8 New Hope

Fan Ying ushered all of the physicians out of their home and asked the maids to make something nutritious for his wife. He gave out a lot of orders and turned to his wife with a sweet expression

"Yenay, rest. I'll carry our little jade as you sleep."

Nuwa Yenay slowly drifted into sleep after looking at her beautiful daughter. She was tired so it only took a few moment before she entered a deep sleep.

On the other hand, Fan Ying was exhilarated. His emotions had been stirred all over the place. He felt like he had gone to hell and ascended into heaven in less than a millisecond. He was scared, happy, anxious, nervous, and excited all in one day. At some point, he even got angry and murderous because of the terror of losing wife and child in one day.

He turned and looked at his beautiful baby girl and became eager to see her open her eyes.

[I wonder whether her eyes will be blue like mine or green like her mothers. They might even have a tinge of violet like my father's eyes. No matter the color I can tell she will be as beautiful as her mother.]

He looked at his wife and child with a gentle gaze and couldn't help smiling at them both. He felt pride fill up his bones and immense love for them both.

"You are my blood.

You are my born love.

You are my new beginning."

He whispered this as hugged his precious daughter and guarded his wife.

Such a scene brought tears to all the soldiers who had rushed here to congratulate their general. They were buff and tough men who had seen many die at their hands but in front of such a family, they surrendered in tears.

The dazed Fan Daiyu heard what her father had said. She now knew that the well hadn't lied and she had already been reborn.

After hearing those few words she couldn't help but cry.

[Do I finally have the chance to be happy? Can I finally trust someone? Will I finally be loved?]

When Fan Ying heard his baby's small sobs, his heart panicked.

"WHAT DO I DO?"

Everyone laughed at the sight of the mighty general panicking because of a newborn child.

Nuwa Yenay woke to the sound of her husband nervously singing the baby to sleep but that only caused it to cry more.

She chuckled, "Ying, she might be hungry."

Fan Ying immediately shooed everyone away and locked the doors. He gently sat his wife up and handed her their child.

"Careful!"

Nuwa Yenay chuckled at his nervous expression and fed their baby. Then both looked at their tiny jade only to remain in shock.

Fan Daiyu had eventually controlled her emotions.

[Calm down. Daiyu, you are fated to suffering. I might have a name now but it doesn't change anything.

If I have hopes, they will only be crushed in the future. ]

The spark that had appeared in her eyes once again dimmed.

Suddenly she felt something soft on her face.

[Haha. They probably thought I was crying because I was hungry.]

She complied to breast feeding since she was a newborn anyways. But as she was drinking breast milk she noticed their gazes turned to her and froze in shock. Her body stiffened.

[I knew it. I'm not meant to be alive. Despite knowing this, I still feel disappointed.

I will always be a caged heart. Just like my new name.

I'm a mortal. Only death awaits.

I'm a black jade. Only darkness and suffering embrace me.

I'm a jade. So dark it can't be seen. I blend in to be nothing.

Unless I'm found I can't be anything. But, can I be found? Will I be found?

Not with a luck like mine.

I can only forever be hidden like any other worthless piece of rock.]

Just as she had expected, Fan Ying and Nuwa Yenay looked at her in fear. However, she didn't expect it to be for other reasons.

"Ying, our baby has beautiful eyes but why do they look so lifeless and hopeless"

Nuwa Yenay cried at the lack of emotion from her baby.

Fan Ying hugged his wife and worriedly looked at his daughter.

Fan Daiyu looked at them in hidden surprise.

[They were...worried?]

Her eyes were mystical and unique. They were a mix of blue and green and still held a tinge of violet on the edges but those beautiful eyes seemed to be staring into darkness. They were empty. The beauty was overtaken by the emptiness.

Fan Ying consoled his wife,

"It doesn't matter how she is we will help her have a better future no matter what I need to do."

They looked at their precious jade with sad tender gazes and noticed a light resurfacing in their child's eyes.

"LOOK! Ying. Our baby, she's fine she just needs us. You don't have to do anything you just need to be there for her."

Fan Ying was surprised to see those lifeless eyes shine with hope. It was as if she could understand or feel their worries. His heart swelled with pride. She was smart. She was their child. How could there be anything wrong with her?

[Maybe she just has trouble expressing her feelings on her face]

"I think she is normal but she's just too smart and serious for her own good."

As they were new to being parents they didn't suspect anything but both understood that their little jade was different from the rest. She didn't cry noisily like other children and seemed to like observing her surroundings. She was different, but that only made all the more precious.

Fan Daiyu was surprised to see that her new mother understood her so much.

She started to hope again and wish that everything had changed for the better.

If they could love her as much it seemed, she would live her entire life to make them proud of her.

[Mother….Father. Please love me, Okay?]

Her pride wouldn't allow her to scream and kick so all she could do was let out tiny soft sobs to convey her feelings.

The sight of their daughter in such a condition broke their heart.

"Yenay, whats wrong with her?"

Nuwa Yenay felt her heart squeeze in sympathy and pain but she did not know for what reason so she just hugged her and sang her a song to sleep.

"My tiny jade

my life and light

I love you~

The rain falls. The sun shines

But without you

Nothing matters anymore.

Just remember

mama loves you

So just stay close

because mama has you

mama cant live without you...."

[Lord, Buddha, whoever is listening. Just this once.

Please let me be selfish.]

Fan Daiyu smiled tearfully and drifted to sleep.

Neither of the parents could fully understand their daughter but they did know that the moment she released such a smile they felt a pang of sadness in their hearts.

"Ying, I don't know why I feel this way but I'm so sad....."

Nuwa Yenay cried as her husband embraced her with a heavy heart.

Sometimes words weren't enough to describe what one was feeling so all they could do was cry it out in sadness.

Such a stifling feeling was new to both of them and they didn't know how to release it so they both sat embracing one another and crying it all out in silence.