CH 58

The three little pigs.

Since Zhen Zhen was pregnant, Yue Gu Zai told a children’s story to their baby before they slept. That night, he told their baby the story about the three little pigs.

‘Gu Zai, did your mum tell you bedtime stories when you were a little boy?’ Zhen Zhen asked.

‘No,’ Yue Gu Zai said. ‘I only remember hearing about Snow White and the seven dwarfs.’

‘Why is that?’ Zhen Zhen asked.

‘My mum said if she’s Snow White, she’ll eliminate anyone who dared to bully her,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

‘Your mum… is a strong woman,’ Zhen Zhen said.

‘Zhen Zhen, do you remember when you saw photos of me, my mum, my dad and Louis?’ Yue Gu Zai asked.

‘Yes,’ Zhen Zhen said. ‘But you didn’t want to talk about your parents and Louis.’

‘The truth is I’m not from this era,’ Yue Gu Zai said. ‘I’m from the past. Outside my family, only Louis and teacher knows.’

Yue Gu Zai explained everything about his life in the past and his family to Zhen Zhen.

‘You teleported here?’ Zhen Zhen asked. ‘If that is true then why haven’t humans found evidence of wormholes yet?’

‘Zhen Zhen, you look like you want to cut me open and examine me,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

‘Is it true that your mum’s jade pearls can be used to teleport?’ Zhen Zhen asked.

‘I did try to use the jade pearls to go back home but they stopped working,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

‘What about your little brother who has the same father as you but has a different mother?’ Zhen Zhen asked. ‘What did you do to him? Did you leave him in the palace to become the next emperor? Why don’t you want to be emperor?’

‘What’s good about being the emperor?’ Yue Gu Zai asked. ‘My mum has to stay in the palace if she wants to be with my dad.’

‘You inherited your father’s good genes,’ Zhen Zhen said.

Yue Gu Zai turned off the lights.

‘Sleep,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

Zhen Zhen sensed Yue Gu Zai didn’t like his father.

In the morning Yue Gu Zai woke up to cook breakfast for Zhen Zhen as usual. But she heard an explosion, and an unfamiliar man and woman stood beside her bed. She nearly bit her tongue off out of shock.

‘Didn’t those old sages say they would teleport me to see my son?’ Ling Jia asked. ‘What is this strange place? When I get back, I’m going to behead them.’

The woman wore white clothes. She sounded like a woman in her forties, but she looked like a woman in her twenties.

‘What is that?’ the man asked.

The man wore white clothes too, and he pointed at the TV.

‘Don’t…’ Ling Jia said.

The man hit the TV and smoke came out of the TV. Zhen Zhen freaked out.

‘Old man, give me money to compensate the owner,’ Ling Jia said.

‘What did I do wrong?’ the man asked. ‘There were strange people talking inside that thing.’

‘It’s a TV,’ Ling Jia said.

Yue Gu Zai returned to the bedroom, and he was surprised to see his parents.

Ling Jia ran to Yue Gu Zai. She hugged and kissed him.

‘Little Gu Zai, mummy missed you,’ Ling Jia said. ‘Did you miss me?’

Zhen Zhen thought the man looked like he wanted to deal with Yue Gu Zai the way he dealt with the TV if the woman wasn’t hugging Yue Gu Zai.

‘Mum, you can let go of me,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

Mum? Zhen Zhen looked closely at the man and woman. The man did look like Yue Gu Zai, and the woman looked like Yue Gu Zai’s mum in the photos.

Yue Gu Zai brought breakfast to Zhen Zhen, and Ling Jia finally noticed Zhen Zhen was sitting on the bed.

‘Hello Mama,’ Zhen Zhen said.

‘Mama?’ Ling Jia asked and cried. ‘Old man, do I look like an old woman? Why did the little girl call me mama?’

‘Gu Zai, did I say something wrong?’ Zhen Zhen asked.

‘Zhen Zhen, you didn’t say anything wrong,’ Yue Gu Zai said. ‘Mum, don’t scare my wife.’

‘I’m Ling Jia, little Gu Zai’s mum,’ Ling Jia said. ‘This is my handsome husband, Yue Cheng Tian.’

Ling Jia took out a jade bracelet, a hairpin, earrings and a necklace.

‘I didn’t bring any gifts for you,’ Ling Jia said. ‘These small tokens are substitute gifts.’

‘Old woman, enough,’ Yue Cheng Tian said. ‘Why did you carry so many things with you?’

‘Of course I need to carry things I can sell when I go to a strange place,’ Ling Jia said. ‘If I didn’t carry anything, I wouldn’t mind selling you.’

Yue Cheng Ting was used to Ling Jia bickering with him so he didn’t take her words to heart.

‘Little girl, you don’t have to call mama,’ Ling Jia said. ‘You can call me Ling Jia. Little girl, what’s your name?’

‘I can’t call you by your name,’ Zhen Zhen said. ‘But you can call me Zhen Zhen.’

‘Yes you can call my name,’ Ling Jia said.

