"I could just strangle him. He's just a baby!" Ying said plainly. " Qian, answer my question!" She said in a cold voice.
Qian couldn't answer. Only a few moments later, she said, "I think I will be sad!" Her eyes became teary. "You can't kill my baby! He's my child!"
In a sudden, Ying's face expression changed. She looked at Qian, who was not even fifteen years old with such loving eyes. Qian was raped when she was just twelve years old and had a baby when she's thirteen years old. Ying could not imagine how many girls in this world had a similar fate as Qian.
Ying stretched her hand and caressed Qian's head and said, "I didn't mean to scare all of you. If you don't want that boy anymore, then I will bring him and raise him here! I'm sure Madame Ling won't refuse!" She made a mischievous look with her eyes and said, "Am I right, Madame Ling?"
Madame Ling laughed. She's glad that Ying was only joking. She pinched Ying on her hand until she screamed while laughing.
Madame Ling hugged Qian and said, "Child, I know that your life is not easy. But that boy is innocent. Raise him! We will do anything to support him, alright?"
Qian nodded her head.
Mister Yao and Madame Ling were so glad to see that Ying was only joking.
"We're only gone for a few days, and you have become this naughty!" Mister Yao sighed and shook his head.
Ying laughed. "How's the trip?" She asked excitedly.
"Goujian attacked Wu State!" Master Yao said.
Ying, who was pouring some tea for her teachers, was a bit surprised. "Did they win?"
"Not that easy!" Master Yao said. "The one who leads Wu's army is your shixiong*. He's a good military commander! Goujian could not get an easy victory! They managed to kill the crown prince of Wu, but they had to retreat and return to Yue."
[ *Shixiong: senior apprentice-brother]
"Shixiong? I didn't know that I have a senior apprentice-brother! Is he a good swordsman?"
"He's much older than you, and actually, we don't really teach him any martial art. He's an expert already!" Mister Yao said.
"Oh!" Ying said.
"He's an expert in making weapons! An apprentice of Ou Yezi. I will take you to see him when the time comes!"
================
Goujian managed to kill Crown Prince You, while Fuchai and his soldiers were returning to Wu.
Although Goujian still had more than twenty-five thousand soldiers, their food supplies were already running out. Therefore both Wu and Yue agreed with the ceasefire.
Fuchai mourned the death of his son - Crown Prince You. And Bo Pi used this chance to slander General Yan. General Yan was put to blame since he left his post to go home.
Fuchai was not pleased with General Yan. But he didn't punish General Yan as he knew that the old general did his best to protect the gate. With only twenty thousand old, weak, and inexperienced soldiers, it's already a big achievement that the capital could not be conquered by Goujian with his fifty thousand soldiers.
General Yan was displeased to his wife who could easily be tricked by an outsider. Yet he didn't want to blame his wife and prefer to be silent. But his silence made his wife felt guiltier. Her health deteriorated so fast.
General Yan used that excuse to retire. He used his time to take care of his wife attentively.
"My wife, take first your medicine, " Yan Xuanye said and handed a bowl of medicine to his wife. "Your hands are cold. You should eat more to warm your body!" He said and pulled up a blanket to cover her body.
"Laoye, you're so kind to me!" Madame Yan said. "You can ask the maid to take care of me. You don't have to do it by yourself!"
"You're my wife!" Xuanye said and smiled at her. "I have to take care of you by myself. Besides, I'm retired now!"
"If not because of my stupidity, Crown Prince You wouldn't have to die, and King Fuchai won't blame you for leaving your post during the wartime!" Madame Yan said.
Xuanye smiled lightly and said, "Don't think too much about it!"
"Are you angry at me?"
Xuanye shook his head, "No!"
"But you're not happy because of it!"
He sighed and said, "I'm disappointed at you, since you don't trust me! How could you believe a stranger, who came to our house and said that I married her and even had a child with her? You've married me for more than thirty years, but you still can't fully trust me!"
"We're married for years but we could not have a child. That's why I thought that you had another woman outside! Now I realize now how stupid I am. I'm already this old…even if you have another woman, then so what?"
"I've always been faithful to my wife!"
"Laoye, actually…I…" his wife paused a moment didn't know how to continue. "Laoye, I dare not to ask you this question before. But now that I know that I'm dying, therefore I have to ask you. And you have to answer me, honestly!"
"Hmm, are you going to ask me again if I love you?" Xuanye said and laughed. "You've always asked me the same question over and over again!" He clutched his wife's hand and said, "And my answer is the same: I love you! I've always love you! And I've never eyed or coveted any other woman in my life, except my late wife!"
Madame Yan laughed, "That's not my question!"
"Then, what's your question?"
"Laoye, are you …a human?"