Chapter 3: A New Friend?
Lulu woke up to find herself in a strange, but beautiful, bed with a maid servant standing at her side wringing out a washcloth that she was sure had just been on her forehead. She could still feel the tickle of cool moisture there. The four-post bed that she was lying on was made from a rich, dark colored wood. It was up against one wall of the room and had sheer white cloth draped all around it. The cloth was held back by ties, providing an opening against one length.
Moving the blanket aside and sitting up, she saw that it was pink with golden thread embroidered in shapes that alternated between flowers and birds. The sheets, however, were white, as was the round pillow, although it had similar embroidery as the comforter using white thread.
The maidservant was dressed in a light blue dress with yellow flowers decorating the collar and the cuffs. Her hair was in braids that were rolled into two buns on the sides of her head that could only be described as drooping down. She had a lovely face, but her eyes looked distant as if her mind was elsewhere.
"Where am I?," asked Lulu in English, but the attendant just gave her a puzzled look in response. "Don't you speak English too?," asked Lulu but when there was no response, she laid back down, eventually falling asleep again.
As the young woman slept, the now-familiar nightmare began. There were flashes of waking up on a fishing boat. Then she was in the water with bubbles everywhere and she felt like she was drowning. She saw a face looking down at her, one that looked so familiar but that she could not quite remember. Suddenly, she was drowning again. Her eyes opened but she was paralyzed with fear. She tried to move but couldn't. After a time, she managed to prop herself up on one elbow.
Just then, the maid servant appeared with a bowl of fresh water and a new washcloth. She went to the shop girl, put the bowl and cloth by the bedside table, and gestured with her hands that the young should lay down. With a shake of her head, Lulu began to sit up. She saw that a noblewoman had entered the room shortly after the maidservant. The pretty woman was dressed in a light pink gown with long sleeves that were bordered with tiny lavender flower embroidery, the same embroidery that could be found at the hem of the dress. Her hair was arranged in an elegant style with golden hair accessories adorning the crown of her head. Jewels that matched her dress hung down from these pins and swung back and forth gently as she walked. Her features were delicate, as if she had been used to a life of ease and luxury, and her brown eyes were warm and inviting of conversation, as was her smile. Yet, she carried her 5 feet 10 inches with pride and strength as if she was used to others listening to her orders; this could be seen when she approached the young woman, dismissed the servant with a flick of her eyes, and asked, "Are you alright?"
Lulu did not understand her words, however, and sitting up completely, she shook her head to indicate as such. The noblewoman looked perplexed, then she pointed to herself and said, "Tang Xiao Chu." She pointed in the direction of the maid servant who had just left and said "Ling Fan." Next, she pointed to Lulu and made a questioning sound, "Hmm?"
The young woman pointed to Tang Xiao Chu and said, "Tang Xiao Chu," but without the exact same pronunciation. The noblewoman repeated herself and Lulu was able to get it right the second time.
Tang Xiao Chu was so happy she sat next to Lulu and gently touched the young woman's shoulder as if to say, "good job." Then she said, "Now, what is your name?"
Lulu's mouth formed the "wh" sound as in "what the?," and she stuttered in confusion, "I, I thought you didn't know how to speak in Eng- English?"
Tang Xiao Chu looked equally surprised and asked, "Ung? What do you mean? Are you saying you are not speaking my language right now?"
"No," said Lulu, and shook her head, eyes still wide with incredulity.
"This is unbelievable. How are we all of a sudden understanding each other?," Tan Xiao Chu said, almost to herself, then shook her head as if to shake off an evil spirit. "Let's start over," she continued with renewed determination. "What is your name?"
Lulu looked down and replied, "I don't really know."
Her answer made Tang Xiao Chu feel suspicious. With one eyebrow raised, she calmly inquired, "What do you mean you don't know?"
Shrugging, Lulu explained, "I don't remember. But I think it starts with Lu so the family who found me and took me in—the Suns—called me Lulu." Suddenly, as if a mist cleared in her head, Lulu quickly asked, "Wait, what happened to the Suns? Are they alright? Do they know where I am? And where am I exactly by the way?"
"Yes, yes, they're fine and they know you are here. But, where did they find you? Where do you come from?," asked Tang Xiao Chu, deliberately not answering Lulu's questions as she wanted her own answered first.
"I told you. I don't remember," was the sullen response.
Tang Xiao Tan tried one last time, "How did you get to Shan Dong then? Surely, you must know that much?"
Feeling a similar frustration as the woman in front of her, Lulu sighed, "I don't know. A wormhole in time and space?"
"What?!," exclaimed Tang Xiao Chu.
"I don't know why I said that. I don't even know what that means," said Lulu. "How long was I asleep?, she asked.
"Almost two days," replied Tang Xiao Chu and Lulu looked surprised.
"It's ok, it's ok," said Tang Xiao Chu, and continued, "Let's not worry about all of this right now. How about you stay here with us for a while? What do you think?"
Lulu looked at Tang Xiao Chu with a puzzled expression and asked, "Ummm that's really nice of you and all, but where am I? How did I get here to what I assume is your home? And what about the Suns since I'm staying with them? I have to help them for all that they've done for me."
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I am Tang Mei's sister," said Tang Xiao Chu. When Lulu didn't seem any wiser based on that information, she continued, "He was the gentleman who found you at the shop and rescued you from that awful man who was about to hit you! I heard all about it you poor thing! And don't worry about the Suns. We can help them for you if you'd like."
"Oh, I see. But I can't let you do that. I'll think of another way to repay them for their kindness. Well, um, again, it is really nice of you and your family to want to help me, but can I ask why? I mean you don't even know me," said Lulu. Something inside her heart told her that Tang Xiao Chu could be trusted, but her mind told her to be cautious.
Tang Xiao Chu looked straight at Lulu and said, "Let's just say you seem interesting. It's not every day we get a foreigner with a mysterious past around these parts. Now, let's get you some new clothes!" And with that she whisked Lulu toward another part of the room where there were clothes for her to try on.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
PoppyFair
PoppyFair I hope you are enjoying meeting new characters! Tang Xiao Chu may be a little spoiled, but she's certainly fiesty! I think she'll make a good friend for our heroine...even if she's not being 100% honest about their interest in her right now ;).
If you are liking the story as it unfolds, please consider adding it to your collection <3, thank you :)!
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