Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing, but I do own all the character I created, feel free to email me to borrow them!
This is one on my first long Gundam wing. Since English is my second language, please be patient with mistakes!
Enjoy!
Part IV (Revised)
The house was quiet. Sally was standing straight, looking around. Mother's private boudoir had not change. Simply furnished, there was only a splendid wooden table with two chairs. On the wall facing her, Sally could admire a really old and gigantic Chinese ink representing the imperial court. An antic chandelier was hanging off the ceiling, lighting softly the room. Sally yawned, giving a look at her watch. It was five in the morning, the sun would rise soon. She tried to mentally calculate the time she had been sleeping. It was about four or five hours in total. The doctor in her was telling her to get in bed right now or she would never recover from that terrible flu. Unfortunately, she just could not. Sally snorted, trying to keep her nose from flowing. The sound it made was disgusting, but for the first time in three days, it worked. Sally smiled. She instantly wished that she had not.
"How dare you smile on a tragic day such as this one!" Hissed a voice.
Sally did not have time to move that a strong hand began to pull her hair. Her eyes widened as the pain became stronger. A tall slim Chinese woman, dressed up in a wonderful traditional Chinese black dress with gold ornamentation was standing in front of her. Her hair was tied up in a complex chignon, a beautiful golden comb holding it all. It would have been a good looking woman if she didn't had that angry look on her face.
"I'm sorry, Mother" Articulated Sally, two centimetres from the lady's face.
"Mother" rolled her eyes and pushed Sally on the wooden floor untying her chignon, making her golden hair cascade freely on her shoulders. She looked up, not moving. Mother snorted, staring at her with disgust.
"I can't believe you still didn't dye your hair. This colour is so awful, you don't even look Chinese. I guess that's a chance for us since you dishonoured your father and me." She said.
Sally looked down, taking it without a word. She knew, it was only the beginning.
"How long has it been since you left like a dog? Ten? Fifteen years? That's about it I don't believe you deserve to be here after all you've done. Your poor father…" She whispered dramatically. "I think that is what killed him. To be abandoned by both wife and daughter… I told him that the Americans were mean people, and I think he started to believe it when you deserted…"
Then, she went on lecturing Sally on various things. Each of her words was hurting Sally as if a thousand swords were piercing her heart at once. She was fighting hard to prevent her body from shaking. With all this practice with Wufei, it was also hard trying not to reply, but Sally knew it would only make it worst. The best thing to do was listen and hide her weaknesses from that witch. The worst thing to do would be to cry. Even though she felt like it, Sally was restraining her tears. She had too much pride. Finally, the lady ended.
"Mei ! Are you listening to me? Mei!»
Mother took her by the hair again and forced Sally to look at her. She grimaced under the pain.
"Mei! Wake up little tramp!"
"I am awake, Mother." Replied quickly Sally. No one had called her Mei in ages. Mother released her from her grip.
"Now go get changed and begin to work. You'll start with the hall. I want it to shine. Same thing with the salon. I want it done by eleven. After that, you'll help with the dinner. Everything must be ready for noon. I'll tell you what I want you to do in the afternoon later. Now go." She ordered, taking place at the table. Sally got up, but didn't go. Mother who was being served tea by an old maid looked up.
"Now what is it?" She asked, annoyed.
"Um… I… I mean…" Sally cleared her throat as the lady raised an eyebrow. "What about my guest?"
"What guest? Oh! You mean mister…"
"Mister Chang." Ended Sally.
Mother blinked at that name. "Chang… That means he's probably from the house of the Dragon. I guess it would make an interesting choice for Yuan…"She thought. "Well, Yuan can take care of him." She declared her eyes shinning bright. "Now go."
Sally bowed, seeing right through Mother's intentions. "I won't allow it." She whispered, climbing the stairs leading to her room.
Sally's knees were in fire. She had been polishing the floor since five thirty and it was now nearly seven. The hall was huge. The hardest part had been the stairs. Its banisters were all sculpted beautifully, but it was so complicated to clean! The better thing about it was that she was done. This had been faster than what she thought, seemed like she had not lost the touch, even after all these years.
"To the salon!" She thought, yawning. "If I hurry, I'll be done by nine thirty or ten, so I'll be able to make Wufei visit the house." Sally smiled even though her head hurt like hell.
"AUNT SALLY !" Screamed a little voice.
Sally raised her head to see a little Chinese girl in a white silk pyjama hurtle down the stairs to jump in her arms. The little girl hugged Sally with strength Sally began to laugh which made her cough a little.
"Meilan! I think you grew up since the last time I saw you!" She exclaimed, making Meilan stand before her.
"Yes, I did! And I also lost a tooth! See?" She said smiling to show the hole. "Aunt Sally?»
"Yes? »
"Did you bring me something?" She whispered in Sally's ear.
Sally smiled.
"Well…" She began.
"Meilan?" Called a soft voice, upstairs.
"I'm right here with Aunt Sally, mommy." She yelled on the top of her lung. Sally's ears rang.
