“My lady, don’t worry. Prince Baiyu is an expert. He can easily track your son’s qi aura.”
“Right…”
I tried to relax.
Though I wasn’t too worried since Prince Baiyu could move faster than the speed of sound and would undoubtedly rescue our child soon, what mother could remain calm when her child was lost?
Nanny and I waited for almost an hour before we heard another supersonic boom, and she spotted a small dark dot in the sky. We both jumped up with relief and waited with bated breath.
I pounced on Prince Baiyu the moment he touched ground, with Eggy in his arms. “Oh my gosh! Where was he? Is he okay?”
“Mom!”
Eggy leapt from his father's arms and into mine, which would’ve made me fall over if Prince Baiyu hadn’t caught us. He helped me carry Eggy to the sofa, where I looked him over from head to toe.
“No injuries?” I asked Prince Baiyu.
“No injuries,” he confirmed. “I found him with one of the Salamander clans in the Eastern Lands. They were quite helpful.”
That was the Azure Dragon clans’ territory. Clan members typically couldn’t interfere with a different clan’s territory. I was about to ask if he had encountered any trouble when Eggy interrupted our conversation.
“Bad clan!” He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted cutely. “Don’t like!”
He always spoke in short bursts like this when he was agitated.
“Why, what happened?” I asked.
“Bad. They send not mommies!” This time, he uncrossed his arms and hugged me. Burying his face in my neck, he said, “Mom got lost.”
I leaned back on the sofa and stroked his back soothingly while Prince Baiyu and Nanny hovered over us. “You seem sweaty. Why don’t we bathe? You’ll love the hot spring.”
I nodded to Nanny, who helped me bring Eggy into the indoor hot spring, where Prince Baiyu took charge after she left.
As a new mom, I was not supposed to immerse myself in water, because the common sense of this world about postpartum confinement was that bathing and washing the hair, especially during wintertime, was too dangerous and would result in a near-fatal cold or fever. I headed to the special shower enclosure, which filled itself with a warm mist that gently cleaned my body without me getting too wet. Another push of a button enveloped me in a warm stream of air that dried my body. It was fast but definitely not as satisfying as a real shower would have been. Still, it was better than a simple wipe down, which is what the other new mothers had to content themselves with.
My husband and son were under no such limitation, however, and Nanny even said that baby dragons craved the water and should bathe daily. Prince Baiyu and Eggy scrubbed themselves clean in the washing-up area, and Eggy forgot all about his troubles once he saw the pool of hot water lined with natural-looking rocks. The steam from its surface disappeared up into the dark wooden beams above. The two of them frolicked in the hot spring while I sat on a nearby bench, enjoying the sight and sound of my two loved ones.
They emerged from the water looking happy and relaxed, and I helped dry my son with a large fluffy white towel before dressing him in an adorable sailor outfit. He loved the hair dryer I used on him and was fascinated when Prince Baiyu used his power to rapidly air-dry and untangle his long white hair.
“Come, my child, turn into your dragon form. Nanny will help us bathe you,” I said.
Prince Baiyu went to fetch her, and she showed us how to bathe Eggy in a basin of hot water and, most importantly, how to use the “ironweed oil” to polish his scales.
“Look, baby, your scales became shiny!” I held up a mirror for him to check the half of his body that had been polished. The contrast between the oiled and unoiled sides was quite dramatic.
“Cheep!” He twisted and turned his body every which way, admiring how the light shone on his oiled side. “Cheep cheep cheep.”
I yawned and handed the mirror and polishing cloth to Prince Baiyu, who finished the job.
It was time for a nap. Nanny left, and the three of us curled up together in the big bed, with Eggy in the middle.
I tickled his sides to make him laugh. “Who’s mommy’s little dragon boy?”
He giggled, then snuggled up to me. “Mom, don’t get lost.”
“Okay, I’ll stay here with you.” I kissed the top of his head. His baby soap and shampoo smelled fresh and powdery, with a hint of lavender and vanilla. “You shouldn’t grow too big to stay in the house.”
“That’s right.” Prince Baiyu flicked his forehead. “You made your mom worry.”
“I stretched my body! Did you see big me?” Eggy tried to flick Prince Baiyu’s forehead, too, but his father dodged it. “I’m bigger than you!”
“Oh yes?” Prince Baiyu narrowed his eyes and grabbed Eggy in a bear hug. “But I’m stronger. You can’t escape!”
The two of them tussled for a while, saying stuff like “my dragon claws!” and “tiger paw!” until Prince Baiyu allowed Eggy to flick his forehead and claim victory using his “dragon finger.”
