The Chiang Household in the Garden District, The Middle Ring~
"Hua! Tell the maid to fetch Hung his books!" Mother Meizhen shouted as she blew from her pipe.
"Niu! Did you hear Mother?" I prodded the small maid and she quickly rose from breakfast and raced silently to search for Hung's books.
I sighed as I continued to pick the grains of rice silently. I had lost my appetite for it had been hours since I had wished to eat. Father, Hung and my other brothers ate first with Mother Meizhen behind the screen. After taking care of their breakfast, Niu and the cook, Fai, hustled to prepare my mother, Huao and Hung's wives food. Lastly they prepared Huifang and my breakfast. My sister, ever the obedient child, silently ate her food gracefully while I continued to sigh and moan.
"Oh, it's not fair!" I kicked my legs disgruntled.
"What isn't fair Hua?" my sister looked surprised at my outburst and she neatly placed her bowl down to listen to be more carefully.
"Huifang," I sighed at the sight of my sister's perfect etiquette, "It's just not fair how we have to wait until everybody else is finished eating before we can even pick up our bowls."
"Well, Niu and Fai don't eat…" she spoke with a pretty naivety.
"Yes," I sighed at my perfect sister, "But also it's not fair how Hung, Huang, and Huao get to attend the university while I don't! I got better marks in school then they did and I certainly am much smarter than Hung!"
"You should be glad that Father even let you attend school for that long. After all, you were the only girl at the age of fourteen. At your persistence, Father let you attend even when the neighbors shook their heads in disapproval because Father loves you. It's unheard of for a girl to attend the university…do not make trouble," she pleaded as she took my hands in hers.
I flicked the gold ornament dangling from my sister's elaborate hairpiece and gave her a reassuring smile. Her worried fawn colored eyes relaxed as she smoothed back a loose flower pin into my more simple bun.
"You are getting so pretty Hua. You should really start wearing the large headpieces. You wear your lovely hair in too simple a style…one might assume that you are from the Lower Rings…" she smiled as her fingers fluttered to her own ebony hair.
"My hair is only a muddy brown…it's not beautiful like yours Huifang, there's no point in decorating such plain features," I spoke resolutely as I gazed at my pretty sister.
Huifang was the unanimous beauty of the family. Mother Meizhen liked to say that Huifang looked like her when she was younger but I disagree. Mother Meizhen could not have been as lovely as my delicate half-sister.
Huifang cared deeply for appearances and always immaculately styled herself in the most elegant manner, I doubted anyone else in the entire city of Ba Sing Se was as graceful as her and this greatly vexed our jealous sister-in-laws. She was dressed in an outfit of blue and yellow silk heavily embroidered with intricate designs of butterflies. Her obsidian hair was braided and coiled in a sleek mass placed high on top her delicate pale face, ornamented with bright chrysanthemum flowers and an engraved stick placed in the very top of her coiled hair. She was the perfect eldest daughter…the only daughter that truly mattered for she was not the daughter of the concubine. It was Huifang who would marry fabulously while I would remain to look after my half-brothers children as the spinster aunt.
I smiled at Huifang when my mother walked into the kitchen.
"Mother Fanghua, breakfast was lovely," Huifang spoke dutifully.
"Please, Huifang, you should just call me Fanghua. Lady Meizhen shall be upset if she hears you," Mother blushed as she humbly hung her head.
"Mama, what is it?" I asked her.
"Hua, I want you to go to the market and fetch some jasmine herbs. Mother Meizhen has been having trouble relaxing and I believe some soothing tea shall help her," she smiled softly as she brushed my tangled locks aside.
"What about Niu and Fai?" I complained with a scowl.
"Don't you need to walk past the University District to go get the tea?" she inquired with a knowing smile.
"Oh thank you Mama. I shall try not to dally so much!" I wrapped my arms around her.
"Oh, you better hurry, my dear," she mock scolded.
I ran to clip on the most basic adornments and rushed out of our home. As my embroidered slippers pounded against the cobblestone, I felt my spirits lift as I approached the great university…the greatest university in the world. The center of knowledge…that's where I belonged, I could feel it in my heart. But alas I was born a girl…a concubine's daughter of all things. Like Huifang had reprimanded just moments before, I should have been greatly satisfied with the education I had received for it was far more than most girls in the city…especially a concubine's daughter.
