" Qing Hua, I'm about to ask a question and you must provide an answer to it."
"..." The person at the other end lets out a deep sigh, " Haha, alright."
"Well..." Shen Zhufu bit his thumb unsure of what to ask and how to ask, " Something happened today...."
Qing Hua interrupted him with a loud gasp, " What happened??" her face was hysterical, "Don't tell me..."
" No no no..." he cut her off from thinking whatever that made her face flushed pink, " What the fuck are you thinking about?"
"..." She let out a small cough hiding her shy smile behind her sleeves, " nothing." she giggled like a little child revealing two rabbit front teeth with slight spacing between them. She would have looked like a little rabbit if she have had two elongated ears, " So what happened."
Shen Zhufu being him, as dramatic as ever, cleared his throat and told her about what had happened in an animated voice, adding a series of sound effects to his story.
He would have won the best storyteller but his only audience was Qing Hua, who was paying deep attention to him likewise, adding her sound effects when needed.
" That is all."
There was total silence from the other side of the mirror he could hear the calm wave of a nearby river coming quiet side.
Finally, a low sigh broke the silence. Qing Hua," How is he?"
Shen Zhufu " He is doing fine," he took a glance at the sleeping figure of the boy he saved, " Very fine in fact."
" Mn, that's good."
" Yeah."
" My lord, your question?"
" I don't know what happened but...." he stared at his trembling hands that just performed a miracle on someone not long ago," I told you that...we were both swallowed by the river." he glanced at the mirror and got a nod to continue, " Well I am not surprised that I can breathe underwater but what's more surprising was...
when I touched him...you know he had this big hole on his chest that could fit in two heads...I wanted to...no....as soon as I touched him, that big fucking hole closed up...like it was not there at first....how? I don't understand?"
Once again, there was silence but longer than the former. Then a chuckle was heard, " Wow, my lord! Congratulations."
With that, the communication link was broken, not giving him the chance to retort. Leaving him in disbelief.
' Wow? congratulations? What's that about?' he let out a frustrated groan, " Really, Qing Hua??"
He could still hear the low giggles of the one who left him without giving him an answer to his questions.
Ad mist his frustration, a slight rustle came from where both Wei Xiang and the boy slept. He got up to check to find the boy already seated with his head bowed. He stood behind him hidden, just examining his broad back view.
' Hmm.'
Shen Zhufu, "Hey" A pair of multicoloured orbs looked his way. They were cold and dull under the moonlight. They now reflected the warm light in the room. It was surreal. The way they came to life and a little warmth glowing in them.
' Wow!' For him, it was Shen Zhufu's first time in his entire life to see a person's eyes having several shades of colour blending into its environment. To the light. It was like a colour rush making his heart palpitate a little.
It occurred to him that he had been staring so much at those enthral orbs with a tint of confusion. He cleared his throat, " How are you feeling?" He went closer and sat beside the staring boy, " Hope you feel no pain?"
"..."
The boy just stared at him with a blank look on his face as if he couldn't understand what the Gongzi beside him just asked.
'..Probably he is still recovering from the shock.' Shen Zhufu, himself, was recovering from several shocks, including him not lashing out at the little lad to answer his gongzi's questions. Instead, he placed a palm on his forehead and the other on the boy's, ' Weird.' It was a contracting result; One was warm and the other was very cold. Cold as snow.
' Probably he stayed out long.'
He examined the boy, he wasn't shivering or feeling sickly. He was sitting as calm as ever, staring at the man that saved him.
After several disbelief, he took his hands away from the boy's forehead not noticing the slightest ice in his patient's eyes, " So what's your name?"
"...."
" you don't remember your name?"
"...."
' Probably what happened to him made him this way.' His matured Gongzi's heartfelt pain in his heart as if he was stabbed by several needles, " who could do this to this poor boy?' He looked at him with pity and anger for whoever could have done it.
" Well, since you can't remember anything...including your name," he ruffled the boy's hair, " I can give you a name." The boy looked up at him with expectancy and hidden excitement waiting for his new name. This made Shen Zhufu chuckle, ' He is so cute just like Wei Xiang.' He examined the boy's features, up to his blank face filled with expectations, to his surreal eyes, unintentionally, down to his exposed torso. A truly beautiful white jade and flower.