Sally looked up again to see the mother of Meilan starting to go down the stairs. She looked beautiful. Her hair was untied and going down to the middle of her back, it was jet black. She was wearing a nice two pieces Chinese ensemble made of azure satin with white ornamentation. She was holding carefully the banister not to fall on her huge belly.
"I told you Meilan. When we come at grandma's house we must call Aunt Sally, Aunt Mei. Understood?" Meilan shook her head, pouting. "Now give Aunt Mei a great smile and go upstairs get dressed with Daddy." The little girl complied with a bow and climbed the stairs four at the time. But Sally didn't get to see it, still on her knees; she was looking at her sister- in-law with huge eyes.
"Li-han! You're pregnant! »
Li-han held out her hand to help Sally stand up.
"And you, you're already at work." She noticed.
Sally smoothed the wrinkles of her Chinese long grey shirt.
"Mother doesn't lose her time." She stated, trying to fix her hair a bit.
"Here, let me help you." Proposed Li-han, getting behind Sally. "Meilan did quite a mess!" She declared, laughing a bit.
Sally smiled.
"I don't mind. She's so adorable and full of life. I wish I could see her more often. I don't even remember the last time I saw her." She said with a sigh.
"Last year. It was her birthday. You gave her that little Japanese doll representing a geisha."
"Oh, yeah. Now I remember. And the baby, for when is it? "
"In a month or so. The doctor said it was a boy, but I feel it's a girl. Wu Feng wants a boy, but a girl would please me too. We'll be fixed soon."
"How does Meilan take it?»
"Pretty well. She wants a sister. Since she's six, she says she's old enough to take care of a baby."
"How cute! Ouch!»
"Sorry. Sally, your hair is so beautiful." Said Li-han, replacing the comb in Sally's hair. "I wish I had beautiful hair like yours. It's done" She declared, making Sally turn to face her.
"Thank you, but I'd rather have hair like yours. And you shouldn't call me Sally; you'll have problems if you do." She sighed.
"I know. Mei, may I ask you a question? »
"Sure, go ahead."
"Did you fight with someone? Or did someone hit you?»
Sally started to laugh and cough at the same time. Then, she told Li-han about the awful day she had the day before. Surprisingly, Li-han did not laugh a much as Sally had expected. She kept on nodding with a concerned look on her face.
"You shouldn't have to do all those chores." She said. "I mean, look at you. It's as if someone had beaten you really bad. I'll go and tell Mother to…" Sally stopped her.
"It's all right, Li-han. I can take it, I've seen worst. I don't want to create problems. I do it for Father, as a way to pay my respect to him." She declared with a gentle smile, but her sapphire eyes filled with sadness.
"Hum! Wu Feng told me that a man was accompanying you." She said to change the subject. "Is he the…" Li-han made a pause, searching for Sally's exact words. "Oh! Yes! Is he that "chauvinist macho" you were talking about last year?" She asked.
Sally started to laugh loudly. It was the first time she heard Li-han say something this mean. Even thought she was just repeating, it was funny.
"Yes, that's him." She confirmed, starting to cough again.
"I don't believe you told me his name."
"Chang. Wufei Chang." She answered with a smile.
Li-han smile faded when she heard the name, leaving a pensive look on her face. But before Sally could ask about it, Meilan came running down the stairs in a white dress followed by her father.
"Aunt Sa… Mei! Look at the beautiful dress Mommy gave me!" She exclaimed twirling to show all its sides.
"It's wonderful!" Declared Sally on a happy tone. "I think I'll be jealous! »
Meilan jumped on Sally and began to hug her, wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Don't be! You are beautiful too, even with that big bump and those blue circles under your eyes."
Sally smiled. Li-han rolled her eyes and traduced for her husband.
"She doesn't miss a thing." Thought Sally, looking down at her niece. Looking more carefully, she discovered something about Meilan's eyes.
"Li-han! Meilan's eyes! They…"
Li-han nodded.
"Yes, they're getting blue. My sister had blue eyes; I guess this is where it comes from. Now come on Meilan! Leave Aunt Mei to her work and come with us to take your breakfast. After, we'll go pay our respect to grandfather Po."
Meilan released Sally's waist and the little family began to move toward the dinning room. Meilan was trotting along, while Wu Feng was helping Li-han to walk with love.
"By the way." Asked Li-han, without turning around. "Did you have breakfast, Mei?»
"I did." Lied Sally.
