make up for what was lost.
"
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Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong were born under the same circumstances. Not to mention that during his pregnancy, the original was overworked, and even with the husband around the so-called 'making up' did not happen. Ding-Xiang thought that if the original had eaten and taken care of himself properly during his pregnancy, then the two talented learners would be geniuses.
He placed Hui-Liang in the small baby chair and went to make his meal. A few days ago, when it became hard to carry Hui-Liang while feeding him, he had asked Ming Shi to make the chair for him. It was made with some bamboo and was very sturdy. He had made two cushions to put in it and then let Hui-Liang sit in it. The milk bottle did not have an adverse reaction to it and seemed to like it a lot so they had been using it ever since.
Ding-Xiang took out a bowl that had berries, put some in a small bowl with a bit of milk, and then crushed it together. He stopped when it was completely smooth. Then, went over to feed Hui-Liang. A few days ago, he had taken the children for a walk in the woods and had gone a bit far. They had found a little area with some berries. At first, he could not tell if it was okay to eat. Then, the children told him that the other Yu family's children taunted them by eating these berries in front of them.
Ding-Xiang was a bit annoyed but let the milk bottles pick to their hearts' content. When they came home, he used them to make snacks for the children and even made berry steamed cake. It became the favorite snacks of the children. He brewed some into a sweet tea and it was well-liked by Aunt Ming and her daughter-in-law.
It was not time for Hui-Liang to eat any of these things, so he had pureed some with milk and the tiny milk bottle liked it. Since then, he would feed it to him as a snack. He only wished he could add ice to it, if it was a bit cold then, it could help relieve the teething pain that the milk bottle suffered from once in a while.
As he thought of that, the tiny milk bottle knocked away the spoon and whimpered as he tried to hold his face. Ding-Xiang felt pain as he picked up Hui-Liang and tried to calm him down. But the milk bottle wasn't having it and began sobbing loudly. Ding-Xiang went to the room, got a clean cloth, and wet it before using his little finger to press on Hui-Liang's gum.
A while later, the milk bottle had calmed down but was huffing, his puffy tear-filled eyes made Ding-Xiang bite his lip and sway gently as he tried to calm him down further. A few minutes passed, the milk bottle had stopped whimpering and laid drowsily on Ding-Xiang's shoulder. Ding-Xiang walked around and gently patted Hui-Liang until he was certain he had fallen asleep.
Ding-Xiang took him into the bedroom and placed him on the bed. Then, after making sure the pillows surrounded him, he went back to the kitchen. Since he had been focused on his embroidery. He had been neglecting a few chores. He filled a tub with water and soap, took a cloth, and started wiping down every surface, crook, and cranny. Then, he took a broom and swept the floor.
He took a cloth soaked it and dropped it on the floor before using it to wipe the floor. Then, he threw out the water, changed the cloth, and went to the room to do the same. While Hui-Liang was sleeping and Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong were out he took the time to clean through the whole house. Finally, when everything inside looks sparkling and neat, he decided to clean the bathhouse.
He stood up a stretched his back, then massaged his stomach before filling a different tub with water, and slowly took out the clothes to wash it. Since he was now in his mid-pregnancy stage, it was not easy for him to do many things. However, since he was the only adult in the house, he did not have a choice. So, as he cleaned, he made sure to take breaks. Therefore, it took longer to complete but he wasn't too tired after.
He went to the room and checked on Hui-Liang. When he saw the baby was still fine, he got a clean set of clothes and went out to the back. He filled the tub and then sat down to have a bath and wash his hair. As the accumulated sweat was washed from his skin, he felt much better and gave out a contented sigh.
Just as he was relaxing, he received a strong kick to his stomach that made him hiss.
He murmured, "What are the two of you doing? Do not-"
Before he could finish his words, he received another set of kicking and tried to rub his stomach but they only kicked more.
"I know the two of you are excited but if you do that I won't be able to move for a while!"
After he said that, the kicking stopped as if the two inside him understood what he just said. Ding-Xiang arched his brow but rubbed his stomach, as he continued to mutter, "It seems that you understand what I'm saying, or are you just good at gauging my emotions? Either way, it looks as if you hadn't suffered any drawbacks because of the accident, so please come out well." His tone of voice was gentle as he spoke and the babies seemed to like it because they rubbed their hands against his stomach.
Ding-Xiang shook his head and finished his bath. He drained the tub, dried his skin, and then got dressed. When he got back into the house, he patted his hair dry as best as he could and then left it to air dry. He went into the room and Hui-Liang was sitting up, as he braced against the pillow looking around.
Ding-Xiang's eyes widened at the sight and he went over. As he picked the tiny milk bottle up, he found his napkin was wet and quickly removed it before wiping him off and putting on a fresh one. The whole time the milk bottle just stared at him quietly. Hui-Liang waited until he was done before he cooed and reached out to Ding-Xiang.
Ding-Xiang laughed and kissed the milk bottle on his round cheeks. Hui-Liang giggled and grasped his hair, but Ding-Xiang took it back. "You can't touch it, it's still wet, and what if you get a cold because of it?"
The milk bottle stopped giggling for a second before he reached out and held Ding-Xiang's face. He leaned in and started slobbering on it making Ding-Xiang laugh, but he left him to do as he pleased. He reached out, took a sling, and strapped Hui-Liang to him. He then took a soft cloth and wiped the milk bottle's mouth before he went to the kitchen and wiped the spit off his face.
"It's still sometime before dinner but since I have nothing better to do I can start ahead and make new dishes for dinner. Come help me cook and when we are done, we can make some more pastries with the berries before they go sour. I'll try to make something you can eat instead of that makeshift yogurt." As Ding-Xiang spoke, he took out the utensils and ingredients he wanted to use.
"Hmm, how about salt and pepper tofu along with some Lo Mein with Mushrooms and snow peas? It looks like we have all the ingredients so this should be fine." He took the block of tofu and set it on the board before taking the knife and cutting off the piece he wanted, he set the rest aside and began chopping up the tofu. "Since I will be eating with your siblings I'll have to make this milder, but too bad you can't eat it as yet or I'll make you something with it. Just wait one more month and I'll have you living off of tofu."
Ding-Xiang chuckled and then took out the other ingredients and began to prep the tofu when he was finished, he set it aside in a basin of water and went to make the low mein. He took out the flour, put it in a bowl, and mixed in some salt before setting it aside. He cracked two eggs in a bowl and whisked it with the chopsticks, then he dumped it in the bowl with the flour and slowly started mixing it in with some water.
