Lixue sighed, folding and refolding her handkerchief. Lanmei had seen this gesture enough times to know that it indicated some amount of anxiousness from her sister. The question was, anxiousness of what?

“It’s already bad enough that you’re marrying into the Hua family, but to also be the wife of Hua Yunhai?” She shook her head glumly and sat down. Lanmei remained in the same spot. “From what I’ve heard, the poor boy is the ‘degenerate’ of the family. He can’t quite speak and act normally...for his head is a bit…” Lixue spared her sister a meaningful glance.

“A bit what?” questioned Lanmei, still confused.

“Well,” Lixue started cautiously, as if her words were treading on thin ice, “the boy apparently suffers of some sort of trauma from his childhood.”

“I see…had he been kidnapped?”

“Yes…” Lixue confirmed edgily, casting a sideways glance to the ground, “and then drugged and...defiled by several men.”

As soon as her sister finished, Lanmei froze. Something pricked her skin, and she felt a lump form in her throat. “He...oh lords…”

“Indeed. He is a pitiful thing.” There was solemn graveliness in Lixue’s voice, and her usual perfectly smooth face was pinched. “I suppose that is Kangxi Hua’s way of mocking us. Offering the degenerate of his family after Father pleaded him to allow you to marry into their family.”

“Don’t call him a degenerate.” Lanmei frowned as she defended her husband-to-be. She hadn’t even met the boy yet, but she strangely, she already felt some sort of protectiveness over him. Perhaps it was because of the idea of a young soul who had such atrocities committed to him when he was only a child...Lanmei shuddered. Even if that boy was a member of the Yu’s adversary, she couldn’t help but feel sad for Liling Hua…as well as a sense of connection. Both of them were judged by society because of past situations in their lives that they’d been powerless over. Lanmei was damned by her scar, while Yunhai for his past.

While it was a scar which damned Lanmei, for Yunhai it would be his past. “He is only a boy. What’s his age?”

“He is your junior by six years,” replied Lixue.

“So he’s the same age as Jin.” Lanmei raised her brows with surprise. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully as she remarked, “Perhaps, once he and I are wedded, I can help him. I doubt that I can ever love him romantically because of the age gap…but I do hope that I may befriend him.”

At that, she heard a half-strangled, half-choking noise from her sister. She looked back to see Lixue dabbing at her mouth with a handkerchief. Her sister looked up at incredulously.

“There is no healing for that boy,” she huffed. “Don’t you think they would have done anything in the past ten years since he’d been afflicted? I heard that he nearly strangled his younger cousin to death one time out of sheer madness!”

“Sister, sister.” Lanmei clicked her tongue as she wagged a finger. “That is the problem: it is what you heard. Not what you saw. It is a mere rumor. You needn’t fret so much! I never thought you’d be one to believe in rumors.”

“I am merely being cautious,” Lixue argued, her cheeks flushing. “That boy is spontaneously violent. You never know what may be going on within his head. When you marry into that family, you must be careful around him. Do your best to leave him be.”

“Now that just sounds a tad too cold.” Lanmei crossed her arms. “I do believe in at least some interaction with Hua Yunhai. It’s not as if he is some wild beast. Honestly, elder sister, if you worry any more you’ll get some lines on your face.”

“I am simply concerned and worried about you.” Lixue sniffed as she took another sip of her tea. “This is the Hua family we are talking about. I had hoped that you would marry someone of your own liking or that at least you could fall in love with them. It is merely your happiness that I wish for.”

“And I appreciate you for that.” Lanmei smiled benignly at her sister, then took a few steps forward and leaned down to pat her hand. “I will miss you terribly when I’m gone.”

Lixue sighed, then allowed her free hand to rest upon Lanmei’s cheek, forming a crescent over it. She gazed up wistfully at Lanmei and shook her head. “And I you. If only…”

If only you didn’t bear that scar. A small part of Lanmei was tempted to grimace at those unspoken words, but instead she inhaled through her nose before slowly breathing out. There was no helping it. It is what it is, her father would always say.

Forcing out a small, nonchalant laugh, she straightened up so that her sister’s hand slipped away from the side of Lanmei’s face. “I’ll be fine, Lixue. I can take care of myself. Don’t worry too much about me, please. I really do mean it when I say that you’ll get worry lines. Don’t think that those creams are elixirs to eternal beauty.”

Lanmei’s words gave her desired effect. Lixue’s brows unfurrowed as she rolled her eyes. “Well, I can guarantee you that it shall work wonders on your own face if you can simply start applying them on a daily basis. Your skin is so dry that it’s actually making me parched.”

“Oh, stop it!” Lanmei playfully whacked at her sister.

“My hair! What did I tell you about ruining my hair?!” Lixue snapped, her hands flying up to cover her head, despite how Lanmei had hardly touched it. “What are you, a child?”

“Of course. I shall forever remain a child--even when my skin is wrinkly and I am dependent upon a cane.”

“Grow up, already.”

