Every Lifetime I Fall {COMPLETED but undergoing revisions}

Chapter 44: Third Life - A New Mission

In order to get Lu Kai to see me as a woman, I offered to watch Widower Wong's five children for the day. He was heading to the nearby city to do something I forgot as I wasn't really listening to him when he told me. The youngest was only three, and hung onto my neck like it was a branch of a tree, and as if the floor was going to scorch his little toes. The others were eight, seven, five, and four. I felt bad for their deceased mother. How could she have powered through all these pregnancies?! I shall burn some ghost money for her later.

Lu Kai walked by, not looking in my direction. To get his attention, I called out, "Lu Kai, where are you going?"

Coldly, he replied, "Out."

The children ran about the house causing havoc. Forgetting to appear motherly, I yelled at them to stop, but of course none of them listened.

Looking over to Lu Kai, I softened my words, "Oh children, listen! If you don't behave, the monster will come and take you away!"

This caused them to scream louder and run whilst throwing things in the air.

I watched Lu Kai walked off into the distance as the children grabbed onto each part of my four limbs.

"That didn't work."

Glaring at the children, I scraped the smallest one off my hip and placed him onto the ground. Exhaling angrily, I grabbed a tea cup and smashed it in my palms. The children stared, shaking.

"I thought I told you guys to stop being naughty," leaning into their faces, I spoke authoritatively, "Stand up straight! Clean this mess or I'll punish you all!"

They got to work right away. Even the youngest one picked up the loose papers scattered around the house.

One night, as what Xiao Feng told me, I dressed down to my white underclothes, and entered Lu Kai's room to seduce him. He was sleeping soundly without the blanket covering his body. That night, it was hot and humid. I could see the sweat gleaning on Lu Kai's tanned skin.

In a nasally strained tone, I whispered, "Kaaaaiii Aaahh... Kaaaii Aahh."

He twisted and turned in his sleep as if experiencing a nightmare.

"Hey, Lu Kai," in my normal voice, I called him.

"Ah!" He screamed, "What are you doing?"

"I was just wondering if..."

Wait, just what do I do after calling out to him seductively? Right. Revealing clothing.

I started to take off my white undershirt, exposing my pale dudou.

Lu Kai turned the other way, and said, "I'm so tired. I want to sleep. If you had a nightmare, just lie on the floor."

All of a sudden, he was loudly snoring.

The next night, I cooked a wondrous meal of steamed fish, fried beans, warm rice, and boiled chicken soup with tofu. I waited at the table for Lu Kai to come join me. He was out late these days, I guess off with Wu Jing to fool around in the city. Although it bothered me that Lu Kai hung out with Wu Jing, I didn't want him barred from having friends.

"Xiao Kai," I said his name when he entered through the door, "Come have dinner."

"You made all this?"

Proud of myself, I said, "Yeah, have a seat."

"I actually bought dinner for us..."

"You did what?"

What, again?

"Are you mad?"

Remembering  Xiao Feng's lectures, I refrained myself from showing anger and said, "No. Not at all. Let me clear the table. I'll bring out some of the rice wine for us too."

We quietly sat and ate the food he brought. Even though I was upset we weren't eating what I made, I had to admit the food he got for us was quite tasty while mine tended to have a few too many spoonfuls of salt.

Pouring wine into a cup, I handed it to him.

Suspicious, he stared at me and said, "You've been acting weird lately."

"I have?"

"Yeah. Really weird."

"Well, you've been aloof this entire month."

"Only because you've been acting strange."

"I haven't been acting strange. I'm only preparing myself."

"For what? Marriage?"

How did he know?

"Xiao Feng told me. You're getting lessons from her to prepare for marriage?"

Damn, that silly girl telling everyone my business.

"Is that why you've been practicing? Using me as some sort of practice?"

"No! No, I didn't."

"Well, I'm sure Wong Lei Tian will appreciate your efforts."

Wong Lei Tian? Why is he talking about Wong Lei Tian?

"I guess without you around, I'll have to get used to Xiao Feng's cooking."

"What?"

Looking into my eyes, he confessed, "This is Xiao Feng's cooking. She packs me a lunch every time I help her father work the fields. I don't know why she's been packing me dinner as well."

Xiao Feng's words rung in my ear, ...the first thing is to get to his heart through food. What my mother has always said was to become a great wife, one must know how to cook in order to win her man!

"This... is Xiao Feng's cooking?"

"Yeah."

Slamming my hands on the table, I yelled at him, "Do you accept anyone's food? Accept anyone who smiles at you? Don't you think you're being a little bit too promiscuous?"

For some reason, I was getting increasingly angry. I was losing to Xiao Feng, that naive village girl.

"Why are you getting so worked up?" Xiao Kai asked.

"If you want me to leave that badly, so you can marry Liu Xiao Feng, all you have to do is tell me. I won't get in your way."

Losing my appetite, I went into my room and shut the door. I was too upset to talk to Lu Kai . It was a strange feeling. I wanted to yell at him, but also ask him not to pay any attention to Xiao Feng. Their budding romance was something I couldn't be there for. They were going places where I would have to be left behind.