The Divorcee Is A Wicked Black Belly

An Ning stared at him, somewhat mystified.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You"re not my servant. Go to his highness."

"His highness said the same thing, your grace," Kang Jun pouted. "I have nothing else to do so I might as well continue serving both your highnesses."

"Whatever," An Ning shrugged. "If you want to be a martyr then so be it."

Kang Jun looked at her with hurt eyes but continued putting the dishes on the table where she could easily reach it.

"Shall I draw your bath then, your grace?"

"Step one foot inside our bedroom and I"ll have your f.u.c.king head off," Nian Zhen growled, spearing him with a hot glare.

"Your bedroom?" Gu Sheng asked, his spoon half-way to his mouth. "Are you implying that you"re sharing my stepmother"s bed?"

"I"m not implying it, I"m doing it," Nian Zhen snorted.

"I don"t want you as a stepfather," Gu Sheng said, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Who said I want to be your stepfather?" Nian Zhen was outraged. "I"d rather you go back home to Yuqui and leave An Ning to me."

"Hah! As if that would happen."

"You"re not actually intending to live here the rest of your life, do you?"

"Yes."

Nian Zhen gaped at him, stunned. He turned and looked at An Ning who returned his look with a bland smile.

"We"re a package deal, as you can see." Her smile was very amused.

"But, darling...," Nian Zhen protested, looking daggers at the cool and unflappable Gu Sheng.

"It"s no use. Wherever An Ning goes, I go. After all, she promised my father. Right, An Ning?"

"I promised Gu Fang that I"ll keep you and the kingdom safe. Anyway, while you"re here, you might as well catch up on your studies. Any suggestions for a tutor?"

"Hank," Kari said. "He"s the best there is. But he"s a bit expensive."

"The best usually are," An Ning said. "Can you start today, Hank?"

Hank, who was talking to Gray, just nodded then returned back to his interrupted conversation.

"Kang Jun, I want you to help his grace. Let"s pretend we"re on a vacation and the emperor is studying other cultures. Help him study. Go about and observe."

"Don"t go near the waters though. Pirates," Sumo said, drinking his tea.

"Pirates? Pirates from where?" An Ning asked, frowning.

"From everywhere. They"re ferocious and like nothing better than to make mayhem. Their specialty is kidnapping and slavery."

"We"ve already lost like two villages to those sc.u.mbags," Gray, who was listening with one ear, suddenly spoke up. "And they"re very hard to catch since they know these waters better than we do."

"Have you tried catching them?" An Ning asked, turning to Nian Zhen.

"We tried the best we can but Chengdi is not a military state. Although the army is very experienced it"s very small. People don"t really like going to war in this time and dimension. They put up with it because it"s a nuisance but the kingdom will not waste people and money just to eliminate them. To them, it"s useless. Just steer clear of those pirates and everything will be fine," Nian Zhen said.

"But the security of the kingdom...," An Ning"s voice trailed off.

"I know, love," Nian Zhen said, and gripped her hand in a.s.surance. "The army may be small but I"ve made sure they"re fully equipped to deal with this menace."

"Guns, you mean?"

"And satellites and other stuff. We"ve spent a lot of money buying those from our world. I have no wish to disrupt people"s lives so they could train in the army and get killed fighting for their country. That sounds very commendable back home but here, it"s rather an outdated form of suicide."

"But what about patriotism and love of your neighbor and all that stuff?" An Ning asked rather confused.

"Think of us as another Switzerland," Nian Zhen smiled. "Small, rich yet staying out of everybody"s way not because we don"t want to be involved but because the idea of conflict to us is not only barbaric but outdated. Chengdi is a powerful kingdom in it"s own way since it encourages thinking, and commerce, and free enterprise. But it doesn"t like poking into other people"s business. So we keep everything quiet and go about our lives peacefully."

"No water dipping then. Got it," Kang Jun nodded.

"How many other nations are there in this dimension anyway?" An Ning said, very intrigued. "I know Yuqui collaborates with two or three but how many here?"

"We"ve met like five representatives from other countries so far," Hank cut in. "All of them not soldiers but more like traders. They wanted to open trade with us and we"ve been doing that since we got here. So far, everything has worked out well. We"ve also exported builders to these countries. You know, we help them build bridges, dams, reservoirs and other stuff. That"s one thing we have plenty of in Chengdi. Men of ideas. Men of ability."

"What about the women?" An Ning asked.

Kari laughed.

"Believe it or not, some of them work in the fields. Some make furniture, some make clothes while others have started their own businesses. The souls who came here with us and were given a chance at a new life with their new physical bodies have never stopped working since they got here. It"s like once the forced inactivity was lifted they can"t help but work and work hard," she said.

