Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume #1)

85 Talking Sense Into Him

Madam Zhong observed the changes in Qiu Ling's face and sighed when he scowled again. She made sure to hold onto his hand so he wouldn't do something irreversible. "I can understand that you're worried but think a bit for Jing'er's sake. He's been alone all the time in the village. Now that we've come to the capital, he should make some friends."
Qiu Ling's scowl reduced to a frown and finally ended up in a guilty expression. What his mother-in-law said was true. Jing He had always been alone. Now that he was in the mortal world for this trial where his status in the Nine Heavens didn't bind him, he should get the opportunity to make some friends.
But because he was Madam Zhong's only child, she had been afraid something could happen to him and had made sure he wouldn't get into contact with anything that could be dangerous. The forest, the river, the animals ... She would tell him horrible stories just to make sure he wouldn't get curious about any of that. And it had worked. Maybe a little too well. In the village, he hadn't dared to venture out on his own.
And the last bit of curiosity he had, the one toward the other children ... Qiu Ling knew fully well that he had been the one to nip that in the bud with the stories he told him.
Now they had come to the capital. Everything was new and thanks to the fact that Madam Zhong hadn't warned him, Jing Yi wasn't afraid yet. He could make friends here and learn new things.
He should. It was just ... What if he fell in love? If there was somebody of his age around him, someone who protected him from that evil girl and cared for him and made him feel happy, who was to say that things wouldn't develop between them when they grew older? He didn't want to create a chance for his own love rival to steal his beloved!
Qiu Ling turned to Madam Zhong with sad eyes but she stayed stern.
"Don't look at me like a beaten dog. I know you're worried. I'm worried too. But one can worry too much. With the way I've raised him and how you've interfered, he's become afraid of everything. We can't let this get even worse. Something has to change and I think that it's not him. It's us. We can't be like this anymore. So please. Don't ruin this opportunity for him."
Qiu Ling looked at Madam Zhong pitifully but she didn't soften at all. It was obvious she would insist on this.
Qiu Ling looked at his beloved that was still being held in somebody else's arms. Mn ... His mother-in-law was making sense. But this was unacceptable! He had to at least make sure that this bastard wouldn't shamelessly exploit his generosity!
He turned to Madam Zhong and gripped her hands. "Be honest. Wouldn't you rather have me as your son-in-law than some son of a merchant?"
Madam Zhong's brows twitched. "Daoist Master ... My son is nine. I'm not thinking about getting a son-in-law for another five to ten years."
Qiu Ling shook his head. "I know, I know. But let's think about what will be in another five years. By then, wouldn't you rather have me as your son-in-law than some merchant's son?" He hopefully looked at her, making it hard to reject him.
Madam Zhong glanced at her son, feeling a little as if she was selling him off. "You ... probably wouldn't be a bad choice?"
"Right!" Qiu Ling smiled widely, his eyes turning into little crescents. "To be honest I don't mind that brat. I just don't want your son to be led astray. Someone should make clear to him how important it is to choose the right partner. So how about you advise your son?"
"That ..." Madam Zhong smiled wryly. She didn't mind humoring Qiu Ling a bit. He wasn't a bad person and seemed serious about her son, not to mention how much he had done for her family. But she still didn't like where this was going. "Daoist Master, there is something I want to ask. And please take a bit of time to think about this before you answer."
Qiu Ling's expression lit up. This had to be some kind of test to make sure if he was the right husband for her son! Mn, he definitely wouldn't fail this! He had even managed to assure the Heavenly Empress of his qualities, after all. "What is it, mother-in-law?"
"Are you sure ... that the person you love is my son?"
"Of course!" This test was much too easy! Who else would it be if not Jing He? Maybe he should advise his mother-in-law to give him a more difficult question?
Before he could say anything, Madam Zhong shook her head though.
"You misunderstood. What I meant to ask was: Are you sure it's my son you're thinking about and not the person he was in his previous life? I know people reincarnate and after that, it will still be the same soul. But aren't they different people nonetheless? My Jing'er ... He should have grown up different from his previous life. After all, you seem like an important man. You certainly wouldn't have fallen in love with some poor villager. So, please ask yourself: If Jing Yi was only Jing Yi, the boy you see over there, would you still love him?"
Qiu Ling gazed at her deeply before looking at Jing Yi. If Jing Yi was only Jing Yi ... But how could that be? This body had only been formed because Jing He had to descend for his trial and the Fate's Scribe wrote a fate for him. It was only a container intended to hold that noble soul. If not for the trial, this child would never have existed and the Zhongs would have stayed without a child forever.