Mulan softly pinched her slightly bulging stomach with curiosity, being underfed all her life caused her to only see a skinny, lanky girl in the reflection of every mirror. Now that they practically live in royalty, she can eat whenever she felt like it, and not feeling constantly hungry was something new to her. "I must be gaining weight," she thought as she rubbed her stomach. She quietly sighed while she stretched and got out of bed. Shang had left home before dawn, for being general of China's army needed as much participation as possible. She gazed at the sun outside their bedroom window and assumed that it was passed 8:00. She then threw the dirty clothes Shang left behind after he got home last night away in their hamper, he had gotten into bed after Mulan had fallen asleep. They didn't have much furniture in their big home, so she was thankful to at least have a hamper.
Silence was all Mulan could think about; there were all sorts of sounds in her childhood home; the city and nature was blocked out by the home she had now. A sudden nauseous feeling overcame her as she entered the hallway. She leaned against the wall and covered her mouth, she could feel her dinner from the night before begin to come back up. She quickly stumbled to the bathroom and fell next to the toilet. Her eyes watered as her dinner filled the toilet, it was quick, but her stomach leched as though she'd been punched. She slumped off of her knees and sat against the tub, sniffing. She sat there until the nauseous feeling she had ceased, the whole time she wondered what could have caused her to throw up.
She slowly crawled to the sofa in her living room and curled into a ball, hugging her stomach. Their daily maid slowly entered the house, yelling "Li Mu-laaaaaaaan!" she jumped when she enter the living room and threw down her supplies. "What's the matter?" Mulan groaned and pointed to the bathroom. The maid quickly shuffled to the bathroom, screamed and shuffled back, "What hapeeennned?"
"I think it's because of my stomach, I mean, look at it! It's swollen!" she replied and squished her abdomen.
"Ah, honey, have you and Li Shang... you know?" she eyed Mulan's crotch. Mulan looked at the maid and hesitantly nodded. "Then you must be pregnant," she smiled.
Mulan choked, "What?!"
"With child."
"I know!" she breathed, "But Shang and I have only done it once, and it was on our honeymoon!
"That's still enough to be with child, now I have chores and you need food. I'll make pork and rice!". The maid quickly walked out of the room, leaving Mulan by herself. She could hear the clanking of dishes and materials from the kitchen. "I don't want kids yet," she thought to herself. The smell of the cooking pork made it's way into the living room and Mulan made her way back into the bathroom.