Snow began to fall sporadically, the XiaoXue had arrived. Su WuLi made a long straw mat on his own, and placed it on the stone path in the courtyard, that way it would be safer for everyone to enter and exit without slipping.
He took a breath and a puff of white steam appeared in front of his face. He rubbed his hands together to warm up a bit, he had been so focused on preparing for the winter, he had even forgotten to put on a decent coat.
However, there were footsteps approaching behind his back and then he felt an extra weight. Li BaoGui came out just to cover him, placing a midnight blue coat over his shoulders.
"It was a last-minute errand I ask to Lu Zhi and Mo Zhan." Li BaoGui took care of placing the coat on his husband. "It's perfect for you."
"Thank you. But you shouldn't be out here." Su Jian turned to look at him.
"Staying inside all winter is going to be boring."
"It won't be, I'll stay with you." Su WuLi promised.
"You still have things to do in the countryside."
"I'll spread out my schedule and be with you all day. I won't leave you for a moment." Su WuLi approached his husband and carried him easily in his arms, and began to walk inside their residence. "Let's go inside."
The cool night breeze crossed the courtyard silently, rocking the lanterns in the eaves as Su WuLi closed the door behind them.
Arriving at their room they found Li Huan wrapped in the quilt, he too was hiding from the cold. Su Jian left Li Yan beside the bed, and sat on the edge of it.
"Huan'er needs an extra quilt in his room?" Su WuLi saw Li Huan nod under the sheets. "I'll bring some now, so you can get a good night's sleep. The charcoal will help warm up the house in a few minutes."
Li Yan watched them from the side, smiling at the beautiful feeling of seeing his husband and son. From one moment to the next a thought came to his mind, that family he now had was what the original Li BaoGui wished for all his life.
The original Li BaoGui and the original Su WuLi met at a spring festival. For Li BaoGui it was love at first sight, but all Su WuLi saw was money. Remembering it made Li Yan truly sad.
The original Li BaoGui disappeared without seeing a single token of affection, unable to see the truth behind the man he loved; he even adopted Li Huan hoping that the presence of a child would make their marriage more enjoyable. If Li Yan and Su Jian had not come to that world and taken their bodies, the story could have been quite sad.
"Yimu." Li Huan poked his head through the quilt.
"Yes?" Li BaoGui snapped out of his thoughts.
"Can you make glutinous rice cake for tomorrow?"
"Okay."
"Also... Can I have a brother?"
Su WuLi choked on his saliva when he heard that question, but Li BaoGui just laughed a little. Li Yan also sat on the edge of the bed and patted his son's head, saying:
"Maybe next year."
"Why does Huan'er want a brother?" Su Jian couldn't help but ask.
"Most of my cousins have brothers or sisters, but I don't have any. "
Su Jian and Li Yan couldn't understand the sentiment, neither ever got to have siblings, and they never thought of having one either. Their eyes met as they thought, and their cheeks flushed a little, after all, it was up to them to make Li Huan a sibling.
"Huan'er are you sure?" questioned Su WuLi. "Having a brother is difficult. Surely your mother will spoil him all the time and, when he grows up, he's sure to eat your food and take your toys."
"Siblings do that?" Li Huan was surprised.
"Of course, they do, do you think siblings just play all day?"
"You can ask your Uncle Mo, Huan'er. He has an older brother and a younger sister, and he grew up with his cousin. Your Uncle Lu likewise has many siblings." said Li BaoGui.
The three of them talked late into the night, not feeling the passing of time. Li Huan ended up falling asleep in his parents' bed, so they allowed him to stay there. That night the whole family slept together.
With a little moonlight coming through the window, Li BaoGui appreciated the sight of his son and his husband sleeping beside him. Li Yan truly felt sorry for the original owner of his body, however, it comforted him to think that, as long as that was Li BaoGui's body, Li Yan was fulfilling his wish for a happy family.
In such a calm and happy manner, the months began to pass.
Winter passed in the blink of an eye, and Li BaoGui already felt completely healthy as spring began. Su WuLi kept the promise he made to himself and planted peonies, accompanied by other spring flowers.
That once sad dreary courtyard was now full of colors, and still had BaiBai playing in the surroundings. Seeing the young couple so happy and lively, even the Li family began to change.
One day came the spring festival, which the original Li BaoGui used to spend locked up in his courtyard, as his family would not come over to spend time with him either. This time, however, it was different.
Madam Mo entered the courtyard past the goat hour. Li BaoGui and Su WuLi were standing looking at Li Huan, who was crouched by a peony bush. The boy stood up a short time later with a flower in his hand, and handed it to his father.
Laughing, Su WuLi placed the red peony in Li BaoGui's hair, arranging it next to the hairpin that held it.
