Raising Macau

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, except for the OC's that will eventually pop up!

Chapter 2: The Day He Was Found (Taiwan's POV)

I vaguely remember the day that Teacher found me, all alone in the bamboo forest. However, if I try to think back to what happened before that day, it would only be a blur of colors and words. The one thing I can strongly remember, though, is that I was much freer before Teacher dominated over me. Do not get me wrong. I love my big brother, and I always will, but the rules he set in place for me was too much. Too much for a little girl. I believe I was only six, at the time, and yet Teacher wanted me to act like an obedient house maid. Later on, Teacher would explain to me that it was to help prepare me in becoming proper Chinese wife later on. But, at the time, all I could wonder was why. Why did my brother, the one who saved me from loneliness, treat me as if I was beneath him?

The house we lived in was a small one on the tallest hill, where several trees grew and a well stood out back. The house was five rooms during this time, for it was all that was needed. A kitchen, two bedrooms, a wash room, and a room for holding company. While the house was quite simple, the view was more than extraordinary. In the distance, you could see the other little farm houses and the fields surrounding our home. From the empty doorway, I could see the little village, which was only connected to us by a winding dirt path. When Teacher left for errands or work, I sometimes liked to take a break from my chores and sit at the doorstep to just watch, imagining what life must be like for each villager. At times, when Teacher came home quite late, I would be able to watch the sunset.

I have been caught by Teacher before, resulting in punishment. For this reason, I try my best to be cautious, keeping an eye out for my big brother. However, on that day, I seemed to have dazed off, only to snap back into reality with Teacher looking at me in disgust. It took me a moment to realize what happened, my mouth forming an O shape before I managed to quickly scurry on my feet, dusting off my dress. "I…I'm sorry…" I quickly apologized quietly, looking down at Teacher's feet.

"That is what you say, over and over again. And yet, here are you, doing what you are sorry for," Yao scolded me, "I will deal with you later. For now, I need you to start a warm bath, and do not dawdle."

I nodded at the command before looking up at my brother, only to be quickly taken aback as I finally noticed the boy in Teacher's arms. The boy's face was hidden in the crook of Teacher's neck, though I could tell that the boy was exceptionally dirty. And scared.

"Is he…?" I started to ask, interrupting myself with a cry as I was suddenly struck in the face. Even with the boy in Teacher's embrace, Yao was still willing to hit me.

"Good girls don't ask questions," Teacher told me sternly, "Now do as you were told, or you shall not eat tonight."

Afraid, I quickly nodded before running off to start the bath. Of course, back then, it was not as simple. Water had to be hauled from the well before taken to the kitchen, where it was boiled to be warmed. Then, the water would be dumped into the bath, only for the process to repeat. It seemed Teacher lost patience, for he only waited for the bath to be half-filled. I kept my gaze away as my big brother stripped the boy of the dirty rags he wore before lifting him into the tub. I stood in the doorway with a full bucket of warm water, waiting. Already, I had started to daydream when Teacher's voice suddenly wafted towards me.

"Wash him up. I need to go to the village to grab some medicine and clean clothes. This is Chen, and he will be your second eldest brother, so I expect you to care and respect him as you do me and as you would your future husband. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Teacher," I nodded timidly, reciting the name that my big brother taught me to call him. Teacher. Because, to me, he is a teacher.

"Good," Yao seemed pleased, standing up straight and fixing his robe. As he left the room, I could feel his hand roughly shoving me out of the doorway, the grip on my shoulder too harsh for my delicate skin. Once Teacher was gone, I slowly crept into the room, closer to the bath tub. I first noticed that the boy seemed to be a bit small to be my elder. I also noticed how quiet the boy was, making me frown.

"Chen?" I asked him, tilting my head slightly. I knew I needed to cleanse the boy, but I also didn't want to scare him with sudden touches.

"Why do you let him treat you like that?" he surprised me with a question, turning to look up at me with gold eyes, "He shouldn't treat you like that. It isn't nice."

It took me a long moment for me to be able to say anything. Eventually, I just shrugged before starting to pail of water into the bathtub. "It isn't his fault. I am just a bad sister," I told him softly, watching the clean water swirl and mix with already dirty water.

"You don't seem bad to me," Chen frowned a little.

"If I do not do what I'm told to, then I am bad," I insisted, picking up the rag that laid on the edge of the metal tub as well as the bar of soap on the ground. However, before I could even dip the two items into the water, Chen's hands reached out to take mine. I couldn't help the little blush that was forming from the touch, not resisting as Chen carefully took the soap and rag from me.

"I can clean myself," Chen told me softly before dipping the rag and soap into the water. It took me a moment to realize that this was the first time in a long time that anyone has ever treated me with any sort of kindness.

Author's Notes: Sorry it's been a while since I've updated the story. I hope you guys like this! I know more has been added about Macau canonly; however, I think I'm going to continue with my version of the story, so I hope you all like it!