Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 2)

338 A True Family

Qiu Ling took the jade tablet from his hands, holding it tightly. Frankly, even if it was empty, he wouldn't care. What mattered was receiving one from Jinde at all.

Consciously or subconsciously, he had always considered this person his family. Unfortunately, as a child, he hadn't been able to make his own choices and could only follow his father's decision. Then later, everything had changed beyond cognition, making their becoming a family again impossible. By the time he returned to the capital city, Jinde was supposedly dead, ending all dreams he may have had about this.

Now that they had found each other again, he had to admit that he had been chasing this long-lost feeling, always hoping to regain what had been taken from him. It ... wasn't always easy. He knew that Jinde loved him. It wasn't tough to understand. The way he treated him was definitely special. But with everything that had happened in the past, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive nonetheless.

There was just always this persistent doubt and while he tried to assuage it, it didn't always help. Most likely, this doubt was even stronger when such special occasions arose. Would Jinde want him there when going to look for the shell for his actual child? Would he want to give him a jade tablet for his pre-wedding customs? Would he want him there when Xiang Ling was born?

The answer to all of these was yes but he had to hear that out loud or watch it happen with his own eyes to actually feel relieved. Especially with this younger sibling on the way, he just wanted this reassurance, even if he'd never say so out loud in front of Jinde.

No, to the two of them, not actually being related and having missed out on all of that time together was the biggest regret. He struggled with it. Not always but whenever those special moments arrived to remind him of it. Surely, Jinde was the same so he shouldn't add to it further.

Now, holding Jinde's jade tablet, Qiu Ling hummed, the corners of his lips rising. He turned to Bai Fen, faintly raising his brows. "Where to?"

Bai Fen smiled. She had naturally seen that exchange just now and it was difficult to ignore the happiness Qiu Ling radiated. Of course, she was also happy to see her future son-in-law and his family like this. "It doesn't matter. You can choose whatever place you'd like. Usually, all of them are set down in a row so they can be worshiped together."

Contrary to humans who often had an altar or even an ancestral room at home, the gods didn't place as much importance on these jade tablets. They were only taken out for a select few occasions and were otherwise carried around or safely stored away, depending on the person's preference.

"So, you only need a place with enough space but a table is enough. We can just do it here or find somewhere with a bit more ... of a ceremonial feeling." She also realized that the table where she liked to drink tea might not be the most appropriate place for something like this.

Qiu Ling turned to look at his lover. To him, just getting the jade tablet was enough so he didn't care too much where they actually worshiped. Not to mention that the dragons didn't even have this custom in the first place. His lover cared very much though and not receiving his father's tablet was definitely weighing on his mind already. It was better to choose carefully in that case.

Jing He also looked up at Qiu Ling, naturally deferring to his preferences.

Qiu Ling hummed, realizing that his beloved didn't seem to have a strong opinion on this either. Thinking of how he wanted this moment to be beautiful for him, he finally motioned outside. "How about setting up a table in the garden? Caring for those flowers is something you share with your mother and maybe in past generations, there were others who shared this passion. It seems like a way to honor them and maybe give them some reassurance that you are doing well." Not to mention that it was a beautiful place so worshiping there might give his beloved that feeling of ceremony Bai Fen had mentioned.

Jing He tightly held the jade tablet of his mother's family, his gaze softening as he listened to Qiu Ling. Even though he had wanted to follow his opinion no matter what it was, hearing Qiu Ling come up with this for his sake made his heart flutter. Of course, he wouldn't be unhappy with it. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea."

In any case, he should try to reassure those ancestors on his mother's side. After all, this wedding was likely to destroy her marriage. Was that not something he ought to apologize for? He felt down just thinking of the negative consequences he was bringing to his mother. He knew he had made the right choice since he truly wouldn't be able to live with himself if he caused Qiu Ling's death. But that didn't mean that he didn't feel guilty for what he was doing to his mother by following this path.

Qiu Ling watched his expression, almost having expected this reaction. In the past few days, whenever they weren't going over the preparations for the wedding, Jing He would tell him about his time in the High Heavens and at the Spring of Fate. So by now, while he couldn't guarantee that he knew all the details, he did know the gist of it, including the likely breakdown of Bai Fen's marriage.

In his opinion though ... it wasn't Jing He's decision that caused it but his father's continued stupidity which his mother couldn't deal with any longer. So when the Heavenly Emperor didn't repent at all, of course, she'd want to divorce him and she'd likely be happier for it. But, of course, this couldn't be said to Jing He before it even happened.

Qiu Ling pursed his lips and leaned over, kissing Jing He's temple. "Then let's go. You know your mother's garden best. Choose a beautiful spot for us." Anyway, it was better to focus on the positive side of it all for now. The rest ... they would deal with that later.