The light pitter patter of the spring rain hitting against the window as the gray clouds began to roll into view. The soft sound of thunder began to roll through the city of Changsha, China where a man stood out on his front porch and admired the lovely spring shower. His wife, a gentle looking lady who had a small smile plastered on her face came out of the light brown colored house and looked at her husband.

"I think it's time to tell your children to come back home," she gently spoke, making her husbands head turn to look at her. He noticed she had the house phone in her hand and he quietly nodded her head. 

"Do you think they'll all come?" He asked her. 

Letting out a sigh, she looked at him. "I'm not sure. But you know they eventually will come," she said, "Sooner or later." 

"Alright," he sighed. "It's just going to be three weeks together. Hopefully this one will be good." 

His wife made her way over towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, as if telling him it was going to be okay. But he knew, deep down in his heart, that it wasn't but he needed to see his kids and bring them back home. It's been nearly four years since they all left home and made their new lives with their wives/fiancee's. They barely talked to their kids. Calling in every now and then to check if they were fine and getting birthday, Christmas and New Year gifts from their six sons. 

---

"Min," Li Hua called as she held the phone to her chest, trying to block the extra noises. 

"Yes?" She head his voice as he walked out of their bedroom and down the stairs where he saw his wife with the phone. "Who is it?" 

"Someone important," she said, handing the phone to him then leaving him for his privacy. 

Xiumin brought the phone to his ears. "Hello," he said, 

"Min Shou," he heard his fathers deep, raspy voice after so many years. "How are you?" 

"Ba," he said. "I'm good. How about you? What's wrong? Is everything okay with you and ma?" His voice was laced with worry. 

"Everything is fine," his dad replied. "It's just been a while since your mother and I seen you and your wife." 

Xiumin felt his heart break. "I'll visit this weekend," he said. 

"Stay longer," his dad encouraged. "Three weeks. It's almost summer and it'll be nice to catch up with you." 

"Three weeks?" Xiumin asked. "I can see how long I can get off of work, but I'll call you later, okay?" 

"That's fine," Xiumin could hear the disappointment in his dads voice. "I love you, Min." 

"Love you, too, dad." He said before hanging up the phone. A sigh escaped his lips and he turned around and saw Li Hua with their one year old son, Min Hoa, in her arms. "What's wrong with ba?" She asked as Xiumin took Min Hao out of her arms. 

"He wanted to know when we'd visit," he said. "I told him we'd visit this weekend but he wants three weeks together." Xiumin explained to his wife as the trio sat down on their black, leather sofa in the living room. 

"Is that all he told you?" Li Hua questioned. "I've been encouraging you to go visit your parents for the longest time," she sighed as she carefully watched Min Hoa play with Xiumin's zipper to his favorite gray hoodie. "What if he's sick, Min Shou?" She began to scold him. "What's going to happen, huh? You didn't even want to tell them we had Min Hoa and we're going to go and show them our baby as if it's nothing? He's going to be the first grandchild your parents received from their son. Not to mention, you're the oldest." 

"I know, I know," Xiumin said beginning to feel guilty about what his wife had said. "Tomorrow is Friday," he said. "I'll call in and take vacation off then we'll leave around noon, okay?" 

"Deal," she said, taking her son from Xiumin. "I'm going to give my baby a bath now, right, Min Min?" She began to tickle Min Hoa's chubby tummy making him giggle. "You can start to pack," she said, giving Xiumin a look.

---

The house phone rang as Luhan gently ran towards the phone as he carried a crying Fang Hua, who was strapped onto her fathers chest. Answering the phone, Luhan let out a tired 'hello' before he heard the voice of a man who had raised him for almost 20 years. 

"Luhan, how are you?" His dad asked as Luhan tried to quiet his daughter. 

"I'm good, baba," Luhan said. "How are you? Sorry, I've been busy these days." He told him. 

"That's good, son." Luhan could hear him smile which made him smile. "Is that a baby I hear?" 

