YiXue visits the Ge Home (Ge Family)

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The past Winter Holiday, Shen visited YiXue's home. Now it was time to go the other way around. YiXue was to visit her boyfriend's home and finally meet his entire family. She knew that was going to be a LOT of people to meet. She knew a few like Qiao as he was in her and Shen's House. She hadn't really met Jia Le, but had heard she was still a bit up in the hair about how she felt about YiXue. YiXue hoped to befriend her. She never had a sister of her own, and it would be nice to have one she could hang with whenever she and Shane tied that knot (which would of course be some time from then.)

YiXue arrived there via her mum and dad, and she took her things to the door. She waved farewell to her parents before knocking on the door. She sighed. Well, here it goes. If anything, she got to see her handsome Shen again.

@shava44 GE DEWEI @qiao

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The Ge home was well insulated, partly for privacy, but really to prevent their neighbors from hearing the chaos which permeated most of he building in most waking hours. One could not have a rambunctious house of twelve children without having the chaos and even though several had moved into homes nearby to raise their families they all worked out of the landscaping business and nurser out back. So kids got dropped off in the house for the grandparents to keep up with on a daily basis. So outside the house all was quiet and calm, the house no different then the rest of this corner of the village.

It was barely three seconds after her knock that the door was flung open by a three year old on a stool beside the door who saw her bags and ran into the house screaming something in his young high pitched voice.

A step inside and she found herself in a living room of a sizable nature. Behind the screen was what looked like a dining area where six small children danced along to the sounds from the muggle tv quite unselfconsciously as she could hear the high pitched voice yelling in Chinese "LITTLE TURTLE! LITTLE TURTLE!" down some back hall. Shen appeared at the door in another moment coming across the room with a shy smile saying loudly "Welcome to our chaos!" Behind him his father appeared herding two teenage boys who grinned at her (ducking their heads) and stepped past her, grabbing up her bags and taking them through the other door without a word.

His father said to her "Welcome to our humble home, Miss Zhang," taking both her hands as Shen stood aside, waiting respectfully as one of the boys kicked the front door closed with his heel. The father turned to the screen saying loudly in Cantonese that the children should turn off the racket and go to the backyard. He turned and motioned to the couch as Shen captured her hand to lead her over over the scampering noise as the tv was suddenly turned off. In the sudden silence little feet scampering down a hallway could be heard as Shen's father looked at the ceiling with his eyes closed for a second as if thanking the gods themselves silently. Somewhere above them music sounded in the distance, someone practicing a song.

Shen sat her down on the couch with a back to the screen still holding her hand as he kissed her and sat beside her their legs touching. "Sorry, my nieces and nephews often forget about the volume control as is appropriate with littles," as his father took the chair beside the couch with a smile. From sounds above the teenage boys had not learned how to walk silently as they moved across the upper floor and the shout of little voices begging for carrots sounded somewhere in the distance faintly. It was clear that the house was full and busy with toys slipped in between items on the shelves, kids books mixed into the more modern plant books on the shelves and table, and a haphazard giraffe toy on the floor looking up at her from under the table as if only she could see it.

"Our house is yours, my dear, but I suspect you have noticed it is overrun with young legs. Since most of our family works outside, we seem to be more nursery school then home. I hope you will forgive us for being overrun during th day light hours." A head bow to her as if in apology as Shen leaned back slightly as his father's face turned more serious. "Now. Rules." Voices raised in argument proved to be a complaint from a female voice about privacy and boys voices about doors being opened sounded, but not all the words could be heard clearly. "Doors must be kept open at all times unless clothes are being changed, bathrooms may only have the same gender in them at once, and the oldest person living under the roof is responsible for any younger ones within ten feet of them. That means if one of my nephews is wild, and you are the one nearest, you must be responsible & take care of punishments. And we do allow swats to small bottoms here," his eyes twinkled as he smiled slightly and Shen grinned softly at his father's words.

His eyes looked over her face, but she could not tell if he was approving or judging yet in the look.

@yixue

[GE DEWEI]

Dewei was in the quieter part of the house reading. He needed a little break from the hustle and bustle of the house and he genuinely enjoyed reading so he had found solace in sitting on the roof to read where he wouldn't be disturbed. However his attention was brought to what he assumed was someone coming in and sure enough one of the younger family members ran up to the window to poke their head out to say something along the line of "Uncle Shen's Giiiirlfriend is here!" before giggling and running off.

Dewei stood up carefully and came in through the window before heading down to the living room. He saw Shen, their father and Yixue. He had seen her around what with them being in the same year but had not really spoken with her yet. "Welcome." he said with a smile as he walked in and sat down with the others.

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YiXue walked into the house and her eyes widened with all the kids running about. She then smiled. So many adorable kids to play with. She was going to have a lot of fun on this visit. She hugged and kissed Shen, then smiled at his parents as they spoke of how the house was overran, and about the rules.

"I understand and thank you for allowing me to stay at your beautiful home," she said. "You have a beautiful family."

She waved and spoke to some of the kids before she smiled at Dewei when he greeted her. She knew him for the obvious reason that he was Shen's brother, but also because she had shared classes with him in the past.

"Hi Dewei," she said. "Thanks. Lovely seeing you again." She then looked at Shen, not sure what to say next. She was just full of joy over everything.

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Jia Le was of course used to the chaos and walked about it like nothing was going on, aside from smiling and talking to some of her nieces and nephews as they passed. She was looking for Dewei at the moment, and forgotten that Shen would expecting a visitor.

"Hey Dewei, I just got an owl that there were adding something really neat to the Ravenclaw Common Room next year," she began. "It's one of those..." She then looked over to see YiXue. "Oh... it's you." She then realized that kind of came out as rude. She wasn't trying to be rude, though she still wasn't crazy about losing her hang out buddy Shen to a pretty girl. She tried her best to form a nice smile. "Welcome to our home." She then walked over to her dad and whispered in his ear. "She's not sharing a room with me, is she?"

@shava44 GE DEWEI

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As YiXue gave him a kiss and hug in greeting, he felt a slight blush in his cheeks knowing that his family was going to be seeing all of these personal moments. He was not normally involved in such things so to him it felt exposed suddenly, revealed. As she spoke to his father thanking him, Mr Ge nodded, pleased enough that she had manners. "Yes, father, thank you again very much. I promise doors will stay open." He nodded at both his brother and sister, rolling his eyes when he heard someone doing a singing thing in the back hall in a high-pitched giggle "...girlfriend!" Yes, this was going to be a tricky thing.

Shen had honstly not been expecting family to come out of the woodwork, but he supposed some were simply curious, not just looking for sport for later teasing!

Jia Le's comment made him feel like wincing, but he tried not to say anything. "Jia, she is a guest. I would not inflict any of our crazy family upon her, naturally," he said without whispering as he thought she pushed the point of rudeness by whispering in front of a guest. "She will be in the guestroom down here, of course." Using his rights as a parent he ruffled her hair slightly and hugged her even so. Family were a delight and Jia knew he loved her at any time, not just now.

Shen captured his girlfriend's hand and said to her "It will be a little while till we start to get together, would you like a tour so you will know where everything is? I will show you where my brothers took your things at the least," he said with a smile. Meanwhile his mother was still busy in the kitchen with two toddlers in high chairs she was entertaining in between checking pots of supper going on...

@yixue