Chapter 17: ♡ | XIV : The End

Two weeks have passed since Xiao Bai moved into my house and he was improving greatly compared to when he first showed up. In no time, his health was getting better, and he was gaining weight. Thanks to Granny Suyin’s cooking and Jahei’s medical treatments our boy was looking health and full of energy. In truth, I knew the majority of Xiao Bai’s speedy recovery was due to the mermaid’s tear but I was glad everyone in the house was being so nice and supportive towards him too.

 

Fortunately, Jahei was able to treat Xiao Bai’s physical conditions with ease and now he was looking healthier. Unfortunately, his mental health, would take more time to improve since Jahei said that was not something he could cure, so we are letting time heal those wounds. Although, Jahei did end up offering to counsel Xiao Bai once a week to check in on his well-being, which I thought was a good idea.

 

To my surprise, my antisocial misanthrope son was getting along with the human child despite all his previous fussing. This put my heart at ease honestly. I was worried he’d just up and ditch me if he lost his temper. “Perhaps this is a turning point for those two, maybe they’ll be like brothers one day,” I told myself while entering the kitchen. It was still early in the morning; the sun was not up yet so I was fishing around in the pantry looking for something to cook. I wanted to make some nokshi pithas, a type of fried rice cookie.

 

The only disadvantage is that it can take some effort to make these cookies. What with the rice grinding and delicate toothpick designs, it wasn’t a typical one day project. Therefore, I wanted to cheat before the humans woke up by using my powers to speed things up. My plan was to use my powers to grind the rice into flour before anyone woke up to catch me. I smirked playful like a naughty child just thinking about this. “As if anyone would notice some ground rice, I can always say I soaked it overnight and put it in the back of the house to soften,” I whispered to myself while grabbing the sugar container.

Anyways, I was happy that Xiao Bai was adjusting so well to his new home. Clearly, he was eager to learn everything he could think of so we made a promise to study new things together. Since I was older than him, I was in charge of teaching him academics and practical skills. Before my schooling he only learned formal speech, poetry, dancing, and music when he was a courtesan. Honestly, those skills were limiting and impractical for common jobs in this day and age.

Such thoughts ran across my mind as I felt concern because it was unfortunate that women in this country were so limited in what they could do to earn money. They lacked so many rights and freedoms it was such a pity. Regardless to say, I was determined to educate the lad and slowly open the doors for new possibilities in his life. Certainly, I wasn’t trying to force him to do things he disliked but if he showed interest, I was willing to support his dreams and goals.

Usually, during the day, we would study math, literature, history, or science depending on his mood but mostly we talked a lot about cultures and religion. When I realized Xiao Bai loved sorcery, I decided to show him all sorts of things that he never knew about. Jahei helped me obtain books and tools for Gaharan spiritualists so now Xiao Bai can learn more about witchcraft.

To his luck, this home was remote and far from the city so no one would bother him nor question his behavior. Besides, the maids I hired were not narrow minded enough to say anything. Sadly, the only thing I haven’t done yet was tell Xiao Bai my true identity. After talking to Jahei I decided it was best to wait until the boy was an adult then we could explain things and see how he felt about it.

Clearly, I was scared to ruin his future and I didn’t have the heart to tell Xiao Bai I was his beloved Fire Goddess. It seemed like this would be too much for him. Not to mention, his spiritual powers were so great he literally spoke to me, a real-life Goddess, multiple times when I was asleep and that’s how I found him. Really, it’s best to hold off on such dramatic things until he is older and more mentally stable.

 

“That boy...! I knew he was special. To be so young and so gifted, no wonder he’s my guardian,” I said to myself, while sliding the rice barrel open to scoop out some rice. When I bent down to scoop out a cup of rice, I kept scooping air for some reason. “Huh?” I yelped, looking down to see the barrel was nearly empty. “I guess Rui didn’t refill it yet? Hmmm, maybe she was gonna do it later today.” I mumbled under breath while wondering if I should refill the barrel or wait.

“If I refill it people will be suspicious since its heavy and I’m supposed to be fragile and weak. Hmmm,” I grumbled wondering what should I do now. I guess I could just scrap up the rice on the bottom of the barrel and make porridge to eat. It felt like a waste to not cook something at this point since I was already wide awake.

