Dee was the only one of us to have anything nearing a family, so we decided
to announce her pregnancy to her friends first. We made plans to have dinner
with Manchu and his household. This consisted of his wife, Chu Hua, Jiaoshu,
and Li Mei. They greeted us warmly and we were immediately ushered into
the dining room where dinner was awaiting us.
"So? What is this news you gathered us for?" Jiaoshu said once we were all
settled. Though he was no longer the head of the house, he still took charge
at small gatherings like this.
"Xiaohu?" I prompted, looking to her and taking her hand. I called her by
the name they had given her, knowing how it pleased her to be reminded of
her days in the Triad. And really, it was best that she handle things around
this household. Too many times I had wedged my foot firmly in my mouth around
her "family."
She sipped her tea and blushed, something she hadn't done in a while. I
missed seeing it. Hopefully she would blush more as the evening progressed
and she was prodded with questions.
"Well, last week I found out that I was pregnant."
There were shocked gasps from the other women present, both knowing how
Dee and I felt about parenthood.
"We decided we're going to have the baby! Provided everything goes right,
we're going to be parents," she said, beaming proudly.
The congratulations that followed were joyful, with an edge of restraint
I found odd. Yet it was part of the culture and a reason I had a hard time
in this house on occasion. The women immediately began chattering about
what we were going to name the child and what we were hoping for. For their
part, Manchu and Jiaoshu gave me respectful nods.
After dinner the women went upstairs to Dee's old room to talk, taking a
pot of tea and dessert with them. This left me alone with the men and feeling
rather uncomfortable. I knew the two well enough, but no matter how much
time I spent with them, I still felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it had to do
with the passive threats they had leveled at me both when I had first met
Dee, and then again once we had become lovers.
"So, you two finally are having a child," Manchu chuckled. Sure, he could
laugh. He had two handfuls of his own. "I'm not certain if I should be delighted
in the idea of a little version of the two of you running around or horrified."
"Horrified?" I asked curiously.
"I grew up with that wildcat friend of mine. You may have taken her heart
and become a great part of her life, but I'll bet there are still things
you don't know about her."
"Manchu, don't frighten the boy anymore than he already is," Jiaoshu chided.
"She is as much a ruffian as he is, but she has a good heart and you know
it."
The younger man smirked. "Yes, Jiaoshu." Manchu winked at me and mouthed
"old man" behind his hand.
The sound of Jiaoshu's bamboo cane smacking Manchu on the shoulder made
me jump. Manchu merely laughed when Jiaoshu smiled and sipped his tea, acting
as if he hadn't moved. This was a strange, strange household.
"Was this planned, Edward?" Jiaoshu asked.
Nervously I rubbed the back of my neck. "Er, no. It wasn't. But we've discussed
it and decided that we would like to give it a shot."
"'Give it a shot'? Eddie, this isn't one of your riddle games. This is a
life," Manchu said, serious now.
"We are well aware of that, Manchu. What I meant is that we want to try
to give the kid what we didn't get. We want, of course, for you to be its
uncle and Chu Hua its aunt. Jiaoshu, we'd like you and Li Mei to be the
child's grandparents, if that's ok with everyone?"
For the first time that night, the old man smiled broadly. "It would be
a delight to be the grandfather to a child of such lineage as you and my
daughter."
I breathed a sigh of relief. The old man had wanted this and had been waiting,
it appeared by his reaction, for a long time. "Dee will be happy to hear,
Jiaoshu," I said, inclining my head respectfully. Manners. This was all
about manners here.
Manchu started laughing again. "This is going to be great. I remember when
we were kids in China and Li Rong had her baby. You should have seen Xiaohu
holding poor Jin! I thought for certain she was either going to pass out,
or drop him!" Shoulders shaking with mirth, Manchu stood and went to the
dining room door. He whispered something to the serving girl outside and
came to sit back down. "Really, Eddie, I wish you two the best of luck."
"I'm sure you do. Those tears of amusement just give me all the confidence
in the world," I said dryly. "Was she really that bad?" Not that I could
believe it after how she was the first time we had sex. Petrified is hardly
the word to describe how scared she was.
"Yes. Li Rong constantly pressed the baby on her just to make her relax.
While I got stuck running buckets of water, Xiaohu was often made to help
take care of Jin."
The serving girl knocked softly and entered, carrying a tray with three
small cups and a stoneware bottle. Manchu thanked her and she left. The
man got a Cheshire grin on his face as he looked at me and picked the bottle
up. When he poured three healthy doses of the clear-as-water liquid, I started
to get a really bad feeling about this. He served Jiaoshu first, handing
me the second cup, and taking the third.
"To Xiaohu and Edward," he said, raising his glass.