AD
As he did, he smiled; it felt great to be able to have all the ingredients available. Even the flour was fine and he had been able to buy it after being paid last time. In fact, the rice and other ingredients were of better quality. He dared to say that their small family was now eating better than the Yu family.
Speaking of which, he had seen them very few times but each time he did they were just living as lavish as they could in spending Yu Wei-Sheng's salary as if it was flowing water. He could tell with the way it was going they would be out soon and then they would have to go back to living the way they had before Yu Wei-Sheng had started in the army, sub-par at best.
As he thought of that, he laughed and spoke in a low voice, "It seems that curse from your sister-in-law is going to turn around and bite the Yu family in their asses. But I don't care as long as they don't come here and bother me." Ding-Xiang sighed and continued speaking out his indignation, "Who am I kidding? There is no way they would not when they see how well the milk bottles and I are living. However, I hope they keep it for when that Wei-Sheng comes back, or else it will just be bothersome. I'll let that cheap man clean up after his own family."
Ding-Xiang huffed and looked down at the dough he had kneaded in oblivion, clicked his tongue before setting it in a bowl and putting it aside. In the meantime, he decided to make his own twist on Raspberry snowflake cake. Although there would be a few ingredients missing, it would come out just fine. Moreover, as for the fridge, he could just have it sit in a bowl of water while everyone ate. He lit the fire in the stove, took out the remaining berries, and washed them before putting them in the pot. Then, he added the water and sugar to the pot and started mixing it. As it comes to a boil, he added the milk and stirred it for a while. Then, he added the potato starch, some water and mixed it until it looked good. Finally, he floured a flat bowl and poured the mixture before placing that bowl in a basin of water.
He took out the dough from earlier and then rolled it out until he was satisfied and then covered it again. He took out the tofu. He poured oil in a wok. He took a cloth from the room and completely covered Hui-Liang who had long fallen asleep. When he made sure the cloth was secured, he began to fry the tofu. He had not made a lot of it since it could not be kept for long, and there were only him and the milk bottles in the house.
As the tofu turned golden brown, he set them aside to cool and removed the cloth from Hui-Liang. The milk bottle was sweating a bit so Ding-Xiang just wiped him off and went to work on the egg noodles. He took out the dough and cut it in half, and then began to work on the noodles as he did he figured he had made more than necessary so if anything he'll just send some over to Aunty Ming.
He put the noodles to the side and took out the mushrooms they had picked from the mountain. The village was one that had existed for a while so almost everything in the mountain had been tested and put into the categories of edible and not. The few mushrooms he had were the so-called approved ones, he took out some ginger, garlic, peas, and scallions he chopped them up only cutting the mushrooms in halves.
He took out the other ingredients, ignoring the ones he could not get, and started to cook it according to how he remembered it going. He put the noodles with the ingredients and then took them off the stove when it was done cooking. Then, he pulled another pan and fried the chopped ingredients, then he was he added in the noodles and peas and continued to cook it until it was done.
He dished it out into a large bowl. He set aside some and noticed that it was a bit too much. He decided to send it over to Aunt Ming along with the unused egg noodles. Then, he washed up everything, set the table, and sat down looking out the door to wait for the milk bottles to come back.
As he was waiting, he felt a tug on his head and looked down to see Hui-Liang looking at him as he played with his hair. It was then that Ding-Xiang remembered he had left his hair down to dry. He went back to the room and combed out his hair before platting it into a long braid; he wrapped it upon his head with a cloth and then put on his headband.
He looked down at Hui-Liang who was looking at him with wet eyes and gently patted his back. He comforted him by saying, "Don't be upset I'll let you play with it next time okay?" The milk bottle looked away from him. Ding-Xiang just sighed. He took him out of the sling and took Hui-Liang back to the kitchen to wait for the other two milk bottles
It was not long after he had sat down that he heard the cheerful laughter of the two milk bottles. He got up, went to the door, and saw them approaching. Seeing the happy smiles on their faces, he laughed lightly and brought them inside. Before Ming Shi could give his greetings and leave, Ding-Xiang asked him to wait, went to fetch the things, then handed them over and asked him to send them to Aunty Ming.
The boy accepted the items and headed out. After Ming Shi left, Ding-Xiang then closed in the door. He looked at the two milk bottles that stood next to him and took them to the corner of the kitchen. In that corner of the room was a container where he kept water just in case he would need it at night. He tested the water and found out it was a bit cold, so he warmed it up as the milk bottles wait.
He took a cloth and wiped off their faces, hands, and feet. He decided to bathe them after dinner. When he was finished, he took them to the table and they slowly ate their dinner. Hui-Ling started tapping and knocking on the chair, Ding-Xiang looked over to see the baby staring at the food and could not help but laugh.
"It isn't your turn to eat these. Do not worry! When you're old enough, I'll make these again so you can have you share, okay." Hui-Liang looked at him and started spitting bubbles causing him and the others to laugh.
The dinner ended on a happy note. The two older milk bottles helped to clean up the table and put away the leftovers. He took a warm cloth and wiped down all the surfaces before taking out a tub and washing the dishes. Then, he heated some water and took his time gently bathing the three milk bottles. As he was scrubbing them, he could not help but touch their soft skin. He could not help but pinch them and ended up smiling to himself.
They all had good skin, even the older ones that spent half of their day playing in the sun and dirt; their skin was white soft and seemed to bounce when touched, this caused him to feel proud of himself. He had never had children before and even if he often encountered them, he never personally took care of them. Therefore, seeing the children successfully looking healthier after he got involved was proof that he could take care of them well, that he was a good parent.
Before dressing them in their nightclothes, he dried them off, his smile never leaving his face. He tossed the dirty clothes at the corner of the room, starting a new pile of dirty laundry. Then, dumped the water outside, before coming back in and locking up the house. Even though it was late summer and the days became longer, most people sleep as soon as it turns dark. Even he followed this, that way he would wake up early and have more time in the day to do as he wished.
He set the lamp aside and then got the children into bed before he lit the kang. Even as the days were hot, the nights were just as cold. He as an adult could withstand the constant change of temperature but it would make the children sick. Moreover, since he was also in a vulnerable state right now, due to his pregnancy, it was better to be careful. The existence of doctors in this era was still prominent but like most people, they sought after tangible profit and would not really look at those without money. Also, even if he had money now, he had to save it for an emergency. Thus, it makes more sense to be cautious.