"Yeah," Luhan softly replied. "She's my daughter. Your granddaughter," Luhan told him with a smile. 

"I have a granddaughter?" His dad asked, surprised by the fact that Luhan hadn't told him he and his wife were expecting. "What's her name?" He asked. 

"Fang Hua," Luhan replied with a gentle smile on his face. "Zhang Fang Hua." 

"She must look as beautiful as her name," he said softly. "How about you visit, Luhan." 

"When?" 

"This weekend," his dad said. "Stay for three weeks. It'll be fun. Have your mom and I meet our granddaughter and catch up with our son and daughter-in-law." 

"I'll see if I can stay for three weeks, ba," Luhan told him. "I'll talk to Fang Yi about it first, okay? But I'm sure we can come this weekend." He said as he began bouncing on his toes, making his daughter quiet down. 

"Alright," his dad said. "Just call us later so we can prepare for you guys." 

"Okay, ba, I'll call you later." Luhan said before his dad hung up. "Did you hear that, Fang Hua? Huh, did you hear that Zhang Fang Hua?" Luhan asked, placing the house phone back down. "We're going to visit grandma and grandpa this weekend. I just have to tell mommy." 

"Tell mommy what?" Fang Yi came from kitchen with a light blue apron on her and her light brown hair in a messy bun. 

"Tell mommy that we're going to visit grandma and grandpa," Luhan said, walking towards Fang Yi who began smile at Luhan. 

"Finally! I miss your parents," she said. "Aww, my Fang Hua will meet her grandma and grandpa finally." She cooed as she kissed her daughter's cheek. "They're going to love you so much!" She exclaimed before an excited gasp escaped her lips. "What if your brothers are there? I heard from Auntie Li Hua you have a cousin named Min Hoa, he's a cutie, Fang Fang." Fang Yi let out a laugh as she returned back to the kitchen to finish cooking their dinner. 

"Xiumin ge has a son?" Luhan asked as he followed Fang Yi into the kitchen letting Fang Hua play with his fingers. "Wait, when did you talk to Li Hua?" He asked. 

"We always talk," she said. "You just don't ask that's why I never tell you." Fang Yi looked up at Luhan before looking away from him to continue cooking. "We wanted to have a play date together and maybe have Xiumin and you talk again." She softly said. "We both just wanted to see our in-laws and your other brothers." 

"You could always ask," Luhan mumbled. 

"But when I do ask, Han, you always say we will," she told him as she placed the meat in the boiling water. "You know how I feel when we talk about your parents. You take them for granted and one day, you'll feel bad because you didn't visit them on your own or tell them you had a grand child because you thought it wasn't that important, well you know what, Luhan, I love your parents like my own. I cry sometimes because you never talk to them. You don't even talk to your brothers." Fang Yi began to cry as she looked at Luhan and Fang Hua. "You're the second oldest son in the family, love them, okay?" She said as she began to wash her hands in the sink. "You're supposed to love them and cherish them not what you and your brothers are doing." She closed the faucet then told Luhan to watch the stove while she went to the bathroom. 

"I messed up, princess," Luhan said. "I made the queen mad. What will the king do, huh, pretty princess?" Luhan said softly as he went towards the living room and placed Fang Hua on the ground in her small play pen. 

---

Yi Fan looked at Ting Na with an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry baobei," Yi Fan mumbled. "It's going to--" 

Ring, ring. 

Yi Fan got cut off as the house phone rang. He stood up and let go of Ting Na's hand to answer the phone. "Hello?" He answered. 

"Yi Fan," he heard his fathers voice and he a small smile spread on his face. It's been too long since he's heard it. 

"Baba," Yi Fan turned to look at the side and saw Ting Na getting up from the sofa and walking over towards him. "How are you? I've missed you. Is mama okay? Are you sick or hurt? Did something happen to the house?" He asked. 

