Life had been pretty good for Bai YuLan. Ever since the New Year - not counting the one day that Princess Zhang XiuYa had visited her briefly - YuLan hardly had anything to complain.
For example, she had gotten used to travel to and from Hun'ang, without having to have HeShan and SunChen's accompaniment to protect her.
This was because, all the Dragon troops in Hun'ang practically treated her like their own superior, much to her bewilderment. Every single one of them gave her proper military salute whenever they saw her, the like of which was given by a subordinate to a lord.
She was bemused but slightly embarrassed about the whole arrangement - it was no doubt the doing of Ji SongLi, Zhen BuFeng, and Zhang JunLi. Hun'ang townfolks began to see her differently, some even scurried away upon seeing her just walking on the street. Fortunately, her usual merchants and vendors who she bought her goods from still treated her the same way, whenever they were not teasing her about her new batch of soldiers.
"You may as well be the town lord" - they said.
The other perk of this, was that she was no longer pestered by the actual town lord, or to be precise, the town lord's son.
There were only a couple of times that she saw Qian FanSheng on the streets. The young man, upon noticing her as well, initially had a conflicted look on his face. His body swayed back and fro, seemingly deciding if he wanted to come closer to speak to her. Then he clenched his fists and started to walk towards her. Suddenly, a patrolling soldier - with a dragon engraved jade tassel on his belt - walked around the corner to her side and offered her his salutation. She merely turned her head for a brief moment to acknowledge the soldier's greeting, before turning to look where Qian FanSheng was.
All she could see was his retreating back, running in haste.
She just shrugged and carried on her merry way, purchasing whatever she needed from the various merchants in town.
The whole arrangement, was good.
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A few months passed, and JingXiang had grown chubby and quite sturdy for a baby. He had started conversing - in his baby language - to everyone in the house. He was every bit as chatty as his mother.
JingXiang seemed to like the company of females more than males. At four months, his arms were already strong enough for him to support his weight up as he lifted his head, when he lied on his stomach, albeit very briefly.
Every time he did that, YuLan and Xiao Hui would laugh and sing him praises. Little JingXiang seemed to like the ringing laugh and vocal tone of a female. The first moment he ever lifted his head, and as the two women laughed, smiled, and clapped their hands, he was stunned for a bit.
Then he laughed along with them, and kept propping himself up to earn himself more of the ringing laughing voices that he loved to hear.
When summer started, YuLan had resumed Yong house' business, much to her regular customers' delight. The addition of the little man brought more female patrons, all to whom JingXiang was more than happy to display his strength.
They laughed and praised him, and that made JingXiang gurgle happy noise as well in return. He became the mascot of Yong house; and the female patrons loved him immensely, bringing him myriad of gifts and baby food.
However, his father and SunChen did not receive the same privilege from the little lord. Nor did the other male customers.
He did initially display various tricks that would normally earn him singing praises from the women, to the men. When they praised him, laughing sincerely, JingXiang was also stunned, but only for a bit. Then he plopped his head onto the plush bed or cushions, just lying on his stomach, and refused to budge anymore.
SunChen initially tried to sing to him. After all, he was very confident in his voice - the heavenly voice that had pulled the heart-strings of many maidens in the capital city.
The baby only blinked his big watery eyes at him a few times, before crying loudly.
It offended SunChen a great deal. Granted, he was alright when YuLan sang to the baby, and JingXiang was then pacified in an instant. She had a beautiful voice, after all.
He could also accept it when Xiao Hui sang to JingXiang, and the baby calmed down. Xiao Hui was the mother, so that was to be expected.
JingMo, however, was in the same predicament as SunChen was. The baby seemed to hate his own father's voice the most. Perhaps it had something to do with Xiao Hui cursing her husband when JingXiang was still in her stomach, when she was in labor.
No one would ever know.
Despite all that, SunChen decided that he really disliked this little man.
Because of all males he could just choose to favor, JingXiang heartily grew very attached to HeShan.
Everytime HeShan played his guqin - a new guqin that SongLi had given to him on his last visit, with his own old set of strings - JingXiang would cease whatever he was doing, to listen to him attentively.
When HeShan played his dizi, the baby let out a gurgling pitchy noise, seemingly wanting to mimic the whistling sound.
When HeShan held JingXiang, the baby did not struggle and cry like he did with SunChen, JingMo, or any other Yong house' male customers.
Initially SunChen thought that JingXiang did not like being held by males due to the hard flat chests they have. But with HeShan, if anything, he snuggled closer to the man's chest, his chubby little fingers grabbing onto his robe.
And JingXiang always happily fell asleep in his embrace, as HeShan sang him a lullaby.
SunChen truly did not like the baby. Especially when before JingXiang grew drowsy, ready to make himself ultra comfortable in HeShan embrace, he seemed to give just a subtle glance towards SunChen.
SunChen might be imagining things too much, but the baby let out a snort while blinking his big eyes at him, as he then snuggled closer into HeShan's embrace.
To SunChen, it was a challenging kind of snort.
