"A China Doll," Mia thought, when looking at the the little girl with full cheeks that exuded natural slight blush. The little girl's jet black hair that was tied up in two buns on her head, and her slightly slanted eyes formed a thin line as she grinned.
Ji LanBai was on her mother's lap, munching a green bean pastry happily while her little legs swayed lightly back and fro. Wu JianRui chuckled in amusement,
"Look at you. Even a bird eat in a more civilized manner." She lovingly rubbed off some green bean paste from her still-munching lips.
"These servants greet Young Miss," Mia and her new little friends from the orphanage spoke humbly upon a slight wave from Meng-momo, greeting Ji LanBai.
The little girl did not pay attention to them and blinked her eyes at her mother. She clearly knew she was cute and was using it in full power, "Mother, you promised LanBai that I can go to the festival today."
The town of Ming was having a week-long winter festival. The days were noticeably getting shorter, nights came much earlier than during the warmer months before. The townspeople set up various stalls, selling various wares and street food. Some travelling performers also took turns to provide different kind of street performance every night during the week's festivities. Ji LanBai was very eager to go out, it was going to be her first outing to a festival after all. The first day of the festival was always the merriest; the streets would brighten up with colorful lanterns and everywhere would be buzzing with people. The cold weather did not deter the townsfolk to go out and celebrate the start of winter in this fashion.
Wu JianRui had indeed promised her daughter that she would be able to go out. It was Ji LanBai's birthday present, although her birthday was still three days away. However, with the crowded environment Wu JianRui knew the town would have and looking at her obviously-very-excited little girl, she was suddenly very wary to let her go.
She was about to find some excuses to deter her daughter from going, when two figures walked into the courtyard they were sitting at. They were an adult man and a pre-adolescent boy. Wu JianRui and Hai FenChu stood up and curtsied slightly to greet the taller figure, the mighty General Ji ChanFang.
The young boy, Young Master Ji Song Li, was drenched with sweat despite the cold crisp morning, his expression visibly upset.
Hai FenChu quickly took out her handkerchief and wiped her son's face.
"Don't be too hard on Li'er," Wu JianRui softly smiled at her husband, "He is still a child."
"He is a man!" General Ji harrumphed, "I was seven years old when I mastered the nine moves of Ji clan's primary sword art. He is not even close to mastering the eighth! What an embarrassment to his name!"
"Li'er is more interested in the four arts," Hai FenChu added, taking General Ji's hand and coaxed him to sit on one of the stone stools in the courtyard, "In fact, isn't Li'er the most talented youth of his generation in qin and calligraphy?"
Mia rolled her eyes inwardly. A ten-year-old kid interested in the chinese zither and calligraphy, and was bullied by his own father to train martial arts. Hell, it was already a very amazing achievement for her nephew to only finish building the mast part of the battleship lego set she gave him as his last birthday present... .
General Ji slowly sipped the tea Hai FenChu just handed to him, his eyes still darkly focused at his son who was docilely standing by his mother. Ji LanBai, noting her father's gloomy atmosphere, let go of Wu JianRui's robe and climbed onto her father's lap,
"Father, the town festival has started today." She circled her chubby arms around Ji ChanFang's neck, "Let LanBai go, please? Please? Mother promised already. Li-ge can go with LanBai as guardian."
If there was one person General Ji would act like a mush around, it was his daughter. He clearly knew Ji LanBai was actually giving Ji SongLi a way out. After all, both of his children's feelings at each other were actually very harmonious. He was going to punish Ji SongLi to be grounded inside the training room for as long as it was needed for him to master the eighth primary move of Ji's sword art. But looking at his daughter's pleading eyes, he sighed in resignation,
"Alright. Li'er can go with you." The General pinched his daughter's right cheek, then turned to look at his son, "Bring some more guards! There will be a lot of people. And tomorrow, we will start the training two hours earlier."
Ji SongLi winced at his father's words but he did not dare to talk back. He noticed his sister winking at him and could not help to return a small smile at her. At least the torture would come tomorrow and today he could ease his sorely aching muscles.
*** *** ***
To say the streets were crowded was an understatement. People were almost back to back lining up at the stall vendors, the middle of the road was the only path that had less people to allow carriages to pass through.
As the new personal maids of Ji LanBai, Mia and the other girls followed the entourage. Xiao Hui's eyes were full of unconcealed excitement. Mia herself was amazed; in her thirty years of life before, she had never been to visit such movie-like setting. Although everyone were dressed in layers to keep warm and most people looked like covered dumplings, the vendors and town people were in high spirits.
The sun had just set when they exited the gates of the Ji-residence, and when they reached the town center, it was already dark. Stalls brightened up with various shaped and different-colored bright lanterns, vendors screaming at the top of their lungs to let the prospect buyers know what were on offer, street performers were almost at every corner doing some circus-like juggling, martial art performances, or musical performances.
All the noise and voices melded into a messy orchestra, but Mia actually enjoyed it. It was the first true joy she felt in her current body.