'His beauty outmatched that of Pan an and Wei Jie.'
Shen Zhufu, " What about Xiao MeiNan?"
The boy now named, Xiao MeiNan, lashes fluttered and looked away shyly as bright pink painted his white lobes.
' I guess he didn't hate the name'
" So Xiao MeiNan is your name now." He chuckled and ruffled Xiao MeiNan's hair.
He spent time having a good laugh as he couldn't stomach Xiao MeiNan's cuteness. He tagged himself a lucky man as three Xiao MianYangs came into his life. Probably his forehead was stamped with such luck saying, " I am a keeper of Little Sheep."
He finally calmed down when he heard a low growl but it was only for a second when he burst into another round of laughter, this time, it was wild and loud thankfully those sleeping were deep sleepers," Are you hungry." He knew the answer to his question but just wanted to ask because it was fun.
Xiao MeiNan didn't give him an answer, his stomach did. A low angry growl. More pink crept up his ears down to his neck. He looked like he was just bullied and it made Shen Zhufu's heart melt.
" That's a yes." He ruffled his hair, " Don't worry. what would you like to eat?"
"...."
' I have forgotten he can't speak now.'
Shen Zhufu got up and went towards the bags of earlier. ' That means I have to arrange these.' But preparing a meal for Xiao MeiNan was the main task. ' Later.' He took out some ingredients and utensils for cooking.
Shen Zhufu couldn't decide what to cook as it was very late at night. He followed his instincts, avoiding several don'ts.
After a while, Shen Zhufu spent some time admiring his culinary skills. A matured Gongzi must be good in looks, character and including, must know how and what to mix this and that to produce a tasty meal. It makes him stand out from the rest of the other gongzis.
" Here," He placed his work in front of Xiao MeiNan with so much pride radiating all over his face, " Eat."
Xiao MeiNan stared at the food placed in front of him and the one who cooked it. His adam apple bobbed up and down.
Shen Zhufu," What?" His smile faded when Xiao MeiNan hasn't had a bite from his skilful cooking, " I didn't add poison...look," He took a spoonful to prove his point in any case, he doubted him, " I'm still alive."
With trembling hands, he took a spoonful into his mouth. uncontrolled tears began falling from his eyes and his earlobes became red as the food placed in front of him.
Shen Zhufu," You see, I haven't poisoned you tears are falling out of your eyes because it is delicious." he said encouragingly with a huge smile on his face.
' My food is so delicious that it moved him to tears...Ahh..'
Xiao MeiNan had no other choice but to eat all, not leaving anything on the plate. More tears kept on falling and red-painted his neck. While the merciless chef just kept on with the encouragement with a wide smile.
By the time Xiao MeiNan was done, visible flames could be seen in his eyes and tears never stopped flowing.
" Here"
Despite the pain he is going through, he however looked calm and unfazed with all the red crawling up his eyelids and the non-stop tears. He collected the water and drank it in one gulp.
Shen Zhufu," Good boy." He ruffled his hair as if to reward him, "you know how that made me happy." with that he took away the plate not noticing two multicoloured orbs softened.
" Papa?"
" A-Xiang."
The half-asleep Wei Xiang clung to the flustered boy. As if he wasn't satisfied with just holding his hand, he crawled onto his lap and rest his head on his chest, falling asleep again.
Shen Zhufu stood with wide eyes and a wide mouth. Two multicoloured orbs looked his way, he felt the tight urge to explain as he owned him an explanation, " Well...He is A-Xiang, my son...don't mind him...he's a little child...Hahahaha." He kept on blabbing nonsense trying to explain himself likewise drawing close until he was close to taking Wei Xiang, who held his pillar tight, into his arms and laid him back on the mat. Howbeit to him, a glint of disappointment flashed through the one staring at his empty arms.
Shen Zhufu let out a yawn, " Let's sleep." he said tiredly as he laid beside Wei Xiang and fell asleep immediately.
"...."