I'm not even going to pretend I have a reason for not writing in forever. I could give you a long list of what I think are EXCELLENT excuses, but I suppose I should just get right into the story before I loose all of my readers. If I still have any left. I'm REALLY sorry guys! I promise the next update will be sooner!
Previously: China is in peril. The emperor is… not in power. (He might be dead. I don't know yet.) It has been four years since the first movie. Mulan has neither seen nor heard from anyone from the Wu Zhong camp. Fa Zhou is very sick and he won't let anyone in his family call for a doctor. Shang, working under the jackass General Liao, has decided to lead his crumbling army to the nearest town to resupply (though this fact isn't important to the next chapter. Sorry guys, no Shang this time. I know. I'm really sad too.)
All characters belong to Disney. Except some.
Insert Title Here (help me please!)
XxXxX
The sweet scent of cooked vegetables seeped through the bamboo steamer and filled the narrow kitchen from corner to corner, warming Fa Li's face. The past few nights had been a torment: the fear that her husband would not wake up in the morning tortured her nightly, causing much tossing and turning while silent tears trickled down her crinkled cheeks. He was such a stubborn old man. If only he'd let her send for a doctor. They would get the money some how. By selling cloth or wheat or… but who would have the money to buy the goods from her? With each passing day, more and more shops at the old market place in Xia Kun became empty shacks that no one gave a second glance to. The families that had run the shops would then pack up and leave in hopes of finding their distant relations under better circumstances. If they were lucky. The unlucky ones who had no connections out of the village would either drown themselves in liquor or lower themselves to prostitution in a desperate attempt to pocket a few coins. Li's village was dying. And no amount of medicine could save it.
The same cannot be said for my husband. Li thought. If I could get my hands on one vial, one measly vial of medicine it might save Zhou's life. But how?
Li found her mind wandering back seven months, to a conversation that still strangled her conscience day and night…
XxXxX
It is midmorning in late May. Li is sitting, propped up on her knees at the dining room table, with a brush in her right hand. She is facing the paper screen across the room, which is half open: offering her a view of the green barley swaying in the passing breeze. Summer is on its way, and this thought brings a smile to Li's face. She dips her brush in ebony ink, and swirls it around, once… twice… her eyes close as she empties her mind of her worries.
"Li? It's the Mien family at the door. They're here to say their farewells." Looking up from her calligraphy, Li sees her husband standing in the doorway with his head hung low and his eyes clouded with sadness. She frowns, trying to get her wits around the new information, but her mind treats the unwanted news as an intruder, tearing it to shreds before she can begin to understand what her husband meant.
She shakes her head, bringing it back to the present before asking her husband to repeat his words.
"I'm sorry my dear. It is a shock to all of us. The Mien family has decided to leave Xia Kun." Zhou answers, approaching Li with a look of concern on his face.
"Our neighbors? But their family has been here longer then ours! They are the roots that keep Xia Kun standing!" Li cries in disbelief.
Zhou nods and places a hand on his wife's shoulder. "The loss of their business last year has cost them greatly. They are headed south to Jinan where they hope to find Gajun's brother in good health and prosperity."
Li stands immediately and pushes past her husband into the hall. She barely registers the sound of her ink vile toppling over onto the table. Instead, her mind focuses on the muffled voices coming form the entryway. As she approaches the front door she arranges her features into that of concern, rather than shock.
The sight that greets her almost destroys her composure. In the courtyard in front of their house is a large cart full to the brim with pots, pans, mattresses, books, scrolls of paper, clothes, chairs, tables, rugs, and an enormous amount of stone plaques in honor of the Mien's ancestors. Gajun is tying a tarp over the items to keep them from falling, and though Li cannot see the poor man's face, his crumpled posture leaves little to the imagination. He cries out in anguish as a plaque clatters to the ground, startling the chickens in the coop next to the house. The chickens' panicked clucking drowns out the peaceful sound of the running water from the creek by the stables. A beautiful spring sun hangs high in the sky, advertising its irony for all to see, making Li feel sick to the stomach.
Across the courtyard, Li notices Grandma Fa offering words of comfort to Gajun's distraught wife. Unsure what to say to Gajun himself, she decides to join the two women.
