Later that day, around mid-afternoon, I was weeding the garden patch in front of the house. Squatting in between the patches of potatoes and bok choy, I had a small cloth over my neck to wipe the sweat running down my face as I hear Wei sprinting towards me from behind.

Wei gasped for air when he reached me. "Mama, what are you doing? You should ask me for help!"

He crouched down beside me and started pulling the weeds with his child-sized fists. "Go back into the house, mama. I'll do this."

"It's alright, Wei. I could do it. You go wash up." I dusted the dirt off my hands on my clothes and ruffled his hair lovingly.

"No, no. Mama, you go wash up. Let me do this. It's so hot outside, you should go rest!" Wei insisted, asserting his stubbornness and willfulness. I smiled as I wondered who he took after.

"Alright, alright. I'll let you weed, but I'll stay here to keep you company."

Wei didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and held my hands to pull me up as well. With my hand in his, he marched me to the crock that was filled to the brim with water and placed my hand right beside it before scooping the water into his cupped hands and pouring it over my dirty ones. This was repeated a few times until he was satisfied. Wei nodded proudly at his handiwork as I watched him in amusement. Then, he pulled me to the shaded front porch of our house and seated me on the stone bench there.

"Mama, you can keep me company while you sit here. I'll weed the patches. If you're unsatisfied with my work, just yell your instructions from here. Away from the sun." Wei said in a serious tone. 

I smiled as Wei's thoughtfulness spread warmth through my chest. 

"And mama, why are you suddenly cleaning up the garden? It's not even close to Lunar New Year yet." Wei asked curiously.

I patted the space beside me. "Come here, sit."

Wei complied obediently.

"Do you know that your father made this bench that we're sitting on now?" I asked.

Wei's eyes widened at this information. Even though he had never expressed it, I knew that Wei had always craved the presence of his father because his eyes sparkled whenever I told him any story about him.

"You were still in my belly at the time. And like now, it was summer at the time too. There was one night when it was really warm in the house that I needed to come out to get some air. Your father was with us the entire time. Until I was finally sleepy enough to fall asleep despite the heat. He's really protective over us." I reminisced fondly.

"And when I woke up in the morning, I realized that your father wasn't beside me. So I came out looking for him and found him polishing the seat of this very bench that we're sitting on right now. Then only I knew that he didn't sleep a wink that night after escorting me to bed. Instead, he went hunting for the best stone to be turned into this bench right here. So that I have a place to sit whenever I come out to the porch on hot summer nights." I said as caressed the smooth sides of the bench.

"It's a simple bench but it has all of your father's care and love in it."

"Mama, I'll make a stone bench for you too when I'm older" Wei blurted, the determination etched on his furrowed eyebrows.

I chuckled. "It's more than enough for you to help me weed the garden patches to get the house ready."

"Get the house ready for what?" Wei cocked his head.

Wei was such an animated child. I smiled. "Your father's coming home, Wei."

Wei gasped. "Really?"

I nodded. "Really."

A few days passed, and the rumor that the men of the village were returning had spread all over the village. However, no one returned yet. Just when the village people were wondering about the legitimacy of the letter from the capital, the men returned.

"Oh, Song! My dear Song!" Auntie Wang was one of the first in line to welcome the men back to the village. She grabbed her son and hug him as tight as she could.

"Ma, you're suffocating me." Song managed to squeeze those words out before his lungs were crushed again.

Auntie Wang quickly let him go. "Oh! I'm sorry! I'm just too happy to see my son after almost ten years. Let me see how you are. Did you eat well? Did you sleep well?"

I smiled as I watched Auntie Wang's conversation with her son but soon craned my neck longer to search for my husband. Wei was beside me and jumping as high as he could go to look for his father even though he had never seen him his whole life.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Auntie Wang and Song were walking toward me. I turned to give them a friendly smile but the smile was halted before it could truly form. I instinctively knew those looks on their faces.  My steps faltered. Wei noticed the shift in the air and stopped jumping to look at me before following my gaze to look at Auntie Wang and Song who were already in front of us.

Song pursed his lips as if there were something bitter on his tongue. "I'm sorry.. But your husband didn't make it."

I didn't know how to react. I just stood frozen as Song continued.

"The war was already won and we were celebrating and getting ready to head back home. But the enemy gave their last dash of effort in an attempt to turn the tables around. And- And he was caught in the crossfire then."

"Where-" A lump was caught in my throat. I tried to speak again. "Where is he now?"

Song pointed his solemn gaze to the end of the convoy. There were several wooden carts there that were covered with dried hay and surrounded by ladies who were removing the hay to identify their husbands and there were some who were already wailing. 

There was only one cart that didn't have anyone surrounding it. I slowly threaded towards the wooden cart. I could feel Wei starting to follow me too but was held by either Auntie Wang or Song, I don't even know. 

I wanted the walk to last longer so I didn't have to face what I knew I was  bound to face. But before I knew it, I was already standing in front of the wooden cart. I reached out to the dried hay and realized that my hands were trembling. Despite that, I peeled off the layers of dried hay. There laid my husband. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground.

"Mama!" I heard Wei's voice and turned towards it but I only saw the blurred outline of a boy running towards me before he grabbed me into his arms.

Wei laid my head over his bony chest as he stroked my hair. "Shh.. Shh.. Mama, it's okay. It's okay, mama. I'm here. I will protect you now."

I could hear the trembling in Wei's voice which made me sob harder.