Carefully, I extended my arm to the bottom of the barrel, gripping the rim of the barrel with my left hand and hopping slightly since I was short and struggling to reach the bottom. Suddenly, I could feel my body weight shifting, my hands slipping and my feet rising to the air. “HUH?!” I screeched in a pain as I bonked my head on the bottom of the rice barrel.

Oh no! OH NO OH NO OH NO!! This can’t be happening! AHHHHHHH!! My mind was swirling as I fell into the rice barrel, head first, ass in the air! Of all the days to be wearing a fuckin’ skirt too! Wait, am I wearing underwear? I swished my hips to see if I could feel the fabric, and indeed I could. “Ah yes, we are covered,” I exclaimed in relief.

Frankly, I could care less if Jahei saw my ass cheeks he’s seen worse but if those old ladies or Xiao Bai walked in oh boy! They would start calling me a pervert and I’ll never here the end of it! “Okay Risa, calm down, just suck in your gut and push yourself out!” I encouraged myself, trying to escape from my tiny prison. Unfortunately, after several attempts I got more stuck, my arms both slide in and I was somehow trapped even more than before.

 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH NOOOOOOO~” I groaned in a dead manner. At this point, I could either wait for help or use force to break myself out of the barrel BUT- plan B would require me to explain why the barrel was broken and if someone saw me, oh gosh would that be a long story! Maybe if I wait quietly Jahei will find me and save me, I told myself trying to pacify the situation.

 

After struggling fruitlessly, I was at my wits end and decided to stay in the barrel until Jahei came by. Normally he was the first one to pass by the kitchen every morning. He was always awake so if push came to shove, I could just use telepathy to call his ass here to help me. These thoughts both comforted me and made me nervous. He was totally gonna mock me for this!

Ughhh, what a dumb way to start that day! At least, now I am alone with just my thoughts. I guess this is better than nothing? No, this is clearly a bad situation! FREE ME FROM MY PURRRISON AT ONCE! Shamelessly, I kept mumbling, “Save me~ Save me~ Release me from this purrrrrrrrison~!” Until finally I heard footsteps nearby.

 

Alerted by the sound of feet, I swished my feet in midair and called out to my savior! “JAHEI IS THAT YOU?” I yelled pitifully. “...your rear end is in the air mother,” Jahei stated bluntly. “...”, I stayed there awkwardly in silence. “Mother is this some new hobby of yours-” Jahei went on to say but I cut him off. “No!” I yelled. “Ughh,” he moaned while sighing in annoyances. “This brat,” I hissed.

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“Then, mother… what on earth on are even you doing? You look ridiculous,” My son declared with his usual irritated rebellious tone. “Jahei~” I sniffled pathetically. “Mistakes were made. My decisions were wrong. I calculated the risks but… alas my math skills are quite poor. Please, free me from this tiny prison at once. I was wrong.” I cried, begging him to yank me out of this empty rice barrel.

Ughh, I could just imagine his smug dead fish expression glaring at my ass and judging me like a tyrant. ‘This old hag has nothing better to do than get herself stuck in a rice bin, seriously are you even the Fire Goddess that makes ten thousand men tremble in fear?’ I bet he is thinking that! But I dared not to open my mouth and say anything sassy until I was freed. “Good grief mother, what am I going to do with you?” Jahei rambled while grabbing my legs and pulling me out in a swift motion. He then slid my body through his arm and lifted me sideways against his hips like a sack of potatoes.

 

“Ah ha!” I squeaked at I was plopped out of the barrel in an instant. “All done, where to now?” Jahei said while still holding me in this potato sack mode. “I’m free~” I exclaimed just as another person walked into the kitchen. “Shifu, what’s all the commotion about? I thought I heard the young lady- HUH?!” Xiao Bai shouted in a state of disbelief while jumping back like a scaredy cat.

Evidently, seeing our father and daughter bonding over rice induced chaos was more than the poor boy could process this early in the morning. “Hello~” I said nonchalantly with an awkward wave. “She fell into the rice barrel so I yanked her out,” Jahei blurted out, exposing me entirely, while pointing to the rice barrel with his free hand. Xiao Bai quickly eyed the nearly empty rice barrel then stared at me then gawked at Jahei then his head kept swinging from one direction to the next like an owl.

