Leon's gem-like eye's blinked rapidly beneath the crystal lenses that enhanced his vision, unable to stop staring at Jin Li due to the audacious claim made by the man still holding him in his embrace. Jin Li said he was his husband. A blush painted his cold cheeks and then his lips formed a slight pout that went unnoticed by most others, but not the one who was most conscious of him. Since when had he married Jin Li anyway? Not that he was against it, but it would have been nice to be asked and then there was supposed to be some sort of ceremony wasn't there?
He wasn't really big on the specifics, not from this life nor the last. He recalled that in this world, the villagers would put out red banners and dress up and there was a lot of food... his aunt had not invited him to his step-cousins weddings and it had not been appropriate for him to attend weddings for three years after his mother had passed and after that... well his small family unit wasn't close to the few families that held weddings since then and before he left for school and he'd never been that interested about it anyway.
But if it was for him and Jin Li... the heat in his cheeks increased. Lessa noticed the red colour of his face and began to point her finger accusingly. "I knew I should have made your mother get rid of you!" She began to scream in disgust. "Your birth was a mistake, raising you was a mistake, you are just a disgusting creature born to bring your family shame!"
"Lessa!" Leonard growled even as the sharp sound of steel against leather echoed through the air. Jin Li had adjusted his hold on his lover, tucking him protectively at his side in order to draw his sword. He would silence the woman by cutting her vicious tongue from her head! How dare she insult his man!
"Father! Has he not destroyed your reputation enough?!" She continued, ignoring the old man's warning tone as he approached the open doorway of his home. "Why do you insist on keeping him on the family register?"
Leonard glared at her briefly, before turning around, his expression softened and he reached for Leon's hand. It trembled as it settled upon the old man's rough palm. Leon admitted to himself that he didn't care what his Aunt thought of him, but he'd rather have his grandfather's blessing. He loved the old man, it had been them against the world for so long until his accident had broken the bond between them temporarily. But in that time, he'd met Jin Li and despite the rather rocky beginning of their relationship, their fates had entwined to the point that he could no longer imagine life without him there. Sure he was moody, his tongue was sharp, his nature flawed with obsession, possession, dishonesty, but he had his good points as well. Such as now, when he would protect him from his Aunt's poisonous words. Well, drawing his sword was a tad over the top, but the thought was there. His spare hand tightened about Jin Li's tunic not willing to give him up. His heart truly beat for Jin Li.
"Leo, my grandson," Leonard's voice was warm, but gruff. "Are you happy?"
A smile that could compete with the brilliance of the sun on a summer's day appeared upon Leon's face. "En."
Leonard patted his hand with affection as he was reminded of his dear departed daughter as he'd asked her if her entanglement with that man had been worth it. She had smiled the same way, answered the same way, before tickling her one year old child, causing his laughter to fill their humble home. It hadn't worked out for her and that man, cultivating to immortality had been more important to him than his ordinary daughter who had no chance of doing the same. Aleora had been prideful and not asked him to change his mind when he had left to continue on his journey. Instead, more than twenty eight weeks (tendays) later, she had packed up her bags and returned to her roots, with the little life that man had inadvertently left behind.
Ah, he clearly was no good at arranging his descendants marital matters, but he'd known years ago that despite his reputation, none of the families in the village wished to marry a daughter to his stuttering grandson. Even if Leonard knew the boy would have to rely on his brain to live rather than his body in the future, his speech impediment was considered a worst defect to the narrow minded villagers than say Bral's scar. At least the scar would not by chance be inherited by the man's offspring.
The old man glanced up at the cold expression upon Jin Li's face and suspected that this reflected the man's true nature, but the Martial Artist seldom had such a look or aura about him when he was with his grandson that he'd seen so far. That in itself spoke volumes. He sighed inwardly. He never would have chosen his precious grandson to wed a man, such things were taboo in the lives of most ordinary people, but he'd seen a few things in his time and was well aware that the world of a cultivator was different, even accepting of such things.
"As long as you are happy," Leonard patted his grandson's hand once more, before turning to his daughter, who had an incredulous expression etched upon her face.
"Father, are you mad!?" She cried out.
"Lessa, go home," Leonard told her before reentering his home.
