This collection of short stories will have varying lengths, probably having an average of 1500 – 2000 words per chapter. It is mainly about the Qiao sisters, with their sibling bonding stuff. Some characters may appear, but only for minor roles.
Anyways, let's proceed!
The young and energetic girl woke up with a smile on her face. She got up and stretched, letting out a cute moan at the satisfying feeling.
She was really excited about today because today was a special one. With that, she hurriedly went and changed to her usual bright orange daily clothes.
She went out of the room, that smile never leaving. It only got bigger as she saw her husband at the end of the hall and ran towards there. "Zhou Yu!" The girl embraced him tightly. "Good morning!"
Zhou Yu chuckled. "Good morning to you too Xiaoqiao. Are you ready to go?"
Xiaoqiao nodded happily. "Yup! I can't wait!"
The husband, however, can't help but be worried. "Just promise me, that both of you will be safe."
Xiaoqiao giggled. "Don't worry! We'll be veeery safe!"
This bubbly and cheerful personality of his wife has always made Zhou Yu happy. Even when things get really serious due to the war, she always found a way to make him smile. And if he could never see that smile again, he would never forgive himself. But seeing it now, he felt so assured that she will always be there, that she will be safe. Smiling, he said, "Alright, I've seen you fight many times before, and seeing how strong you are, no enemy will defeat you."
Xiaoqiao smiled. "I'll be going now my lord! I gotta meet up with her!"
"I'll meet you later then my dear."
As Xiaoqiao walked along the hall, she couldn't help but greet everyone who passed by. She just felt so happy today. Her mouth went agape as she saw the person at the end by the balcony, who was admiring the surroundings of the castle. She excitedly ran towards the person. "SIIIIIS!" She tackled and hugged her.
The older Qiao giggled at her gesture. "Hi Xiaoqiao, you ready to go?"
Xiaoqiao nodded her head. "I've been ready since I woke up!" She held her sister's arms, jumping up and down excitedly. "Come on sis let's go let's go!" She then noticed the straw hat her sister was wearing. "Huh? What's that you're wearing?"
Daqiao blushed, adjusting her hat out of nervousness. "O-Oh umm, I saw a lot of people wearing this outside, so I thought I should wear one… i-it looks weird on me, doesn't it?"
"Nope, I think it looks great!" She snatched the hat off her sister's head and tried it on. "Hmm, it feels kinda itchy though…" She took it off quickly and gave it back to her, who decided to not wear it for now.
The older Qiao's husband walked to their side, with the younger Qiao bowing in respect. "Hey you two, are your things ready?"
Both the Qiaos nodded while smiling.
Sun Ce chuckled and grinned. It was obvious that these two just couldn't wait anymore.
As they got out of the castle gates, the siblings said their goodbyes to their husbands. They had all their things ready, which consisted of: two straw baskets, two fishing rods, and of course, the lures were inside the baskets. An extra basket the older sibling was carrying had an extra set of clothes that looked exactly like the ones they were currently wearing. Daqiao still had her straw hat in hand, even though she wasn't likely gonna wear it now.
With all those things, they looked like they were gonna go on an adventure that would last longer than a day, but in reality, "Ready to go fishing?" Daqiao asked with a smile, trying her best to sound excited. Well, she really was, but her timidness got the best of her with all the people around.
Xiaoqiao grinned excitedly. "Yup! Let's go sis!"
The two Qiao waved their hands at their husbands as they started their journey towards the nearest stream.
Smiling, Sun Ce crossed his arms and chuckled. "Sibling bonding, ain't it wonderful?"
Zhou Yu nodded. "Yes, yes it is."
They turned around and started walking back inside the castle.
Zhou Yu continued, "Speaking of that, you really should bond with yours."
Sun Ce put his hands at the back of his head, replying, "Yeah but whenever Quan invites me, we always end up drinking, and you know how he is when he's drunk," he chuckled. "And Shangxiang's too busy practicing with her bow and all, so…"
"Well, hopefully one of these days you'll find the time to be with them."
Sun Ce noticed the slight frown on his best friend's face. "Hey Zhou Yu, what's wrong?"