His dad let out a soft chuckle. "We're fine," he replied with the calm voice he always held. "Your mother and I were wondering if you and Ting Na wanted to come visit us this weekend." He told him. "We've missed you a lot, Yi Fan," his dad said and he could feel his heart begin to ache at his dad's words. 

"Same here ba," Yi Fan's voice cracked for a second before he coughed to regain his composure. "I've missed mama and you a lot." 

"Come back home and visit us," his dad said again. "Your room is still the same as you left it. We didn't touch anything and we just want to see you, son." His dad sounded like he was about to cry. "Your mom and I miss you and your brothers. We just want to see our son." 

"Ba," Yi Fan choked out. 

"How about you come this weekend? Stay with your mom and I. You can bring Ting Na to visit." Mr. Zhang siad , trying to convince his son to visit home. 

"Alright," Yi Fan said. "I'll tell her. I'll see you tomorrow night." He told his dad before he hung up.

He turned around and saw Ting Na standing in front of him. "Is something wrong with your dad?" She asked him. "What did he say?" 

Yi Fan took a step closer to her and pulled her into a hug, which caught her off guard. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his waist and felt him nuzzle his face in her hair. The two of them stayed in that position for a few minutes as the silence engulfed the both of them before Ting Na felt Yi Fan's tears hit her shoulders. Never in the past six years of being married had she seen Yi Fan cry. It made her heart break as more tears fell. She gave him a tight squeeze and she heard him begin to mumble. 

"Yi Fan," she said softly. "I can't understand you when you mumble." 

"Baba said he misses me," he said in between cries and Ting Na held him closer to him. "And he asked if we could go visit them this weekend." 

Ting Na let out a soft sigh. "I've been telling you to go home once in a while, Yi Fan," she said as she inhaled his minty scent. "I don't have anything against your family. I never can. They've been nothing but good towards the both of us and--" 

"Ba also invited you," he said. "I told him that we'll go and be there by tomorrow night. I'll call my secretary and tell her I'll be gone for the weekend." 

"Are you sure they want to see me as well?" She asked hesitantly. 

Yi Fan nodded his head. "You know my parents love you as much as their own daughter." 

Ting Na nodded her head and let go of Yi Fan who pulled back slightly from the loss of contact from her. She got on her tippy toes and placed a small peck on his lips. "Let's get packing. I'll get the computer so you can get out train tickets for tomorrow. You can start packing, okay?" Yi Fan nodded his head and pecked her lips once, twice then thrice before letting go of her and going to their room. 

Once Yi Fan was gone, she went towards the house phone and began to dial a number on her phone then bringing it to her ear as she kept looking back to see if Yi Fan was coming out anytime soon. 

---

The melodious sound of the piano resonated through the house as he continued to play before abruptly stopping to hear the ring of the house phone. He stood up from the black piano bench then made his way towards the phone and picked it up. 

"Zhang Yixing speaking," he answered. 

"Yixing," he heard the familiar sound of his fathers voice. "It's baba calling." 

"Ba! How are you?" Yixing asked. "Did you an ma get the package Mei Li and I sent you?" He asked. 

"We got it two days ago," Mr. Zhang informed his son. "Your mother really enjoys the songs you made." 

A smile illuminated Yixing's face as he heard his fathers words. "I'm glad that you like them." He said. "Did you go to the doctors?" He asked. 

"I did," he replied. 

Yixing hesitated for a moment before asking, "What did they say? Were my assumptions right?" 

"They were. The doctors said three weeks until I have my surgurey." He told his son. "So come over, okay? This weekend. I invited all of your brothers but you know how they are if they find out everyone is coming." 

Yixing nodded his head. "I'll try to come tomorrow if not, Mei Li and I will come Saturday, okay?" 

"Come when you can," he told his son with a gentle voice. "Your mom says she misses you." 

Yixing let out a chuckle as he heard his mother's voice in the background, nagging his dad about how she wants to talk to her son. "Tell ma I'll call her later, okay?" He asked before he heard his mom yell out a 'you better' before he hung up. 