"We made the decision two nights ago" Shin-La sobs, "we've been praying for a lucky break for twelve months now, to no avail. Our only hope is Jinan. Sha-Ron only found out we were leaving this morning."
Li scans the courtyard for Sha-Ron, Shin-La's nine year old daughter. A flash of bright pink below the magnolia tree alerts Li to the little girl's presence. As she had predicted, Sha-Ron is sitting beside Mulan, who is holding the shaken child's hand as the little girl struggles to say goodbye. The twelve-year age gap between the two meant that as they were growing up, Mulan became somewhat of a role model for Sha-Ron. After Mulan returned from war as the hero of China, Sha-Ron, along with many other children of the village, had begged her to teach them how to be 'tough'. The memory brought a crinkle of a smile to Li's lips as she remembered the number of children who would come to her door every morning. 'Is Fa Mulan here?' Now only a handful of children were left in all of Xia Kun: many had left with their families, others had been sold to the army, a few had simply vanished, while the least fortunate were found in the backs of alleyways or at the bottom of rivers; the tears of their loved ones pooling into puddles on their still chests.
Grandma Fa remembers a precious object she wishes to give to the Mien family as a parting gift. She excuses herself and leaves the two women alone. As her small figure retreats into the house, Shin-La lowers herself to the front step and begins to weep into her hands. Li sits beside her, placing a comforting hand on the distressed woman's shoulder.
"This is all my fault" the woman whispers through her fingers.
Li shakes her head. "Of course not Shin-La. No one could have seen this coming. You must not berate yourself for it. Things will be all right. You'll see."
"No." Shin-La says, looking Li straight in the eye. "Things would have been different if I'd have been brave."
The air is abruptly lightened by a sudden outburst of giggles. The women turn their heads towards the sound to see Sha-Ron laughing uncontrollably as Mulan tickles her. Sha-Ron jumps to her feet and dashes behind the tree, smiling as Mulan plays along.
"You are so blessed Li." Shin-La sighs. "Mulan has grown to be such a beautiful, kind, calm young woman."
Li laughs. "I don't know about that. Mulan will never be as calm as most people would like. It's her fiery spirit that got her caught up in the war three years ago."
"And her bravery. If only I were as bold…"
Li frowns. "I don't understand."
Shin-La takes a deep breath before continuing. "Right after Gajun lost his job, I got a tip from a source I'm not supposed to mention. Apparently, in the neighboring village of Bei-Wen, only fifteen miles west of here, there is a man who goes by the name Ren Guang. Supposedly he has powerful connections within the walls of the Imperial City, and if the right offer is made, he will supply the individual with food, money, medicine: anything to make their life easier. I wanted to go, and I did. Two months ago. But when I got to the inn where Ren Guang was said to have been residing I got cold feet. The place stank of smoke and liquor. The men inside were dark, tough and I… I was frightened. I couldn't go through with it. Now I wish I had. All I ever wanted was for Sha-Ron to grow up in my village. Our village. I have failed, Li. If you are ever faced with a similar dilemma don't make the same mistake I did. There are some who can assist people like us. All our troubles are just one signature away form disappearing."
Before Li can reply, Gajun announces their departure as he grabs the reins and wraps them around his own shoulders.
"Where's your horse?" Zhou's concerned voice echoes from the hall as the old man limps towards the courtyard, having spent the last five minutes cleaning up the mess his wife made when she spilled the ink.
"We had to sell her." Gaji states, his voice stony, yet slightly weathered with exhaustion. "Shin-La! Sha-Ron! We are leaving."
Shin-La bows to Li before turning her back to join her husband. Sha-Ron takes a little longer, being slowly and unwillingly led by Mulan back to the courtyard.
"But I don't want to leave." Sha-Ron sobs, all traces of a smile wiped from her face. "I want to stay here. In Xia Kun. You've been like a sister to me Mulan."
Mulan smiles and wraps Sha-Ron in a hug. "And you've been like one to me. Right down to your annoying little habits. But you know what? I'm sure there is someone just like me in Jinan!"
Sha-Ron rolls her eyes. "Yah right. Because millions of people have saved China from an unfathomable void of pain and doom at the mercy of Shan-Yu."
