Li Susu knew that in a small town like this, having even just a hundred taels of silver is a big deal. But here Bai Zi Qian was, offering her more than even Liu Dong Yan's bride price.
You never did do anything by halves, Tantai Jin.
Li Susu smiled as she watched Bai Zi Qian work in the kitchen, cooking their breakfast. Her wounds have healed quite well enough for her to be able to move around, but Bai Zi Qian himself stopped her from going to the wine shop today.
"You still need to rest well, Miss Li," he said, as he reluctantly helped her dress that morning. "As you said, a day's loss is not much, so please stay at home and recuperate well."
"All right, I will," Li Susu said, "especially as I have more than enough to keep me at home for a long time."
Bai Zi Qian's cheeks reddened, but he didn't say anything further.
Li Susu turned to the two girls playing with Bai Zi Qian's dogs in the yard. Watching the two girls play well, and Bai Zi Qian cooking in the kitchen, Li Susu felt a peace that she had not felt for the past hundreds of years, in the different lifetimes she had lived as immortal, mortal, and goddess. She looked at her arms, which were still marked by the ravages of the hungry spirits. Not even the pain that she was feeling could undermine the serenity that she was feeling inside.
"Do they still hurt, Miss Li?"
Li Susu looked up to Bai Zi Qian, who was looking at her arm, then at her face with concern. "I'm fine, Master Bai," she said, pulling up her sleeves to cover her scarred arms. Then she stilled.
Do they still hurt?
Li Susu looked at Bai Zi Qian curiously. He can't see my scars… can he? But Bai Zi Qian had already turned and started putting down utensils on the table, not noticing the strange look she threw his way. "Girls, the food is ready!" he called out.
The girls clambered back in the house, leaving the dogs to play by themselves outside. "Wash your hands first," Li Susu said, and the girls obediently followed her. Li Susu walked over to the dining table, where a generous spread of dishes was laid out.
"Bai Zi Qian, these look delicious," Li Susu said with admiration in her tone. Bai Zi Qian smiled and placed a bowl of white, fluffy, and steaming rice in front of her.
"Eat well, Miss Li," he said.
Breakfast was not a silent affair, especially with the cheerful chattering of the girls. Bai Zi Qian and Li Susu contributed every now and then to the conversation, but often, they'd just catch loving glances at each other. Li Susu once caught Ami's eye, which sparkled with happiness as she looked at her and Bai Zi Qian.
When breakfast was over, and Bai Zi Qian and Bao cleared the table, Li Susu and Ami moved to a sunlit part of the yard and sat on lounging chairs. Then, suddenly, Ami hugged Li Susu tight.
"Father loves you so much, Mother," Ami whispered excitedly in Li Susu's ear. "He can't take his eyes off you all throughout the meal, and he had taken good care of you throughout the night." She leaned away to look at Li Susu. "He must be close to remembering you."
Li Susu smiled and kissed Ami's forehead. "I'm glad that you're happy," she said, holding her daughter close. "But we can't rush Bai Zi Qian to remember anything, and to be honest, I like him this way." She turned pensive. "Bai Zi Qian's life is much happier than Tantai Jin's, so maybe letting him forget all the pain is a blessing from the gods."
Ami looked at her mother thoughtfully. "Mother is right, of course," she said. She smiled at Li Susu. "If Mother thinks we let Father remain Bai Zi Qian, then that's what we'll do." Then she looked thoughtful again and then asked, "What will happen to the Demon Realm, if Father doesn't return?"
Li Susu sighed. "We have to talk about it with Mo Nv, Si Ying, and Jing Mie," she said. "But I hope the peace between the immortal and demon realms would last long, so that Bai Zi Qian can also live peacefully like this." She glanced at Ami. "Do you like this quiet life, Ami?"
Ami breathed in deeply first, then exhaled loudly. "Yes, Mother, I like it," she said, "but I'm starting to miss the Demon Realm."
Li Susu smiled fondly and ruffled Ami's hair. "You really are Tantai Jin's daughter," she said, chuckling. They almost didn't notice Bai Zi Qian and Bao approach them with plates of cut fruits.
"Thank you, Master Bai," Li Susu said as she watched Bai Zi Qian place the plate he was holding just within her easy reach. With the girls' lively chat and the peaceful scenery before them, any bystander looking at them would think they were a cheerful family unit.
Sometime in the middle of their conversations, Ami and Li Susu sensed an immortal aura approach their house. Li Susu looked at Ami. "It seems we have a guest," she said. Ami nodded, and ran over to the gate as Bai Zi Qian and Bao followed her with their eyes, wondering if there really was a guest coming.
Ami unlatched the gate, ushering in Gongye Jiwu. Li Susu stood, Bao following almost immediately, while Bai Zi Qian took his time to get up to greet the guest. "Uncle," Ami said, throwing her hands around Gongye Jiwu. Li Susu bowed slightly, with Bao imitating her too.
