Here's the next chapter, happy reading!
"YEN! Yen, my button is loose! Get in here and fix it right NOW!"
With a sigh, Yen laid down her broom a walked in the direction of her stepsister Mei's chamber. It was the sixteenth time Mei had called her that day. It was the day of the feast, it had finally arrived, but Yen was not happy. She was beginning to doubt her chances of even getting to the feast for she had been woken before dawn that morning by her Niang's maid and told that she was not allowed to go to the feast until she had completed all her chores.
It was now two hours past noon. All morning she had scrubbed, washed, swept, wiped, and mended—every muscle in her body ached, she was tired, and her head throbbed terribly, yet she was only just past halfway down her list of chores. The feast commenced at six o'clock sharp—she had just over three hours left!
Mei's chamber was at the end of the courtyard. It was the one she had been in that day she had heard about the feast. Inside sat Mei, admiring herself in the round, gold-framed mirror. She wore a sparkling blue silk gown, delicately embroidered with golden thread. Her hair was done up in a new style, decorated with a golden headpiece. Mei was her Niang's only daughter—she had been born one year after Yen.
"Just look at the state of this button!" Mei exclaimed, "It's about to fall off any minute now!"
Yen produced a little sewing kit she always carried with her and fixed the button.
"How do I look?" asked Mei, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Yen remained silent—it was just a rhetorical question, she knew that Mei disliked to be answered by her and wouldn't care for her opinion anyway.
Yen was just about to ask to be dismissed when a frown suddenly washed over Mei's face, making furrows in her brow. "Something's missing," she declared, "I know! I forgot to put on a necklace." Mei began to examine her jewellery; she seemed to have forgotten that Yen was still in the room.
A quarter of an hour later, Mei was still bent over her sparkling jewels, mumbling to herself—"Too big…not big enough…nope, doesn't look good…I have nothing! Nothing! Yen decided to leave since she was not needed there—she was almost out the door when Mei caught her reflection in the mirror. "Where do you thing you're going! I haven't given you permission to leave yet." Reluctantly, Yen turned around.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
At that moment, a strong breeze made the tree outside sway, causing a beam of sunlight to flash across Yen, making her gold necklace glitter—it caught Mei's eye.
"What's that you have around your neck? Give it to me!"
"No!" she replied but it was too late.
Mei lunged forward and yanked her beloved necklace away from her. She fastened it around her own neck. "That looks very nice indeed," she remarked.
Yen dashed out of the room, she couldn't bear it any longer. She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going—she just wanted to get away, away from this misery, away from these evil people! A few moments later, she found herself in the graveyard, in front of her mother's grave under the cherry blossom tree. The resplendent pink petals looked especially beautiful in the sunshine that day—she usually would have delighted in the sight of them, but she didn't notice them then. She told her mother everything—it just tumbled out in a big string of words,
"…shejusttookitfromme…shewashorribleMother…"
She felt like some part of her was gone--taken away from her. It made her feel a sort of emptiness inside of her.
Yen was about to break down when she felt something surround her—a strong force—it felt warm and nice. She felt her mother all around her—in the air, the trees, the grass…everything—comforting her, giving her strength. It was an indescribable feeling.
She stood up and looked bravely at the great big world around her, "I will be brave, I can be brave," she thought, "I will not give up." With this encouragement, she resumed her chores with a new sort of determination.
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By quarter past five she managed to complete everything she was asked to do, just as her Niang and Mei were being lifted into the carriage. The sun was just beginning to set—casting a sea of golden light over the world. Mei's jewellery and the golden embroidery thread on her dress glittered in the sunlight. Yen had spent many hours making that dress—it had to be absolutely perfect to satisfy Mei and her Niang. She could see her golden necklace hanging around Mei's throat and quickly looked away—she couldn't bear to see her most treasured possession on such an evil being.
Although Mei was dressed in the latest fashion and to the highest quality, her figure and facial features were unappealing. It could be said that she was a little too much on the stout side and the top of her head only just reached Yen's nose. She was one of those unfortunate few who had not managed to escape a double-chin, she had small eyes and an unusually wide mouth which opened to reveal two slightly higgledy piggledy rows of teeth.
"I've finished my chores." Yen declared, "May I go to the feast now?" Her Niang and Mei exchanged amused glances and then started laughing.
"Y-y-you, you want to go to the feast?" her Niang said and then laughed some more, "Don't be ridiculous, it's only for noble ladies. Anyway, you've got nothing to wear, you don't intend on showing up in that, do you?" she asked, gesturing at Yen's rags. Her Niang kicked a pile of freshly swept up leaves under a tree, making them fly in all directions. "Oh, look," she said, "I think you've missed some of the leaves." And with a swish of cloth, she was gone.
She stood there and stared after them, her whole form steaming with anger. How dare her Niang say she wasn't noble! How dare she taunt her in that fashion! The anger paralysed her, freezing her whole body—yet her face was flushed with rage, making her look more beautiful.
She heard the cries of swallows in the distance and awakened from her daze—"whatever could be the matter?" she thought, "They're supposed to be going to sleep." The cries were coming closer, and then she noticed a whole flock of swallows swoop down from the sky. She watched as they landed on the ground and proceeded to pick up the leaves.
Just then she realised that she could still make it to the feast on time if she hurried. She thanked the swallows and rushed out of the courtyard.
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In her small room by the servant quarters Yen donned her outfit for the feast. It was made from some fabric brought to her by the swallows—she did not know where they had got it. There was a simple red dress and a pair of small red cloth shoes embroidered with swallows, which fit perfectly on her bound feet. She still remembered that day when Hua had bound her feet and the agonising weeks that had followed. Even now her feet hurt after long periods of walking or even just standing. Sometimes she wondered if it was worth it, to suffer the pain just to be considered beautiful and worthy.
Yen was dressed in a flash and out in the cemetery—she couldn't use the front door as it creaked and she would be heard. There was her mother's grave as she had left it—she placed a fresh strand of cherry blossoms on it and bid goodbye. Then she pinned some cherry blossoms into her hair and climbed nimbly into the cherry blossom tree—she knew all the footholds like the back of her hand, even in the darkness. From the tree she climbed over the wall and was off.
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