Character Questions: Wuming Jie
Full name: Wuming Jie, Tai Jie (When she was married to Tai Shu, Yao's Father)
Nickname: Mama (by Yao and Jianyu), Mama Jie (by Xiayu), Empress of Wing Chun (her moniker when she branched out as a Martial Artist), Sifu (by her pupils), Sennin of Perfection (her title as a Sennin), Aunt Jie (by Koga), Ti-Ti (by Tea, and Devin)
Occupation: Martial Arts Teacher and Guardian of the Senjutsu Scroll - Instinctive Evolution
Appearance: Has dark brown hair tied and braided down to her butt. She lets a couple of bangs loose in front of her youthful but slowly aging face. Due to the stress that some of her students cause her (namely Caine), she has a few gray hairs. Her eyes are a light brown with a slightly tanned complexion like her son's due to Japan's heat and mild winters than in China and Hong Kong.
Age: 39, 41 after Yao finishes his training in Brazil.
Mannerisms: Brighter than her son, Jie is friendly, jovial, goofy, and always has a quip ready for anyone who shows her an attitude. Jie is confident, bold, and to those who don't know her well, can be mistaken as cockiness and arrogance. But those who know her understand her attitude is well deserved.
What does he/she wear?: A black Kung Fu changbao with matching shoes, white pants, and silver studs in her ears.
Favorite color: Maroon Red
What is he/she good at?: Jie is a Master at Wing Chun and Baji Quan since she teaches the former by default to her students and Baji Quan to those who graduate past Wing Chun. She also knows and understands Chinese and Japanese cultures. She arguably knows Japanese culture better than most natives, comedically enough.
What is he/she bad at?: Jie's confidence and skills make strangers afraid of her, especially when Japan and Aberdeen.
What does he/she want?: To be a good mother and teacher.
What is his/her goal?: To keep her family safe and represent her family well.
What lie does he/she believe?: That she's not a good teacher as she is.
What flaw results from the lie?: Jie is strict with her students. If they break the rules (the rules themselves are fair, mind you), she's naturally horrifying.
What truth does he/she learn?: She's a better teacher than most would think and realize.
What is his/her background?
The mother of Wuming Yao, Wuming Jie was born in Xi'an, China. She's the second oldest of six, the eldest being her brother Xiao Guai. Her uncle taught her the art of Wing Chun, and she learned at a prodigal rate. Being the first to be granted the right to fight outside the school, Jie went on a warpath challenging everyone she could and besting all of them. By the time she and Guai were ready to leave for Hong Kong, she had earned her nickname the Empress of Wing Chun since she had never lost to another Wing Chun practitioner.
While Guai ran the Medicine Store as per tradition, Jie decided to make trouble in Aberdeen. By luck on her part, she walked into the Wushu District during a showcase day. A cocky Baji Quan practitioner then boldly laid an open challenge to any Martial Artist in the vicinity. Jie, refusing to back down from a fight, accepted. To the shock of everyone but her, she bested the man. That man would be her future husband, Tai Shu. Shocked at how easily she bested her opponent, Jie became the nightmare of Aberdeen's school district, bullying them whenever she had free time. It only amplified once she learned the district's pupils bullied the rest of the city due to not practicing Wushu themselves. That would mean she would have multiple run-ins with Shu, who relentlessly fought and lost to her over 50 times. Shu even fought Guai and lost to him, arguably worse than Jie.
Jie found Shu's persistence charming and his repeated beatings at the hands of the siblings humbled him. After one more duel between Shu and Jie, Shu emerged the victor. In truth, Jie let him win. With the duel over, Shu asked her out on a date. Much to the shock of the then deaf Guai, she said yes. Admittedly, a young Jie was a terrible influence on Shu as she convinced him to join her in her regular bullying of the Long and occasionally the Lee schools. When Shu proposed and allowed her to meet his father who would turn out to be none other than Gen, the old man didn't like Jie at all. Guai convinced Gen to give Jie the blessing to be his stepdaughter. Shu had much better luck with Jie's folks as they liked her fiance. The pair were soon wed and capped off the ceremony by busting the Long school for old time's sake.
The streak of happiness only continued as a few years later, she gave birth to her son, Yao. But the happiness would end shortly after as during an extremely heated argument over Yao's future between Shu and Gen, the pair would fight a ferocious battle where Gen would accidentally commit filicide, killing Shu and straining his and Jie's relationship even if it meant Jie could follow her family's traditions and allow Guai to teach Yao Martial Arts as she was already teaching Fei Long and Fu Long who are two of Yao's childhood friends. Teaching them brought to life one thing that she loved just as much if not a little less than being a mother and that was being a Sifu. It led her to want to open her own school for Wing Chun and Baji Quan as Shu taught her the latter as a wedding gift and vice versa. But the School District of Aberdeen wouldn't let her open her school in the city due to being a woman and for so many years of torment. Sexism was like this even on the mainland so after thinking hard about it, she made the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong and her son in the care of her brother so she could go to Japan and open her school there.
The climb was steep as she was Chinese woman practicing a Chinese Martial Art in Japan. But she eventually found some locals who would go under her tutelage all the while successfully defending her school without fail against would be Dojo Busters. Jie's streak of happiness was starting to come back around, and the reuniting of her son and introduction to one of her adopted daughters would only intensify the happiness.
Now, Jie can be found in Tokyo as that's where her school is. She occasionally ventures to Hong Kong to visit her brother and step-sister. When Yao is there, him as well. When she learned that her adopted twin daughters were in Beijing, she would make visits there and be the first to tell you that she enjoys being a family woman more than being a Sifu, as much of a joy that is.
Additional Questions for Wuming Jie?
Is the tension still high between Jie and Gen?
Yes, though not as high as when Shu's death was recent. At the time, she wanted nothing to do with Gen or any other member of Shu's family. If it wasn't for Guai, Jie would've went on a rampage and put many of her step-family in a hospital or worse. Nowadays, Jie gets uneasy whenever she knows Gen is nearby, like at the Wuming Family Reunions since Gen is still invited to them. Thankfully, Ren, being her stepsister, helps balance things since she always wanted a sister. (She's the only daughter of her parents, the rest of her siblings are boys)
(AD: Yeah. Accident or not, Gen was wrong for killing Shu. Something Jie won't soon forget)
Has Jie taught Yao anything he doesn't know yet?
What is there to teach? Thanks to the Senjutsu Scrolls, Yao knows Wing Chun and Baji Quan on the same level if not better than Jie. Besides, Jie's still a stickler for tradition, so she won't teach him anything unless he insists. But Yao chooses to keep that tradition alive as if he has children, he'll send them to learn Wushu under Jianyu or Xiayu.
(AD: All about keeping it in the family. Nothing wrong with that)
Does Jie ever think of returning to Aberdeen?
The thought has crossed her mind before. As much as she loves being a Sifu, there's only so much madness from her students she can take. Jie leaves Tokyo and sometimes Japan if it gets to be too much. But she reconsiders that the best option in terms of the next master would be Caine, and he has issues. Despite that, she can see herself going back to Aberdeen if not to help Yao with the medicine store since Jianyu left for Beijing to become a gymnast. If she does, then the Martial Arts School District in Aberdeen would collectively shit their pants.
(AD: I can only imagine the looks on their faces if Jie ever did return to her old stomping grounds)