Eggy panted and lay beside me. “Mom, you can’t get lost. There are bad people!”
“What bad people?”
Prince Baiyu said, “They were just trying to help.”
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“No!” Eggy shook his head and said vehemently, “Not-mommies tried to be my mommy!”
“What?” I patted the space beside me. “Sit down and tell mommy what happened.”
Prince Baiyu and Eggy settled down on the bed again, and we listened to Eggy’s story.
“I became big, big, big!” He spread his arms wide. “Biiiiiig.”
He slapped himself on the forehead. “I became small again, but I was somewhere I didn’t know. Salamannder people came and said, ‘Kid, are you a Salamander?’ and I said, ‘I’m a dragon!’”
“The Salamanders said, ‘Are you lost?’ and ‘Where’s your mother?’ and ‘Where are you from?’” He turned to me with an expression of complete frustration on his face. “And I told them, and I told them, but they are bad! I told them My mom is the most beautiful in the world!’ but they didn’t find you! Bad!”
“What?”
“I told them it was you, but they only had not-mommies!” He made a sound of deep annoyance. “I don’t like not-mommies. Those bad people tried to give me to not-mommies!”
My lips twitched, and I turned to my husband to ask, “So the Salamander clan brought in some women to find out who his mother is?”
He shrugged. “All I saw was everyone in the village crowded around Eggy. He ran towards me, saying, ‘Dad, where’s Mom? I lost Mom!’ I didn’t stop to talk to anyone and took him and flew back immediately since I knew you were worried.”
I hugged my child. “Did you cry?”
“Yes! They gave me not-mommies!”
I kissed his forehead, and we silently cuddled for a time. “Baby, you know Mom has a name, right?”
He looked at me, then he looked at Prince Baiyu. “Your name is Mom.”
“If someone asks you who your mother is, you should tell them, my mom is Violet from Emberstone Farm,” said Prince Baiyu. “And your father is Baiyu of the White Tiger clan.”
Eggy gave me a look of incomprehension.
“My name is actually Violet. Vi-o-let,” I said. “Though it’s nice to be called the most beautiful woman in the world. Now say it. Vi-o-let.”
“Bi-oh-let,” he said obediently.
“Close enough! But you should call me Mom. Violet is for other people.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because what mommy?”
“Because I’m not anyone else’s mom!”
Eggy laughed. “Yes, you’re my mommy!”
I nodded. “So other people don’t call me Mom. They call me Violet.”
“Now say my name,” said Prince Baiyu. “It’s Baiyu.”
Eggy laughed and said to me in English, “Mom, his name is goodbye, you! Bye, you!”
I smiled. “I know.”
Eggy waved goodbye with his hand. “Bye-bye, you!”
Prince Baiyu raised an eyebrow and waited for us to explain.
“Dad, in our secret language, your name means ‘goodbye, you!’” Eggy waved again. “When I say your name, you have to go. Then I say, ‘bye-bye Baiyu, bye bye!’”
“You’re making fun of my name? Don’t you know I’m a big scary tiger?” Prince Baiyu growled and pounced on Eggy, lifting him from my arms and holding him up above his head. “Let your mother nap, I’ll teach you how to say ‘bye-bye’ to me!”
Eggy laughed with glee, and they got off the bed and into the courtyard, where they started wrestling.
I yawned and pulled the covers up. My nap was quite refreshing, and when I woke up, the two of them were flying above the house with Nanny. I had some snacks, and by the time I finished, it was almost sunset. We spent the rest of the day teaching Eggy how to play rock, paper, scissors.
The days passed by in a blur. We spent it all playing with Eggy and teaching him basic life skills like washing his hands, bathing, combing his hair, brushing his teeth, putting his socks on, and so forth. I slowly recovered from qi exhaustion, and at the end of the traditional lying-in period, the doctor pronounced me fit to go outside. By this time, my energy level was almost normal, with only a small percentage still left to recover. I reckoned I could do some light work and show my son what I did for a living.
But first, I wanted to introduce him to some of the important members of Emberstone Farm.
Prince Baiyu and I put on our special outfits and welcomed my apprentices into the courtyard. Nanny, Prince Baiyu, Eggy, and I were sitting in the reception area, a small room with large windows sparsely furnished with wooden chairs and side tables. The thermostat was turned up since it was a chilly day.
“Baby, these are Lari, Kharli, and Mo. They share the System with me.”
The three of them bowed to my son and said, “Hello, young master.”
