Peace, Love, And Harmony (Ge Shen)

[Deleted]

YiXue was so excited. As wonderful as Christmas with her family was, she was most looking forward to just after Christmas when the love of her life, Shen, was coming to visit the Magical Meditation Retreat to spend a whole week with her there. She had missed him a great deal despite the short time the two had been parted. She wanted to snuggle with him again of course, but she also couldn't wait for her parents, Liu and Hai Zhang, to meet him. Her mother was anxious to meet Shen, but Hai Zhang acted just as YiXue knew he would- cautious and skeptical since his daughter had never dated anyone else before. But she knew Shen would win him over.

With her mother preparing diner in the Retreat's kitchen, YiXue stood at the entrance of the place, looking out the window and waiting for Shen to arrive. She wore a lovely blue dress to greet him in. She turned to see her father waiting there too and sighed a bit. However, she smiled when her mother popped in and convinced him to let YiXue greet Shen first, and then she could bring her boyfriend in to meet them.

@shava44

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Having spoken to his father about getting a lift to the meditation center, Shen had packed a bag carefully and compactly. When his father had a moment, he came to pick him up and held one of Shen's two bags, the other on his back. He handed him a letter of introduction from their family to hers offering a chance to get together after school started. It was in English, though there were several references in there to Mandarin concepts which few might have noticed. Shen had blushed slightly upon reading it to see he was described, but otherwise thought it a good idea.

After all, one was more then just an individual and the sum of a person certain came in a large art from the family.

Arriving by appiration nearby, they had walked to the address, then stopped and shook hands as his father gave him some last advice and a reminder about where he would be when time came to return home, a bow and a hug coming after. So as Shen approached the Meditation Center he felt confident and cheerful compared to nervous as one might expect. After all with his parent's good wishes and encouragement how could he be anything but himself?

As he saw her watching for him his smile became wider and his steps speeded up as he came to the door and opened his arms up for her just in time! "YiXue," he said softly and with affection, "how can a week last a thousand hours? I have missed you, Sack Girl, and my heart rejoices at the sight of you!"

@yixue

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(I thought it was Sack Girl, )

YiXue's eyes brightened when she saw Shen approach. Again, it was as if she hadn't seen him in ages. When one loved another as she did Shen, a short time was ages. She ran out and into his arms, kissing him on the lips, then both cheeks, then the forehead, then she worked her way around again.

"My Dumpling Boy!" she said. "I've missed you so much too and a thousand hours? Try ten thousand! But we are going to have so much fun this week! Everything's planned out, but with some room for improvisation of course!" She then took his hand. "Come on. My parents are in the kitchen."

When YiXue was to bring the boy in the kitchen, her mother smiled and bowed to him. Her father bowed, but didn't smile. YiXue sighed a bit.

"Shen, this is my mum Liu and my dad Hai," she said. "Mum, dad, this is Shen."

Before Liu could speak, Hai approached him.

"Come, Shen," he said. "We will speak." YiXue blushed at this.

"...Oh boy," she muttered.

@shava44

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He had made it halfway to the house when the door swung open and she darted out, giving him several kisses which he tried to respond to, but she was too quick. Grinning at her obviously delight, Shen let his hands drop to her waist and then as they spoke he switched to taking her hand ,careful not to do too much in front of the house. "As long as you are there I am sure it will all go well enough, YiXue! How are your parents acting, ready or tense?" He reached into his bag pulling out both the letter and his gift (some Yong Peng Bread for the blessing of always being well fed and some flaked sea salt to express the wish they would always have spice in their lives; both traditional Chinese gifts) and followed her inside.

Most Chinese families inside China considered the kitchen to be the center point of the house, not as often outside the Third Kingdom. He was glad to see their kitchen was well used. In Chinese as he bowed to both of her parents (knowing he could not call them Mr and Mrs which was a very western custom) he said <"Greetings and long health to you, Uncle and Aunt,"> properly, and held out the gift to her mother, the note from his parents to her father. The red ribbon and rice paper wrapping had good fortune symbols across it in red and in gold ink and he saw her eyes light up and maybe her smile grew a tad more. In Chinese culture actions spoke louder then words, but Shen believed in being sure so he was most respectful in his phrasing!