"I'm just… worried…"
Sun Ce put his hand on Zhou Yu's shoulder. "Don't worry about them alright? Those girls are tough."
This didn't make Zhou Yu reassured enough, but Sun Ce wasn't giving up.
"If it makes you feel better, you know master Huang Gai's weapon right? That big boat-like thing?"
Zhou Yu nodded.
"Well, I saw Daqiao trying to carry that sometime last week, and she did, well just for like a second but it still counts right? And that thing's bigger than her!"
Zhou Yu's eyes widened in surprise. "What?! But didn't her back hurt? That weapon is as heavy as it looks."
Sun Ce shook his head. "I haven't heard any complaint from her about backaches, so I guess she's fine."
Zhou Yu was in total awe. "That's… impressive, I never knew she was that strong."
Sun Ce chuckled. "Yeah me either. Who knows, maybe Xiaoqiao can also carry that."
This made Zhou Yu imagine his wife carrying such heavy objects, all the while giggling and happy like her usual self. Just how is that possible? What if, what if she was secretly carrying heavy objects when he's not around? At least now he knew, that they were totally safe.
After minutes of walking, the two Qiaos have finally arrived at their destination.
Xiaoqiao had her mouth agape. "Woooow! It's so beautiful!"
The soothing gentle current of the stream, the chirps of the birds above, the sweet scent of fresh air, and the mountains at the horizon, this all felt so surreal.
Daqiao was mesmerized. She looked around, admiring the environment. It's like she was in a dream, and she definitely didn't want to wake up from this one. She saw a tree nearby and found it to be a good resting spot as they catch fish.
Xiaoqiao removed her boots and went in the water. The depth of the side of the stream was just below her knees. As soon as her feet came in contact with it, a shiver went up her spine at the coldness. Nevertheless, it felt so good against the warm season. "Hey sis, you gotta try this! It's really refreshing!"
The older sibling waved at her, smiling. "Yeah I'll be there in a second!" She got their things and brought it under the tree. Before going to the stream, she got the fishing rods and placed them nearby. She joined her sister in the water, having the same reaction. "This is exactly what we needed in this heat!"
"I told you sis!" Xiaoqiao went a little further, walking slowly as she remained careful of any rocks.
Daqiao saw her sister getting farther. "Be careful Xiaoqiao!"
"I got it!" Xiaoqiao felt something past her leg, she looked down and saw it was a bright orange fish, much like her orange long-sleeved coat. Her mouth went agape, gasping happily like a little child. Curious, she followed the fish, only to stop abruptly as she noticed she was getting into the deeper part of the stream. She went back to her sister, who had the two fishing rods in both hands.
Daqiao extended her arm, smiling, "Are you ready?"
Xiaoqiao grinned. "Yup! Let's go fishing!"
Both sisters would go to different parts of the stream, in hopes of finding a lot of fish. Xiaoqiao wondered where that bright orange fish went to, she hasn't seen it or any other like it since.
After minutes and minutes of moving and hunting, Xiaoqiao finally felt something tug the end of her fishing rod. She gasped as she pulled back and struggled. She ended up getting out of the water and to the side as she pulled harder, her brows furrowing. However, the fish was too strong and she ended up tripping and falling on her rear. "Owww…"
Xiaoqiao pouted and engaged her serious mode. She pulled back the bright orange sleeves of her coat, as well as the long sleeves of her green undershirt. It was a surprise she rarely complained about how hot it was with those two layers of clothes she was wearing. To her luck, the fishing rod was still moving, meaning the fish was still at the other end! She quickly grabbed the handle and pulled back as strong as she can. What kind of fish is this?! She thought.
The battle went on, but it seems the aquatic faction was winning still. Xiaoqiao struggled, but she was slowly being pulled in to the water, until she felt a pair of hands over hers. She looked back and saw her sister with a determined smile.
"Together," Daqiao said.
Xiaoqiao nodded and shared the same determined smile. "One, two, three, pull!" They pulled as strong as they can, even grunting like how some soldiers would when they charge into battle.