“Hello,” said Eggy. He walked over to them and pulled on Mo’s sleeve until she bent down. He took her face in his hands and stared into it intently. Then he turned her head from side to side before letting her go. He did the same with the other two before walking back to me to share his important findings. “Mom, they all have round ears like you. I want to have round ears like Mom.”
“No way!” I traced the pointed tips of his ears. “I love your ears.”
“No, I like Mom's ears.”
Lari, Kharli, and Mo had taken Eggy’s actions in stride and were all grinning from ear to ear. They knew they had this in the bag thanks to our preparations.
“Young master, I have a welcome gift for you,” said Kharli.
She took out an item from her inventory and showed it to Eggy, who snatched it from her hands as fast as he could.
He showed it to us, jumping up and down with excitement. “Mom, look! Look! What’s this?”
“I don’t know. What is it?” I asked.
He screamed, “It’s a Mommy doll! Look! It’s just like Mom!”
I smiled and stood up. He held the cloth doll up beside me to compare us, and I helped him pinpoint which items were the same. “Hair, eyes, flower, button, pocket, shoes, robe, pants.”
“Mom! Everything is the same!”
“Yes, isn’t it nice. Now say thank you to Kharli.”
He walked back to her and said, in a soft, shy voice, “Thank you.”
I could see Kharli almost melt at my son’s adorableness. “You’re welcome, young master.”
Then Lari came forward with the next gift.
Eggy’s mouth fell open, and he turned to look at his father, then back at the new doll. “Dad! It’s just like Dad!”
They did the same ritual we had done. “Hair, eyes, belt, button, pocket, shoes, robe, pants.”
“Dad, look, it’s a small you!”
The dolls had been sewn and stuffed with cotton beforehand, of course, with the doll clothes and accessories modeled after the outfits we were currently wearing.
“Thank you,” said Eggy to Lari.
Then he looked expectantly at Mo, who took out the last item.
Eggy thought it would be another doll, so he was confused by the gift. “What’s that?”
“It’s a chest,” I said, demonstrating how he could put both dolls in it. “You put the dolls here when you’re done playing so they don’t get dirty.”
“Oh! Thank you,” he said to Mo.
The rest of us sat down for some tea and snacks while Eggy was occupied with the dolls. He inspected every inch of them and practiced putting them in and out of the storage chest.
Soon, our guests arrived. Prince Baiyu let them in and ushered them inside.
We all got up and bowed to the Lady of the West and her consort, who was holding their baby. The Lady Yuying and Lord Yulin were dressed in casual brown and blue cotton robes, and the baby was wrapped in white cotton. We exchanged the usual polite greetings, and then Lady Yuying said, “And who is this handsome young boy?”
Eggy, who was still playing with the dolls, looked up and said, “I’m Eggy.”
“And I’m your grandma.”
He tilted his head to the side, confused. “What’s a grandma?”
“I’m your father’s mother. That means I’m your grandma.”
“What? Dad has a Mom?” He said it as though it were the most bizarre thing he had ever heard.
“Yes,” said Lady Yuying patiently. “And look, here is my daughter. She’s Baiyu’s sister.”
Lord Yulin sat down beside Eggy to show him the baby. “I’m your grandpa, your father’s father. This is my baby.”
Eggy ignored Lord Yulin’s self-introduction in favor of poking the baby’s cheek with a tentative finger. “Baby.”
“Yes, she is your aunt,” said Lord Yulin. “Would you like to hold her?”
Eggy put the dolls away and, with Lord Yulin helping to support his arms, held the baby.
“She has blue eyes like me, and she looks like Dad,” said Eggy.
I went over to them and cooed over the baby. “Can I hold her?”
Lord Yulin helped me take the baby from Eggy. I sat down on a chair to hold her while Eggy played with the baby’s tiny pink fingers.
Prince Baiyu was on the other side of the room chatting with his mother, who was also asking the Nanny some questions.
“Mom, she doesn’t have toe pads,” whispered Eggy.
“I think she will have them when she’s in tiger form,” I whispered back at him.
“She’s like Dad?”
“No, not yet. She’s too small to change forms.”
He peered at her and then smiled as a thought struck him.
“Baby, why don’t you stretch your body? You can be big like me!” He gently bent her arm, then unbent it. “Like this, make yourself biiiiiiig like me!”
Lord Yulin smiled indulgently at us, but what happened next shocked him to the core.
*****
Author's Note:
- There are too many not-mommies for Eggy!
- Advanced chapters on my Patreon!
- Thank you very much for reading.
- Please let me know if there are any errors.