After settling them into bed, he put out the lamp. He waited until the milk bottles fell asleep before falling asleep himself. When he woke up early morning, the light was peeking through the corners of the window; he slowly sat up and looked around. The milk bottles were still curled up sleeping next to each other, while on the vacated part of the bed was an inconspicuous spot of wetness.
Looking at how big the wet area was, there was no way it was the work of just one of them. He checked and found that all three of their pants were wet. For the first time since his arrival, Hui-Ling had wet the bed, was it because she had eaten a lot more than usual yesterday? As he thought of that, he sighed and decided he needed to get a latrine pot and start waking the children up in the middle of the night so they could pee.
While he was lost in his own thoughts, there was a sudden knock on his front door. He got up, pulled on his outer robes, and then pushed open the window to look outside. He spotted Ming Shi at the door. Before he went out of the room, he gathered the things before went out the room. He greeted Ming Shi and then spoke to him about the things he needed from town and so on.
Ming Shi smiled and accepted his task Ding-Xiang watched Ming Shi leave and wondered if he should hire more help, but just as fast as the thought came, it left. He shrugged and then went back inside; as he went back into the room, he heard soft cries and quickened his steps. As he reached the room, he saw as Hui-Ling sat near Hui-Liang trying to pat his back to calm him down, but the baby was too upset and started crying louder.
AD
"It's okay Hui-Ling I have him," Ding-Xiang spoke with a smile and sat down collecting Hui-Liang into his arms.
Even then, the tiny milk bottle continued to fuss and cry. After checking and observing, Ding-Xiang let out a small laugh. He finally said, "It seems you're having a bit of trouble relieving yourself, let mama help you."
He gently squeezed and massaged Hui-Liang's stomach, the milk bottle continued to strain but after a while, he sighed and the redness receded from his face showing that he was finished. Ding-Xiang shook his head and then took him out of the room to the kitchen after asking Hui-Ling to wait in the room. He set the baby down and then warmed some water before he stripped him; he used the napkin to wipe him off as much as possible and then bathed him.
When he was finished he wrapped him in a cloth and set him down before using the water to rinse out the napkin, when he was done he tossed it and then washed out the basin with hot water and set it back. He returned to the room with the milk bottle and properly dried him off before he dressed him and placed him in the corner surrounded by soft pillows. When he was done, he took Hui-Ling outside and bathed her before returning to the room. He repeated the process until all the milk bottles were bathed and dressed.
He had them sit in the corner of the room with Hui-Liang in Hui-Ling's arms, as he removed the quilts and took them outside. Even though they were not as heavy as the ones meant for winter, they were still the large family ones so thus weighed a good amount. Ding-Xiang took them outside and with a bit of effort, tossed them onto the bamboo poles to dry out.
He sighed and stretched his back before rubbing his stomach, he yawned and went back inside, and he set another quilt on the bed and had the children get on. It was a bit early so he told them to rest before he took his things and went to have a bath. As he was filling the tub, he yelped and dropped the tub holding his stomach as he took in a deep breath.
He gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to pass. When he felt a bit better, he sat on the rim of the tub, thinking to himself, "It seems it's becoming harder to even fill the tub to have a bath, will I have to give that up also?" He sighed and wiped his hair out of his face. Glancing into the tub he saw there was enough water, so he stripped his clothes and just had a shower.
When he was done, he got out and looked at the tub; he did not bother to drain it. He dried off his skin and changed into his clothes. Since he could not fill the tub, he had to put off washing his hair so he platted it and put it into the usual style. He took his things and returned to the room, looking at the three that had fallen asleep; he could not help but yawn and decided to lay down for a while to rest.
As the days passed by, it became harder and harder for Ding-Xiang to do the things that he used to do on his own. Even embroidering for too long would make his hands cramp and his back hurt. For this reason, he often had a bad mood. By his seventh month of pregnancy, he had to send in the last piece of his embroidery and ask the aunt not to send any for a while.
Ding-Xiang had a tight frown on his face as he counted the family's savings, over the past few months because of his embroidery; he had earned a solid amount of money. When the family maintained their same level of consumption, he had a bit more to save. Even after paying the workers on the land, it still went well; but as he sat and calculated the expenses they would have for the upcoming months, he would barely any silver left-back when they go into the next year.
By then the twins would be born and the expenses would be larger. He gritted his teeth and hoped that the cheap husband would go along with the script and return in the dead of winter. He sighed and set the things aside. He looked over to where the milk bottles sat, Hui-Ling was quietly teaching Hui-Zhong, who wrote slowly and nodded from time to time as he understood what his sister taught him.
Ding-Xiang looked at the nine-month-old Hui-Liang, who sat in the corner playing with his toys as he chewed on the arm of his cotton doll. A small smile came to his face and he slid over to them, he rubbed Hui-Liang's head and brushed his puffy hair. The baby looked up at him and cooed before he tugged on his doll and went back to playing.
Ding-Xiang smiled and went over to where the other two were; He patted Hui-Ling's back and placed a kiss on her head causing her to giggle.
"Go ahead and do your own studied, I'll look after Hui-Zhong," he told her in a gentle voice.
The milk bottle nodded and then took her own books to another corner to study. Hui-Zhong looked up at Ding-Xiang with his pink and fluffy cheeks; they looked so cute that Ding-Xiang could not resist tugging on them.
Hui-Zhong frowned and brushed his hands off, this caused Ding-Xiang to laugh at how cute the milk bottle was. He kissed each of his cheeks and held him. He urged him, "Show mama how far you've gotten and we'll go from there."
Hui-Zhong nodded and just like that, the room reclaimed its peaceful atmosphere. Ding-Xiang sat and studied with the milk bottles until they started losing interest.
"Okay, that's good enough for the day, pack away your things, and let's go out for a stroll."
Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong got up quickly and packed away their things before they rushed to go and get their outing hats. Ding-Xiang took Hui-Liang into his arms and then took out some clothes for him to wear; when he was done, he put him in the sling. He got the two others in their outside clothes and helped them with their hats,
He got ready himself. Then, hooked Hui-Liang's sling to himself. He took the children to the door and put on their shoes before he left the house locking the door behind them. Instead of hooking it, so that Hui-Liang was facing his chest, he turned it the other way, so that the small milk bottle was looking ahead as they walked.