Wufei opened his eyes slowly. Then he sat. "Where am I?" He thought. Suddenly, he remembered. He was in China with Sally. That was probably a room in her house. Wufei looked around. He was in a comfy bed full of pillows and cushions surrounded by veils. All was white. Carefully, Wufei drew the veil and got off the bed. Jumped off the bed would have been the right term since the bed was higher than he thought and he almost landed on his knees. Then again, Wufei took a look around. The room was not huge, but it was still big. The wooden floor was covered with beautiful carpets probably made by hand and antic. On the walls there were three Chinese ink representing young men and ladies of a bygone time. In a corner, a pretty Ming vase was filled with dry flowers. At his left, next to the door, two antic chests of drawers were standing against the wall along with his luggage. On the other side there were three windows made of wood and rice paper. Under each of them was an embedded bench full of white cushions. There was also a door. Wufei walked toward it to discover what was on the other side. He pushed to find a balcony with a breathtaking view. Wufei just could not believe his eyes. Below him laid an infinite bamboo forest dancing with the rhythm of the fresh wind. Wufei leaned on the sculpted banister and closed his eyes. The only sounds to be heard were the murmur of the leaves caressed by the breeze and the soft lapping of a nearby stream. The air was so fresh and pure. It gently carried the sweet perfume of the bamboo to Wufei's nose. Though the wind was fresh on his face, their caresses were eased by the warmth of the sun. Wufei felt his spirit soothing. And for the first time in so long, his heart was at peace. He smiled to himself, happy to have accepted Sally's offer. This house would be a nice place to meditate and practice martial arts.
Suddenly, he sensed a presence behind him. He opened his eyes, but kept looking at the dancing green forest.
"What is it?" He asked on a monotone voice.
"Mister Chang." Said a soft and calm voice.
Wufei turned around to see an old Chinese maid standing inside and looking down. In fact, it was the same maid Sally had seen serving tea to Mother.
"On behalf of my mistress Mrs Long, I would like to welcome you to the ancestral house of the Po family." She said with a respectful bow. Wufei bowed too.
"My name is Yin. I'm the one to ask for if you need anything. I hope you had a pleasant sleep."
"I did, thank you."
"Then I am pleased." She replied with another bow. "My mistress asked me to lead you to the bathroom so that you can refresh yourself." She added.
Wufei suddenly realised that he had sleep with his clothes on. As he entered the room, following Yin, a question formed in his mind.
"Where is Sally?" He asked.
Yin stopped and turned at Wufei.
"I'm sorry to ask you this but, who is Sally?"
Wufei blinked. Was he dreaming or what? This maid had to know Sally.
"She's about tall as me and has golden hair." He described.
Yin eyes lighted up.
"You mean Miss Mei. Right now she is in the salon preparing everything for the arrival of the guests. Now please follow me." She said starting to walk again.
Wufei frowned. "Miss Mei ?" He articulated silently as they exited the room.
"Miss Mei asked me to tell that she would meet you in one hour in the hall, at exactly ten fifteen." Explained Yin while leading the way in a long corridor with rice paper windows on one side and several doors on the other.
"Shouldn't I bring something to change up ?" Asked Wufei, following.
"I already did." Answered Yin.
Wufei didn't like the thought of having someone touching his things, but since he would not have known what to wear… Wufei's train of thoughts was interrupted when Yin opened a door and lead him in a small room with only one window. Two other maids were waiting for them.
"This is mister Chang. You shall obey him as you would obey Mrs Long or me." She ordered.
The ladies nodded.
"I will be leaving now. Take good care of mister Chang." She said with a small bow to Wufei.
"Wait a minute, Woman!" Asked Wufei.
"You may call me Yin." She Answered.
"Hum, ok. But what are they going to do?" He said pointing the two maids.
"They will help you…"
"I do NOT need help." He protested lively shaking his head in a negation sign. These women would not see him naked, no way.
Yin gave him a little look, confused.
"But my mistress insisted that you…" She began.
"Tell Mrs Long that I'm honoured of her attentions toward me but that I prefer to wash myself alone. Now please leave."
Yin looked at him again, biting her lower lip. Then she gave a look to the two maids.
"Leave mister Chang alone." She ordered. The two maids quietly left the room. Then Yin turned to Wufei. "Your clothes are there." She explained, showing a small chest of drawers. "I will come back in thirty minutes to lead you to the dinning room. There you shall have breakfast." She bowed at him then left, closing the door.
Wufei sighed in relief, alone at last! Slowly he got undressed, folding his dirty clothes to put them beside his clean ones. This reminded him so much of when he lived at the Dragon Clan's house. Back then was considered as the heir of the clan. Even though he was only a child, he was the master and everyone obeyed him. Servants, only women, would wash, dress and feed him. He was such a spoiled child, no wonder he had no friend since he was so arrogant. Wufei kneeled down next to the bath and took a tub full of water. He emptied it over his head. Wufei shivered, the water was ice cold. Fast, he began to soap his body and his hair. He was done in few minutes. Then, he rinsed himself with the water of another tub. It was also freezing. This done, Wufei rapidly plunged himself in the hot water of the large bath.
"Ahhhhh…" He moaned feeling his muscles soothing. Slowly, he let his body slip till his head was underwater. He remained this way a moment then came out with a loud gasp. Lethargically, he leaned on the bath's wooden border and closed his eyes.
"I wonder why they call Sally Mei. Maybe it's her real name. Sally doesn't sound Chinese after all. I'll have to ask her…" He thought. Wufei gave a look at his watch. "Better get dressed."