It was a fine day with blue skies and fluffy clouds. The balmy sunlight grazed the streets that was buzzing with energy at the present moment. Everyone in the village came out from their houses to watch what was happening.

An entire convoy from the palace was at my front yard with the royal messenger at the forefront. He unfurled a golden scroll dressed in the finest silk with dragons embroidered onto the fabric. "Liu Wei! Receive this royal decree from His Imperial Majesty."

Wei walked up to the convoy and kneeled in front of them. It had only been hours since his return that he didn't even get the chance to change. His armor clinked as the pieces shifted with his movement. There was a palpable silence in the crowd as they waited for the messenger's next words with bated breaths.

"For your contribution to the war efforts and the country, I, Yuan Shi, award you the position of the general and promote you to the title of General Liu Wei, general to the entire military troop of 15,000 men."

The streets hummed with the murmurs exchanged by the people in the crowd. 

"General? Did he say general? A general at eighteen?"

"I know! Wei must be the youngest general in the country now!"

The convoy took no notice of the whispers and continued. "For your upright character and loyalty to the late General Peng until his glorious death in battle, I, Yuan Shi, award you 8,000 yuan and a five-chambered stone house in the capital as well as servants to manage your household."

The crowd grew while the announcement was happening as curious people joined in. They made a collective gasp at the latest statement.

"How much?? 8,000??"

"Five-chambered house? And it's made of stone?"

I was on the sidelines as everything was unfolding. My eyes glistened with pride. To be frank, I couldn't care less about the material rewards. I was just proud of Wei. Proud of my son who made a name for himself. Who had spread his wings with such grace and strength. And most importantly, I was glad that he made it home safe.

It seemed as if a great deal had happened to him since he left my side. And Wei had transformed so much physically that I almost didn't recognize him when I first laid my eyes on him.

"Ma, I'm back!" A coarse deep voice called out to me from behind Song's wife when she was at my door informing me about our country's victory. Gone was that awkward scratchy voice of a juvenile.

Both me and Song's wife craned our heads to look at the person blundering towards my house like a neighborhood dog. At first, I had trouble reconciling my memory of Wei with the person whom I was seeing.

When Wei left two years ago, he was merely a lanky boy with thin muscles that wrapped close to his frame. Now, not only he was taller, but Wei's frame was also bulkier and he looked heavier overall.

As he drew nearer, I could also see that his skin was tanner by several shades.

I stepped out into the porch as if in trance, almost gliding, past Song's wife.

Wei reached me in only a few leaps of his long legs. I reached for his face, my vision turning blurry with tears. As I blinked away my tears, my hand made contact with his face and I could both see and feel the sharp angles of his face. The baby fat on his cheeks was all gone. But those eyes, those eyes remained the same. The same doe eyes full of wonder. I was glad that they never lost their sparkle despite the horrors that he must have witnessed during the war. My son was back. My son was finally back.

Coming back to the current moment, I was blinking back tears of pride. I never cried during the two years when Wei was in the military. Not once. Not even when he left the village. I guess my tears were all reserved for today because it seemed like I couldn't stop.

The royal messenger rolled up the scroll in a practiced motion before announcing, "Do you, Liu Wei, receive this royal decree?"

While still on his knees, Wei stretched out both of his arms with his palms facing the sky. "I, Liu Wei, accept this royal decree with the utmost gratitude."

The royal messenger nodded and placed the scroll in Wei's hands before stepping back to join the convoy again. Wei on the other hand stood up and bowed before making a beeline toward me.

I beamed at him. "I'm so proud of you, Wei."

Before Wei could say anything back, I heard my name being called by the royal messenger. I stood still because I wasn't expecting to be called out. 

My name was called again. This time it acted as a spell that broke me out of my stupor. I eyed Wei questioningly and he shrugged with the same question in his eyes.

"Y-Yes." I answered as I trudged towards the royal messenger nervously.

The royal messenger unfurled yet another scroll that was similar to the one he recited from just moments earlier. "Receive this royal decree from His Imperial Majesty."

I immediately kneeled to receive the royal decree.

"General Liu Wei is an upright young man with proper manners and a noble demeanor despite his common background. I, Yuan Shi, have received recommendations from not only his superior, the late General Peng, but also an overwhelming number of his peers. All of whom reported that General Liu Wei himself announced that he had learned all of his values from his mother who raised him as a single parent."

The ground in front of me that I have been staring at started to go fuzzy from the tears pooling in my eyes yet again. 

The royal messenger droned on. "I believe that parents are the backbone of their children and therefore the backbone of the future. I, Yuan Shi, would like to take this opportunity to formally invite you to the capital to be appointed as the governess for the future generations of the imperial family and the nobles to help shape the future of our country."

The royal messenger rolled up the scroll before looking at me. "Do you accept this royal decree?"

I lifted my head to look at Wei whose eyes were also glistening and whose face was mirroring the pride that was on my face just a while ago. I turned my head to look at the royal messenger before I answered, "Yes. Yes, I do."

The royal messenger nodded. "And so from now on, you will be known as Peiyang Niang Niang."