He then added in more normal English "It is a pleasure to be here, thank you for letting me come to see your place!" However her father with a straight serious face (holding the letter) asked Shen to come with him and he nodded, following the man assuming this had something to do with rules to be set down. Limping along behind him they went back to the living room Shen had just passed through and he glanced around to get a better view.

@yixue

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YiXue frowned a bit when Shen asked about her parents.

"Mum is ready," she said. "Not sure about dad." She smiled about the traditional gift. She knew even her cautious father would appreciate that.

Inside, Liu thanked Shen for the gift and Hai gave a nod of approval. YiXue hoped that was a sign of "so far, so good". Liu also smiled when Shen thanked them for letting him come and stay.

Liu then placed a hand on YiXue's shoulder as Hai stepped out to a beautiful back garden with Shen.

"My daughter speaks constantly of you and how good you are to her," he said to the boy in Mandarin. "I am happy you are good to her. However, I must know, Shen, what are your plans for the future? How will you help my daughter provide for my future grandchildren?"

YiXue overheard that part and blushed. Granted, she thought it would be nice to have children one day, but at sixteen with a fifteen year old boyfriend, she wasn't exactly planning on it.

@shava44

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Giving her a raised eyebrow, Shen said quietly "So, your mother is happy and your father is about to be a protective father type towards me? I can only show him I am a dependable young man..." Her mother and father seemed appreciative of the gift and although he did not see the man open the letter he had handed him, he had high hopes it would make a difference. As they stepped out back, Shen had to stop and admire the garden for a second. It had a small path through it, but by small touches here and there he could see an effort had gone into making it appear particularly tranquil, an escape from the world.

At the man's words in precise Mandarin, he looked back one eyebrow raised. Her father spoke as if marriage was a foregone conclusion which made him feel a bit both rushed and trapped! He was, after all, a bit young for thoughts of this sort! <"Uh...while I appreciate your concerns and where you are headed with them, uncle, it is far too soon yet to make such decisions."> He cleared his throat before quoting the sage Confucius:

<"Do not be desirous to have things done quickly; do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished">

Looking her father directly in the eye (and knowing he probably sounded far older then he felt) he said quite seriously. <"Your daughter is a wonderful treasure of a future and I shall approach her with care, taking my time to make sure we are both happy with the path that is taken. No, a decision at this time would only lead to complications and hurt feelings. So no, Uncle, I can not choose a future yet at this time as that would be wrong in my mind. I will tell you instead of what my current hopes might end up being.">

A deep breath. <"I find myself most intrigued with feng shui and the study of the flow of energy within the physical form. If I am lucky and studious enough then at graduation I hope to be apprenticed to a great Master in the study of the art, possibly in China itself. While I have hopes of this, I would be remiss if I did not think there were other things to also follow, such as history and Astronomy as careers. However at this early an age no one will take me on for those skills either so patience I must have for the future.">

@yixue

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After listening to every word Shen spoke, Hai stood in front of the boy and looked him over. His eyes were ones of deep thought, pondering over Shen's speech. His face was stern for a moment... but then he smiled and patted Shen on the shoulder.

"You are wise, and you have great ambition, boy," he said. "I am honored that my daughter has chosen such a fine companion. Welcome to my home. I look forward to meditating with you. But first, we will eat, yes?" Hai laughed and placed his arm around the boy as they walked back to the others. "You look like you are well fed at home. That is good. We are having a big dinner tonight." Hai laughed again.

When Yixue saw that her father approved, she ran out and hugged him. She then took Shen into her arms and kissed him. Liu was quite relieved her husband liked the boy. That would ensure a lack of tension for what was to be a week of inner-peace and harmony.

"Mum's almost got the dinner ready, but we can sit and have some ye zi lou ji tang right now. After dinner, I'll show you my personal meditation room here."