Lanmei laughed delightedly, then pulled her sister up and led her through the circular entryway and towards the kitchen. Separate from that bright, cheerful exterior, deep inside, she knew that these precious moments of spending time with Lixue and being scolded by her for being unladylike would soon end. For now, she would relish these moments and imprint each and every one in her mind.

***

“Daimin, get back here, you cursed imp!” shrieked Lanmei. “I will skin you alive and sell your hide to the black market once I get my hands on you, Yu Daimin!”

The only reply she got was the scamper of footsteps down the stone path. Lifting up the sopping skirt of her ruqun, Lanmei chased after her younger brother, fiery anger fueling her with adrenaline.

She should had anticipated this. Daimin had been playing pranks on her since the day he’d learned to walk.

The scenario had been this: after half a day outside the estate, Lanmei was exhausted and had returned to her bed chambers for a nap. The moment she opened the door, a bucket of water had splashed down upon her, drenching Lanmei from head to toe. Worse was that the bucket itself had fallen as well, hitting her in the head and most likely giving her a bump.

As she raced through the courtyard, fat drops of water dripping after her, she nearly ran into another person. She skidded to a halt on the balls of her feet, her body tipping forward before her pair of hands gripped either of her shoulders and helped her regain her balance.

“Jin!” she exclaimed, breathing heavily as she looked up.

Her younger brother was wearing a dark hanfu tunic with trousers tucked into leather boots, his long, tangled black hair tied back with navy ribbon. Lanmei noted the jian sword in his hand. He must had been practicing.

Jin looked at her with wide eyes as they took in the sight of his soaking wet older sister. What a sight she must had been: hair plastered to her face like ink marks snaking over her forehead and cheeks, the layer of fabric clinging to her limbs.

“Lanmei,” he started squeakily. A sheen of sweat shone on his forehead, and the uneven bangs usually brushed to the right of his face now fell over his ocean-green eyes. Lanmei would had wiped it away for him, except for the fact that it would only result in him being wetter. “Daimin did that...didn’t he?”

He shifted the weapon behind his back, feet awkwardly together. Jin had always rather been a shy and quiet one. It was the reason why Mother always bugged him about manning up. You’re fifteen! she would cry exasperatedly. Nearly a full grown man yet you’re still hiding behind your sister’s back!

“Who else?” Lanmei sighed. “Did you see what direction he went in? Who cares if he’s my own blood brother, I will personally make him regret having been born when I find him…”

“Ah…” Jin pointed to his left, biting down on his lower lip. “That way.”

“Thank you.” After flashing a smile at him, Lanmei set off after Daimin again. She ran down a path weaving between a clump of bamboo stalks until she came to a corridor leading to the center of the estate. A quick scamper of footsteps sent her sprinting down the hall and throwing open the doors to one of the guest rooms as she shouted, “I know you’re in here, Yu Daimin! If you don’t come out this moment, I’ll flip this entire room upside down to look for you!”

No reply.

She slammed a palm down on the round, marble-top tea table at the center of the room. It trembled.

“If I get a cold before my wedding and ruin the ceremony, then it will be your fault,” she threatened in a low voice, close to a growl. “Now you get out this instant!”

“Lanmei!”

She whirled around.

Glowering at the doorway with the look of the devil himself on her face was the one and only, Yu Huifang --also known as Lanmei’s mother. The deadly expression on her face reminded the girl that she was lucky her father was always there to defend her. Despite that, anger was still overriding fear.

“Mother!” she whined, thrusting a finger at the room. “Daimin pranked me and got me all soaking wet!”

“Then wouldn’t the most sensible course of action be to go dry yourself and change out of those clothes instead of running around the estate like a sopping lunatic?!” Huifang snapped, her hands whipping in the air along with her words. “Heavens, had I raised a boar instead of a daughter? And Daimin, you come here this instant! I am not afraid of taking out that leather belt once more to beat some sense into you!”

At once, a pixyish boy sprang up from the side of the bed and rushed to Lanmei’s side. He looked younger than he actually was, bearing a slightly pointed face, large eyes and hair that was just a bit curled; his clothes hung loosely off of his gangly frame which Lanmei sometimes made fun of. Daimin must had detected the hostile aura emanating from their mother, because he edged away from her despite shooting a mischievous look.

“You two are constantly wreaking havoc in our household! Unceasingly! When will you two learn to grow up? Daimin! You are already seventeen years old! Lanmei, you are about to be married, for goodness’s sake! I beg you both: learn to mature a bit more!” she cried exasperatedly.

“It was her fault for not being more aware,” Daimin muttered.

“Well do blame me for not expecting a bucket of water fall on me when I’m entering my bedchamber in an attempt to get some rest!”

“Who told you to go to your bedchambers for that?”

“Oh, then do you suppose that I sleep in the halls like some poor hermit?”

“That is an option.”

“Why don’t you do that and I’ll kick you all the way across the ocean to Guran--”

“Both of you be quiet!” Huifang shrieked.