"Senior Brother," Li Susu said.
Bai Zi Qian, meanwhile, remained silent, glaring at Gongye Jiwu, who seemed aware of Bai Zi Qian's strange hostility towards him. Nevertheless, Gongye Jiwu smiled at Ami, returned Li Susu's and Bao's bows, and inclined his head slightly towards Bai Zi Qian.
"What brings you here, Senior Brother?" Li Susu asked.
"I brought you some… medicine," Gongye Jiwu said cautiously, looking at Bai Zi Qian. "And I'd like to try something that Sect Leader Zhang Hai said Im… Honorable Zhaoyou once did for…" He paused, glancing at Bai Zi Qian cautiously.
"…for Tantai Jin," Li Susu finished, understanding Gongye Jiwu's hesitation. "All right." She looked at Bai Zi Qian. "Brother Jiwu is here to help me heal," she said, trying to diffuse the dark expression on his face. "It might take a while, so you don't need to wait out here."
"I'm not going anywhere," Bai Zi Qian said adamantly, the dark expression on his face going permanently between his eyebrows.
Li Susu bit back the laughter that bubbled between her lips. "Don't worry, Bai Zi Qian," she said, lips turned up in a slow smile, "I have received your silver, and I have no reason to regret anything." The other people around them looked at them curiously, but Li Susu and Bai Zi Qian had eyes only for each other. That simple glance told Bai Zi Qian everything he wanted to know, and the dark expression on his face lightened considerably. Li Susu saw that, and couldn't help chuckling.
"Could you take Ami and Bao shopping?" Li Susu suggested to Bai Zi Qian. "As you know, we don't have any food left here at home." Bai Zi Qian's eyebrows stuck together again, making Li Susu shake her head. "The treatment might take long, and I don't want the three of you waiting around here."
"All right," Bai Zi Qian said. Li Susu helped the three prepare for their shopping, and then saw them off cheerfully. Gongye Jiwu waited for her patiently, so as soon as Bai Zi Qian and the girls were out of earshot, he quickly went near Li Susu and exclaimed, "Tantai Jin! I can't believe it! Ami couldn't explain properly last time, but now…"
Li Susu laughed. "Yes, Senior Brother, he is Tantai Jin," she said. "But he is also Bai Zi Qian, a mortal, without any memory of immortals, demons, Devil Gods and true goddesses."
"And this was made possible by your phoenix mark?" Gongye Jiwu asked incredulously. Li Susu simply nodded. "It's a miracle."
"Yes, it is," Li Susu agreed. "This time, I won't let him go."
Gongye Jiwu looked at Li Susu's somber face, seeing the longing and loneliness in her eyes. "I'm happy for you and Ami," he said. He gestured into the house. "Let's make sure that you become well enough to enjoy the happiness that you and Tantai Jin and Ami have been denied for so long." Li Susu nodded, and they went in the house, unaware of a pair of eyes that followed them until they disappeared into the house.
"Got you, Li Susu," Liu Dong Yan whispered.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Bai Zi Qian could barely take charge of the shopping with the two girls leading him on to try a lot of new things they haven't tried the last time they went shopping.
"You know, we ought to go and check the vegetables first," Bai Zi Qian attempted to direct the girls to a proper shopping.
"Let's do the vegetables last, Uncle Bai," Ami said. "You know, the vegetables might wither if we do them first, and we want Mother to have the freshest vegetables to eat, right?" She said that as she was looking at brightly colored kites that Bao pointed out.
Bai Zi Qian shook his head. "You know what," he finally said, reaching out in his pocket for a small bag of coins. He knelt and took Ami's hand, shoving the bag in her hand. "Why don't you two girls go and explore the market all you want, and I'll do the grocery shopping myself? Then let's meet at that restaurant there," pointing at a building a few shops away, "I'll wait for you."
Ami smiled and kissed Bai Zi Qian's cheek. "Thank you Uncle Bai," she said, then took Bao's hand and turned towards the direction of the sweet shops.
"Be careful!" Bai Zi Qian called out after them as they disappeared into the crowd. Ami raised a hand to indicate she heard him. After seeing them off, Bai Zi Qian turned to the direction of the market to buy vegetables and meat for dinner later.
As predicted, he was first in the restaurant, no little girls in sight. He chose a table that would be clearly seen from the door, and ordered a few snacks and tea for himself to while away the time he would be spending waiting for the girls.
He took out something from his pocket. He had started carrying it around ever since Li Susu haunted his every waking dream, every plan for the future, and every present action.
The jade pendant that his father pinned on her mother's wedding clothes lay in Bai Zi Qian's hand.
Last night, he must have been crazy. But the alcohol's effects had already worn off by then, leaving his mind clear. He definitely must have been crazy then… crazy enough to give Li Susu more than the bride price she asked for.