"That"s why I won"t let Chengdi enter into war or conflict with the pirates or anyone else. Everyone who came here are starting lives they haven"t lived in many years," Nian Zhen explained. "They"re too busy with living to have time for war."

An Ning was silent.

"What are you thinking?" Nian Zhen asked, worried when the silence lasted for a long time.

"About those pirates," An Ning said, looking up at Nian Zhen.

"What about them?"

"I was wondering if, you know, like Chengdi they represent another form of life here in this dimension."

"The sc.u.mbags type you mean?" Hank snorted derisively.

"No, rather like a pirate nation entirely populated by pirates."

Suddenly, everyone looked at her like she said something funny.

"They"re renegades," Sumo laughed. "They"re nothing but a bunch of thieves preying on the weak."

"What are you thinking, Ning Ning?" Nian Zhen asked curiously.

"I find it rather strange that Chengdi learned to live with this menace alongside them for years rather than put an end to these marauders. What if these pirates, who I presume have been here longer than you have, are not as random as you"d like to believe. What if they have their own system of governance, their own basic lives, their own trades, their own teachers and army? Everything and everyone living under the flag of one nation. A nation full of pirates who don"t live on land obviously but out there in the sea, in the middle of nowhere."

You could almost hear a pin drop in the silence that ensued.

"Are you serious?" Ban Chao finally broke the tension, scoffing at what An Ning said. "Of course they"re just a bunch of simple thieves who have nothing better to do than sail on their boats scaring people to death."

"A disorganized group, you mean?" An Ning asked.

"Of course."

"Has anyone been out there in the sea to check?"

"No."

"I rest my case."

"But you don"t really want us to sail out there and check, do you?" Gray protested. "That would be like starting a war."

"No. That would be like starting a diplomacy," An Ning pointed out.

"Diplomacy? With pirates?" Nian Zhen frowned.

"You said the pirates attacked two villages. How many were taken and killed?"

"About three hundred taken and two killed," Hank said.

"That"s a lot of people. Obviously, they don"t prefer to kill just catch so they can sell the prisoners somewhere else."

"If we do extend a diplomatic hand to these ruffians, what do we get out of them? They really look scary and frightful," Kari asked.

"Friendship. Peace. Commercial trade. I don"t know. You think of something," An Ning shrugged.

"You really want us to do this?" Nian Zhen asked, straightening and looking at An Ning.

"No, I don"t want you to do anything you don"t want. I"m merely thinking out loud on a possible situation. We don"t even know if this pirate nation really exists or not. We don"t know who leads them. Who controls them."

"I"ll send someone to reconnoiter," Nian Zhen said.

"Who?"

"Indian," Hank said. "He"ll love to do it."

"The cook?" An Ning asked, surprised.

"He"s not just the cook," Nian Zhen said, somewhat helplessly. "He used to work for the CIA as a spy. I know. Sounds preposterous and all that. But I met him in the grounds of the White House believe it or not. I was traveling, trying to find...anyway, he was there and we got to talk and turns out he worked for the CIA. When he crossed over, he said he wanted to be my cook so I let him. Hey, to each his own, right?"

"You"ll send Indian out to reconnoiter about the pirates?" Sumo asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

The five of them exchanged looks and suddenly burst into loud applause.

"Yey! We"re free! We"re finally free!"

"I"ll take over the kitchen," Sumo said, excitedly rubbing his hands. "j.a.panese food! I haven"t had those in years."

"I like those egg waffles you used to make. With the chocolate and fruit fillings," Kari said, her mouth almost drooling. "Those are the best."

"Gray, what about those delicious beef cutlets? You can make those, can"t you? I"ll buy the ingredients."

"And the grilled burgers," Kari continued, making a popping sound with her mouth. "Don"t forget those as well with those fries."

"Burgers and fries!" all of them chorused, their eyes salivating at a faraway image.

"What"s wrong with them?" An Ning asked. "I think Indian is a good cook."

"He"s not if all you"ve been eating in the last five years is steamed fish, steamed vegetables, boiled eggs, chicken soup, and everything that doesn"t make fat. The man is terrified of fat. He even strips the fat from the meat and feeds them to the dogs. I mean, those d.a.m.n animals eat better than us, okay? They eat fat while we eat everything boiled or broiled," Gray was actually closed to tears. "I once asked him if we could fry some meat with the vegetables and he went ballistic on me. I barely escaped the kitchen with my life."

"Isn"t that a bit melodramatic?" An Ning asked, chortling. "n.o.body is that health-conscious, surely?"

