Chapter Twenty-one

Dong Woo went outside to the side of the house where the field was the largest. Watching on as the children played around. He noticed that they all resembled their parents so the amount of chairs made sense around the dining table.

The twins were in the kitchen along with their sister Rucheng and Ancheng preparing dinner while everyone was out playing and relaxing.

Beyond the playing children he saw a bench under a tree where Chushan and Yifan were sitting and gazing up into the sky. He walked past the glaring children to their parents.

Standing before them with his hands folded behind his back, he looked back at the children who were playing then spotted Qinghe and Changling returning from somewhere covered in blood. 

"What are you curious about?" Chushan asked him. He turned his head towards them and saw that Yifan was no longer sitting beside her. He searched for him and found him walking towards the children.

"You have a beautiful home, all the vegetation alone can sustain a family as big as yours for more than fifty years if maintained well," he commented.

Chushan nodded patting the seat beside her, "Yes it can and it will."

He excused himself with a thank you and sat beside her looking over at the children who were now attacking their father making him ran away. Yifan could have run them away but was running at their pace.

"Peaceful isn't it?" she said referring to the tranquillity her mountain home brought.

"Ask and I'll answer," she said with a smile on her face as her eyes looked into his.

Collecting his thoughts he asked, "How is it that you are alive?"

"I never died," she said the obvious.

Ignoring her sarcasm, "If you were alive why didn't you inform the royal court."

"The royal court? Dong Woo, your best friend announced a divorce that I accepted, the royal court gave its approval, so why should I have reported to the royal court?" she asked him with conversationally.

"Chushan, I know what happened between you and Wu Yong but you were carrying his child, how could you not tell him that you were alive, do you know, you and Yifan could die for this?" he asked confused.

She held up her hand to calm him down, "Wu Yong, didn't bother to check the corpse if it had a three month old foetus in it and even after the corpse was burned, he did not announce to the court that I was carrying his child, instead he went and fathered a child with Consort Kim. Does that sound like a person who was happy to have me as his child's mother? Instead of trying to protect me with his crown, he chose to hide me away then have the child enter the palace without me after birth, I would have been thrown away like a dog Dong Woo, if you were me, you would have chosen a life in the shadows as well!"

Dong Woo wanted to refute her statements but couldn't since he saw the determined look in her eyes remembering how they used to be filled with sadness where as now, there was love and happiness in them. Sighing he turned his eyes back to the children, "How did you and General Rong meet?"

"We met through Qinghe," she said with a beaming smile, remembering that day.

Dong Woo frowned and before he could ask his question was answered, "Qinghe was lost and I found him crying in the middle of the street. Everyone just walked past him and as a mother-to-be I acted on instinct. I walked around with him for an entire hour before a panicking handsome man came calling after him. By the time Yifan came along I wished that he wouldn't find his son so that I could be Qinghe's mother. I sometimes wonder to myself if it was love at first sight, me seeing Qinghe so vulnerable that I didn't want to part with him. And over dinner, that same day with Qinghe and Yifan I fell in love with him too. I knew the consequences of having a child without a father and I didn't want my son to be a bastard so I accepted the offer. Yifan felt the same, he said he wanted to be a father to a new born again and would treat me better than the man who left his wife behind – we married three days after meeting and what made me stay was the mere fact that a man who didn't father my son cried in joy when he held Changling in his arms. Qinghe was the, oh so protective brother that never liked it when we held his brother too long and would take him away from us. Even until this day, those two boys have a bond that I only ever saw between my father and his brother, not even my own siblings loved one another as much as these children of mine love each other."

Wiping away the tears from her eyes and sniffing she continued, "Changling brought a beaten up Qinghe home when they were younger. A few boys in the village near here that we frequented bullied Changling asking him why he didn't look like Yifan yet Qinghe did. Qinghe was so furious that day that he injured the boys but since it was a five against one fight he lost but had a smile on his face because he managed to beat them before they got him. Changling was furious at us wanting to know why people were talking ill of him and his parents but as usual Yifan handled the situation well. He brought up a mirror and sat with Changling on his lap saying, "Can't you see that both of us have eyes, a nose, ears and most of all we both have a penis which is used to make small humans! Now I don't want you to ever think that you are not my son because you are no matter what." Changling ran away happy knowing that he was his father's son but that night Yifan cried in his arms because he never wanted Changling to know that fact. To Yifan, Changling and Qinghe are his treasures that he spent great amount of time and effort on them. His heart and soul are within those boys and they know it. But we eventually had to tell Changling who his biological father was and he rejected it, "No one besides the man sitting in front of me. The man I love, the man who loves me and raised me is my father," was his words. That day the three boys cried while I stood by and watched with tears in my eyes… now just try taking one of them out of the other two's lives and see how far you will get."

Dong Woo didn't say a word and sat there listening to her words. From the sound of it, although it seemed like Yifan was leaving his children to decide the course of action when in fact he raised them to make decisive decisions that will power the household instead. His eyes drifted over to Yifan who was acting as the children were.

Yifan felt a gaze on him and looked up to where it came from. Their eyes met and for a brief moment they both nodded then averted their gazes. After a moment of silence Dong Woo asked the question that has been on his mind since he saw Ji Min earlier, "Is J-Jae Hyun alive?" he asked nervously.

Chushan turned her head to him surprised, "Yes he is," she answered.

Dong Woo sighed in relief letting out an 'Oh'. Chushan smirked, "So you've been thinking about him for over the last twenty years?"

Dong Woo's body stiffened, with a light nod he didn't reply. "Are you married?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "Divorced, I couldn't make her happy but we have two sons together," he answered remembering his two boys.

Chushan hummed, "Well that's great then, Jae Hyun and his daughter will be here soon. They went to buy medicinal herbs, I'm sure that he will be happy that you're here since he still likes you."

Dong Woo's heart pained when he heard that Jae Hyun had a daughter but felt relieved that he still liked him. They never got a chance to say much to each other and on a whim one night the two copulated thinking they could make things work but the divorce was declared and soon their deaths were announced. His heart ached and he shed tears whenever he thought about Jae Hyun but since Jae Hyun was still alive, why didn't he return to him?

Chushan raised a brow seeing Dong Woo's conflicted look. She smiled sadly saying, "As much as he liked you, he was loyal to me. If he returned to you wouldn't that lead you to me?"

Dong Woo looked at Chushan oddly, why did it seem like she was a mind reader?

Steeling his face he asked, "What's his daughter's name?"

Chushan looked at him with a smirk replying, "Her name's Tailiang, bright like the sun. What are your sons' names?"

He smiled slightly taking in her name and answered, "The eldest is Youxian and the second Enlu."

"Strong names for strong boys," she commented.

"Yes but they aren't too happy about the divorce and blame me. They've become disrespectful and uncaring of their actions," he said with a sigh.

Chushan patted him on the shoulder, "You should introduce them to Jae Hyun, he disciplined all my children and look how well behaved they are except for when the emperor is mentioned and if you do not want him to be trouble, leave your sons in Changling's hands, that boy will most likely kill your son but before they die they will have learnt manners."

Dong Woo raised a brow at her. She spoke so differently of her son and by the sound of his name, he seemed deceptive. Just then, Changling walked out of the house yelling, "The foods ready."

Chushan motioned for Dong Woo to get up and come in along with them.