Standing right before her in the doorway were three familiar figures - Daddy Feng, Daddy Zhang and Daddy Lin. The intimate scene before her, where her cousins, happily hugged her fathers and called them daddy made her mind grind to a halt. What in the world was going on?
A sense of insecurity suddenly swept past her heart. So her daddies weren't just hers? And she had to share them? And her cousins weren't her cousins but her half-siblings? Did that mean she would have to compete for her daddies favour? She didn't want to lose their love. She was afraid that they would no longer love her. What if her fathers had other wives? What if they started plotting against her and tried to kill her or make her and her mother lose their favour? Yue Qin's mind ran wild with the countless harem plots she had once watched or read.
Her heart skipped a beat as Daddy Lin walked straight toward her and plucked her out from the baby seat, spinning her in a circle.
"Hello, my little baby girl. How have you been today?"
Baby Yue Qin giggled as she spun, feeling like she was flying in the air. Adult Yue Qin glanced worriedly at the children and her aunt, afraid to see their reactions. Would the other children be jealous that she was stealing their favour? Would her aunt be upset that her husbands were favouring someone else's daughter over her own?
Yet, none of them showed any obvious signs of displeasure. At least there was none that Yue Qin could tell.
"Stop playing already and let's eat." Her aunt said - no was she still her aunt?
In response, the adults and children all gathered around the large round table and started to eat, chattering about their day.
"Daddy! Daddy! Where's the surprise you promised?" Bing Bing chimed excitedly, catching everyone's attention.
The adults laughed at the little girl's enthusiasm.
"It's here baby girl." Then, with a flip of his left hand, a small sachet appeared in Daddy Zhang's palm.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the bag.
"What is it? What is it?" Bing Bing asked, bouncing on her seat. Although Ning Ning and Yao Yao did not do so too, their eyes were shining with enthusiasm as they stared at the little blue bag.
Then her Aunt's voice cut in and the bag vanished once more. "Stop messing around at the dining table! Eat your meals first! Then you can pester your daddies about what they have for you."
"You heard your mom kids. Finish your food first!" Daddy Lin said boisterously.
"Awwww" Bing Bing slumped into her seat in disappointment. Ning Ning and Yao Yao on the other hand quickly picked up their pace of eating, shoving spoonfuls of rice, vegetables and meat into their mouths. When Bing Bing noticed their actions, she too quickly stuffed her mouth full. Soon their bowls were wiped clean and they started pestering their daddies again.
The bag once again appeared like magic in Daddy Zhang's hand. Then he opened the bag and out came a small tinted glass bottle. As he removed the cork from the bottle, a red aura leaked from the bottle together with a sweet fragrance
Yao Yao gasped in astonishment as he saw the smelt the fragrance. "Those... Those are marrow washing pills?"
"Indeed. Not just that, these are Earth Grade Tier I pills. Each of you can take one each. As long as you eat it, all the impurities from your body will be removed and your physiques will improve. And then you can become the big superheroes you've always wanted to be."
The three children eagerly snatched the pills up and swallowed them before sitting down on the spot to internalise the pills.
Baby Yue Qin struggled on her baby chair to escape, a primitive instinct drawing her to the pills "Dada, me wan! me wan!"
Daddy Feng lifted her up from her seat gently and carried her away from the rest. "Be good okay? You can't eat this now. But we'll keep it for you to eat once you're older."
Yue Qin stretched out her arms as she was carried further and further away from the pills. "Nwoooo me wan!"
"Be good alright?" Daddy Feng stroked her on her head, hoping to calm the squirming girl down. "Look I have a gift for you too."
Then he took out an exquisitely carved jade pendant necklace and dangled it before her eyes. "This is summer jade. No matter where you are, it will always emit a tinge of warmth."
Yue Qin reached her chubby hands out to grab the necklace, stroking the sparkling pendant. As she did so, Daddy Feng placed her onto the soft white rug kneeling and took the necklace from her. Yue Qin sniffed, thinking that her new toy was being snatched away. But soon, it was around her neck and she could feel a soft pulse of heat near her collarbone.
"With this, I hope that wherever you go, you will never forget the warmth of home." He whispered.
Daddy Lin suddenly slapped Daddy Feng's shoulder, breaking the moment between them. "Hey! Weren't we supposed to gift the pendant together? How could you snatch the opportunity like that when none of us was looking!"
Daddy Feng didn't reply but just smiled calmly at Daddy Lin, scooping her into his arms as he stood up to face him.
"Tssch." Daddy Lin clicked his tongue in irritation.
As her two fathers interacted with each other, Yue Qin observed her aunt's reaction. Would she be angry that she had gotten an extra gift from her husbands? Would her half-siblings be jealous afterwards once they were done absorbing the pill and heard of her gift?
Her aunt though remained posied, showing a warm smile on her face. Was it real? Yue Qin still couldn't tell. She supposed that only time would reveal her true colours. Still, with this knowledge, she would certainly be more careful once she went home. After all, she certainly didn't want to die by the hands of a scheming wife or half-sibling like so many figures had in the imperial harem dramas she watched.
Days turned to months and the world changed from a vibrant green to a blanket of white. Baby Yue Qin would toddle every day to the window waiting for that familiar figure to return. Yet, she never did.
Carried in the arms of Father Feng to a huge pyre, she was greeted by clansmen dressed in various shades of white. They spoke in soft sympathetic tones which sounded grating to her ears. As the bonfire was ignited, baby Yue Qin howled seemingly cognizant of the significance of the event.
Sharing in the grief of her counterpart, Yue Qin's spiritual form shed tears for the mother she would never get the chance to know. What exactly was it that her mother had left for? The question burned at the back of her mind. After all, for two whole years, since she was born, her mother had never left her side. Yet, the one time she did, she never returned.
And she knew with absolute certainty that with how much her mother loved her, she would never abandon her willingly. So what sort of task was it that she would risk her life for?
As the fire blazed on, Yue Qin noticed one significant detail.
There was no coffin.