3 – Strict Army Major

In the Zhao Family House, Zhao JingShen evaded his mother's eyes and his grandmother's feather duster and got to his feet.

He towered over both of them by more than a foot but their influence on him had never been light. So he was swift when he ducked around the women and ran to hide behind his older brothers.

"You–" his grandmother tried to point the feather duster at him but nudged JingShi in the chest instead. Her face was swollen with anger.

Feeling a small pang at angering the elderly he ducked out slightly from behind JingShi's shoulder. "Grandma, don't be like this. I promise I will bring her back when she has time."

"Yes," JingShi in front of him agreed. "The young ones must study before getting married."

"Exactly!" JingShen jumped to finish his older brother's idea. "Especially girls, grandma. These days, educating girls shows our care for them."

"I didn't ask you that," the old lady grumbled. She lowered her weapon. "I want to know when did you meet her."

He scanned the room for an exit, "Not long ago. Don't get stressed." He went to his aunt, JingShi's mother, and unceremoniously snatched the little sleeping bundle from her arms. In his heart, he promised the little guy: "Baby nephew, forgive uncle. Who made you the best Distraction method in this family? Uncle has to use you."

He quickly dumped the baby into his grandmother's arms. The old lady dropped the feather duster to accept the little guy.

"Grandma, play with the little guy."

That little guy, rudely awaked from his nap and jostled about, opened his eyes and started screaming. His father, JingShi, turned to JingShen, death in his eye. "You dare to move my son as a shield?"

"Who told you two to sacrifice me," he defended, including Xing ZhiYan in his accusation.

"Humph!" JingShi didn't waste time on him anymore and reached out to take the little guy from their grandmother before the roof fell on them with his loud cries. The baby didn't cry often, but when he did, the decibel was remarkable. And since his birth, he was so clingy to his dad that no one esle could calm him.

"Poor thing," Jingshen's mother and grandmother sighed, sufficiently distracted.

"You!" his grandfather roared over the shouts of the little guy. "You dare to bully a small child. Who wanted to go out and save the country? Now you are bullying the smallest member? Fraud!"

JingShen looked down at the baby in JingShi's arms. The baby was looking at him with grieviances, his huge eyes wet with disappointment. JingShen, full of apology, gently rubbed the little guy's soft hair, "Uncle is sorry."

"Humph!" JingShi mumbled, scornful. Fortunately, the little guy decided all was well and stopped crying immediately. He rubbed his head against his father, while frowning at JingShen.

"I'll buy you something nice, okay?" He bribed.

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Next… "JingShi, have you thought about marrying a mother for the boy?" Came out of his grandmother's mouth.

Time to escape. Every time someone asked a question like this, Zhao JingShi, a single father, would bring the house down with his anger. Jingshen regretted a little for taking this step, but escape was escape. One must do what one must.

JingShi, instead of releasing his anger on the old, turned to JingShen. "I want to murder you in your sleep," he threatened.

"Military won't allow it," JingShen shrugged.

JingShi, his son secure in his arms, reached for the feather duster.

"No violence in front of children!" JingShen reminded.

"Today you made him cry! He deserves to see you punished."

But at that moment, there was a peal of a ringtone. No beating was done because everyone stopped moving and looked to Jingshen. Like old and worn clothes, he shed the careless humor, avoiding all the disappointed or worried eyes. The man who answered the phone was not Zhao JingShen, carefree nth generation of the renowned Zhao House, but a serious and strict Army Major.

Minutes later, he left his warm – if interfering – family and strode outside to his military grade Jeep. He was a Special Forces soldier. His life didn't belong to himself or his family, but to the country. This was one of the reasons he was so late in coaxing home his family's daughter-in-law.

* * *

After her son left, Mother JingShen turned to the two other children in the family. Zhao JingShi held his baby son, whispering to the child. Xing ZhiYan was looking at the father and son, a familiar light in his eyes.

The poor baby boy had never had a mother and they were all eternally curious as to how how this baby had appeared in their family almost a year ago. When they looked at him, it was always with doting mixed with curiosity and awe.

"What is this situation?" She asked the two men. Aside from friends, they were her son's closest confidants.

When JingShi raised his head, maybe he saw something on her face. A corner of his lips turned up and his voice held a note of warning when he said, "Don't worry Aunt. He's not like me. He wouldn't appear one day with a motherless child."

Motherless was one thing but illegitimate was another. That child, as much as they loved him, would not have an easy time when his father, his only parent, got married in the future. After all, often when your father marries a stepmother, he becomes a stepfather too.

Their family loved the child but how can they make up for a mother's love? How can another woman who was not his mother love him as unconditionally as a mother should.

"Aunt, wipe that look from your face," JingShi warned again. "My son will never suffer the loss of his mother."

"Aunt," Xing ZhiYan also knelt in front of her and took her hand. "Aunt, don't let JingShi's situation colour JingShen's. JingShen knows what he is doing."

"I just –" she chocked a little. "I don't want anything to go wrong. He needs to marry her home quickly so nothing can go wrong." She wanted happiness for her son and future grandchildren. With these three boys' standoffish personalities, talking to a woman was already a miracle. If they made a wrong step like JingShi did in the past, it could all be ruined.

Happiness was so easy to destroy.

JingShi doted on his son but he was alone. The child was illegitimate, motherless and his father was deeply sorrowful, filling his days and nights with work.

She did not want this for her child. Yes, she had little confidence in him marrying someone home – because his job was so demanding. He was a man with little time for a family. Whoever he married would, many times, be alone. She would have to be strong alone. If a woman married him for himself and not his wealth or rank, she would think twice about the amount of time he had for the marriage.

"Don't worry," ZhiYan patted her hands to comfort her. "We saw that girl. She gives him a hard time, but she loves him."

Hope bloomed again. Mother JingShen gripped his hands eagerly, "What does she look like? How is her personality?" And the most important right now, "What is her name?"

JingShi leaned his head against his baby son who looked at him with pure adoration. "Aunt, you should let JingShen tell you this by himself. It's not right if we do it for him."

Such a little thing was so hard to say? Was it right that these three were so principled? In her opinion, no, it was not! She frowned at the two of them.

From the left, her sister-in-law, Shi Xin, waved her hands, "Alright, alright. We won't ask any more. Xu Ran, don't worry too much. Let the children figure it out on their own."

But how could a mother stop worrying? She knew nothing about the woman her son wanted to bring home!