The untraditional daughter (Mulan AU)

𝟤: 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒵𝒽𝑜𝓊'𝓈 𝒹𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝑀𝓊𝓁𝒶𝓃, 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓁𝓎.

Shang wonders about the only heir to Fa Zhou's estate. Meanwhile, Mulan fills her father in about her life over the last 7 months over tea with Yong, who seems to have improved slightly.

3rd person POV of Shang unless stated otherwise.

Shang awoke to a sweet smell: it smelt like cake. He sat up with a quiet groan, his head still hurt, but not nearly as much as it did when he first arrived. The girl was right. "Oh, you're awake," A sweet-sounding voice spoke to his left. Shang turned and faced the intruder. "Relax," She chuckled. Shang sighed, seeing it was only Zhou's daughter. "I'm not going to hurt you," She smiled, putting the book down on her lap. "How're you feeling?" She asked. Shang too inventory. His arm still throbbed painfully, but the blurry edges of his eyesight had subsided, thankfully taking some of the pain with it. "Better..." He smiled. "I'm Mulan, by the way," She grinned. "Shang," He returned the gesture.

She groaned as she stood up, balancing on the chair. Shang almost reached out to help but realised he'd be more helpful if he stayed put. She blew some hair out of her face and picked a bag up from the side table. "Right," She sighed. She moved towards the bed, so Shang shifted his legs slightly. "Let's have a look at your arm,"

Shang watched as, with more delicateness than he'd ever been treated with, she took his arm. He also noticed that she'd changed into a pink outfit, one that was far more casual, with short sleeves and a loose pink band around her middle. She must've caught him staring, as, with a smile, she said: "It's a casual maternity outfit,"

Shang felt his face heat up with embarrassment. "Don't worry, I know it's not a typical house outfit, but... I'm so pregnant at this point I don't really care about appearances," She chuckled lightly. Shang, for some reason, felt... something towards her. He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was her casual demeanour around men? Around military officials? Perhaps even her kind nature? All the women Shang had ever come into contact with had giggled behind their fans, pouring tea dutifully, and not speaking unless they were spoken to. All with light-skinned faces of makeup and formal clothing.

Mulan... she had a tint to her skin, an obvious hint to her countryside living style. She bore no makeup and had her hair in a loose bun. She intrigued him.

"All done," She smiled. Shang blinked. "What is?" He asked dumbly. Mulan laughed, the sound resonating deep within his chest. "I'm not that good, Captain," She wiped her eyes dry. "Your arm... it's bandaged and sorted," She gestured to the limb resting on top of her stomach. There was a sudden movement under the pink dress, causing him to yank his arm back. "Sorry about that!" She apologised her face an interesting shade of pink. Shang frowned. "What was that?" He spoke. "My baby likes to move around a lot... she must've sensed something was resting on her,"

Shang frowned deeper. "She?" He asked. Mulan glanced at her lap. "Yes... I know women are supposed to bear sons but... a mother's intuition is never wrong, and I have a strong feeling that I have a daughter inside,"

Shang watched her face change into a calm, serene expression as she rubbed her swollen belly. "Right. My grandmother had just finished her Jujube cake, if you would like some?" She offered. "Sure," He smiled, taking her hand.

He didn't know if it was to steady her as she stood, or himself, but he marvelled at how soft her skin was.

"So, Mulan," Yong began. She turned her gaze to the General with a smile. "Yes, sir?" She asked. Yong waved his hand, "There is no such need for formalities. We're guests in your house, so please, call me Yong," He smiled back. Zhou watched as his best friend lit up in conversation with his daughter. "How long have you been married?" He asked. Mulan froze slightly but recovered by pouring more tea into her cup. "A little under a year," She began. "I married Lao last winter, just before the winter solstice," She smiled lightly at the memory. "Ah yes, Bing Lao?" Yong asked. Mulan nodded. "Yes, I assume you fought with him or his father?" She asked. Yong smiled back. "Yes, I fought with his father, Cheng," She smiled at the mention of her father-in-law. He was very direct, but kind and accepting of Mulan's countryside nature. She fingered her cup, nervous suddenly. "Forgive me for asking, but do you know anything of Lao's welfare? Or even Chengs?" She asked. Zhou and Yong exchanged a solemn look. "I'm deeply sorry to say Cheng died on the battlefield. Lao hasn't been found yet," The latter replied.