A/N: Okay, my site is looking, MUCH BETTER. Go see it at
Now to go on with the story…
Sheng Xin (Sacred Heart)
Chapter10: Secrets, Spying, and…Dating?
"Okay, you know the plan?"
"Jeez, we've been over this a thousand times!"
"Shh!"
"What? We're the only ones here."
" Still, what if someone was to hear us."
"Oh yeah. Like they'd care if you paid me to spy on Kinomoto Sakura and Li Xiaolang."
"Quiet Chang!" Reiko snapped at him sharply.
"Reiko, what is you problem? I know you have a thing for Xiaolang but don't you think this is a bit much?"
"Shut up! I do NOT!" she blushed furiously as she yelled.
"Whatever. As long as it involves me with cash, I'm in on it."
"Duck!"
"Eh?"
Reiko pulled Chang with her under the market booths. "They're coming." She whispered
"This is so stupid, I can't believe you talked me into this…"
"Your language is my language." She waved a thick wad of paper. "Now keep quiet!"
~~~~~ At the Li Residence…~~~~~~
"Silence!"
Everyone in the living room hushed.
"We have sent Xiaolang and Ying Fa off together for an errand. Meiling will now continue to explain."
Yelan stepped aside and let Meiling stand in the center of the room.
"Alright, Ying Fa and Xiaolang are at the market, you're probably wondering why Xiaolang isn't included in this family meeting. Apparently, this is one he must miss out on. He can't find out until later. As I personally know, he doesn't like arranged marriages, in this modern time, I doubt anyone practices this tradition."
"Get to the point!"
"Mou, let me finish."
"Ahem!" Meiling coughed loudly. "Like I was saying, Xiaolang is not here because I, Rae Li Meiling have discovered a secret that all of you elders have tried to keep locked away from us."
The elders stared at her puzzled.
"I very well know that Aunt Yelan has only one sister, her being my mother. Where does our third cousin Wu-ming come from? Surely from Xiaolang's father's side. Ne?"
A few elders glanced at Meiling uneasily. Syaoran's sisters were obviously interested.
"Still though, I can't believe it took me 15 years of my life to realize this it but according to our family line of magic, but I researched many things about Xiaolang's father, and now I see the true existence of Wu-ming. You can no longer hold the truth."
Yelan lowered her head in shame.
Meiling beamed, "Wu-ming is really…"
~~~~~ Markets of Hong Kong…~~~~~~
"What did Siefa want us to get again?"
"Let me look at the list…oh um, some rice, fish, eggs, carrots, bay leaves, teriyaki baste, soy sauce, onions, oolong tea, and chicken. "
"Hmm… seems more than the usual."
"Nani?"
"Nande mo nai."
"No, tell me Syaoran."
"Well, it's just that it's late, I noticed the stock of food is full back at the house, and all the food they want us to get is in totally different directions from the other."
"I guess that is strange. Demo, what about Kero? He's the one who eats most of the food. "
"Yeah, and counting all of my family and you, I suppose we might need to stock or our rations won't be the same."
"Don't worry about it."
"I guess you're right, but still, some feeling tells me something is going on."
"C'mon, let's go pick up the closest one from here."
"Alright, well I know to get some oolong tea right near the fish market, so let's go there."
~~~~~ Markets of Hong Kong… in hiding ~~~~~~
"Did you hear that?" Reiko asked Chang.
"Yep. They're going get tea. So what about it?"
"Tea! Tea means dating!"
"What! How?"
"Have you never been on a date?"
"Well, considering I do things like this for cash, which takes up my time, I don't DO dating."
" Jeez, most dates start out by going to places—like a café for instance."
"Oh yes, near the fish market, TO BUY SOME TEA. NOT STAY AND DRINK IT." Chang noted sarcastically.
"Just follow them anyway! It could be a cover up or something."
"Whatever, let's get this over with."
They both followed Sakura and Syaoran from a safe distance through the shadows.
~~~~~ At the Li Residence…~~~~~~
"How come I didn't notice before?"
"No! I can't believe it!."
"Are you serious Meiling!"
Feimei, Fanren, Siefa, and Fuutie went ballistic.