@shava44

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The man studied him carefully for about a minute before smiling and Shen felt the tension run away from the situation. Relieved this was not a situation running wrong, Shen did not flinch when her father put his hand on his shoulder and smiled slightly back. "I hope my ambition is not too big, Uncle," he said hopefully (meaning the Feng Shui of course) "because it is a tough career I may have in front of my schooling wise." Then again in Chinese society such a skilled person could easily earn several hundred thousand a job.

"Yes Uncle," Shen said with a bow, "I am looking forward to seeing your center. I should warn you though I am a light eater," he said with a smile, giving a small head bow. They came back to the house and he asked as they approached it "I was curious what inspired you to build a center here?" As soon as he had answer, YiXue (apparently unable to wait) was there and giving them both a hug.

He kissed her back, of course, though properly since her father was there.

As they headed inside he smiled. "No rush! Food is an art after all and I certainly would not want to rush the artist I assume your mother is. But that sounds like a good distraction for a time." Shen followed her to the table, holding her hand...

@yixue

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Hai nodded in understanding as Shen spoke of his career being tough.

"What worth does a goal have if it is too easy to accomplish?" he said. "Work hard, my boy, and you will be fine." He then laughed when Shen said he was a light eater. "Being here might change that."

Hai then smiled as Shen asked about his own work.

"Well, in the wizarding communities in China, there are many magical meditation centers," he said. "It was more and more difficult to draw people to ours because of that. We needed to ensure our future child, who of course turned out to be our little YiXue, would be raised in comfort, so we moved to London, where such meditation centers are rare. It has turned out to be a wise decision as our meditation retreat is most prosperous."

Beaming and holding Shen's hand, YiXue headed to the table, where the soup was already served.

"I'm glad my father likes you," she said. "But just to warn you, now that he does, he'll be talking your ear off the whole time."

@shava44

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Listen to the man who might end up a father-in-law was an interestingly new experience for Shen; it lent more weight and attention to what he said, his motivations. Balancing that against the fact it might not happen and what YiXue thoughts was going to take some getting used to, but he was determined to find a balance in this situation. <"Yes, I can see the road to it in my mind. But I will not give it up easily, trust me, Uncle in that."> Hearing the man's comment about the food and the cooking Shen smiled.

<"I'm sure Aunt is an excellent cook! My father is the Chinese cook in our family though my mother had adapted. She has a style from the Slavic parts of the Eastern block and our home dishes are quite surprising to most people."> Listening to the story he nodded, having only visited China a small handful of times, but feeling connected to his family's past very strongly. Knowing how much in his culture the past and actions meant to the current life, Shen listened carefully. "I can understand that. I bet there are many thousands over there."

He followed YiXue easily, considering her a guide not just in the home but in finding his way to balance how things were different here from what he was used to. "Ah, well thank you for the warning, Sack girl, I will be alert to too many prying questions then," he teased her and sat where she indicated. "How has your holiday been thus far though? I hope you had a pleasant one! Ours was warm and close as I think my family has always been..."

@yixue

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YiXue was well aware of the custom, but still found it completely adorable that Shen called her mum and dad "Aunt" and "Uncle". As she ate her soup, she listened as he asked her about her holiday up until then.

"Oh, the usual," she said. "Decorating, shopping, sitting about and having cocoa on Christmas Eve. I got some nice presents. I really hope you liked the shirt I sent you. I thought it was totally you, though you look amazing in anything. Anyway, how was yours, Dumpling Boy?"

The food then arrived, and Hai was right. There was enough for a small army. Well, that's an exaggeration, but it was a lot. Hai and Liu smiled at Shen before Liu sat down as Hai remained standing at the head of the table.

"Before we begin, I wish to say that I am happy to begin what will no doubt be a happy and prosperous new year," he said. "I am glad to once again be here to share another year with my family. And finally, I am happy that my daughter has found such a wise and handsome young man to give her heart to. Now, let us eat."

YiXue then went about, showing Shen which dishes she liked the most so that he could try them.