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One summer day - briefly a few weeks away from autumn - YuLan had just returned from her early excursion at Hun'ang, as usual whenever she needed to stock the ingredients for the tea-house. She had grown accustomed to riding by herself, and quite like the feeling. Riding a horse was certainly an experience she had not had the fortune to try in her past life, not counting a little pony she had ridden when Mia Simmons was just a little girl.
As soon as she arrived at Yong house, the Ji guards that were on duty as usual - who were standing in front of the house - smiled widely at her as they offered their salutations.
She lightly frowned her brows, as these men were usually ever so expressionless.
Then as she entered past the front door, JingMo and Xiao Hui were already in their tidy outdoor attires.
"We will visit mother and father, up the hill," Xiao Hui smiled at YuLan as she gave them questioning look,
"It has been a while since we pay our respects. I'm sure they want to see JingXiang again."
JingMo was already packing some incense and a small jar of wine into a small carry bag, intended for his parents' offering.
HeShan and SunChen were also preparing to leave, it seemed, judging at the guqin and a carry bag SunChen were holding.
"We will go to the river. It's too hot," SunChen told her. He then glanced ruefully at HeShan, who was still holding JingXiang. The baby was happily gurgling his baby language, snuggling into HeShan's bosom.
SunChen pursed his lips as he put the guqin and bag on a table. He then wordlessly took the chattering baby from his friend's hold, ignoring little JingXiang's unhappy wail as he was taken from his comfortable abode.
SunChen then handed the baby to Xiao Hui, who could only give him an apologetic look. The baby gurgled in protest a little bit, but then happily played with his mother's long cascading hair.
The pair of parents and their child exited the front door first, but YuLan could not quite understand the teasing smile Xiao Hui gave her as she disappeared beyond the door.
SunChen grabbed HeShan's hand, and holding onto the guqin under his armpit and the bag, they also started walking. All the time, SunChen grumbled about "finally getting some quality time alone without an annoying little monkey". HeShan only shrugged and let his irate friend herd him towards the front door.
"I... can't come along, can I?" YuLan suddenly felt neglected, as her friends left her one-by-one, without even offering for her to tag along.
HeShan lifted his index finger onto his lips and grinned at YuLan,
"We want to let you both be comfortable," he then added with a singing voice,
"You may want to check the backyard pavilion~!"
Then, the sound of their footsteps gradually became smaller. YuLan stood in the middle of the room in a daze, but could only shrug her shoulders and proceeded to the outdoor kitchen, wanting to stow her purchased items in their respective cabinets. She only had to obtain a few herbal teas and edible flowers in Hun'ang that morning - the new purchase being the last ones that she could obtain, as the spring and summer blossoms almost came to an end.
Fall was approaching fast, and the trees and flowering shrubs started to wilt and shed their last bits of colorful splendor of summer blossoms.
She did not really notice anything was amiss, but as she took some steps towards the backyard, from the kitchen, she noticed a small shifting movement, across the bridge, under the red painted pavilion.
Her breath suddenly hitched, and her heart started to drum faster.
She softly rubbed her eyes, wanting to make sure if the sight was not just the product of her imagination.
The figure stopped moving, but it was undoubtedly familiar. The pavilion was still a fair distance away from where she was standing, but she had constantly been chasing after his shadow after all, for months now. She would recognize him anywhere - even in a bustling crowd - let alone now, a lone figure in the midst of an expansive garden, with the faint summer breeze bringing little respite to her suddenly warming heart.
His now still figure, even from a distance, was like a beacon to her.
With light steps and trembling fingers, she walked slowly, urging herself to not run and touch that figure, if only to make sure the summer heat had not actually caused any damage to her brain, producing hallucination.
As she grew closer, she let out a involuntary sigh of relief. It was barely a couple of steps to the pavilion.
"He is there."
"He is there. He is well, he is healthy... he is ... perfect. He is just a couple of steps away now"
"Hey, do you know?"
"I ... have been missing you so much"
Perhaps her subtle movements as she came closer had startled him, or perhaps it was just in his countenance to always have a part of him be alert all the time, even when he was seemingly so peaceful in his earlier daydream.
YuLan felt a sudden regret - she had wanted to look closer, a bit longer, at his sleeping visage.
The pair of eyes - unfocused at first -gradually sharpened as he directed his gaze at her; and he flashed his usual smile -
- his kind and gentle smile - a smile that she hoped would only ever be shown to her.
YuLan spent a few seconds standing outside the pavilion, while SongLi was already sitting straight, still smiling at her. She wanted to take the sight of him just a little bit longer - his face, slightly fatigued expression reflected; his still sleep-filled eyes; his broad shoulders; his long legs; his long hair; his smile, again.
"You are back," the corner of his eyes pulled just slightly, as he flashed a wider smile. His eyes brightened, genuinely delighted to have seen her.
"And his voice... ," YuLan felt a flitting dance of butterflies inside of her, it caused her stomach to tighten. Anxiousness suddenly filled her mind.
"You...," she stammered, suddenly forgetting all the lines she had planned and rehearsed inside her own mind for countless nights before,
"Your hair... is long... it's hotter here than in Da Lang. Let me tidy it up for you."
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