"Is it true Niang? Is it really true?"
Yelan sadly nodded her head. "Your father has put disgrace upon the Li clan."
"Why…why did he do it. Just why?" Fuutie asked regretfully.
"No matter how much magic your father had, he wasn't satisfied. According to tradition, we had to have a male heir to continue the magical family legacy. As you can see, I had given birth to four daughters before Xiaolang came to existence."
They all nodded.
"Love wasn't love. I too was placed into an arranged marriage. I didn't like it at first, infact, I still don't like it. Since I had not given birth to a male child, he had a concubine in an attempt to have a son. That had failed. Wu-ming then came into existence, your half sister."
"I don't understand," Meiling asked, "if you don't like arranged marriages, why do you continue to do it?"
"Because Meiling, it is tradition." Was Yelan's simple answer.
"Apparently you couldn't hide Wu-ming, does she even know where she came from?"
"No, we told you the same story, she was born of Xiaolang's aunt on his father's side."
"Does she know magic? Like Xiaolang and Ying Fa?" Feimei inquired.
"Yes, as much as your father had known. Still though Ying Fa is now more powerful than Clowreed even. This brings up another matter to discuss. I last heard from Wu-ming that she had created her own set of cards."
"WHAT!"
"Yes, this is all very true. All so very true."
~~~~~ Markets of Hong Kong…~~~~~~
"Ugh! This place smells worse in the evening."
"You'll get used to it."
"Let's hurry up then, I think your entire family is waiting for a meal."
"What do you "entire" family?"
"Meiling had told me that your entire family was visiting today so that might be the reason for the extra food."
"…And you didn't tell me earlier?"
"I suppose it slipped my mind. The way she said it, it sounded like a thing your family does often with far relatives."
Syaoran shrugged as Sakura smiled innocently.
"Let's hurry then."
They continued to pick up the groceries in the order of the next one that was the closest.
~~~~~ Markets of Hong Kong… in hiding ~~~~~~
"Humph, nothing interesting so far."
"This job is so boring, I knew I should have just went to Lanko's party."
"You get paid, what's the difference?"
"They're going to get the vegetables, follow them."
Reiko and Chang sneaked though the aisles peeking past the canned jars and boxes.
" You see that!"
"What?"
"She's smiling at him!"
"That signifies what?"
"That she's smiling!"
"Is smiling a crime?"
"No, it's just that means that they must be close friends, maybe even more than friends…oh just the thought of it …--Eh!"
"Did you see that?" Chang rubbed his eyes.
"I think so, Xiaolang…he smiled!"
"Li Xiaolang as far as I know, DOES NOT smile."
"Kinomoto must be special to him after all. I mean, no one has made him smile before."
Reiko was in an unspeakable mood, " I can't believe this!" in her ranting process, she knocked over glass jars and other canned items.
"Oh shit…Run!"
~~~~~ Markets of Hong Kong…~~~~~~
"Did you hear something Syaoran-Kun?"
"Yeah, from behind those shelves."
They glanced over at the section between the non-perishable foods.
"C'mon, we should get going, we have all the stuff on the list."
"Hai."
~~~~~ At the Li Residence…~~~~~~
Slow steady paced footsteps could be heard outside.
"They're back!"
"How can they be?"
"It's only 10:30pm."
"Xiaolang must have bought the cheap food at the grocery beside the fish market again."
"Everyone remain silent."
Yelan greeted Syaoran and Sakura from the entrance gates.
"Nihau Ying Fa, please rest in your bedroom for now, you must be exhausted." Yelan gave her a kind of stare that said, 'GO, NOW.'
"Yes, good night Niang. Good night Syaoran-Kun."
Yelan and Syaoran went to the living room with the rest of the family. His sisters had a look of concern and disbelief etched on their faces.
"Xiaolang, we have something to tell you…"
A/N: Okay, you're all probably wondering why I went under a different alias name. I got bored with my old one and I thought Lady Ai suited me quite well. After all, romance stories are my specialty. ^_^
Gomen ne for taking SO long to come out with this chapter, so to make it up to the most of you who asked for more, this chapter is obviously longer than the majority of the chapters I have created previously. Remember R+R! NOW!
