Xinye's view

I headed off to see if Fergus and Ying were up to having a picnic out with Xin and my children and possibly Bryce and Min's as well.

"Of course!" Ying said, "That sounds like a wonderful idea, being cooped up here has started getting to be a strain as your children are usually doing something, whether it be training with the guards, out in the field with the men, or learning their letters. They have been unable to do anything like that here so are starting to be naughty."

I chuckled, I could understand Ying totally. Although these children of mine had a lot of carers and were definitely more obedient as a result of people saying the same thing consistently to them, they were still children. 

"Well, let's start getting ready," I said happy that we were doing something as a family, "What sorts of things can we do on a picnic? "

"We could fly kites or kick a ball," Ying suggested.

"Let's pack both," I said, "Do we have either?"

"I am sure I can find something here," Ying said, "I will go ask the maid I got on well with here."

Ying went then and sure enough sometime later she arrived back with the maid in question arms full of kites and differing balls and a basket to put them in. We got the children in on the action, choosing what kites to pack and what balls, they also packed a hoop game and blankets to sit on.

Xin came back then, and for the first time since he had arrived I saw him full of genuine smiles.

"Xinye!" he called out hurrying over to me, he picked me up and spun me around before hugging me, "Your son and Min and their family agreed to come with us!"

"That is good news!" I said, silently thanking God.

"When are we going?" I asked then, "We are almost ready to go on our side."

"As soon as we are ready we can head out," Xin said, "They were planning on spending the day out anyway."

It was then Weici and Sari arrived with the picnic basket full of food and drinks.

"We can go now," I said to XIn, "The food is here and the kids are dressed ready."

So, we headed out.

Bryce or Min had ordered us covered palanquins to escort us to the park where they had been planning to go that day, Xin spying the one they had ordered for us, noticed it was ours from home. He looked at the back of it and saw my wheelie was still there where he had tied it at the start of our journey to here.

"Well, at least you will have wheelie today," he commented, "It is lucky it is still there since I forgot to remove it."

"It likely scares people," I commented, "It is not the usual thing to see here."

"True," he nodded.

We had a wonderful day out together. Our children getting on like a house on fire. After explaining to the children, "Children, we would like you to decide what to call us," Xin said being the house head, "As we do not know ourselves what you should call us, nor what you should call each other."

"Why is it so difficult?" they asked.

"Well, Min is my sister and Bryce is Xinye's son," Xin explained, "So if we go from my sisters and my relationship you would call us aunty, however, if we go from Bryce's side, I am your grandfather. So for my kids, Bryce is their half brother, and Min their Aunt. Making Bryce's children grand children or nieces."

"Why don't we mix up the terms then?" Yaun suggested, "Like Ayi NaiNai and yeye shushu for Mama and Baba and gege shushu and Jiejie Ayi for us."

"I like that idea," one of Bryce's children said and the adults all nodded their agreement.

"Let's go with that then," Xin agreed, so Bryce's children from then on called me Ayi NaiNai.

"Bryce," I asked my eldest son.

"What?" he said sounding defensive as if I was going to berate him.

"Are your children being schooled at all?"

"Yes, Min organised a tutor for them to learn to read and write," he said,  his tone back to normal.

"Can Yaun and Wei Li join in on their lessons while they are here?"

"I suppose so, their lessons are every weekday like when I went to school," he advised me.

"Alright, so back to school tomorrow then?" I joked

"Yes," he nodded.

I did not like to bother his contemplation, so I asked nothing more as I tried to stifle my curiousity on how he was going. But Xin had no such restraint. He and Bryce chatted happily, Xin finding out everything naturally and I overheard. 

To my surprise Min also was listening intently. Our eyes met and we burst into a fit of giggles earing us stares from the men, "It's nothing," Min gasped out.

"Are you sure?" Bryce asked concerned.

"Yes," I said, "Why don't you guys play a game of football with the kids?"

"Will you join us?" Xin asked.

"No," I shook my head, and got up and moved to under the shade of a tree. The shade had moved since we got there and now it was too hot to be still in the sun with.

Everyone, except for me, headed off to join in the game of football, which was honestly closer to soccer. I was happy watching them, and wishing that I could photograph them, but photographs did not exist  yet, so I had to be content with the memory.

As I watched them I felt my consciousness leave my body, "Argh, not again." I thought slumping over in the chair. The first person to notice I was unconscious sitting upright was Fergus.

"Mum, Mum!" he called, I heard him, at the edges of my consciousness, but I could not respond, my body had shut down.

"Don't worry about her," I heard Bryce say, "She did this all the time back home."

"Are you kidding me?" I heard Sari and Weici say together, "You see your mother passed out and you say 'Don't worry about it?' What sort of son are you?"

"Can our children keep playing with yours and come back when they are ready?" Xin asked someone.

"Sure," Min replied, "We will manage to bring everyone back with the two remaining palanquins."

"Thanks," and I felt Xin pick me up, "Who is coming with me?"

"I will," volunteered Sari immediately.

"I think I should stay," Weici said, "Keep an eye on the children. I would never forgive myself if something happened to them."

"I will come too," Ying said, "I want to start on dinner anyway."

"Why don't you eat with us?" Bryce asked, clearly forgetting I was poisoned the last time I was here.

"Sorry Bryce," Ying said, "I do not trust anyone's cooking but my own and Sari's."

Her explanation seemed to be accepted. 

"How about you Fergus? and Min?" Xin asked, "Did you want to come?"

"I think I should stay with the children since Sari and Ying are going," Fergus said, "They still are not use to everyone."

"I'll stay too," Min volunteered, "An extra pair of female eyes is always handy. You men just seem to miss things."

Xin laughed and strode to the palanquin and put me in it. He must have passed me to Sari and Ying as I felt myself pulled in and laid down on the floor of the palanquin, my head on someone's lap. 

"Have you stashed her wheelie?" Ying fretted.

"I have," Xin said, "Let's go home before she gets worse."

Unfortunately for me I was in a fevered state, in and out of consciousness for the next week. 

When I awoke, I was starving, and there was a bowl of rice next to my bed, so I assumed it had been left for me by either Xin, Ying or Sari, as they had been the ones feeding me this past week.  So I ate a few mouthfuls. I was unable to finish it as my stomach could not handle it. I rolled over and went to sleep.

A/N If you enjoyed this chapter, please take the time to vote by pressing the star. Please let me know if you see any errors, as this is unedited.