He held the small hands of the other milk bottles and walked towards the woods. Since the run-in with the Yu daughter-in-law, he did not walk through the village. It was not because he feared her but because he did not care enough to want to meet them. He wanted to take a relaxing walk with his children and did not want their lovely moments to be ruined by that pest.
They walked along the edge of the woods, not even bothering to go in. He did not want to have any unlucky encounters, because in his state he would not be able to help himself in case of anything bad that could happen. As they walked quietly, the milk bottles laughed and skipped along. Hui-Ling let go of his hand and ran over to where a bunch of flowers was.
She picked them and then ran back to him. She reached up and stuck some in the straps for Hui-Liang's sling, then handed Hui-Zhong some. Only then did she took a hold of Ding-Xiang's hand again. Ding-Xiang smiled at her antics and then continued walking. After a while, they turned around and headed back towards their house.
It was at this time that they saw the silhouette of a person approaching; Ding-Xing squinted for a while before he realized who he was. It was Chen'er the scholarly grandson of the village head. He walked at a steady pace with his hands held at his back, his high-quality robes swayed in the wind. A bright smile came to his face as he spotted Ding-Xiang and the milk bottles, but Ding-Xiang could only let out a sigh and walk over to him.
Just looking at the way the man treated him over the past few months, he could already figure out his intentions but he acted oblivious because he did not want to be entangled with him. Obviously, the main reason was that that cheap husband of his was still alive and would return soon. In addition, it was also because Chen'er was the grandchild of the village head; he was favored and well educated with good prospects.
He would be able to marry any woman or ger he wanted, if not a few of them; there was no way any of his family would comply with him dating a widowed ger and much less one that had a few milk bottles tagging along. Moreover, right now he was doing so well because of the good graces of the villagers if the village head got wind of his grandchild's infatuation, then his life and those of his children would become rather bleak.
Even if his cheap husband never came back, it was best for him to live the rest of his life single or marry a widower, if he needed to. He had the determination formed in his mind by the time he reached where Chen'er was, standing a good distance from him before he placed his children between them. Chen'er seemed to observe his movements, a slight frown coming to his face, as he looked at the milk bottles before he smiled at Ding-Xiang.
The moment he did that, a firm wall emerged in Ding-Xiang's heart, as the gentle image Chen'er had given him collapsed in his mind. As he looked at him, the shadow of a certain man emerged in his mind and he felt his disgust grow for Chen'er that stood before him. All this happened in but a moment and Chen'er did not seem to notice the change in Ding-Xiang.
"Ger'Lun, it has been a while since I saw you, I just returned from my studies, I have a break for the next few days so I decided to come and see you." As he spoke, he maintained a gentle smile and even reached out to pat the milk bottles heads as he spoke.
Nevertheless, Ding-Xiang stepped back pulling his children with him, and spoke in a respectful but distant voice, "Good afternoon young master Chen'er, thank you for taking time out of your day to see me. However, I believe since you just returned your focus should be on going to see your grandfather. It is well known to the villagers how much he misses you each time you go to school."
Chen'er laughed sheepishly and nodded slightly. "You're right; I'm in the wrong about that. But I did want to see you first. Next time I'll make sure to see my grandfather before I come over to you." He spoke in a suggestive tone but Ding-Xiang shook his head.
"There is no need for that Young Master Chen'er. Now, if you don't mind, the children and I have been walking for a while and they are a bit tired, so I need to return home." With that, Ding-Xiang walked by him taking his children, a deep frown forming on his face as he did.
He understood that someone who had been educated would have more of a forward-thinking than those who were not; thus, would be able to form thoughts of their own, so they would be more open-minded. He really did get it but the thing he could not understand was how someone could love someone's mother but not love the mother's children.
As far as Ding-Xiang was concerned, a mother and her children, especially in this time, were a packaged deal. If you could not love the children of the woman, or ger in this case, that you cared for then you did not really love them. He could clearly see the look of impatience in Chen'ers eyes, as he looked at the milk bottles, even if by some miracle they did end up together he knew that the milk bottles would suffer.
Even if he had not raised them for long, he had already taken them as his own and taken perfect care of them; he would be distressed if anything were to happen to them. Even if he were foolish enough to fall in love with that man, then he would still let him go in the end, if it meant preserving the smile of his children.
When he returned to the house, he was already in a bad mood but he still kept pace with the milk bottles as so they did not trip. He tried to calm his emotions but his disgust skyrocketed when he looked at the house and saw the Yu second daughter-in-law standing there. He stopped and stared at the walking lump of lard and then at her darkened skin, this one had always had darker skin but it seemed to have gotten darker and he could easily tell why.
Since the free labor was no longer present, the work would obviously fall on the others and most of it would fall on the least favored daughter-in-law of the family. Even from the scornful look on her face, he could tell she did not come here for any good reason. He sighed and walked over when he got close she turned around and the scowl vanished from her face, taking it as a gross and pathetic excuse for a smile.
"Mother said that she is willing to take you back into the house, you only need to take care of the field well and we'll make sure to look after the children while you're busy." As she spoke, she kept her same haughty tone as if she was speaking to a slave and acted benevolently.
Ding-Xiang stared at her and tilted his head slowly, his eyes squinted, and the second daughter-in-law stepped back because of the weird look he gave her.
"Ha, are you crazy?" The annoyance Ding-Xiang felt rose and he looked down at Hui-Ling "Give mama your shoe." The little milk bottle tilted her head in confusion but handed over her shoe and before the second daughter-in-law could react she was hit in the face with the shoe. The milk bottles paused for a second before they all broke into laughter, even Hui-Liang laughed loudly in his infectious baby laugh.
Ding-Xiang could not help but smirking as he walked over, he said, "Ya, idiot, does it look like me and my children are desperate enough to go back to that place?" As he spoke the dialect, he grew up with as a child came out, so the second daughter-in-law could not figure out what he was saying but she knew it was something bad as she frowned deeply.
Ding-Xiang walked over and started jabbing her shoulder causing her to stumble back, as she did; she gave Ding-Xiang an incredulous look. "My children and I are doing just fine. We don't need your hypocrisy or so-called help from that den of poisonous snakes. In addition, even if we do end up at the point of starvation, the heavens forbid, I will take my children to town to beg or to survive in the mountains by eating insects. Any of these are ten thousand times better than landing in the hands of you and those venomous pests. Don't even count on me and my kids going back there and you better be prepared for hell if you dare to touch me or my children!"