"How's ba?" He heard Mei Li's voice from behind and turned his head and saw his wife with his white tee shirt tucked into her black yoga shorts. "Is he feeling better?" She asked. 

"I guessed right," he told her. Mei Li gave him a small pout then walked over towards him and wrapped her arms around his body. "He has surgery in three weeks and he wants us to visit for the weekend," Yixing informed her as he wrapped hugged her back. 

"But you want to stay with baba and mama until his surgery," she said, knowing her husbands love and concern over his parents. But they both knew three weeks was far too long to be gone from their work and lives away from Changsha where their parents resided in. "I'll ask the other doctors if they can take care of the clinic for three weeks, okay? If we need anything either you or I can come back home to get it then go back to Changsha, okay?" 

"Alright," he sighed. "I'll call the doctors and nurses while you go and pack for the both of us." He told her. 

"You're lucky I'm your wife and that I love you, Yixing," she said. "Otherwise, I'd make you pack your own suitcase." Mei Li scrunched her nose and pecked his cheek before going into their room then quickly poking her head out of their bedroom door. "Buy the tickets, ai ren!" 

"Yes! I will!" Yixing shouted as he dialed the numbers of the doctors at the clinic Mei Li and him owned. Yixing got in touch with the first doctor and he had informed him that it was a family matter and that even when he will be gone, he'll still check in with them to see how everything was. Their clinic wasn't big, it was just the right size for their town. Everyone was friendly and nothing bad seemed to happen. Yixing is the head doctor, but, of course being out will effect him and the business, but he knew there was nothing the other three couldn't handle. 

---

"Zhong Da!" Ching Lan shouted from the bathroom. "You made the bathroom floor wet." She looked at her husband with her stern gaze that made him flinch a little. 

"I did?" He asked, shocked at the fact that she said it as if everything was making her angry. "I didn't mean to. You wanted to take a shower and I was trying to hurry and--" 

Chen got interrupted halfway through his sentence as Ching Lan bursted out laughing at his stammering. "I was kidding, laogong." 

"Oh my gosh," Chen began laughing. "Laogong? Since when has my laopo been calling me this?" 

Ching Lan let out a scoff before going back into the bathroom. "I'm going to shower. Dinner's on the table if you're ready to eat, otherwise go clean, please." She said before she closed the door of the bathroom and turned the shower on. 

Chen let out a sigh then left the room to go downstairs to their kitchen where he saw their small,  black, circular dining table filled with the food that Ching Lan had made. "My laopo made so much food for the two of us," he said to himself as he pulled out a chair and right when he was about to sit, the house phone rang. He walked over towards the phone and on the fourth ring, he answered. "Hello," he said. 

"Zhong Da," he heard his mother's sweet, gentle voice from the other side of the line. 

"Ma," he said softly. "What's wrong?" 

"You ask me what's wrong when I call you," she clicked her tongue at her son. "I wanted to tell you to come visit for the weekend, son." His mother told him. 

Chen swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. "I'll tr-" 

"No," his mother said sternly. "You will come. Don't fight with me, Zhong Da. Your father and I are getting old and we just want to see our son." His mother began the guilt trip. He admits that his parents are getting old, he just didn't want to see his brothers-- or more specifically, one of his older brother. 

"I'll come and see you guys," he told him. "Can I being Ching Lan?" 

"Oh, bring her!" His mother said excitedly. "I want to see her again! It's been too long. Last time I saw her was what, two years ago?" 

There it was again, the guilt his mother had brought up once again. He didn't know if she meant it or if she just said it without thinking too much. He wasn't so sure which one it was, but he knew his mother and father liked Ching Lan. Maybe more than they liked him some days. He let out a sigh and nodded his head. "Fine, fine. We'll visit this weekend." He told her. "Tell dad I said hi, okay? I have to go now, ma. See you tomorrow night." 

"Alright. Love you, Zhong Da." She said before she hung up the phone. 