"Wow. Unfathomable. That's a big word Sha-Ron. Can you say it three times fast?"
"Unfathomable. Unfavomanble. Unthasomambo."
Mulan Laughs. "Keep practicing kiddo. I'm sure the next time we meet you'll be able to say it ten times, twice as fast, standing on your head."
"Ten times? Make it Twenty!" Sha-Ron grins as she skips to catch up with her parents.
Mulan waves as she walks over to her mother. "I'm going to miss Sha-Ron." She murmurs quietly. "Day by day Xia Kun seems to be getting smaller."
"Wait! Wait! I found it!" Grandma Fa's voice calls from the depths of the house drowning out the last of Mulan's words.
The old woman hurries into the courtyard with a small wooden cage in her hand. She runs up to Shin-La and fastens the cage to the surprised woman's belt. "Keep it. Its our lucky cricket, but you need it more than we do."
Inside the cage, Cri-Kee watches in horror as the house he has lived in for almost four years begins to fade into the distance. He sees Mulan's face and observes a hint of recognition in her eyes as she notices him. For a moment he thinks she is going to say something. But she changes her mind and simply watches as the cart turns the corner and drives out of sight.
XxXxX
The vegetable steamer rattled, snapping Fa Li out of her flashback. Li had considered Shin-La's advice on many occasions, but being a woman of principal she had always made it a habit of never getting involved with things beyond her, and this was certainly way out of her league. Conspiring with strange men in dingy taverns? Not only was this improper, but she was almost certain the men would obtain the goods she needed illegally. Still, desperate times called for desperate measures.
Perhaps, Li thought, I am not being held back by my sense of honor. Maybe I'm just like Shin-La. A middle-aged woman who is too cowardly to take the first few steps that might save her family.
Li wiped away a lone tear that had trickled down her weathered cheek with the back of her hand. She shouldn't be dwelling on what might or could happen. She needed to focus on what was happening now, and right now she was making dinner: a simple task for one so experienced in the field. She lifted the bamboo lid and welcomed the breath of hot steam like an old friend. It did miracles to clear her heart and mind.
"Need any help in there?" The sound of her mother in law's voice startled Li, but the interruption was welcome: she could use the company.
"Yes. Thank you." She replied, masking her previous thoughts with a smile.
The old woman hobbled into the kitchen, humming an ancient tune as she retrieved a spoon and began pouring soup into ceramic bowls.
"You know, if you had been standing any stiller, I'd have sworn you were growing out of the floor. What were you thinking about, dearie?" Grandma Fa asked, a certain joviality to her tone.
Busying herself with the slightly soggy vegetables, Li took her time to answer.
"Nothing in particular. It is easy to lose one's self in one's thoughts when one has so little to distract them." She replied, careful to sound breezy.
Grandma Fa frowned, but said nothing as she picked up a piece of carrot that had fallen to the floor and popped it in her mouth.
"Whatever you say. My goodness, have you seen the rain today? The ancestors are taking extra long showers, if you ask me. And don't think they don't need it." She joked as she made her way into the dining room and placed the soup bowls on the rickety table whose scarred, dried out face yearned for a time when it had been wearing a shimmering coat of polished black paint. It groaned as the added weight of the soup threw it slightly off balance. "Hmm… Surprised that table doesn't just collapse on itself," Grandma Fa commented as she walked back into the kitchen to fetch the bowls of rice. She reached out her hand to lift the lid of the pot hanging over the hearth, but Li stopped her with a voice scarcely above a whisper.
"There is no rice tonight mother. Nor will there be for a while. We simply can't afford any."
"Oh…" For once Grandma Fa grew silent. After a few minutes the old woman found her voice and muttered, "Well I suppose we'll just have to make do."
Li shook her head "If Mulan had gotten married before this cursed time we would have had enough money to buy food. Maybe even a new table." She said through her gritted teeth.
Grandma Fa did not reply. She stood staring at the empty rice pot, realizing for the first time the gravity of their situation.
"I mean it's all right for people like Shin-La." Li continued "Their daughters are still under sixteen. Mulan is Twenty-two! Twenty-three come March. Was it my fault? Did I not teach my daughter well? Why? Why couldn't she be a normal woman?"
