Immortal Mortals

And then there was one.

With Tai and Zhou Ru finally married and happy to be left alone, Jie and Ai once again began the endless rounds of meetings with a different family.  This time it was for the young man that Meili had taken a liking to and wanting both of their children to have a say in who they wanted to marry, they allowed Meili's decisions to lead her own life and to also lead their meetings.

Chiang Gui was a fine young man in Jies eyes.  Not one to shirk from hard work and with a good head on his shoulders he could see the boy was more than equipped to look after his daughter, she would not have any wants or needs with him as a husband.  And for Ai, she saw a young man with a kind and gentle disposition, one who watched Meili with desire and protectiveness, he was one who would love her, though she doubted he would need to protect her, not with the fighting skills she had been taught, Ai thought to herself.

And the way Meili looked at him, his family knew too, that she was a woman who would also care for their son, who would love him dearly and would stand by his side no matter what issues they may have to face in the future.  And having kept her sweet demeanor despite the hardships she had undergone, they knew too that she was a strong woman who would weather any storm.  And of course, with good child bearing hips, she would give them plenty of grandchildren.

They were perfectly suited, and because they both wanted the marriage, a date was set for the following year when Meili would be old enough to wed.  It was too far away for both of them, but explaining that tradition kept the culture alive, something they would come to understand when they had their own children, they eventually agreed, and it would give them plenty of time to organize their wedding, because like Tai their wedding would be perfect and that would not happen if they rushed it.

It had taken 3 months of meetings and endless trips into the township where they also met up with their friends and for Ai it had brought back many happy memories of a time when she had lived carefree and without worry before their town underwent sudden and drastic changes.  Her friends had grown a lot since that fateful day, especially the ones who had worked under her.  Many had grown a little harder, but their sense of fun remained.

"Ai, what will you do when Meili finally leaves, you will be running that big house of yours for no one but Jie.  Won't you get bored?" One of them asked, as she they sat around one of the busier tables at a small eatery she had taken a liking to.

In fact, she had been thinking of just that when the meetings for Meilis marriage arrangement had begun.  Looking around the eatery, it too brought back happy memories of the time she used to own her own establishment, but the thought of starting a business again at her age and being pregnant was not looking likely, but she did give it some thought.

"Well we do own a stud farm, so there are horses to take care of, and Jie is always looking for more, but I don't know, maybe I will start a new venture after the wedding." she said smiling, because Jie had also given her another suggestion to ponder on.  She had inadvertently stumbled upon a new method of healing broken bones and being a method that worked, she could offer her assistance to the local Medical Center or even start her own small business from home.  But with only a little over 2 years left in the Mortal Realm, that too wasn't looking likely.

The rest of the morning went by very quickly.  Catching up with her friends had allowed her some time away from the house and Jies constant watchful eyes.  Since learning of her pregnancy, he barely let her bathe herself let alone help with the horses now that Tai had moved on, so an afternoon out was a means of escape.  At least when she was with them, he left her alone.

Now preparing herself to leave, she decided to drop by her little cottage which she visited regularly.  It was where she kept her wine and other medicinal potions and balms that she had continued to make when she had the time, and it would give her a chance to check her garden.