"He"s not health-conscious, that"s the problem," Sumo said. "It"s part of those military training they put everyone to in the CIA. Do you know he once told us he can survive living in the jungle for a month by eating worms? I mean, who in his right mind would willingly stay in the jungle and eat worms? Why not fish or shoot game or even find fruit? But worms? That"s Indian for you."

"So, when are you planning to send him out on this reconnoitering job?" Gray asked, turning to the amused Nian Zhen.

"Soon."

"Make it tomorrow," Kari suggested. "I want to eat my egg waffles by tomorrow night."

"Right, and the burgers and fries," Hank said. "I"d better go to market and buy stuff. Get everything ready by tomorrow."

"I"ll come with you," Sumo said. "You don"t know how to buy meat."

The two of them went out, squabbling companionably.

An Ning looked at them, met Nian Zhen"s eyes and burst into laughter. She was still chortling with merriment when Nian Zhen pulled her hand and took her to a large building which stood at the far back of the palace. Unlike the rest of the buildings around it, this building looked very utilitarian. It was square, one-storey and had small windows around it.

Nian Zhen pushed the door open and ushered An Ning inside. The door opened into a hallway with another set of doorways. Nian Zhen opened another door labeled Office and inside were desks, tables, chairs, cellphones, and computers. An Ning, who had forgotten what the inside of an office look like since her transmigration, was a bit stunned. An office computer in the time dimension peopled by the lost souls. Who would have thought?

"I set all these up when I first arrived here," Nian Zhen explained. "I crossed over many times to get the equipment. I was a spirit but I noticed that I could command things to move. I don"t know why. I couldn"t touch you, could only show myself to you, could only influence my brother to fall in love with my mistress."

"That was a low blow, by the way," An Ning said scornfully.

"An Ning, did you love my brother Han?"

The question was finally out in the open and all An Ning could do was stare at Nian Zhen with a frown.

"Did you?" he repeated.

"No."

Nian Zhen seemed to quietly release the breath he had been holding.

"He seemed to genuine like you though," he said casually.

"Yes, he did."

Nian Zhen glared at her.

"And you seemed to like him, too."

"Wasn"t he my boyfriend? Then I must have," An Ning said, wondering where all these was leading to.

"Yup. You certainly enjoyed making love to him," Nian Zhen was angry. He didn"t want to be. He didn"t want to be petty since he and An Ning were already divorced by the time she and Han got together but he couldn"t help it. He was still feeling raw, feeling bitter about him and his brother. But then what did it say for the strength of Han"s affections that he could actually possess another body on the point of death so he could protect and be with the woman he loved? Was it because he was bitterly jealous of Han? That he actually had the courage to show An Ning how much he loved her and he could only f.u.c.ked it up by throwing him and his second-hand mistress together?

"I hate Han because I was jealous of him," he said, his smile bitter with self-contempt. "He was able to love you without boundaries. He saw a way to continue being with you and he took it. Even if it meant killing me in the process, of course."

"I don"t want that kind of love," An Ning said, sitting down and playing with one of the cellphones. "I don"t want it because I"m not sure I can return it."

"An Ning, will there be a time when you will love me again?" Nian Zhen asked, his expression somber. "Not just your body but your mind and your dreams and your longings and your hopes and your soul. Like you did before we were married."

An Ning met his grave eyes with a smile she didn"t know was slightly rueful.

"I don"t seem to have luck when it comes to love," she said. "Han said he loved me yet he allowed himself to be entrapped in your physical longing for Valerie. You love me now but I think it"s just regret. And between the loss of my memory and now, the only man I can think of loving without regret or anger was Gu Fang."

There was silence. An Ning could feel Nian Zhen"s frustration and yes, his disappointment. But what was there to say? Between him and his brother, the only man who truly loved her and whom she loved in return was the dead emperor of Yuqui. It might have been that other version of An Ning"s memories but the feelings were the same, the memories the same, the longing the same. All of which she carried in her heart besides the aching loss she felt for her two children. She will not separate that An Ning"s memories from hers ever. There were no semantics when it comes to love. There was only the regret that time was not enough to allow them to be together. There was only the heartache she still secretly felt when she looks at Gu Sheng.

"I will just have to change your mind then," Nian Zhen was saying.

An Ning merely smiled her distant smile. She had already dismissed him from her mind. There was no use thinking about a future that may never happen between the two of them. She didn"t have the time for wishful thinking anyway.

"You earlier said something about a way to track the time machine?" she said, her eyes glued to the computer sets that were sitting on a long table.

Nian Zhen opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more but hesitated. His gaze never wavered from An Ning"s then without another word he turned on the switch and the computers came back to life with a blink.