This story is based on one of my favorite books "An Ocean Apart, a World Away" I would like to share this wonderful story with you in a Card Captor format.
CHAPTER ONE - THE MEETING
"It's out of the question" said Father. I was usually able to coax him into seeing things my way, but this time he was firm. "Shanghai is one of the most disorderly cities in the world! Even in England, I heard people use the term 'to shanghai' and it means…" He stopped, looked embarrassed, and then continued. "Anyways, it's an evil place. I can't allow a daughter of mine to be exposed to that wicked city without protection."
We continued eating, and nobody spoke for some minutes. Having lost appetite, I just picked at the grains of rice in my bowl.
In a few days my dearest friend, Tomoyo Diadoji, was leaving on a steamship from Shanghai to America. It was possible that I would never see her again. I desperately wanted to say good-bye to her before the ship sails.
Then mother spoke, and to my surprise, she took my side. "Saku-Chan and Tomayo-Chan were very close, and I can understand how much she wants to see her friend one last time."
Father thought for a while. "Very well, Saku can go to Shanghai if we find someone to accompany her as a protector," he said finally. After a moment he said, "How about my secretary, Xiao Lin?"
"We cannot have Saku-Chan go to Shanghai accompanied by a by a man who is not a relation!" cried Mother, shocked.
"Besides, he's not much of a protector," I said. The secretary was a meek little man who woul cringe in alarm if a cockroach crossed his path. "If a bully showed up, I would have to protect him!"
Help came from a unexpected source. Eldest Brother cleared his throat. "Actually, I was thinking of going to Shanghai myself. My friend Yukito Yue has some people he wants to meet there, and he asked if I would like to accompany him. Maybe Saku can come with us."
I had heard Eldest Brother mention Yukito You before as a fellow student in his martial arts class. According to tradition, a well-educated gentleman should be good in both wen, meaning book learning, and wu, meaning martial skills. My two elder brothers had taken martial arts lessons from a master. Second Brother had dropped out after a while, but Eldest Brother continued the lessons, and we knew he was one of the best students in his class. The class had another outstanding student called Yukito Yue, he had said.
My parents decided to invite Yukito Yue for dinner the following night so that they could meet him and judge for themselves whether he would be a suitable companion for the trip to Shanghai. I was overjoyed. I had always been interested in martial arts, and now I would meet one of the best students in the class. Best of all, I would have a chance to go to Shanghai and see Tomoyo after all.
"This is Yukito Yue," said Eldest Brother, introducing his friend.
The boy bowed to my father first, then to my mother. He did not turn toward me, nor did Eldest Brother introduce me.
This allowed me to study the visitor. He was very tall, whiich made me suspect he was a northerner. Our family, the Kinomotos, had lived in Nanjing for generations. Our city is about halfway up China, and Nanjing literally means "Southern Capital", while Beijing means "Northern Capital." So we tended to think of ourselves as southerners. Most ortherners were tall, with high cheekbones, and they have a reputation for being taciturn. They claimed they were people of deeds, not words. We southerners and they just couldn't express thenselves very well.
Yukito Yue was not only tall but moves with easy grace, and I could well believe that he was one of the best students in martial arts class. When he spoke, I became certain that he was a northerner, because he had the accent of Beijing City.
We sat dow to eat dinner, with the men on one side of the table and the women on the other side, I had heard that some families, men and women were placed in alternate seats. We were mondern, but not that mondern!
As usual, I gave Mother my arm as she walked to the dining table. She had bound feet and tottered a little while she walked. After I helped Mother sit down, I straightened up and found the visitor looking at my feet then straight into my face.
"Didn't my brother tell you?" I said. "I don't have bound feet."
Yukito Yue blinked at being addressed direcctly but recovered quickly. "Manchu women don't have bound feel, either," he said.
Father dominated the dinner conversation. Sometimes my brothers openly contradicted him, for unlike many chinese fathers, he permitted his children to do this. He actually enjoyed arguing with us. Of course, he enjoyed winning the argument even more. Tonight he started talking about vehicles that were not pulled by men but powered by engines.
For once Mother joined the conversation. Usually she was too shy to speak out, especially when there were male guests preasent. But lately Father had been encouraging her to speak up. "I thought we already have vehicles powered by engines," she said softly. "Don't they runon those iron roads that are being built all over the country? There's one that runs all the way from here to Beijing!"
"You're thinking of trains," said Father. "I mean something different. I'm talking about motorcars that carry only three to four people. They don't need iron tracks, but can run on regular roads. Mark my words, we'll see our streets jammed with these motorcars.
The rest od us looked skeptical. I frankly couldn't imagine our streets jammed with these motorcars. The rickshaw men wouldn't stand for it, and think of the mess if one of these things should become tangled up with a mule cart! (A/N for those of you who don't know what a Rickshaw men is, it's like a taxi, but people pull it around to places. It's like having people as the engine. XD)
Eldest Brother smiled at our guest. "The so-called motorcars might replace your beloved horses one day!"
Yukito Yue smiled back. "Maybe they will in the city streets, but not in the wide-open countryside. There's nothing more exhilarating then riding a good horse."
His eyes were bright as he talked about riding and I cold easily picture him galloping like the wind. I must have been listening with my mouth open. Again he looked directly into my face.
I blushed and looked down. I didn't often blush, and I was almost never embarrassed, so I made an effort to raise my head and meet his eyes again. What was he seeing when he looked at me? I knew I was not beautiful. I didn't have what writers called cherry lips, moth-wing eyebrows, and plus-blossom cheeks. In fact, I thought my cheeks were too round. Mother liked to call me her cute little dumpling, but I couldn't trust the words of a mother. Besides, I was always reaing. I wondered if our guest liked girls who were bold and active.
When the meal ended, Eldest Brother said he wanted to show his guest a book recommended by his teacher. Yukito Yue bowed politely to my parents and thanked them for their hospitality. Before he left the table, he glanced at me once again. It was such a quick glance that I would have missed it if I hadn't been waiting for it. The next day, my parents gave their approval to my trip to Changhai with Eldest Brother and Yukito Yue. I would be seeing Tomayo again.