"Mulan is a blessing." Grandma Fa snapped, a little harsher than she meant to. Calming her voice she continued quietly. "She may not be the most beautiful, graceful, calm, efficient, or obedient woman around, but she saved China!"
"That was a one time thing. I'm sure she couldn't do it again if she was paid to."
"She could-"
"Then why doesn't she? When has China needed a hero more then now? We may have escaped the Huns but I'm starting to believe being tortured by them would have been a better fate then what we have to live through day after day! More death, more poverty, more sickness, more hunger! Everyday!" Li shook her head and returned her attention back to the tea she was pouring. "Besides," She continued calmly, "Saving China is nothing to be proud of if you're a woman. If you're a man maybe, but…"
"I meant in terms of her future husband." Grandma Fa interrupted, "If it weren't for all those battles raging around the kingdom, young men would be lining up at the door. She's a hero, who wouldn't want her?"
"Everyone! A quarter of those young men you are referring to will leave the moment they set eyes on her, and another half will leave once they realize she has next to no money! If she does marry one of the men in the quarter that's left it will be a sad marriage indeed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the groom canceled the wedding before the ceremony. Who wants a wife with a higher rank?"
Grandma Fa shook her head. "That may be so, but she's still your daughter, and my granddaughter. We must be grateful for what we have."
Li nodded. "I am grateful. I just wish… I just wish that she could make herself useful once in a while."
XxXxX
Mulan sat with her head buried in her arms in the middle of the living room. Behind her hung her mother's calligraphy. In front of her the paper screen door stood wide open, allowing the odd raindrop to fall into the room and latch itself to her frozen skin. The oil lamp that hung above her head had died long ago, casting the room in shadows, but Mulan made no move to re-light it. The gloom seemed fitting for her mood. Hadn't her mother figured out that everything said in the kitchen could be heard all around the house? She may not be able to see them, but she was catching every word her mother and grandmother said. Her grandmother was now arguing that Mulan had single handedly done more for China than anyone in history. Mulan could already guess how her mother would respond to that one.
"China, of course, but what has she done for this family? She can't cook, she can't weave, she can't sing or dance. She can barely pour a proper cup of tea, and she hasn't even been able to work in the fields where she can sometimes be useful because no one is buying barley anymore. She's not married, so she can't bare any sons. She's just another mouth to feed."
While she was in the army Mulan had suffered multiple wounds. She'd even survived a stab to the stomach. But nothing cut her deeper than the words cascading out of her mother's mouth. I guess I've always been a disappointment. She thought to herself, wrapping her arms around her knees and bunching herself up, wishing she could fold away into nothing.
After her mother's speech the kitchen grew quiet. Only the occasional clinking of china could be heard. Somewhere deep in the house Fa Zhou began coughing. Then silence. Mulan lifted her head and allowed the raindrops to cool her face. The liquid cleared her mind and quenched the burning in the back her throat. Then, as if in solemn acceptance of her situation, Mulan let the endless pounding of the rain hitting the courtyard outside engulf her completely.
XxXxX
Thanks for reading guys! I decided to cut it there. Yah, no Shang in this chapter, sorry. He will be in the next one, which I have already started writing. This chapter may have been a bit boring (I applaud you for finishing it) but it's really important for the plot line, and I wanted to give you a bit more background about what is going on in Mulan's village, Xia Kun (Don't ask me how to pronounce that. I have no clue.) And I sort of wanted to develop Li's character. And I wanted to experiment with the different tenses. Did it get too confusing? If so, I'm sorry. I won't do it too often.
Random fact: Sha-Ron is the real name of that annoying kid in the very beginning of Mulan 2 who (if I recall right) takes General Shang's helmet. Yah, I decided to put her in, cuz she seemed pretty cool (did I just contradict my self? Annoying kid = pretty cool?) Anyways, I know I said the second movie never happened, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T, but just because the plot didn't play out the way it did in number 2, doesn't mean Sha-Ron doesn't exist.
I have the backbones of a story line down now, so I am going somewhere with this, (bear with me) but if you have any complaints, questions or suggestions, let me know. I'm not going to beg you to review this time, because frankly I don't think I deserve it. Again, I apologize for the REALLY late update. Still, it's always nice to know people are reading, so if you feel like commenting, please do!