The entire time he spoke his voice grew louder and the second daughter-in-law was jabbed to the point of falling to the ground. Ding-Xiang did not wait for her to replay before he went over to the tub; he dipped a basin of water and splashed her with it. "I don't want to waste any salt purifying my yard, so scram!"
Though the second daughter-in-law was startled, she scrambled up and ran away. It was when she moved far away that she had enough guts to speak again. "One of these days you and those vermin will come to our Yu family begging to be taken in. On that day, I will make you regret it!"
Ding-Xiang looked at her with a glare and pelted the tub at her. She squealed like a pig and ran off, loud laughter came from the milk bottles as Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong ended up on the ground clutching their stomachs as they laughed.
Ding-Xiang looked over at them and broke into loud laughter; he had not noticed that what he did just now had drawn the eyes of the few people who were around. All of them were a bit confused by the actions of the usually gentle and timid De-Lun. But let out a sigh of relief that he was now able to stand up for himself and his children.
Aunty Ming who stood not too far away smiled widely and then walked over with Ming Shi and her daughter-in-law. She commented, "You seem to be in a good mood."
Ding-Xiang stopped laughing and looked up at her with a gentle smile; he nodded to her, and replied, "Yes, I'm in a really good mood today, enough to cook up a storm."
Aunty Ming spoke with a smile in a gentle tone, "You just came in from a walk, take some time to rest first."
Ding-Xiang nodded and watched Ming Shi who picked up the two milk bottles and brought them over. He whispered in a distressed voice, "They are all dirty now."
Ding-Xiang shrugged, "They are children, if children aren't dirty then that means they aren't really children." He walked over and brushed the dust from the milk bottle's face. He looked at Aunty Ming and asked politely, "Aunty Ming will you help me with them, I do feel a bit tired?"
Aunty Ming nodded and the group went into the house. Ding-Xiang sat down and received a cup of water from Aunty Ming's daughter-in-law, Wen Bi. Wen Bi went over and wet the cloth before passing it to Ding-Xiang for him to wipe his face, as he sat and rested Aunty Ming took the children to the room and changed them into clean clothes after wiping them off.
She put their dirty clothes in the pile and then came out with them; Hui-Liang hung off her arm and reached out to Ding-Xiang when he saw him. The fat baby had a lot of strength because of how well he was fed and raised by Ding-Xiang, Aunty Ming who was not accustomed to holding babies like him could only hand him over.
Ding-Xiang held him and layered his skin with kisses making him laugh, his laughter affected everyone in the room and they could not help but laugh. When they all settled down, Aunty Ming looked at Ding-Xiang seriously.
"Ger-Lun, are you in any pain lately?" Ding-Xiang looked at her and then glanced at the milk bottles; he did not have to speak before Ming-Shi took the two older ones outside.
When they were gone he truthfully nodded, he honestly explained, "A little bit, but more than the pain I'm more annoyed, I used to be able to look after them and the house very well on my own but now a few months later look at the state the house is in. The only thing I can do at ease is cooking and spending time with them, otherwise, I need to stop every few minutes before I continue, it's really aggravating." He sighed and readjusted Hui-Liang who was playing with his clothes.
Aunty Ming nodded. She understood and said, "Yes, I looked around while I was inside before I used to come in and the place always looked like it was spit-shined but now… You know De-Lun, if you're in pain or having trouble you can just ask us for help, you know your aunt is always here for you. All my grandchildren are already grown and doing their own things. Aside from lazing the day away and finding something to fiddle with, I am always free.
Every time Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong come over to play, I cannot help but look after them. It is as if I was blessed with more grandchildren. So do not hold back and ask me if you need me, I can come over to help you, and plus your pregnancy is reaching its later stages. Anything could happen this time so you always need to be on your toes, but that would just tire you out more. So let me help you, okay?"
Ding-Xiang looked at her and then at Hui-Liang who was chewing on his clothes with a frown on his little face, he looked up and nodded. "Thank you, Aunty Ming."
The older woman laughed and nodded. "No need for thanks, you're doing more of a favor for me than I am for you." After saying that she looked at Wen Bi, who had spent the entire time sitting quietly. "Go fill the tub and help to wash out De-Lun's and the children's clothing. I'll start cleaning up and De-Lun after you've rested you can start cooking and I'll come to help you if you want."
Ding-Xiang nodded and watched as the two got up to go about their work, as he watched them he felt a bit guilty but then looked down at his stomach that Hui-Liang now laid on as he patted it. The guilt vanished and he smiled, why he should continue to let him and his children suffer when there were people who were willing to help them.
After a while, he got up, took Hui-Liang to his chair, put him in it, and handed the doll that had been hooked on the chair. He went over to the counter and looked through the ingredients before he decided what to cook.
With the help of Aunty Ming, Wen Bi, and Ming-Shi, Ding-Xiang's days became better. He was able to live his days with ease, even as his stomach grew bigger and the twins became mischievous. The smile that was fading had come back to his face and he had more time to spend with the milk bottles. Especially Hui-Liang that now liked to crawl everywhere around the Kang, and tried to get down from it if you were not paying attention.
Once Ding-Xiang was distracted, the little milk bottle had used the wall to pull himself into standing and stood on his shaky legs as he babbled and giggled. Ding-Xiang who looked up at the sound could not help but jump for joy, his sudden movements scared the milk bottle and caused him to fall on his butt. Ding-Xiang had to spend a good amount of time calming him down and Hui-Liang only dared to stand up again a few days later.
This time Ding-Xiang did not overreact and just watched him carefully until the milk bottle grew tired and sat down back. As he grew and overtook his milestones the two in Ding-Xiang's belly also became more active and started competing with him. Once Hui-Liang became clingy and wanted to sleep on Ding-Xiang's stomach but a few minutes into his sleep, he received a kick from his siblings, all hell broke loose after.
Ding-Xiang was in too much pain to console him because of his jealous siblings so the milk bottle cried the hardest he ever had. Since then it was constant competition, in retaliation to his siblings Hui-Liang could only think of biting and so it wasn't just a few times that Ding-Xiang received a solid bite because of the mischievous two.
Ding-Xiang could only sigh pitifully as he rubbed ointment on the bite marks on his stomach, but he soon figures it out, as long as Hui-Liang did not sleep on his stomach the twins wouldn't react. So, now Hui-Liang would either sleep on his chest or on his lap as he made sure not to go anywhere near the stomach.