Chen placed the phone back in it's holder. He let out a sigh and trudged back to the kitchen and sat down at the dining table. He covered his face and with both of his hands and let out another sigh, this time one deeper and longer than the one he let out before. Chen felt Ching Lan's arms wrap around his shoulder as her semi-wet hair dripped onto his shoulders. 

"What's wrong, my laogong?" She asked as she pecked his right cheek. 

"Mama called me," he told her. "I'm the worst son ever," Chen whispered. 

"What did mama say?" Ching Lan questioned as she let go of him to sit in the chair besides him. "Tell me what mama said that made you like this," Her voice came out soft and gentle adding to the mixed emotions he had felt when his mother called him. He was on the verge of tears and he knew if he spoke he couldn't hold them back. "C'mon, laogong, tell you laopo what happened," she urged him. Trying to get her husband to talk. 

"She wants us to visit her because," Chen stopped midway as he felt the tears fall from his eyes. "Because mama and baba are growing old they want to see us." He informed her. "I am the worst son they could ask for. Why would they want to see me?" He began to sob. 

Ching Lan removed his hands that still covered his face and saw the tears streaming down is cheeks and gently used her thumbs to wipe the tears away. "My laogong, you are their son. They can never hate their son. How about I call Mei Li, okay? I'll ask her what's happening at mama and baba's house then I'll tell you. But it's already seven and we should eat dinner then pack for the weekend. Call work and tell them you'll be off for a while, I'll call my work and tell them I'll be off for a while then we can discuss it afterwards, alright?" She asked and Chen nodded in reply then Ching Lan began placing food on his plate. 

---

"Ya Li," Tao called from the bed room. "Where's my pants?" He asked her.

Tao saw his fiancee walk towards him with a laundry basket in her arms with freshly washed clothes. "You're lucky you're my fiance, ZiTao," she growled at him. "Are you almost done packing?" She asked him. 

"Almost. I just have to pack some more clothes and you need to pack then I'll double check the tickets for the train tomorrow morning since we're going to visit mama and baba-- oh! Did we buy them gifts, Niang Zi?" 

"I'm not your wife yet, Tao," she said as she took out his black dress pants and threw it at Tao who sat on the ground making the clothing hit him in the face. Tao let out a small whine and looked at Ya Li with a glare. "I already have the gift set," she told him. "I bought baba his tea's, shirts and pants and mama her bag and lotion." She informed him. 

Tao nodded his head with a pleased smile on his face. "I hope mama and baba like their gifts." He let out sigh as he zipped his suitcase. 

Tao, being the youngest, was still attached to his parents, making him the second to hear about his dad's condition. Of course, after finishing college a few weeks ago, he postponed his job hunt, but still being a model for a shop located in town, he earned enough to make rent and Ya Li, being apart of the modeling industry made it far in her career at a young age, made money that was spent for necessities and leisurely. But modeling wasn't something that Tao wants to do. He majored in music and minored in business. After receiving his bachelors, he decided to call school quits for now and begin his life. But shortly after graduating and seeing his parents, he was informed with the words of his father's condition and almost immediately, packed his bags. 

"I'm excited to meet Fang Hua and Min Hoa, Tao!" Ya Li squealed. "How cute they must be! Fang Yi and Li Hua told me about their babies and sent me pictures and-- oh goodness, you have the cutest niece and nephew!" 

"Can't believe the girls keep in touch and the guys don't," Tao scoffed and looked at Ya Li who was busy packing her bag. "But I'll see my nephew and niece for the first time!" He quickly smiled at the thought of finally seeing his brothers and sister-in-laws along with their kids. 

 

=====

First chapter, you guys. Kind of long just a preview into the couples lives. 
Next chapter will come soon! Please support me through the story! 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comments or pm or my tumblr(s) (which you can find in my profile)

Happy reading, loves! 

ps- you can correct my Chinese if I'm wrong. The internet is my only source.... so yeah.