My feet stalled in front of the beautiful university and I eagerly listened to the conversations of the great university students. As I became overjoyed at hearing the philosophical debates of two students, I noticed Hung.
"I told you! She so is in love with me!" my idiot brother insisted as he tried to boast in front of his friends.
"Whatever…it doesn't even matter. She is being forced into the marriage to you anyways. Young Miss Lang doesn't even have a choice. But besides that, have you lifted that pretty maid's skirt yet? Niu was it? She certainly is the most enticing looking maid I've ever seen. If you don't hurry, perhaps I can convince her?" Hung's most despicable friend Dong, the young Master Lin, cackled distastefully with the horde of horrid descendents of upper middle class families.
"She shall come into my bedroom in no time…she's been so attentive recently," Hung laughed along with his friends and I felt like retching. These worthless beings were allowed to receive the valuable university education yet it was wasted on their lot. It disgusted me.
"Hey Hung, isn't that your sister? Was it Huifang?" Dong pointed to me.
"No! Of course not! My sister, Huifang, is far prettier," Hung scowled distastefully as I stuck my tongue out him, "she's the concubine's daughter…Hua. Even her name is ugly…fit for a servant."
"What? I think she's pretty, perhaps we should play with her?" Dong smiled menacingly as the others in their stupid gang laughed stupidly.
"Whatever…I don't care," Hung shrugged and I looked at him with disbelief.
His ugly friends were walking towards my direction when the tall student who had been discussing philosophy walked towards my direction. He was elegantly garbed in black and green silk and his ebony hair was plaited neatly down his tall straight back.
"Is this how you treat women?" he spoke coldly, softly.
"Senior Junren! We…we…we're sorry. It was just…just. She's Hung's sister…we were just trying to introduce ourselves," Dong and his comrades blanched as they hung their heads in shame and fear.
"Hung? Chiang Hung of the Chiang family who works in the agricultural finance in the Financial District? Is this how you treat your sisters in your household? I've heard only brilliant things of your low-ranking father, Master Chiang. I had no idea that etiquette was so poorly taught in his family," the pale face had a displeased scowl heavily set in his rather handsome demeanor.
"Low ranking! Are you insulting my father?" Hung stupidly argued.
"You're not very bright are you? I was insulting you. Women are all our sisters and mothers and daughters. We should honor and respect them for their sacrifices in the household. We, as men, have to protect them…not exploit them. Especially if they are one's sister," he spoke in distaste as he shook his head in repulsion at their undignified ways.
"I am sorry Senior. I should have discouraged my friends…for my half sister," Hung spoke as if he were walking on a bed of nails.
"I am sorry for the alarm you received, my lady. I pray that you never walk unaccompanied in public. It is not safe even within our protective walls always for such a lovely lady. Besides it is not proper etiquette for a young woman to walk in such public areas," he smiled kindly as he bowed slightly.
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," I said slightly in a huff. He was attempting to be gallant all the while belittling me.
He was surprised but he just gave a slight smile and a scowl to the boys then proceeded off.
"You should go home now Hua," Hung said angrily, "You got me into plenty of trouble already."
"Who was he?" I asked as my eyes remained glued on the elegant, if misogynistic, young man.
"He is Master Junren of the Upper Ring," Hung scowled as he kicked dust in the man's direction.
"The Upper Ring? What is he doing here?" I was thoroughly surprised for the men of the Upper Ring rarely left it while the women were never allowed.
"He was told to receive a broader education to better understand more of the world or something stupid like that. He is the Grand Secretariat's eldest child and only son," Hung replied impatiently.
"The Grand Secretariat? Lord Long Feng's son?" I tilted my head as I watched him disappear.
"Yes. Go home already Hua! I need to study," he stuck his tongue out at me and ran towards the grand building.
It was just not fair that such unworthy people were allowed this privilege and they didn't even appreciate it. What was more infuriating however was the fact that all men believed the similar narrow-minded beliefs as that elegant young man, Junren. Women weren't allowed to do anything…