Sometimes Ding-Xiang could not help but sigh as he remembered the memories and as time passed, winter came, and the activity outside lessened. He had anticipated this. Thus, their winter clothes had been ready a long time ago, the quilts and everything else were already on standby. The only thing that made him feel nervous was how close he was getting to giving birth and the time for his cheap husband's return.
As he got closer to his due date, Aunty Ming had practically moved in. Wen Bi could not leave her husband and children just to look after him but she would come when she had time. Ming-Shi grew busier as he helped him to stock up on firewood and water for the winter and even the people that he had hired had already harvested the field.
With the help of the village head, his family had been registered separately, including the name of his 'deceased' husband. People could not understand why he did this but did not pay it much mind. The village head also helped him to pay his taxes and had the villagers build another shed in the yard where the extra grain and vegetables were stored.
Some fresh vegetables had been stored carefully while the rest were pickled. However, that became a bit of an issue because Ding-Xiang's constant cravings nearly had him eat everything. Along with that, they had purchased a lot of meat and had them preserved in different ways and stored in the shed. Ding-Xiang refused to eat one kind of meat for the entirety of winter.
Those close to him like the Ming family and the village head also benefited and because of that gave more care to him. The village head's wife often brought over some milk for Hui-Liang, and since it was now winter, the milk could be kept long. Using a small box Ding-Xiang had made a makeshift milk fridge. He had it filled with water and let it freeze overnight. The next day, he asked Ming-Shi to carve out the center. He had asked him to make bamboo containers and the milk would be kept in them. Then, they would be put in the box and the box would be covered. Of course, the two other families copied it but for their own use.
Ding-Xiang sat in the kitchen with a warm glass of water in his hands. Behind him, Aunty Ming had loosed out his hair that had grown to a ridiculous length and put it into sections. She took a cloth that had been soaked in hot water that had the scent of flowers and used it to wipe each section of his hair. Since he was small in his last life, Ding-Xiang had had a certain need for cleanness so even as it grew colder; he refused to go out without wash his hair.
Aunty Ming could not take the sight of him washing his hair in the dead of winter and offered to help wipe his hair. Ding-Xiang did not see the sense in wiping his hair with just water, so he had asked Ming Shi to collect the flowers that were still alive in the winter. He boiled them down into a thick liquid, strained it, and stored it. Now, every time his hair was wiped clean, he would add a bit of the homemade oil and his hair would smell nice and fresh.
AD
He could not put too much or his hair would be dyed pink, smelling like flowers and looking like a flower were two completely things. Ding-Xiang would not allow the second. He looked over at Hui-Ling and Hui-Zhong who sat not too far from him doing their homework. When they did not understand something, they would ask him, and he would explain it. As for Hui-Liang, the little baby sat in a basket with a high rim and played with his toys.
Ding-Xiang felt bad that he could not crawl around freely and thought that when he had enough money, he would lay down a small floor in the section of the room where he could play as he wished. Aunt Ming finished and took her time to dry his hair, before putting it in a loose braid and wrapping it on his head. Ding-Xiang used to keep his hair in a tight braid but as his pregnancy moved to its later stages he became more sensitive and could not stand it.
She took out a clear headband and put it on his head before covering his head with a little hat. Ding-Xiang finished the water and thanked Aunty Ming before he went over to where the milk bottles were. As he looked at their work he could not help but smile, he would make sure to convince that cheap husband to send Hui-Zhong to school when he was old enough.
He did not need to become an official but he would make sure he had a high standing even if it was just in this small village. As for Hui-Ling, he would take her education into his own hands; he would make sure she was just as smart as any ranked scholar was. That way no matter who she married that man would not take her for a fool and maybe then she would even be able to talk her husband into a bind so he would always listen to her.
Ding-Xiang smiled at the thought and then went over to Hui-Liang; the milk bottle sleepily rubbed his eyes before he let out a cute yawn. Ding-Xiang smiled and reached out to pick him up; he lifted him high on his shoulder and slowly walked around the house. This was also how he got his exercise in and put the milk bottle to sleep. Ding-Xiang noticed that over the months as he ate well, he gained weight but thankfully this body seemed to have a high metabolism and so most of the fat went to his stomach.
He did gain a small double chin, but he was not willing to be fat. He knew once he was in confinement all the weight would pile up. Therefore, he tried to move around in the house. When Hui-Liang had fallen asleep, Ding-Xiang put him in the basket and let him sleep. After making sure, that Hui-Liang is still sleeping, comfortable and safe; he then walked over to the kitchen counter to see what he can cook. He looked at the ingredients that were available and decided that today he would cook Cantonese sweet and sour chicken with pickled vegetables and rice.
He took out the ingredients and started to prepare them. As he was doing so, Aunty Ming poured the hot water into a basin and set it aside. She poured some into a small mug and used some ingredients to make tea. The sound of a knife against a board echoed in the quiet kitchen in the dead of winter, the milk bottles, and looked up at Ding-Xiang who was focused on cooking.
The little ones had big smiles on their faces, if anyone asked them why they would say that this was the warmest winter they had ever had.
Even though the days were cold in a village, the people just could not sit around and do nothing. Therefore, early in the morning, they would dawn their snow clothes to go complete their chores. Meanwhile, the children go play with their friends for a few hours. Due to the harsh environment that the children suffer from, their bodies become sturdier and resistant to most any kind of weather change. It was only the younger ones that needed to be watched carefully, to ensure their safety.
Though the three milk bottles fell into the category of the younger children because of the care they had received from Ding-Xiang over the past few months, they were even sturdier than the older children in the village. Thus, Ding-Xiang allowed them to go out and play in the yard, but this was only after they were covered from head to toe, with their thick snow clothes.
As Ding-Xiang looked out at the two from the door, he became aware of just how cold winters could be before global warming. He huffed and blew on his fingers opting to go further into the kitchen; Aunt Ming saw this and shook her head with a small chuckle. She remembered that when she was pregnant. Even though her family was one of the better-off ones, she still needed to do chores here and there. even in the snow, she never had the luxury of being afraid of cold.
However, she did not look at Ding-Xiang with ridicule but just found him rather cute. The person in question looked at her with pouted lips and crimson cheeks, and she could not help but laugh again. The older woman put her hands together and rubbed hard before she went over, and covered Ding-Xiang's marshmallow-like cheeks with her hands.
She could swear on her life that even though Ding-Xiang was not fat, he was the fattest pregnant woman or ger she had ever seen in her life. Maybe the madams of those wealthy families in town were like this but she was sure none of them was as cute. She continued to rub her hand and warm Ding-Xiang's cheeks until the redness receded, looking at his milky face, she resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks.