"Father! How can you allow this?!" She tried to follow him in, only to find the door shut in her face. She stamped her foot, angrily, feeling somewhat thwarted and unable to vent. Her eyes slid to the object of her disgust, but she was wary of the sharp weapon in the taller man's hand. She was unable to tell whether he had skill with it or not, but she was not stupid enough to chance it. Thus she turned on her heel, shoving Russ' sister out of her path with a hefty push.
"Ole cow!" Taru yelled at her, before tossing her hair and returning home. If her da knew she were out this close to sunset, he'd likely use it as an excuse to beat her and her ma, calling it 'family rules'. She couldn't wait to marry out of her gross family! And as soon as her younger sisters were married out, she planned to help her brother get her ma out of there as well. They just had to bide their time a few years longer...
"Are ye really married t' him?" Russ' jaw had lost tension completely as things had played out before him. Ah, he'd just thought to marry Taru out to him sooner rather than later, never thought he'd have his three views blown away in the meantime.
Leon's eyes wandered up to his man, who nodded curtly an affirmative. Well, he'd clarify it with him later. For now, there was no harm in agreeing. At least this would settle other people's marital ideas for him as well as perhaps stop a whole new batch of butterflies swarming around Jin Li. He'd already seen spring arrive early in the eyes of a few girls who'd ventured out in the cold for various reasons over the last couple of days and he was certain that he was not the one causing it. Although Sun may have been responsible for a few... he was wealthy after all.
Inwardly he shrugged before he returned his wandering attention to his old friend. "En," he finally answered.
"This is not an unusual thing," Jin Li declared, thinking of the few yang couples that had formed in school as well as a yin couple, the latter having thrown several amorous young men through a loop. Their expressions had been a mix of despair and wonder and remained so for a few days, before they turned their attentions elsewhere. Of course, he did not mention that he himself had only become aware of the existence of same sex couples in the last few months, not long before becoming a part of one. "It is more important to find a person that can walk beside you always on the unending journey than worry about whether that person is of Yin or yang."
Russ thought about the meaning of his words for a moment, before letting go of his reservations. Marrying the right person definitely was preferable than the alternative, just look at his ma's situation! And if Bral was the right person for Taru, then he should be helping her to marry him rather than wanting Leo to rescue her from the family.
"St-still friends?" Leon asked him, cautiously.
The other boy grinned. "O'course we are! Bu' I'm a bi' pissed tha' ye didnae invite me to the weddin'!"
"Ha ha..."
Jin Li was very blunt in his explanation regarding their 'marriage' as they lie upon Leon's kang bed together that night.
"When this Lord decided to Dual Cultivate with you, naturally you were honoured and bound to this Lord as Dao Companion and spouse. You did not disagree with it."
Leon had blinked, digesting this information before a deep red painted his face. At that point, not only was he flush in the aftermath of sex thus very weak to Jin Li's demands, he hadn't really known the consequences of accepting Jin Li's 'favour'. His lips formed a slight pout which was in turn bitten by Jin Li in a mixture of lust and warning; little husband dare to reject him now?? Of course Leon wouldn't, he was far too entwined in this relationship now, extracting himself now was unimaginable. Just to prove that point, Leon wrapped his arms about Jin Li's neck and placed a chaste kiss upon the other's lips.
Surprised for half a heartbeat then dissatisfied in the next, Jin Li chased his parting mouth and pulled his lips back into a much deeper kiss with his tongue diving into the Leon's warm cavity claiming ownership of the space. And simply to make clear just whom Leon belonged to once and for all, Jin Li pressed forward with an even more intimate suit. Leon could only cling to him, biting his tongue as he tried desperately not to let his voice escape and disturb his grandfather. For his elder to know what he was up to in the privacy of his small bedroom was just too embarrassing.
*****
Elsewhere;
Just as there were to be New Years celebrations in the village and nearby town, there would be New Years celebrations elsewhere, including in the city of Cenapar. The celebrations in the poorer and frugal areas of the city wouldn't actually be too unlike those in the village, while the merchants and people with a comfortable amount of wealth would have saved a pot of silver and gold to celebrate with more fervour. However, it was in the centre and in the North of the city where the social differences over welcoming the start of another year would once more become obvious and apparent.