Their group was definitely not the most obscure bunch, making commoners and vendors alike threw glances at them in curiosity. After all, at the very front, there were two guards walking, swords hung on their waists . Behind them, Ji SongLi and Ji LanBai walked hand-in-hand. A respectful distance behind them, Mia, Xiao Hui, and the other four girls from the orphanage followed, accompanied by two older maids that belonged to the young master. Two more guards with swords flanked their line.
In fact, they could not be more conspicuous. A more observant person could actually tell that they were from Ji residence, from the tiger insignia engraved in gold on the sword hilts the guards were carrying. On closer look, the two most well-dressed children of the group, the Young Master and Young Miss, were wearing a tiger-shaped jade tassel on their waists. The Ji clan was the most influential household in Ming town. No one would be dumb enough to cause trouble to the entourage.
The crowd suddenly dispersed because of a commotion ensuing some distance away behind their group. The alert guards herded the group to one side of the street, their bodies lining up closely to protect Ji SongLi and Ji LanBai.
A horse driven carriage trotted into view, causing an empty line to be formed to allow its unobstructed path, the townspeople tactfully stood on both sides of the street. The carriage was led by a fully-armored adult man, a long spear attached to his back. He sat straight on his horse, his whole being exuded might, his face stern, his gaze straight. The carriage behind him was made of the best quality hardwood, the covered window openings engraved in detailed workmanship. Some of the engravings depicted dragons and floating clouds.
"An Imperial Prince's entourage," Ji SongLi muttered. He did not know which prince was in that carriage, but from the look of it and how the current holder of the Wolf military seal, Zhen YongWen, was taking the role of the lead guard himself, it must be one of the Empress' sons, the Crown Prince Zhang KongJing or the Second Prince Zhang JunLi. In fact, from the size of the carriage, it could easily fit four adults comfortably. So perhaps, both were inside.
Zhen YongWen would not be acting like a babysitter to anyone else apart from his nephews, the princes born by his Empress sister. Apart from the Emperor himself, no other Princes or nobles ever had his direct protection.
Ji SongLi figured the princes would visit their house sooner or later. Perhaps they were on their way even now. In three days, it would be Ji LanBai's sixth birthday and the Emperor normally sent an envoy bringing gifts.
This time it seemed, the dragon seedlings themselves were going to grace Ji clan with their noble presence.
The horse carriage passed, not noticing Ji SongLi and Ji LanBai's group. The townspeople had not yet gone back to fill the streets as everyone were still waiting for more horses and guards behind the carriage to pass. Suddenly, Ji LanBai wrested her hold away from her brother's hand, squealing excitedly while running at full speed towards the other side of the street. There was a shop displaying colorful paper lanterns.
She had just noticed an orchid-shaped white lantern, hung amongst the colorful displays. The beautiful intricately handmade lantern was as if it was an ode to her name.
The Ji guards' were attentively looking at the passing carriage and horses, thus they did not pay attention to the the children behind them. After all, the children should be safe if they stayed behind the guards' backs. By the time the guards noticed a small figure agilely running past their bodies' barrier, their reflexively reaching hands only grabbed empty air.
Ji SongLi's eyes were wide in horror when he saw another horse was treading straight onto his sister's running path. Although normally an experienced rider would not have any trouble to stop in time, the icy road was too slippery. In a bid to stop, the beasts' metal shoes skidded, creating a painful friction sound to the surrounding ears. No one had yet to register what was happening, but everyone could see the seemingly inevitable fate of the richly-dressed little girl.
Mia was always an observant woman. Subconsciously, she always paid small details of her surroundings and the people around her.
She observed from the very first moment the regal looking dragon-engraved carriage was passing through. She noticed that after the over-the-top entourage passed, there were still two horses and their riders making way. She noticed when Ji LanBai let out a small delighted squeal and let herself loose from Ji SongLi's hold.
The horses, although not in full speed, they were trotting much faster than a normal adult human's walking pace. Let alone a running six-year old little girl.
She noticed that one of the riders, a well-dressed adolescent boy in his teen years, pulled the reins suddenly, trying to stop his horse. Neighing in panic, the horse skidded its long legs, not being able to stop on his master's command due to the slippery surface.
Two seconds before all of these happened, Mia already pushed her little feet forward, dashing at her fullest speed towards the running china doll - her current Young Miss Ji LanBai.
With no hesitation at all, an arm's length away from the latter and barely a few inches short distance before the girl was trampled, Mia jumped forward. Her own body was not bigger at all compared to Ji LanBai's, but the momentum should be enough to get Ji LanBai out of the horse's frantic path.
She was an adult. If she could help it, she was not going to let a small girl be hurt in front of her eyes.
With the force of the impact, Ji LanBai's body was thrown together with Mia, both girls rolling onto one of the stalls at the side of the road. The stall was a small boxy low platform displaying various jewelries.
Mia could only curse her luck. Because of the slippery road, she could not land on her feet to stop safely. The icy road caused her to loose her footings. Although she got Ji LanBai out of the horse's way, they ungracefully stumbled and fell straight onto the pile of wares of the street stall. Protecting Ji LanBai as best as she could in her small embrace, she noticed the silver headpiece with sharp edges, her own face helplessly heading straight into it.
Shit- OW! I'm glad that last part wasn't explained in detail.