And finally did they catch a whopping regular-sized fish. Xiaoqiao hugged her sister. "Yay sis we caught one!"
"Yeah, it was a tough one too." Daqiao got the fish and put it inside the basket.
But Xiaoqiao remained restless; the day was still young anyway. "Hey sis, we should catch some more!"
Daqiao smiled. "Alright."
It was the most fun they had in awhile. It didn't matter if they didn't catch a lot, they didn't mind. They were lying down side by side by the tree the older sibling found. They were breathing heavily, feeling exhausted after all the reeling and swinging.
They stared up at the orange sky, admiring its beauty.
Xiaoqiao smiled and turned her head. "That was so fun. Right, sis?"
Daqiao chuckled in response. "Yeah, and we caught enough for dinner too." She glanced at the two baskets, which were already half-filled with fish. Perhaps not catching many was an understatement.
The younger sibling giggled. "They're gonna be so proud of us!"
A few seconds of silence followed, and the two glanced up at the sky once again.
Xiaoqiao couldn't get that smile off her face. Not only did she get to do something so fun, she also got this spectacular view. "Wow… it feels like I'm in a really beautiful dream…"
Daqiao let out a soft chuckle. "I was thinking the same…" But she knew that they had to wake up from this dream soon, and she decided, "But we should go before it gets dark."
Xiaoqiao nodded, and the two sisters soon stood up after catching their breath.
She noticed her big sister about to carry the two baskets filled with fish. "Sis, let me carry the other one!"
Daqiao shook her head. "No, it's okay, I can handle it. But thanks anyway," she smiled.
Xiaoqiao carried the basket that contained their extra set of clothes, which remained unused. On her other hand were the two fishing rods, as well as her sister's straw hat.
After the unexpected feast caused by the sisters' rather large catch, the drinking session began. Some drank tea to help burn all that food they ate, while the others drank the usual fine booze.
More than an hour already passed after this grand dinner.
Xiaoqiao sneaked into her sister's room, minimizing the creak of the door as much as she can. Sun Ce was nowhere to be found. She tiptoed her way towards her bed, and saw she was already asleep, smiling softly at her sleeping figure. She noticed she had already removed her beautiful pigtails, which were currently on the nightstand. Slowly and quietly, she sat down on the right side of the bed. She was surprised to see her sister's eyes open.
"Xiaoqiao?"
The younger Qiao stuttered, "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up…"
"No," Daqiao giggled. "It's okay, I wasn't really asleep." She leaned forward and sat beside her. "So… is there something on your mind?"
Xiaoqiao smiled. Instead of words, she went straight and gave her a warm embrace. "Thank you so much for today sis. I really had fun especially because you were with me."
Startled, Daqiao then smiled, returning the warm embrace. "You're welcome, little Qiao," she gave her nose a little tap, making her giggle. Daqiao had to stifle a yawn. Perhaps the silence was making her like this, or maybe it was the fuzzy feeling she was getting from this moment, making her feel drowsy. Perhaps fishing made her tired after all, not to mention all the food she ate. It really is amusing how sleepy one can get after eating a rather large quantity of fine food.
Xiaoqiao rested her head on her sister's shoulder, hugging her arm. She was about to continue their conversation, but she felt her sister's head lean towards her. She looked at her, and saw she was already failing at trying to stay awake. She chuckled quietly, admiring how cute and peaceful she looked. She slowly pulled her own head away from her shoulder. "Looks like someone's really tired."
Drowsy, Daqiao groaned, "N-Noo I can still stay awake, see…?" But as she said that, her eyes were closed.
Xiaoqiao merely giggled. "No, you have to go to sleep, okay?"
Daqiao pouted, but she soon lied down on the bed facing sideways, and Xiaoqiao draped the blanket over her. She still had enough energy to open her eyes, and saw her sister sitting at the side of the bed, their eyes meeting each other.
Xiaoqiao smiled. "Sleep well sis."
Daqiao returned a weary smile due to her sleepiness. "You too Xiaoqiao."
Xiaoqiao soon found herself in her own room and bed, closing her eyes with a smile.
August 18, 2018: Revised some stuff.