To my brother, Jianjun:
I fervently pray that you, Cheng, and your brood of bamboo shoots are doing well. How lucky you are to have five strong, young boys to prosper and carry on the Xiao name…and a daughter, of course. As you know, Fen and I have been praying to start our own lineage for our entire 20 years of marriage, with ample success. Fen has started to blame herself for our childlessness, even suggesting that I take on another, younger wife. However, I love her dearly and wish to know no other like I do her. To prove that I am still as devoted to her as I was twenty years ago, I decided to take her and Ying, her beloved Pikachu, to go and see the grand tournament that was being hosted in Shichun. We did something similar when I was first courting her, and I believe it meant a lot to both of us. Seeing the fervor that these young people have for their Pokémon gives me hope for the next generation. Fen fears that she is getting older and will soon be out of season, but I believe that we will be able to work something out. She has been going to the shrine daily and our house still reeks of incense, but neither of us are ready to give up. Lord Sinnoh knows that a child would be our greatest blessing, but being able to spend quality time with my wife like we did at the tournament has made me realize that I will always cherish her, whether she gives me an heir or not. However, it is not only my longing to have a child, but hers as well. Around this time last year, her mother and father finally stopped pestering her about grandchildren, saying, "Fen, Sinnoh knows that you are as dry as the Panshu Desert." This has made my poor wife feel even worse, believing that she will never provide her parents with a grandchild. How am I to make her feel better? I am not a woman! She comes to me and says that all of her friends have been blessed with children, and does not understand why she can't be one of them. My wife is becoming increasingly moody and has lost her radiant glow, like a songbird confined to its cage too long. By all means, I believe we are good people. We pray daily, leave offerings at the shrine every week, and do our best to help our neighbors. Surely Lord Sinnoh would know the benefits of giving us a child, so I do not understand why he chooses not to do so. I often find my wife in some kind of dazed state, and when she finally regains her composure, she says to me, "Jialun, if Lord Sinnoh has been ignoring our prayers for twenty years, what makes you think that he'll listen now? We are old." Hearing this come from my wife, who is the pearl of our household, saddens me to an extent that I cannot portray to you in mere words, dear brother. I fear that we both are at our wit's end. I fear that Lord Sinnoh is punishing me for coveting what you, my brother, have: an abundance. I wish to turn over a new leaf and celebrate the niece and nephews that you and your beloved wife have given us. With every day that passes, my chances of having a child of my own grow slimmer and slimmer, but I pray that Fen and I can be a part of the lives of yours. I apologize for any wrongdoings I may have done against you, and as your older brother, I wish to support you and your family in any way I can. I eagerly await your response, should you choose to do so.
Your brother,
Jialun