Oi, just say what you wanna say boy! “Ehhh, umm, good morning my lady,” the boy finally said something in the most unnatural manner possible. “Papa put me down I’m already free!” I instructed while tapping his legs until he set me down. “Why are you guys even awake so early? It’s barely 5am,” I complained wondering what their deal was. “Ah miss, Shifu has agreed to teach me martial arts and swordsmanship in the mornings before his clinic opens, so I woke up early to prepare,” Xiao Bai explained timidly while eyeing us like he has no idea what to make of this situation.

 

“Ah... well then, we met in the hallway just now and Shifu said he was going to get something from the kitchen before we started lessons. I was waiting outside and I heard voices so I came to see if anyone else was awake,” the young one went on to say diligently like a model student. Meanwhile, my son, the older one just stared off into space like an intoxicated feline high on catnip. “I sensed your presence in the kitchen so I came to see what mischievous activities you were up to mother,” Jahei stated using telepathy.

 

With furrowed brows, I scowled at Jahei while cringing at the thought of how my plan to be sneaky completely failed. Giving up on today’s quest, I sighed before brushing rice dust off my skirt and walking away. “Enjoy your training boys, I’m going back to bed. I feel exhausted,” I remarked while striding towards the door. “She’s just upset because the rice bin is empty,” Jahei teased, clearly reading me like a book.

 

“PAPA BE QUIET!” I hissed while leering at him. Unlike us, Xiao Bai just stood there maturely trying to figure out how to remedy the situation. Meanwhile, Jahei stopped being sassy and went to the cupboard to get the giant sack of rice. Sighing in his typical uninterested fashion he started pouring rice grains from the heavy sack into the barrel while staring at me like he knew all too well what I was planning to do.

 

“Go rest my naughty daughter. Me and Xiao Bai will grind some rice and leave it for you to cook after we finish his training.” Jahei announced while telling Xiao Bai to soak some rice in a pot of water. “Huh? Umm, well, you don’t have to,” I mumbled feeling guilty for giving them extra work. “My lady, if you wanted to cook something you should have ask me for help. I would have been more than happy to assist you,” Xiao Bai said with an innocent angelic smile as he continued to wash the rice and set it aside to soak.

 

At this point, I felt embarrassed but I was also feeling all warm and fuzzy because of their kindness. Shyly, I replied, “I guess we can cook stuff together later today after your training. When you guys finish, you can come wake me up from my nap and we can make nokshi pithas together. It’s kind of hard to make but I can teach you.” After making my offer, I got really awkward but the boys both looked at me and Xiao Bai was grinning humbly.

“Of course, my lady~ We’ll help you so go rest for a little bit. I’ll come get you once the rice is ground,” Xiao Bai told me while caressing my cheek. “Mmm, okay,” I agreed with a yawn while nuzzling against his hand in a catlike manner. “Very well. After training, Xiao Bai will fetch you. Now, we will go outside to begin our physical activities. Go rest you until we’re done you little rice fiend,” Jahei said while petting my head and sighing as if he knew things unspoken of. Indeed, he knew I was addicted to human food but at least I was honest about it!

 

Without further conversation, Jahei went ahead to the yard and I stuck my tongue out at him once he turned his back. Xiao Bai smirked playfully at me and ran off to train with Jahei. “Good luck Xiao Bai! See you later Papa,” I said with a soft tone as I waved to them. Xiao Bai looked at me for a moment with smiling eyes and bowed his head to say thank you before dashing out the door. He was such a sweet boy, it almost felt like I had two sons now but that was not quite right either.

 

These thoughts came to mind while I strolled on to my bedroom. I guess for now it best to just treat him like a kid, when he’s an adult we’ll talk about guardianship and serious matters. For now, it’s better if he just enjoys life and does things like a normal kid would. “I’m just glad he’s alive and safe, may these peaceful days last for many many years to come,” I murmured to myself before flopping on my bed and closing my eyes.

 

The End.

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