Sue Yee wasn't sure, at first, if telling Ulrich was a good idea. Then when Kong Li became active about a month later she realized he was a good asset to the team.
"Well we've got more deliveries, but I think I'll stay here... someone needs to be here if Kong Li comes for the cookbook" Ulrich said
"Okay, but remember, if Kong Li thinks Nana is alone he may come in with a hard hit so be careful" Sid whispered to Ulrich
"Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes open for him" Ulrich replied
"okay, thanks man"
"You didn't have to stay, Ulrich, I will be fine on my own, I have before." Mei Hua said
"I know, Nana, but I just wanted to make sure" Ulrich replied
Ulrich and Mei Hua were talking about different subjects, including martial arts when they heard a disturbance outside. They got out front to see Kong Li waiting
"Ah, Mei Hua, and the new brat"
"I'll show you brat..."
"Ulrich" Mei Hua said in a scolding tone
"So your name is Ulrich" Kong Li mused aloud "You look bored"
"I'm not bored, I'm just tired of seeing your ugly mug" Ulrich deadpanned
"And a since of humor too, you are the complete pacage"
"What do you want Kong Li?" Mei Hua demanded
"What do I always want, Mei Hua?"
"You will never get the cookbook"
Kong Li attacked Mei Hua directly, bypassing Ulrick entirly.
Jo Ling got there just as Kong Li pinned Mei Hua to the wall, her arm twisted behind her back
"Now will you tell me where our master's cookbook is"
"I will never tell you where it is, you do not deserve the honor of touching that book" she said furiously
"Is that what you think, Mei Hua"
A crowd had gathered around the fight, unaware of what was really going on. The nearby witnesses heard a sick crack and most knew that meant someone now had a broken bone.
Detective Ling started to go after Kong Li and he ran. Ling and a civilian took out after him as soon as he released Mei Hua, Ulrich was hot on their heels.
Mei Hua pushed herself to her feet and went to Wu's Garden. She opened the door and ran directly into someone that she immediatly realized was Calvin Wu... her son. She felt him lift her from the ground, but she was in too much pain to protest.
Calvin was headed outside when his mother came inside. He lifted her from the floor and placed her in the nearby booth.
"Mom, what happened?" he asked
"It is not important, Calvin" she replied
"Mom..." Calvin noticed how Mei Hua was cradling her arm "let me see that arm" he said the irony of the situation not excaping him, but he wasn't going to say anything.
Mei Hua started to protest, but she then realized Calvin would have argued with her, so she relented and let her son see her arm
Calvin went to push Mei Hua's sleeve back and noticed that part of the bone moved one way and the rest went the other, a sure sign of a fracture. When that happened Mei Hua pulled her arm back.
"Barney get a bag of ice"
"Why, Dad?" Barney asked
"Just get it" Calvin snapped
Meanwhile Jo and Ulrich were stunned when Kong Li got away when they had chased him into a closed alley.
Jo got her two way radio out of her car and went to check on Mei Hua.
"Mei Hua..." she said as she got into Wu's Garden, which is where witnesses had told her the female victim had gone.
"Chinatown police department, I just thought I would check on you." she said then noticed her arm
"Do you want me to call for paramedics?"
"Yes, please do" Mei Hua said
"Okay, Jo walked away, using the radio to call for the needed medical personnel.
For Mei Hua this was a new experience that she would have rather not had. She had never broken a bone in her life until that day.
The medics arrived expecting something completely different from what they found. When they had heard her age and they didn't expect her to be quite so able bodied as she was.
"Mrs. Wu, do you take medication?"
"No, I do not" she replied
Sue, Sid and Tobey got to Wu's Garden from their deliveries to see the ambulance out front with it's lights on. They looked among themselves in confusion, then went around back to go inside.
"Barney, what's going on?" Sue asked
"Nana is being taken to the hospital..." the rest of what Barney said was lost to Sue as she ran into the lobby only to be grabbed by Detective Ling
"Mrs. Ling!"
"Sue, let them do their job" JO said and pushed Sue back into the kitchen before she could protest further.
"Barney, are you sure you don't know what happened" Sid asked
Ulrich was nowhere to be seen but that was the last of the trio's concerns.
They followed the ambulance to the hospital in hopes they could get some answers.
Sid went up to the reception desk
"I need to find out about Mei Hua Wu, she was just brought in by ambulance" Sid said
"Are you related to her?"
"We are her foster children, my name is Sid Yee"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Yee I cannot tell you anything about her condition."
Sid left the counter and noticed that his sister was getting more upset.
"Calm down meimei, we'll find out something" SId said hoping that would calm his sister.
He then went to ask someone else only to get the same answer only with an explanation that he wasn't cleared to have the information he was asking for.
A while past and Mei Hua started out, Dr. Andrew Ling was walking with her
"Nana!" Sue hugged Mei Hua and Dr. Ling looked concerned.
"Sid, did she not know what happened?" Andrew asked as Mei Hua tried to calm Sue
"None of us did, Dr. Ling, we got to Wu's to see an ambulance, Barney told us that Nana was being taken to the hospital, but he didn't know why" Sid paused "we got here and no one would tell us anything"
Dr. Ling looked at Mei Hua's file and saw that Sid was allowed to get medical information about Mei Hua. He turned to the nurse that Sid had spoke to earlier and began to speak to her.
Sue had calmed considerably and was no longer hugging Mei Hua
"Sue, it is okay, I'm fine" Mei Hua smiled gently
Dr. Ling turned back to Mei Hua as Sue, Sid and Tobey started out
"Why was Sue like that, it seemed so unusual for her"
"I am not surprised," Mei Hua said her trio out of ear shot. "Sue lost her parents at an early age and this incident must have brought back the memories that she had blocked as a small girl"
"How old was she when this happened?"
"She was four years old" Mei Hua sighed sadly
Andrew shook his head, Sue's reaction made a lot of sense now .
They got home and Mei Hua began to realize what a problem Kong Li had handed her. She was right handed and now with her right arm broke it made things difficult. The frustration mounted as she tried to do her everyday tasks.
Ulrich came outside and sat with Mei Hua.
"Nana, I'm sorry, if I had only..."
"Ulrich, do not blame yourself, you had no idea what Kong Li would have done. He is ruthless, and to be truthful I would rather be the one injured than see one of you children get hurt. I can stay back until my arm heals, I will be fine"
"I know" Ulrich smiled slightly "If you need help, just let me know"
"I will, Ulrich" Mei Hua said gratefully
In the short time Ulrich had been in Chinatown Mei Hua had realized that he was a stubborn young man, he had at first seemed shy, but once he got to know the family he began to open up. This revealed the considerate young man that Ulrich really was
Mei Hua now realized that Ulrich was a lot like Sid, but there were some things that were unique to Ulrich.
The Next Day
Ulrich pushed his hair from his face as he worked out with the other three, the day was fairly warm, but no one seemed to let that bug them too much.
"Sue, Sid, Tobey, Ulrich!" Calvin called
"Go on ahead" Mei Hua instructed "just be careful Kong Li has yet to use his recipe"
They got inside to see four deliveries on the counter
"Let's see," Sue grabbed a back "Sullivan street"
"I'll take that one" Ulrich said
Tobey looked at the next one "Drum Street, not it!"
"Not it" Sid chimed
"I'll take it, and I just might say hi to Mr. Von Yang while I'm out"
Tobey got one for Oleander Street and Sid got one for River Street.
Meanwhile at the market a cloaked figure left with a bag of purple fruit in his hand and a sly grin on his face.
To Be Continued...