Since she had first been acquainted with Ding-Xiang, she had seen him as a good child but as of late she wished he really was her son. Thinking of this she could only sigh, such a poor child, it was known in the village, just how terrible the Yu family were. Nevertheless, because they never went over the line no one said anything it was only when that child, Sheng'er, had passed that they had shown their true faces.
Many were fearful they would ruin this small family. So they became happy when De-Lun chose to leave the Yus. He was not afraid of the consequences and stood firm in his choice to leave. Even though no one said it, all of the elders were pleased and they wanted to laugh aloud when they learned how well the child could earn money. The Yu family became a low-key joke among the other villages.
That family had been rich before but just like Wei-Sheng, there was another person that had been used as a working mule by that family, Wei-Sheng's youngest uncle. The poor man was born at a time when the family was doing terribly and because of this, the deceased old madam had mistreated him. Even then, he still turned around and worked hard for the family when he became older.
The poor man had eventually worked himself to death not even having a chance to marry a wife and leave behind a child, so a few years later only a few remembered him. Of course, when one working mule was gone, another should take its place, and Wei-Sheng was the unlucky candidate. However, this child was not so much of a fool to work for nothing, so the family could not mistreat him like they did his uncle.
Too bad, he passed away and left behind his wife and children. The adults could only lament but knew just like in the past the old family would quickly use out the riches brought by the mule and they have to go back to their old poverty-driven ways. As far as Aunt Ming was concerned they deserved it, she just hoped that they would not try to pull down the child that had managed to getaway.
Aunt Ming looked at Ding-Xiang who was now drinking a glass of hot water and wondered if she should start looking for someone to marry him. She began to go through the list of widowers she knew of, and then picked out the ones that lived well. From that list, she picked out the good-tempered ones, and the ones with good reputations, she looked at the gossip she had heard about their children and looked for the widowers with peaceful children.
It was because she knew Ding-Xiang wouldn't let his children suffer so trying to get him to marry required finding a good man that also had good and opened minded children. Maybe someone with older children, as she thought of all these things she finally settled on three candidates but scratched one out because his village was too far away. She wanted Ding-Xiang to be close enough that if anything happens they could go and help him.
AD
Ding-Xiang who sat across from Aunt Ming watched her nod to herself, before looking out to his children who were now covered in snow. If he only knew what this old woman was thinking, he would be sure to go into labor because of fright. Even though he only knew this because of what he read, he was sure that Wei-Sheng's mind was not too stable right now. He could only imagine the catastrophe this old woman would bring on her family if Wei-Sheng came home to hear talks of his remarriage.
As Ding-Xiang watched the milk bottle play, Hui-Ling suddenly paused and let out a little sneeze that was Ding-Xiang's cue to call them back. The children sat down, their pants legs were folded up and their little feet that had turned pink were placed in a basin of warm water. They were wrapped with a warm blanket and given a glass of warm honeyed water to drink. This was one of the things, that even though it was expensive, Ding-Xiang made sure to stock up on it.
When the children looked warm and the pinkness had receded, he took their feet out of the tub, dried them, and put them in a fresh change of winter clothes. The fact that they have a baby in the family, doing the laundry had to continue even through winter. Therefore, the bamboo poles had been brought inside and put on a rack that Ming Shi had made. The damp snow clothes were placed on them to dry. Ding-Xiang spared no effort when it came to preparing his milk bottles' things for the winter. Thus, the children had four sets of thick snow clothes each, something Aunt Ming considered extravagant.
If it were a regular family, one set of winter clothes would be prepared for each child, and that one set would be made bigger than the child's actual size so they could wear it for a few winters. If there were many children, then when that set got small for the child, it would be passed down to the younger sibling and over the years, it would be patched when necessary. It was only when the snow clothes had been worn out beyond saving, that they would be replaced.
In addition, they reuse those worn-out winter clothes for the children to wear in other seasons. Most of the children in well-off families would have two sets. The noble children would have three sets in these areas, but that depended on how favored they were. It was only the youngest child out of all the children in one family that could be considered to have many options because he or she had been given all the wearable hand-me-downs.
If Aunt Ming had known of Ding-Xiang's plan to spoil his children like this before, then she would have tried to talk him out of it. Not that she would have succeeded. One of Ding-Xiang's dreams in his old life was to be a father. He wanted to be a good parent just like his mother. Now, that his wish had been granted, despite how it happened, all he wanted to do was spoil his children.
Ding-Xiang could attest that if he had been transmigrated into a well-off family, then four sets of clothing for one season would have been nothing compared to what he would do for them. If he were born with a status of royalty, then he would work as hard as he could to get Hui-Ling the right to study, but those were things that did not happen. Ding-Xiang could only lament and be satisfied with how to spoil his children with what he has now.
As it got closer to the middle of winter, the snowfall picked up. Besides the stronger men, the rest of the people in the village could not leave the house or they would sink into the snow. Those poor men needed to get up before dawn, to clear a path in front of all of the houses. It was needed because it turned out that Ding-Xiang was not the only pregnant one in the village. It was common knowledge for everyone, except for Ding-Xiang who never ventured into the village.
He had heard from Aunt Ming that just two days ago, one of the women went into labor. The snow had come down too hard, that the midwife could not come. There were no elders in the house too. In the end, her husband had to help her deliver the child. They were rewarded with a son. Therefore, the husband did not mind being covered in his wife's blood. The wife had given birth before and so instructed her husband how to clean the child, while she tried not to pass out.
When the husband was able to leave the house, it was already the middle of the day. The man went to ask for help from the aunt in the neighboring family. This was how everyone was made aware of the new addition to their village. It was because of this that Wen Bi had managed to convince her husband to let her stay with Aunt Ming and Ding-Xiang at night, in case of Ding-Xiang goes into unexpected labor. Ding-Xiang, who was being watched like a hawk, was forced to stay in bed and rest. Nowadays, he could only sigh and listen to the two overbearing women.
Ding-Xiang, who had been wrapped up like a dumpling, was bored. He is currently watching his children play among themselves, as they waited for dinner to be ready. During winter, nights came faster, but dinnertime remained the same, so they now cooked under the light of the lamp.
Wen Bi had taken Hui-Liang, who was strapped on her back, into the kitchen. She and Aunt Ming worked together to prepare a good dinner. The ingredients Ding-Xiang had on hand were better than the ones commonly seen in the village. Wen Bi and Aunt Ming couldn't cook as well as he did, the food they prepared wasn't too bad. Ding-Xiang sighed and listened to the sound of the wind howling as it blew outside, the snowfall was not as bad as the last few days, but it was still falling hard.
