Love Concurs Destiny

My Brother, My Everything

Xie Liying is proud of her brother, and that too very much. She adores her brother though that does not stop her from troubling said brother.
Trouble was a word Xie Yun would say was a synonym of Xies. She did her chores when her brother was practically looking at her each second of the working hour or when she wanted to impress him; which happened when her blade was broken or she wanted something.
Like when little Liying had seen a beautiful lantern on her first lantern festival which she remembers, she wanted it. At any cost. So much so that even when her brother tried to bribe her with tanghalu she didn't budge.
The lantern was made of a creamy paper, with a drawing of a red flower in full bloom on two sides while the other two sides were left bare for the buyer to draw. The picture had shades and the outlines were dine in glitter which made it sparkle at night. The lower part had beads and other decorative hanging from it. It was only thing that had caught her eye the most and she wanted it. After a long pleading, whining and a bit of tears Xie Yun handed her the lantern. They bought some paint too and after a few artistic strokes from her brother's master hands, the sibling duo released the lantern in the sky.
It was a distant memory but a happy one.
Xie Liying doesn't cry, not after that lantern incident. But she can still use a bit of her petulance for which her brother accuses Li Yan for teaching her.
Today, after selling their goods, Xie Yun announced that Liying had to demonstrate her progress if she wanted to attend the upcoming village festival. If she failed, they will spend the time in forest away from the village.
Not one to back down from a challenge, Xie Ying agreed.
So here they were, in Li Manor before their usual timing, waiting for Li Sheng and Li Yan to complete their chores and the other disciples to complete their training before they took a turn with her.
Till then, Xie Yun left her to her own devices to go look for children reading their lessons aloud. He is really fond of children, Xie Ying has noted this fact like she notes all other things she likes but can't write, in a part of her mind, tucked away to use when she wants her way.
She stretches a bit, goes through the basic forms of her martial arts and then  to pass the time jumps on one of the roofs. Looking around, she seems it safe and then hops off to where the others are practising. They are going through what she knows is the drill for all, and the observer is non other than Li Jin Rong. She looks as strict as always, with her blade in hand she walks with an air of command, someone who demands respect. Li Sheng is not there, he must be with Li Yan. Jumping she crosses another corridor, it's easier this way, to navigate in a manor than walking through all those walkways and corridors which seem to go on endlessly. She finds Li Yan just where she predicted, and Chuchu us there too but, Li Sheng is no where in sight. The roofs end here and if Liying wants to continue avoiding the  long route, she needs to jump on a wall surrounding the estate to go on. She does so and finds herself in the cover of green curtains of the tree which stands bear the stone formation below. This place is usually where Xie Yun would take class of youngsters, small kids flocking him as he talks and walks between their little desks.
Right now, no desks are kept here, only the stone formation is as always.
Just when Liying thinks no one is there, she sees her brother and Li Sheng coming towards the stone formation. They are talking quietly and Xie Yun seemed a bit worried. Li Sheng too, for all his bluff and act looked serious.
They continued talking, unaware that someone might be seeing them. From her position, Liying cannot hear anything but she knows her brother can, because his hearing too sharp, honed from living in forest with a baby sister whom he needed to protect from any wild animals. But it's not the case with Liying, she has good hearing but not the insane ability to hear almost even a whisk of a wind, a whiff of a smell floating in air to guide her. Also, eavesdropping is not something she does. But given her situation, if she makes even the tiniest bit of sound, her brother will hear. And if Xie Yun hears her and finds out that she had been once again trying footwork instead of martial arts, Liying only hopes that she can ask Chuchu to stay in Manor for some time or maybe asking Granny Wu would be better. Her brother can check on Chuchu but if he even tries to check on Granny Wu, she will have his neck for sure or maybe make him sit with her to about whatever she talks to him or at least tries to whenever Xie Yun helps her. There's just something about her talks that last time she saw, her brother had come out of the hut shaken after one if her talks. That was the last time he let himself be roped into another one of her talks.
So, yes, Granny Wu it is. Only if she makes it out of here without getting caught.
Planning this, Liying looked down, only to find a whistling Li Sheng and her brother nowhere. Frowning, she wondered how much she missed when.....someone tapped on her left shoulder.
Freezing, Liying turned a bit sideways only to find her brother standing there with a smile so flat that for a moment she prayed in her mind.
A hurried attempt at a jump and a swift block was all it took for Xie Liying to find herself on the ground, mercifully away from the stones but on the ground unceremoniously non the less.
She groaned at the painful landing but got up. Her brother had been merciful enough to direct her fall towards the heap of hay on which the children usually climbed upon to play but that didn't mean the fall didn't hurt.
" Ge!" But Xie Yun simply ignored her and stood in front of her with a blank expression and said, " I remember someone saying that they won't hop around and practice sword forms diligently......I wonder where that person went ?" "I did..."
"Does that gives you the right to hop around ?" When Liying simply lowered her eyes and looked away with a huff, Xie Yun continued, " Li Sheng, stop sniggering and call Zhu Shimei and others too. Someone here seems to have quite a bit of energy."
" What ?" " You do not speak to me unless I say so and that is only if you win all the rounds. Till then, no words."
Wow, Liying was truly scared, her brother usually never got angry at her, and even if he did it was just for a second, but when he did get angry, it was hard to win him back. He was stubborn and at that too stubborn as hell. Heaven knew even hell won't be this stubborn but her brother was far more stubborn than anything.
So, silently Liying followed her brother.