But he had wanted to marry her the minute he laid his eyes on her. He had never been sure of anything in his entire life. Even when his soul forbade him to get entangled with Li Susu and her daughter, his heart yearned for them the second that they came into his life. He wanted them with him. He wanted to see them, hold them in his arms, and be with them the rest of his life.
So when Li Susu said, "It only takes a couple of silvers to marry me," he took that frail thread and held it tight. When he had started to think it was just an imaginary thread, she had said, "I have enough to keep me at home for a long time." When he had started to doubt that she had accepted him, she said, "I have no reason to regret anything."
With her words, her loving glance, her soft touch, flowers bloomed in his heart, as fragrant as the scent of the acacia flowers she wore.
Bai Zi Qian looked up at the sky. Here I am, Mother, Father, he said, thinking of his parents smiling down at him. I am about to take this woman and her child as my family, and nothing but death will separate us. He clutched the jade tightly in his hand.
"Bai Zi Qian."
Bai Zi Qian quickly tucked the jade into his sleeve pocket and looked up at Liu Dong Yan. "Miss Liu," he said in acknowledgement, but without standing.
Liu Dong Yan sat across him. "It's time for you to announce our wedding date," she said.
"No."
"Well, at least sign up for the civil servant examinations!" Liu Dong Yan muttered angrily. "You've always been putting that off year after year, until everyone we know had already left for their government posts! You and I both know you're far better than anyone else in this small town, and can definitely rise higher, even probably be adviser to the emperor."
Bai Zi Qian smirked. "But you and I both know I have never had ambitions like that," he replied, glaring coldly at Liu Dong Yan. "I am content with the simple life I lead as a hunter, a life you despise and wish to avoid."
"You're the only one left of the Bai family, one of this town's most respected families," Liu Dong Yan gritted her teeth at Bai Zi Qian's stubbornness. "Everyone expects you to become more than just a simple hunter."
Bai Zi Qian turned his head away from her. Seeing his dismissive attitude, Liu Dong Yan threw her one last card at him.
"If you intend to marry that wench Li Susu, be prepared to share her with other men, like the one I saw her with this morning." She sneered. "How you could even think about marrying her when she gave birth to another man's brat is beyond me." She raised an eyebrow. "Have you really stooped that low?"
Bai Zi Qian's jaw clenched, and he slowly turned to her with cold anger burning in his eyes. "If I ever hear you speak like that again about Li Susu or Ami, I'll be sure to send your regards to the unfortunate Wang Si."
Liu Dong Yan's eyes grew round in fear. "You… you wouldn't…"
Bai Zi Qian nonchalantly took a sip of his tea. "He was as meddlesome as you, and spewed all sorts of lies like you. You know, after he …left… the whole town felt as if a thorn was taken from our collective sides." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you think they'll feel the same way if you… leave?"
Liu Dong Yan stood up abruptly, then without a backward glance at Bai Zi Qian, fled from him. "Be careful!" Bai Zi Qian called out after her, making her trip on her way out of the restaurant. He smiled with cold satisfaction that Liu Dong Yan would now think twice about spreading lies about Li Susu.
But…
Bai Zi Qian caught sight of the town's bulletin board. The notice for the local examinations fluttered in the air. He remembered Li Susu as she sat with Ami outside, the sunlight illuminating both of them. To give them the best life…
Bai Zi Qian stepped out of the restaurant and walked over to the magistrate's office, where he signed his name up for the local examinations.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Come along, Ami," Bai Zi Qian called out at Ami who was lagging behind.
"Uncle Bai…" Ami whined pitifully. "Can you slow down?"
Bai Zi Qian laughed. "Who told you to buy so much stuff? Now you're complaining about the packages you have to bring home. Look at Bao, she's not complaining." Bao smiled at him.
Ami pouted. "But these are for Mother," she said, gesturing at the packages she held in her arms. "I can't help but buy her some nice clothes and sweet snacks."
Bai Zi Qian stopped and turned to her. "I know you want to make your mother happy," he said, looking at a sweaty Ami, "and I hope she likes the things that you bought her." Then he shrugged. "But you have to carry those up so that she could have them." He chuckled as Ami continued whining behind them.
They continued walking home with the parcels in their arms, chatting cheerfully to ease the fatigue. Suddenly, they found Mother Liu running towards them, fear very evident in her eyes. She was startled when she saw Bai Zi Qian, and as she ran past them, she muttered, "It's not my fault… it's not my fault…"
Bai Zi Qian and the girls followed her as she ran out of their sight, wondering what was the matter. Then suddenly, they smelled smoke in the air, coming from the direction of…
Bai Zi Qian dropped the bags he was holding and hurried towards Li Susu's house, horror flooding his heart as he saw the entire house engulfed in fire.
"Li Susu!"
xxxxxxxxxxxx