Chapter 2: Sparrow Village
A mellifluous tune danced in the air, the peaches were ripe for picking.
Peaches were tasty, auspicious fruits that sold for a lot of money at the market. I climbed up a peach tree in my father's orchard and studied the fruits. There weren't as many parasites this year, thankfully due to the heat. Last year, many pounds of peaches perished, plagued by insects and viruses. Outside, Old Yan was playing his flute again. Today's specialty was Autumn Nights, a special piece to celebrate the successful harvest. If you live in Sparrow Village, Old Yan's music was almost a necessity. He had been playing his flute every day for decades, so much that Sparrow Village didn't sound right without the familiar soothing tune of the bamboo flute.
I climbed down from the fruit trees and exited the orchard. Hand-built by my father when I was 3, it was our second backyard and my personal favourite place to be. Beside was my house, a single zhaiyuan surrounded by four walls where we lived. A common and comfortable dwelling. I walked into the courtyard to find my sister, Minerva, practicing the sword, as usual. She just turned 16 and father had finally allowed her to use his old bronze sword instead of a wooden one.
She was clad in a long, high collared, light-green green hanfu over white pants. Her hair was braided into a single bun and she was wearing blue slippers. Minerva's shoes were specially handmade, as the ones on the market don't fit her large feet. Usually, girls her age would have small, bound feet which would fit into all kinds of small, embroidered shoes at the market. However, Minerva had refused to bind her feet, as it was difficult to even run with bound feet, let alone practice martial arts.
Swoosh, swoosh.
The bronze sword thrust out sharply and quickly, weaving the air around her as she leaped up and sliced in a spiralling motion. Minerva was very gifted at martial arts and had a great love for them. Stabbing out one last time and ending in a tiger stance, Minerva spun around and noticed me.
"Oh, brother, back so soon? How are the peaches?" She asked, sliding her sword back into its bronze case.
"Great, they're all ripe for picking. How's your sword?" I questioned.
A smile lit up on her face. She must've learned a new move, or perhaps a whole new set.
"I defeated our father." She said proudly.
Say what?
I almost slipped on the rock-tiled ground out of surprise. My sister is better than my father at
swordsmanship? Unbelievable! My father wasn't any old man who flung swords around to scare away thieves. In his thirties, my father was a respected martial artist and this sword was his specialty. He even took it to battle and killed hundreds of enemies with a single slash each.
However, he got badly injured one day and was deemed unfit to fight. As reluctant as my father was, he got removed from the army and started his peach farm. However, his martial skills didn't deteriorate at all-at least according to him. Either way, I had to give Minerva some credit for being only 15 and defeating our father, who is also her martial mentor that taught her swordsmanship from scratch.
"Woah, that is an achievement. How did you do it?!" I asked, trying my best sound interested. The truth was, as much of an achievement that was, I didn't care one bit about the martial arts. To me, it was a violent and dangerous sport. Great martial artists are many times more powerful than the average person, there's no possibility of what they could do with that much skill.
Many famous masters of the wulin became ruthless and unethical. Killing, destroying, they were unstoppable. An example of this is Obsidian Han. A once famous and respected martial master in his late twenties who is now an infamous and terrorizing mobster. Leading the notorious Black Leopards; a group of bandits assembled mainly in Nanjing, he is one of the most wanted criminals.
"Brother, did you hear? Lily Tao, The Master of The Bamboo Pole, was just defeated and captured by the Nanjing Bandits." Minerva Informed.
"Well, there goes another one of our martial heroes." I sighed.
Ah yes. Another reason is that the wulin world is deadly for oneself, no matter how mighty you are. The Great Duo is an excellent example. Duan YiMing and Shao QiMeng; once a pair of star crossed lovers who ran away from the world to practice martial arts. They were the ones who won the Contest of Jade Mountain.
The victory of the Contest of Jade Mountain is perhaps the highest award a martial master can achieve. That is why they were given the name; Great Duo. No one could beat them.
Anyways, these two were then rewarded with becoming the emperor's bodyguard and becoming the administrator defender of the Forbidden City. Two very prominent jobs, a very bright foreseeable future of them becoming a family. Ever since then, these two became every martial artist's idols and superheroes. Everything was well until one day when they were both found in the safest part of the Forbidden City, dead. Assassinated by an even stronger martial artist.
The reason for the assassination was found later in an anonymous letter. Turns out, murder was needed to prove that The Great Duo were not the strongest martial masters of the Ming, according to the killer. I cannot decide which sounds more pointless; being killed for your name and fame, or killing someone to prove that you are more mighty than them?
