Page 179 of He Is My Bride

Huang Xiang gasped behind his hand.

“Who is he?” Amy whispered to Huang Xiang.

“That’s Wu Yiheng, chairman of Wu Pharma and Wu Hanjun’s uncle.” Huang Xiang told Amy.

Hanrong smiled as he walked over and went to greet Mr. and Mrs. Qian and Grandmother first, “Hello! You must be the Qian family. I’m Wu Hanrong, Hanjun’s cousin, and this is his uncle Wu Yiheng.”

“Good day.” Wu Yiheng shook the surprised Qians’ hands.

“I’ll fetch one more plate,” Amy said. She had been looking after her little nephew and now brought him over to Wu Yiheng. “Look after him for me for a second, please!” Amy gave Wu Yiheng the baby and, caught off guard, he took it.

Wu Yiheng held his great-nephew, and he and the baby stared at each other. After careful consideration, the child reached out and grabbed Wu Yiheng’s mustache, pulled, and laughed. This sure was Li Ying’s child, Wu Yiheng thought.

But he looks like Hanjun.Wu Yiheng brought the youngest member of the Wu clan into a hug. What had happened to him in this old age, he wondered as he felt his heart moved.

“Aww!” Li Ying called from the porch after he had recovered from his shock. Wu Yiheng had been invited but he had already refused, so they hadn’t expected him. “Look at Uncle Yiheng with the baby! So cute!”

Wu Yiheng glared at Li Ying, who was leaning against the railing, holding his head in his hands and grinning down at him. So, this was the real Li Ying. No less of a nuisance even if he wore pants, Wu Yiheng thought. Then he saw Hanjun, coming to stand next to his husband. Wu Yiheng had half the mind to turn heel, get in the car, and drive away from that sight, which he struggled to understand. But there was a warm, soft little Wu in his arms that compelled him totry.

“Hello, Hanjun,” Wu Yiheng greeted.

“Uncle,” Hanjun responded coolly.

This was the first time they had seen each other in over a year. Calls had been brief and business-like. Wu Yiheng hadn’t asked how they were doing whatsoever, only since Hanjun had told him they hadfound a suitable surrogate for their child had he begun asking how ‘your baby’ was doing. ‘Ourbaby,’ Hanjun had corrected him every time.

Could the child be a Wu heir, they all wondered. The boy was from a married union, though the marriage would only be recognized in the States, and biologically Hanjun’s; it would be possible, if controversial. Yet Hanjun had decided, and Li Ying had agreed, that their child would get to choose whatever he wanted to be when he grew up. The future of Wu Pharma remained uncertain, but the company didn’t matter as much as family to Li Ying and Hanjun.

“Tea will be ready soon.” Li Ying said and beckoned for Uncle Qian and Grandma—Mrs. Qian had already told him she would not partake in the ceremonial parts. “Come! Sorry, Uncle Yiheng, but I believe you were served tea already.”

Qian Hong and Grandma went in, and together Li Ying and Hanjun asked them to drink the tea they had prepared, and the elders who had raised Li Ying wished them many happy years together.

“And may you have many more children,” Qian Hong added. He smiled at Li Ying in particular, “Perhaps the next one will look like Li Ying?”

Li Ying blushed while Hanjun smiled.

After the tea ceremony, they found Wu Yiheng waiting on the porch. The child was now playing with Amy.

“May I come in? I wish to talk with Hanjun, alone,” Wu Yiheng said.

“Of course, come on in!” Li Ying showed him into their home. It was a recently renovated wooden colonial house, and while everything was new and Hanjun liked things orderly and clean, it looked very much lived in; a baby and a Li Ying lived here, after all. Wu Yiheng was left wondering if it was more than Hanjun’s impeccable knowledge of feng shui that created such a feeling of harmony. It was not, however, the barn house sign in the hall that said:

In This House, We Are Real, We Make Mistakes, We Say I’m Sorry,We Give Second Chances, We Have Fun, We Give Hugs, We Always Forgive, We Do Loud, We Are Grateful, We Love.

Terrible, Wu Yiheng thought. It must have been Li Ying’s idea to hang up such a gaudy thing.

“You stay and talk with your uncle,” Li Ying said, caressing Hanjun’s arm. “I’ll go ahead and help Kai with the barbecue. We’ll start once you are ready.” Li Ying went out with Uncle Qian and Grandma.

“There is still some water in the kettle, I could make tea?” Hanjun offered, and Wu Yiheng accepted:

“I accept. But I just wanted to have a quick word with you.”

Hanjun led his uncle into the living room and brought out the tea set, filled a pot with water and placed the cups and other tools in their proper places on the tray, as well as two tea pets: a round, cute little rooster for himself and a tiny Buddha for his uncle. He steeped some oolong while Wu Yiheng waited.

Wu Yiheng got his cup, tapped his two fingers on the table as a traditional thank you for the pourer, and took a sip. Only then did the man speak:

“I thought you might want to know that your and Li Ying’s marriage has officially been nullified, and you are charged with fines.”

“I see.” Hanjun poured tea for himself next. He was relieved that making tea still felt familiar between him and his uncle. It was the one thing they both understood the same, at least.