"The floating clouds remind me of her clothes, and the peonies of her face." Su Jian recited that fragment of poem, knowing that Li Yan would easily understand it.
"Am I really that cute?" Li BaoGui asked.
"You could end my life."
Although the moment was romantic, Madam Mo remembered when she and her eldest son had to lift Su WuLi off the ground, unconscious and injured after seeing Li BaoGui half-naked. Trying to push those thoughts from her mind, she cleared her throat to alert her presence.
"Laolao." Li Huan greeted.
"My dear grandson." replied Madam Mo.
Li BaoGui also greeted her, and Su WuLi was the last to greet, calling her 'mother'. For the first time, Mo CaiWei gave an answer.
"My children."
Su Jian was relieved, at least he was now accepted by his in-laws. He looked at Li BaoGui, thinking about his previous lives. One of the things Su Jian always appreciated most from his grandfather, was acceptance.
Grandfather Su accepted his grandson just the way he was until the end of his days. In fact, Su Jian still remembered some of his words.
["If that Li boy marries into our family, you must treat him well, understand, brat? You must give him a proper marriage, and please your in-laws, don't think you can skip the rules because you're a homosexual!"']
Li BaoGui noticed the smile on his husband's lips, but didn't understand why.
"Today is the spring festival. Go to the main hall tonight to have dinner all together." Madam Mo lowered her gaze to Li Huan. "Then we'll take the children to the main street."
Li Huan jumped with excitement, it was the first time he was going to be part of the festival. His original WuLi had never taken him even to watch from afar, and he treated the festivities as a normal day.
"We'll be there." assured Li BaoGui. Li Yan took a deep breath, the life the original Li BaoGui left for him was already being arranged.
"You." Madam Mo spoke to Su WuLi. "Be prepared for a lot of questions. You've never spoken properly to our family."
After dinner and a lot of questions, Li BaoGui and Su WuLi walked to the main street holding hands.
Most of the Li family were steps behind, and the children were steps ahead; they were the most excited about the festivities.
"So I doubt Lu Zhi will be around, Tao'er's pregnancy made him lazy and this new pregnancy is likely to be the same." Li Yan spoke casually.
"He must look tender with his round belly."
"Tender?"
"He's almost as cute as you. "Su WuLi shrugged. "And my Li Yan would look very tender with a pregnancy belly."
Li BaoGui touched his belly trying to imagine it, but simply said:
"I'll have to experience it to know."
The nuts in Su Jian's brain turned until, after a couple of minutes, he understood.
"Ah, it's a hint." He thought aloud.
"It is." affirmed Li Yan.
"Do you really want to have a baby? Childbirths are painful."
"Does Su WuLi remember Cang Feng?"
"He was Grandpa Mo's wife, wasn't he? The most beautiful man YongLe County ever saw, who gave the title to his grandson; your friend Mo Zhan." said Su WuLi.
"He had five children. Five."
"You want five too?"
"Five sons of Su Jian." replied Li BaoGui. "May they have my eyes and your smile."
Su Jian looked at his husband, hoping he would say he was joking. How could he take care of five children? He was going to end up going crazy. They might be in the ancient era, but he still had the heart of a modern young man.
"Two." Su WuLi began to bargain. "A boy and a girl. And make them look like you."
"Three. To make four with Li Huan. So, we can have two girls and two boys."
"You know you're the one who'll have to raise them all? It's the rules of the time."
"As long as Su-ge can comfort me after a day's work, I'll be fine."
They forgot they were in the middle of the street and stopped to hug each other, laughed and looked into each other's eyes. Their faces got closer, and they were about to kiss in front of Madam Mo.
Luckily for their reputation, a young girl almost ran past them, and the married couple quickly separated. Li BaoGui recognized her as Mo YingYue, Mo Zhan's younger sister. She also recognized him and stopped, her eyes almost sparkling with excitement.
"Yue-mei, did something happen?" Li BaoGui asked.
"Gege, something incredible happened!" The young girl looked like she was injected with chicken blood. "But I can't dwell on details, I must go home and tell er-ge."
"Tell him what? Just give me a summary and you can go on."
"Lu HuaiBao is here! He's back!" Mo YingYue broke the news and ran off, she really wanted to tell Mo Zhan about that.
Li BaoGui was taken aback, blinking a couple of times before looking at Su WuLi.
"Who is Lu HuaiBao?" Su Jian didn't know what was going on.
Smiling, Li BaoGui took his hand again and urged him on his way.
"Six years ago, Mo Zhan met a boy at the spring festival, that's Lu HuaiBao. You can consider him his first love, and the first man to break Mo Zhan's heart."
"And why did Miss Mo look so excited then?"
"Because Lu HuaiBao disappeared for six years, without explanation. Now that he's back... Who knows, maybe Mo Zhan will finally get married."