Those without the social connections, money or status most likely could only imagine the way the wealthy celebrated, some might be envious of what occurred in their dreams. They imagined all sorts of delectable and delicious delicacies from all across the globe being present on the table and most of that would be meat. They imagined the women would be beautiful, elegant and graceful, clothed in stunning brocades and the smoothest silks, adorning lustrous jade and gleaming silver. While the men would be handsome and surrounded in beauties, or they might be fat and still surrounded by beauties, while also wearing ornate silks cut to be charming and intimidating and gold to show their wealth.
(Let it be mentioned, that being fat was not an unpleasant thing to these dreaming and sometimes hungry lower class, a wide girth simply represented being well fed and having access to rich food, perhaps having a lazy life of indulgence. How could such a thing be considered bad?)
There might be dancers or operatic troupes invited to their celebrations to entertain them and there most definitely would be fireworks. Those fortunate to live not to far managed to basque in the beauty of some of these displays, while further away they heard the loud sounds and a whisper of colour from time to time lighting up the midnight sky.
However beautiful a picture they might paint and while much of it was true, every light had a shadow and every rosebush had thorns.
Still, Sun didn't care for any of these things, he was unhappy enough to have been dragged along with a handful of other family members by his powerful grandfather and intimidating grandmother to the celebration held at the palace of the first King in Cenapar. Actually, it was not the first King who was throwing this party, but his sixth son; the King himself was in his own kingdom's royal palace and enjoying his own celebrations with his wives and concubines. But it was not unalike for many of those matriarchs, patriarchs, eldest sons and first daughter-in-laws were leading their unmarried children to the celebrations in order to possibly find a match... or rather, what they considered a match.
Prince Drake was forty and not unmarried, widowed or divorced. His princess was his only princess and he had never taken a Concubine or shown interest in other women. This had created much gossip in the past, painting his princess as a jealous woman following the Prince rejected suits of others, but after the princess gave birth to his third son, the rumours died down somewhat. This woman was so very favoured even though her hips and breast had grown with each child and with three sons (and later, a much desired daughter), her position in his royal household was too strong. An interloper might make a small foothold, but unless she could steal the Prince's heart and wrap it in infatuation, she would never make much inroads. Even bearing her own son would not help for there were three princes above him, what chance did her own boy have to inherit any title in the future?
But that was the past, this was the present and at present, two of the Prince's sons had come of age and were as yet unmarried. There had been rumours that the first son was engaged, but no one knew to whom or whether she would become his Jun Wangfei, so there was hope for the darling daughters to take this title. There was also the position of the second small Prince's consort wife and both could also take concubines. Even if their daughters could not be placed in these lesser royal households, what of the those noble and influential households around them...?
The General did not care for these things; he wished to catch up with old comrades and friends as well as greet the prince who he once bounced on his knee after the child had walked in on a meeting between the young General and his Royal Father and other army leaders. Of course, he planned to show off his grandsons, particularly Sun, who had attained Secondary stage cultivation (note, he could only brag about his seventh grandson, Sun's 'rival' in the family, for the boy was too little to attend this event). So Sun had to attend, as did his older brother and one Male shu-born cousin, none of whom happened to have spouses.
Naturally, this little condition of taking just the unwed grandsons and leaving the wed ones to attend other less prominent gatherings was of the matriarch's. She also brought along several female cousins, including one pouting Carmen, who wished to be here less than Sun. What was the point when she had already met her future husband?? Grandmother had not agreed.
So after her Grandmother had gently pushed her to go and mingle with other young maidens of her age, the facade of a kind and virtuous yatou that she always presented in front of her Grandmother slipped a degree or two. She was not about to bother competing with the other girls when he was not here to impress. However, despite her sweetened appearance being not so anymore, she had quite the circle of friends for whom she revealed a different aspect of herself. To them, she was not a glowing paragon of virtue, like their mothers wished them to learn from, there was something about her that attracted them. She could be brutally candid to the point of being hurtful, but her eloquent, sly words were saved for others. She could be a bit stingy with praise, but at least her praise was honest not something she did not mean. Better than some white lotus who projected purity and virtue to the point of making their teeth hurt.
Sun would have said that this was still not the true her, that this was just another act, but they did not know that. And right now, as she sat with them her posture sulky and her pretty mouth forming a sultry pout, they fluttered towards her like bees to honey in order to gossip and have a little fun at this celebration cum matchmaking event.
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT