2. The Deity, Zhenia

1478

Zhe Village, Zichen.

"Ah, what an embarrassing way to die," he said. He lets out a series of laughter although he looked gloomy and sad.

He couldn't tell which of his situations was worse than the other, that he had died by stepping on a cheese wrapper or that he is now in the body of a dimwit.

He kept laughing even though he was extremely sad he just kept on laughing like a mad man.

'No wait, that's literally how I am now, I am now the mentally retarded son of the Chen family. No wonder!', he thought sarcastically.

He looked up at the roof of the thatch hut in deep thoughts, going over some of the memories of the host body. He did not realise the stream of tears that were pouring out of his eye sockets.

The host body really had a tragic life especially in the last five years. He wondered how he was able to survive till now.

He had his whole life ahead of him but the universe had not being merciful to him these past five years of his miserable life.

Yue Yan wiped his tears when he realised that he was crying. He had slouched his back so he sat up straight with only one thought in mind,

'No matter what, I will not let this body be trampled over again. Not while I still occupy it!', he swore to himself.

"Dada, you're awake!", an exciting voice of a little kid exclaimed, rushed into the hut and hugged Yue Yan's legs tightly causing Yue Yan to lift the overexcited bundle up.

"Lulu, come here", came the voice of another small kid of about four years who gestured for the little boy to come to him while panting.

From the looks of it, it seems he was trying to prevent the smaller kid from going into the hut to disturb the then sleeping Chen Yan but failed.

Just then the door opened and in came the young man from earlier.

He seemed very happy to see his husband holding their kids in each of his arms.

He rushed to hug all three of them with tears in his eyes but didn't cry. He was smiling instead. "Chen Yan", he said while still hugging them and went quiet again.

Yue Yan recognised all of them from Chen Yan's memories. They were Wang Ting, Chen Yu and Chen Lui, they were Chen Yan's wife(moon) and kids .

Now they are his family and his responsibility. Yue Yan, now Chen Yan, gave a kiss on the cheeks of each kid and put them down.

He then sent them to play outside while he talks to their mama, his moon.

After closing the door, Yue Yan, now Chen Yan, went to his moon and hugged him tightly while shedding tears.

He could not tell if that was the host body or him that felt such immense sorrow from all those memories.

Wang Ting tried to free himself but he tightened his hold. Sighing, Wang Ting just chose to enjoy his husband's embrace while it last.

It has been such a long time since his husband hugged him and the first time ever that he initiated it while awake.

His husband seemed different today, a good difference if one were to ask him. He looked like a normal person today. Oh, what he wouldn't give to have him look healthy like this everyday.

And though they were not saying anything, Wang Ting felt that Chen Yan was consoling him for all the hardship that he had gone through since joining his family.

Wang Ting had to leave and prepare supper for the whole Chen household and so Chen Yan lets him go. He still had not uttered a word.

But that was nothing strange to Wang Ting. In fact, he had accepted him to be deaf and dumb in addition to his mental illness before their marriage.

He did not care about that. He just wishes that his husband will be healthy and strong as he looks today.

He turned his back to look at his now healthy looking husband one last time before exiting the room.

Left alone, Yue Yan wonders how he should go about things.

He needs to tell wife(moon) about him being okay now but what if he catches on that he was not Chen Yan or dies from the shock?

Thoughts like this occupied Yue Yan's mind till his moon and kids joined him in their hut later in the evening.

And he knew why. Whenever Wang Ting finishes supper, the rest of the Chen family, will have to eat first and the left over will be given to them.

Should there be no left over, his small family will have to starve, and since that is the only time they get to eat, then it meant that they will sleep without food for the whole day.

There are times that this went on for days and his wife had no option but to give each of them some rolled muds to eat in order to sustain them.

The only time they get to eat something good was on Tuesdays which is a market day in the Zhe village.

The people of Zichen believe that the Deity, Zhenia, will go into their farms on Tuesdays and bless their crops for them to have good harvests.

No one is to visit their farmlands on this auspicious day otherwise they and their generations will be cursed. The people of Zichen strictly adhere to this.

For this reason, Wang Ting is able to go to the Zhe Village market square on Tuesdays after finishing his chores, for any odd jobs he could find there.

He buys food for his family for that day with whatever little coins that he made. So at the moment, Wang Ting and his little family are waiting to be called to clear the dinner table and bring the left over to eat.

Sometimes he wants to hide some food in his cloth but his mama-in-law will sit at the kitchen watching him like a hawk.