Of course, not all of the wulin is this problematic. My father, for instance, was the ideal martial hero. He was powerful, determined, loyal, righteous, and not that noticeable. Thus, he is still living a peaceful life today.
In conclusion, wushu is not for me.
"Ah Minerva, I see that you are practicing your sword again." Our father said as he came out into the zhaiyuan.
"Yes father, I learned the Split-Slice technique today." Minerva proudly said.
"Now that is an achievement. The Split-Slice technique took me quite a long time to matter. Xin'er, you should practice martial arts too, just like your sister." He suggested.
"Of course father. I'll try it someday."
He looked at me and sadly shook his head.
My father wants someone to carry the family legacy of martial arts. Minerva wants to, but mother is against that. She states that Minerva is reaching the age of marriage, and there are more attractive skills for her to learn like sowing. However, I have a feeling that my sister won't be marrying anytime soon; if at all.
Minerva absolutely resents the idea of marriage and having children especially. When mother brought it up at her 15th birthday, she complained about not being able to practice martial arts if she had kids to take care of. And then they got into an argument about whether or not marriage is essential for Minerva to live a stable life.
That was not a happy birthday for my sister.
"Hey brother, do you think I'll become a resected martial artist one day too? Like, father?" Minerva asked.
"Uh, yes. Of course. You're so talented!" I said. There was no lie in that. Minerva was talented. However, shes not that likely to become a respected martial artist...
Knock, knock.
"Anyone home?" A soft voice asked from our front entrance.
Strange. It was the afternoon, no one usually comes here at this time. Minerva and I walked up and peek through the door.
A woman was standing outside with two maids with umbrellas and 4 servants. Her hair was weaved up and pinned with elaborate gem-stoned ornaments. She was wearing a purple silk-embroidered robe, a navy-blue pleated skirt, and small embroidered shoes. Her face was covered with a sky-blue satin veil used to block out the sunlight. Needless to say, she was from a very wealthy family.
"Who is there?" Asked Minerva.
"I am Mrs. Shang, the wife of Administrator Shang of Henan Province." She spoke.
Only then did I notice that she had come in a luxury sedan chair. A noble was at our house? Why? And why did the wife of Administrator Shang personally come?
Minerva opened the door and we bowed, greeting her.
She nodded her head and lifted up her veil. Mrs. Shang was in her late forties and had no wrinkles and no signs of old-age. Nobles all have very good health.
"Please bring your parents here, dear." She said.
I had a bad feeling about this However, I still ran in and called out my surprised mother and father.
Once we were all here, she gestured at her servants and they brought out platters and of gifts with red silk coverings. This was really unusual. Gifts like those were only given to family members birthdays, or at other grand celebrations.
"I am here to personally propose marriage between Ms. He here and my son, Shang GuoWei." She smiled.
...
🆆🅴🅻🅲🅾🅼🅴 🆃🅾 🆃🅷🅴 🅴🅽🅳 🅾🅵 🅲🅷🅰🅿🆃🅴🆁 🅾🅽🅴.
S𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 ����𝐮𝐭:
- Iɴ ᴍᴀɴᴅᴀʀɪɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟᴀsᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ(ʜᴇ Xɪɴ).Hᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, Mɪɴᴇʀᴠᴀ's ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴɢʟɪsʜ. Tʜɪs ɪs ᴡʜʏ sʜᴇ ɪs ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ Mɪɴᴇʀᴠᴀ Hᴇ, Nᴏᴛ Hᴇ Mɪɴᴇʀᴠᴀ.
-ғᴏᴏᴛ ʙɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴀᴋɪnɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴇᴇᴛ sᴍᴀʟʟᴇʀ ʙʏ ʙɪɴᴅɪnɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. Iᴛ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴏᴜᴛʟᴀᴡᴇᴅ.
-ɪɴ ғᴇᴜᴅᴀʟ sᴏᴄɪᴇᴛɪᴇs, ɴᴏɴ-ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴄᴏnsɪᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴇɴ, ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴡʜʏ ᴍʀs. ʜᴇ sᴄᴏʟᴅᴇᴅ ᴍɪɴᴇʀᴠᴀ ғᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴀnᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀʀʀʏ.
ᗪᗴᖴIᑎITOᑎᔕ:
-zhaiyuan: courtyard of a house, the next chapter has a picture of the He Xin's house by better understanding
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