‘Ling… Jia…’ Zhen Zhen called.

Ling Jia gave a candy to Zhen Zhen.

Yue Cheng Tian pulled Ling Jia to sit with him on the sofa.

Yue Gu Zai was relieved Ling Jia finally sat still. Only Yue Cheng Tian knew how to calm Ling Jia.

‘Mum, why are you and dad here?’ Yue Gu Zai asked.

‘We couldn’t find you after you disappeared that day,’ Ling Jia said. ‘My jade pearl was missing too. I thought you were teleported here. I asked the old sages to find a way for me to see you because I missed you.’

‘Mum, when are you and dad going home?’ Yue Gu Zai asked. ‘Zhen Zhen and I are here for a weekend trip. I wanted Zhen Zhen to get fresh air.’

Ling Jia looked at Zhen Zhen’s round stomach.

‘Little Gu Zai, you’re a father now,’ Ling Jia said.

‘Mum, I’ve been a father for a long time now,’ Yue Gu Zai said. ‘Zhen Zhen and I have a son who is turning seven at the end of this year.’

‘Old man, I’m a grandma,’ Ling Jia said.

Zhen Zhen was disappointed Yue Cheng Tian looked like he didn’t like her.

‘Zhen Zhen, ignore old man,’ Ling Jia said. ‘He and little Gu Zai are two of a kind. They hide their happiness in their hearts.’

Yue Gu Zai gave one of his outfits for Yue Cheng Tian to wear. Then Yue Gu Zai bought clothes for Ling Jia to wear since she tall and slim and couldn’t fit Zhen Zhen’s maternity clothes.

In the evening Yue Gu Zai took his family to eat dinner. Yue Cheng Tian ate a couple of mouthfuls and he stopped eating because the food didn’t taste bad compared to palace food.

‘Old man, don’t think about asking me to cook for you later,’ Ling Jia said. ‘Eat and don’t waste food.’

Yue Cheng Tian forced himself to finish his bowl of food even though the food tasted bad.

‘Big sister Zhen, you’re eating dinner here too,’ Tan Xu Er said.

Tan Xu Er came to the restaurant with her two friends.

‘Um, what a coincidence,’ Zhen Zhen said.

‘Big sister Zhen, what should I call your big sister and big brother?’ Tan Xu Er asked.

‘This little girl has a sweet mouth,’ Ling Jia said. ‘Why don’t you sit down with us?’

Tan Xu Er’s friends thought Yue Gu Zai and Yue Cheng Tian shared the same good looks. They happily sat at the same table with the handsome men.

‘I only asked the little girl to sit,’ Ling Jia said.

Ling Jia didn’t like the way Tan Xu Er’s friends stared at Yue Cheng Tian.

‘We can sit here if we want to,’ Tan Xu Er’s friends said.

Ling Jia flicked a knife through the legs of the chairs Tan Xu Er’s friends were sitting on, and they fell onto the ground.

‘Do you two still want to sit at this table?’ Ling Jia asked.

‘No,’ Tan Xu Er’s friends said and they ran away from the restaurant.

‘Big sister, you’re impressive,’ Tan Xu Er said. ‘Are you big sister Zhen’s sister?’

‘I’m Gu Zai’s mum,’ Ling Jia said.

‘No way,’ Tan Xu Er said.

Ling Jia hated when people didn’t believe she was Yue Gu Zai’s mum because they didn’t look alike.

‘I meant big sister looks too young to be big brother Yue’s mum,’ Tan Xu Er said.

‘Little girl, make sure you eat more,’ Ling Jia said and smiled.

‘Why isn’t anyone else eating?’ Tan Xu Er asked.

‘We’re done eating,’ Ling Jia said. ‘I ordered more dishes for you. You need to eat everything. Don’t let the food go to waste.’

Ling Jia kissed Yue Cheng Tian’s cheek. He stood and everyone left Tan Xu Er to eat on her own.

‘Ma… Ling… mum,’ Zhen Zhen called. ‘Did you purposely ordered more dishes for Tan Xu Er?’

‘Zhen Zhen, what do you mean?’ Ling Jia asked innocently.

Zhen Zhen thought Ling Jia liked Tan Xu Er, but Ling Jia bloated Tan Xu Er’s stomach with food.

‘Zhen Zhen, I believe my son will always be faithful too you,’ Ling Jia said. ‘But it doesn’t mean he won’t attract other women’s attentions. Sometimes you need to use subtle ways to protect your husband from the women who want to steal your husband. That sweet talker is lucky I only gave her a small lesson. Zhen Zhen, when do you and little Gu Zai want to go home?’

‘We planned to leave tomorrow,’ Zhen Zhen said. ‘But since mum and dad are anxious to return home after being gone for many years, we can all go home now.’

‘Zhen Zhen, did you and little Gu Zai pay for a return trip?’ Ling Jia asked.

‘Yes,’ Zhen Zhen said.

‘Then we’ll stay here until tomorrow,’ Ling Jia said. ‘It’s not good to waste money.’

***

End of Chapter Fifty-Eight