As Ding-Xiang thought of this his eyes widened, it was still a snowstorm but it was light enough that someone could walk through it.
"It couldn't be…"
Just as he mumbled that to himself, his head flew back and he cried out in pain as his back arched off the bed. The sudden outcry frightened the two children in the room and was heard by the two women. They quickly dropped what they were doing and rushed into the room to see the two milk bottles crying next to Ding-Xiang. They were panicking and asking if he was okay. Ding-Xiang was too busy trying to fight the pain that continuously stabbed at him, so he couldn't hear their voices. He cried out and then curled in on himself, as tears poured down his face.
Wen Bi and Aunt Ming wasted no time trying to help Ding-Xiang. Wen Bi took the two children out of the room, while Aunt Ming went over to try and soothe Ding-Xiang, who was clearly jarred by the sudden pain. He started to sob uncontrollably, as Aunt Ming tried to get him to lay on his back. Aunt Ming knew that having Ding-Xiang lay down and relax would help alleviate some of the pain. As soon as Wen Bi left Hui-Liang to Hui-Ling, and made sure to leave words of comfort to not make the children panic; she rushed to put on her snow clothes.
Even though they could help Ding-Xiang give birth, it would be much safer to have a midwife with them. Wen Bi looked back at the children, making sure they are all right before she rushed to open the door. As soon as she did, she saw a shadow standing in the snow not too far from the house. Her heart leaped into her throat. She tried to fight her fright to shut the door, but before she could, the shadow rushed through the snow and into the house.
Wen Bi cried out as she was knocked to the floor, and the children who had just calmed down began to sob again. However, the shadow rushed through the house and went to the room, where Aunt Ming and Ding-Xian are. Aunt Ming was still trying to get Ding-Xiang to unfurl himself, which is why she did not notice the shadow's approach until it stopped just behind her.
"De-Lun…" The older woman nearly lost her soul when she heard the whisper of such a rough voice. However, she moved into a protective position in front of Ding-Xiang, as she looked over to where the voice came from.
AD
The voice belonged to a tall and built man that stood stock still, he was wrapped from head to toe in snow clothes. The only visible part of him being his eyes. These dark eyes stared at Ding-Xiang, who was covered in sweat, as he continued to cry because of the pain. If he knew it would be this painful, he would have asked to be sent over after the twins were born.
The tall man removed the cloth that covered his face to reveal a chiseled but dark face, even though it was handsome it could be seen that this was a face that belonged to a person who knew what suffering was. Aunt Ming looked at the face and her eyes widened but before she could speak, she was pushed aside and the man sat in the bed and pulled Ding-Xiang into his arms.
Aunt Ming stumbled a little but managed to stabilize her steps. She turned to look at the man that sat there holding Ding-Xiang in his arms as he rocked him and massaged his back and stomach.
"Wei-Sheng… you're back?" The old woman jumped in excitement and clapped to herself. Still in shock and dazed, she asked, "you're not dead… you didn't die!"
Wei-Sheng's brows furrowed as he tried to hold on to Ding-Xiang who was writhing in pain. He frowned deeply and snapped, "What are you doing here instead of going to get a midwife? Can't you see he's in pain?!"
Aunt Ming snapped out of it and glanced at Ding-Xiang before she went to rush to the kitchen. Wen Bi was just about to come in; unfortunately, for the second time today, she got pushed around again. This time, by Aunt Ming, who asked her to get the midwife as quickly as possible. Aunt Ming watched her daughter-in-law rush out of the house. She then went over to the stove. She moved the half-cooked food out of the pot, washed them out, and started to boil water.
Inside the room, Wei-Sheng continued to hold Ding-Xiang and whispered into his ears to try and calm him down. His arms were strong enough to hold onto his heavily pregnant wife, to keep him from falling. Ding-Xiang whimpered too caught up in the pain to notice he was currently being held and coaxed like a child.
Wei-Sheng kicked off his shoes and pulled back so he was leaning against the wall. His legs parted and Ding-Xiang was placed between Wei-Sheng's legs. He held Ding-Xiang against himself; he realized that the other was in too much pain to focus on his delivery, so he needed to do the work. He adjusted Ding-Xiang in a comfortable position. Wei-Sheng laid Ding-Xiang comfortably on the bed. Afterward, Wei-Sheng opened Ding-Xiang's legs and brought his wife's knees up, to have better access to the baby. Wei-Sheng took the blanket not caring that they might be dirty and threw it over his wife's parted legs.
Just then, he felt liquid spread and start to soak his pants but he ignored it knowing it was Ding-Xiang's water that had just broken. Ding-Xiang who had just been adjusted felt the pain ease and let out a sigh of relief. As Ding-Xiang leaned back, his head fell back on firm chest. Wei-Sheng was still wearing his snow clothes, and the fluffy fur felt good and soft to Ding-Xiang, which made him relaxed further. Ding-Xiang closed his eyes and was enjoying his temporary respite until he felt warm and calloused palm trying to wipe off his sweat.
Ding-Xiang jolted and tried to look up. His neck turning at an awkward angle, ending up finding a pair of dark eyes that were like a bottomless pool. These eyes stood out among their owner's perfect features. Ding-Xiang's mouth dropped open but before he could speak, he was held close and the person reached down to rest his forehead on his.
He stared at the person in confusion, and he asked in a hoarse whisper, "Wei-Sheng…?"
Wei-Sheng who was finally able to hear his wife calling his name after those long and dangerous months nodded. He reached up and wiped the sweat from Ding-Xiang's crimson cheek, as he continued to stare at his wife. As he looked into his wife's pain-filled eyes, a light flickered in his own and he frowned slightly but said nothing. Ding-Xiang who had forgotten the things around him suddenly whimpered and arched his back.
AD
Wei-Sheng brushed his head and slowly removed the hat from Ding-Xiang's head. He loosened out his wife's braided hair. As his fingers slowly detangle the smooth silky hair, he whispered to his wife in a very gentle voice, "Just focus on giving birth and when it's over… we can talk."
Hey guys, I'm so sorry I had plans to update the other two books, along with this one, later in the day. But something came up and I won't be able to update those till next week, so kindly accept this early update as an apology. Thank you and please enjoy.
. The hubby is finally home!