We clinked glasses and I watched as the two men tossed the drink back with
practiced ease. They nodded to me, smiling in what they thought was a comforting
smile. It looked more like the cat was about to swallow the canary. Taking
a deep breath, I followed suit and took the drink in one gulp. I found myself
doubled over the table, coughing as the liquid burned its way down my throat
and landed, still flaming, in my gut.
"Good stuff, huh?" Manchu winked, quickly filling up the cups before I could
protest. "To the birth of a strong and healthy child!"
Once more the drinks were tossed back. This time I went slower with it,
but fast enough not to look weak. I knew these two respected strength and
I was not about to let some drink kick my ass. The toasts continued and
my vision began to swim. The serving girl came in with another bottle at
some point, switching out the empty one. I found myself grateful that the
table was traditional and we sat on the floor. I really didn't think I would
be vertical at a normal table. Hell, by the time I felt a gentle slap on
my cheek, I wasn't even certain I was vertical.
"What did you two do to him?!" Dee said, holding my face in her hands. "Eddie?
Eddie, darling, are you ok?"
"We were just toasting to the health of you, your child, and your mate,
Xiaohu," Jiaoshu said calmly.
The old man was either very good at holding this stuff in, or he had been
drinking water. The same went for Manchu who chortled as I tried my best
to focus on the face swimming in the sea of red in front of me. She must
have noticed the bottle and cups.
"Manchu! You've been giving him erguotou!" Dee said, releasing me. I melted
down to the table, unable to keep my head up anymore. I heard her slap him
and him cry out in amused pain at her anger. "I knew I shouldn't have left
him alone with you two!"
"He'll be fine! He's a strong man!" he laughed, slapping me heartily on
the back.
"Manchu-ai," came Chu Hua's voice.
Immediately Manchu's chuckling stopped. All of us men in the room knew the
tone of voice Chu had just used too well.
"Ha! You're in trouble!" I laughed, managing to lift an arm and point at
Manchu.
Dee stood next to him trying her best not to laugh at what I had just said.
Desperately she bit her lower lip as she came back over to me, shaking her
finger in my face.
"You're not any better off, Edward! You know how to say 'no'. Say it. Say
'no'," she said, pinching my face in her hands.
"No," I said, grinning at her. Now that the women were back in the room,
I felt more comfortable.
"You, old man! You should know better!" Li Mei said, settling back down
next to Jiaoshu.
The man simply turned and smiled at her. "I must see that my daughter's
mate is able to handle something stronger than that water he is so fond
of."
"Dee," I whispered loudly, "what is that stuff anyway?"
"Chinese moonshine, you ninny." She gave a sigh and cupped my face in her
hand. "You foolish man. I told you never to trust that idiot Manchu when
alone!"
"Hey! I'm standing right here!" he protested.
"Ping, don't make me take you into the courtyard and teach you a lesson!"
she said, shooting him a glare.
I couldn't help but laugh at the admonished look on the man's face as he
backed down to Dee. "Ow!" I said as she pinched my chest. Rubbing the sore
spot, I looked at her. Had I seen the look on her face before I decided
to laugh again, I would have remained quiet. She looked ready to cry.
"We'll take care of these two, Xiaohu. You two should go. He needs to sleep
off the erguotou," Chu Hua said. She helped Dee stand, brushing strands
of red back from Dee's face. "Men," she added in a tone of strained patience.
Manchu called in two men who were on guard duty that night. I realized only
too late that they were there to carry me out. They ignored my protests
and insistence that I could walk on my own as they followed the group out
into the alley where we had parked. Breaking free of their grip when they
set me near the passenger side door, I only managed to keep my dignity (and
not fall) by taking a death grip on the car as I clambered into the seat.
A moment later Dee got behind the wheel.
"I'm sorry, Kitten," I said once we were on our way back to the hideout.
Shaking her head, she ran her hand through my hair. "It isn't your fault.
You didn't know what they were giving you to drink." A flow of what I could
only guess was very colorful Chinese escaped her lips. "Next time I tell
you to watch out for Manchu, please listen to me. He might have grown out
of most of the mischief we did when we were kids, but he still comes around
with what he thinks is a great joke now and then."
I merely nodded, knowing how she hated me drunk. My current worry was getting
myself into the warehouse and into bed without falling down. When we got
back, Dee was kind enough to get Benny to help me into the bedroom. After
managing the bathroom on my own, she helped me undress and curled under
the covers with me.
"Thank you, Tiger," she said after a long silence, wrapping her arms around
me and pulling my head to her shoulder.
"For what?" I really wished the room would stop spinning.
"For going tonight. For being such a sport with those two."
I tried to mumble a "welcome" as her lips pressed against my temple. I'm
not certain how far I got before I fell into a deep sleep.
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