@shava44

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While decorating sounded fun, Shen had never been a big shopper, but it sounded like she considered it a tradition of the season. Nodding, as if he had expected it, he nodded. "Of course I did! It's in my bag for this trip actually... I hope you enjoyed the fan I sent you? It's very good for improving the west corner where your creativity lies." He did not tell her he had taken her birthday to get her kua number so he would know her compass points and thus could select a feng shui worthy gift. In it's own way it was a very personal gift since it related to helping her improve her own energy and fortunate aspects.

At the return question he stopped eating soup to say "Very nice. As you say, the usual, working in the nursery and seed room, decorating though my sisters took care of most of it, and just being around my new nephew and niece. I got a new cricket cage and a compass holder which was nice." The myriad of small things that also happened from sibling friction he skipped over as was normal for him. "Mom very much appreciated your card as well and sends her thanks."

He bowed his head in thankful return for the mention as her father spoke before the meal commenced, but it was after it started and she was showing him favorite things of hers that he began to enjoy the weekend really. Able to relax now that the hardest part was over, he made comments back about how good everything was and how his mother made some dishes a bit differently or other variations completely. As they came to a close for the food part, he thanked both of her parents again for the meal and for letting him experience their home as he knew it was a personal thing.

@yixue

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"I love the fan," she said. "It's sitting in my room right next to a photo of you and I from the dance. You're the best, Shen."

YiXue listened as Shen spoke of his Christmas and beamed when she heard about him being with his nephew and niece.

"Awww... Uncle Shen!" she said. "That's so cute!" She kissed him on the cheek. "And tell your mum I was glad to do it. I can't wait to see your family!"

After the wonderful meal and helping her parents clean the table, YiXue took Shen's hand and showed him to her personal meditation room. Inside the room was beautifully decorated with a number of photos- with family, friends, and of course her amazing boyfriend. Such photos gave YiXue peace when she prepared to meditate.

"How do you like it?" she asked. "It's probably a bit cheesy with all the photos, I know, but they always relax me before I go to my inner-happy place. Especially when I look at my photos of my man." She kissed Shen on the lips.

@shava44

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A slight flush. "Ah you were more then welcome, Sack girl, when I saw it I was already looking for stuff I thought make your chi even better." He had debated on something for the romance corner, but he thought that might be a bit too obvious to her parents. And while he knew not all Chinese could understand the subtle balances in feng shui, he always felt like what he did would be obvious to someone who would see it and that made him cautious.

Chuckling to himself, he kissed her back. "I do have a lot of siblings, dearest YiXue, it was sort of guaranteed I would be an Uncle early and often. By the time I graduate I would not be surprised to be one about twenty times. Our family is always close and crowded, but I imagine we will need to rent a place for family reunions in a few years for every holiday." After the meal was over he did try and help clean, but her mother seemed to resist his doing too much, probably because he was a guest for the visit.

The fact she had a personal meditation room was impressive enough in his mind, but she was an only child compared to him. "Wow, an entire room to yourself..." He saw the pictures and smiled back at the ones that were grinning back. "Everyone needs something different. Photos for you, rock eggs for me usually. I've tried glass, but stone just has a better feel to it for me." He turned and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her close as she kissed him.

"Ah YiXue, how am I ever going to make it once you graduate? "

@yixue

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YiXue beamed when Shen spoke of the gift and the thought behind it.

"You make my Chi better, Dumpling Boy," she said. Her parents gave friendly chuckles to the little nicknames the two gave one another. YiXue laughed too. She found the names so silly and adorable.

Being an only child, YiXue was thrilled at the idea of being an aunt when she and Shen got married. She would love all of his nieces and nephews as if she were related to them by blood.

"You're going to make a wonderful uncle," she said. "They will all adore you as much as I do."

YiXue listened as Shen spoke of rock eggs.

"Hmm... I might add a few of them as well," she said. "Rock eggs... yes that would definitely work!"

She sighed a bit when he spoke of what he would do after she graduated.

"I'll see you as often as possible, and I will probably still be working at the tea shop in Hogsmeade your last year," she said. She then leaned in and kissed him again, a longer one. It was going to be an amazing visit.