Blood River

3. Coal to Diamond: Part Three

Two days after leaving Qingyun Madam Lin finally arrived at the Golden Carp Tower. Not without confusing all the guards, because she wouldn't anyone get near her wagon to help with her luggage.

Jin Guangshan heard of the ruckus going outside through a maid who was serving him tea, so he went out to check.

Míngyuán was already on the sect leader's pavilion by this point, so he didn't go far before meeting her, still with the whole wagon which was unusual to say the least - well not more than her being in his pavilion when she was the one to ask for her own.

The moment Guangshan left his office he heard his wife's commanding voice, making him cower before even seeing the woman. He saw guards and maids leaving the area all much confused and she was standing assertively in front of her wagon, with her aid behind her.

"Zhuzi*..." the man greeted aproaching the woman, he was more than glad she'd sent the servants away for whichever reason, he knew his behaviour around his lady wasn't very clan leader-like, but he really couldn't help it.

The woman remained silent for a few minutes, before everyone exited the large space.

The sect leader's pavilion of the Jin sect was passed down from the founder and was the only unchanged place through the generations and innovations that came with them. The walls were of stone adorned with golden edges, the doors were a light wood that matched the peach of the stone and it had an open space right at the center, a small shade area sitting in the same open space. The surrounding areas were five rooms - sect leader's office, bed chambers, tea room, private kitchen and storage room - all equally big in size, the bed chambers considerably larger, making a semi-circle which formed a straight-line on the side of the gate.

Once all servants were gone, Madam Jin rolled her eyes, before gesturing to her aid, "I have brought a surprise" she started before turning back to look where Méiyīng had opened the long golden curtains of the wagon.

"He's asleep" the woman spoke softly, and Míngyuán sighed before turning back to her husband again.

"Let's speak inside?" She suggested and the slender man nodded repeatedly following behind his wife, not minding what the woman's aid had stayed behind doing, or questioning their earlier exchange.

Once inside his private tea room he boiled some water and poured his wife tea before pouring himself some, smiling meekly as the woman who smiled back at him nodding a thankyou, before picking up the teacup and taking a sip.

"Chamomile?" She questioned, letting the teacup rest near her mouth and taking in the aroma of the tea. The man simply nodded smiling, taking a sip of his own tea.

"I have adopted a child"

The man spat his tea out, eyes bulging, staring at the woman not minding the burning mess he'd made in his pale white robes.

"You did what!?" Jin Guangshan exclaimed still shocked from the information, he'd heard her perfectly, he was just confused.

"Hmm.. we will add him to the family register later... he's really sick, and I think it would be better to not tell anyone he's adopted." The woman spoke, again sipping on her tea casually, as though she hadn't just dropped a bomb on him, he stared at his wife bewildered, not understanding what was going on in her mind when did I ever understand her really..?

Jin Guangshan sighed, removing a small silk cloth from inside the lapels of his robes, and cleaning the table where he'd spat his tea earlier.

"Why? Who is this kid?" He asked shortly after a comfortable silence.

"Jin Ying is the name I gave him, he has no recollection of his past life.. he was being attacked and I helped, didn't have it in me to let him back in the streets" Madam Jin summarised, looking down at where she'd sat her teacup on the table, her voice shallow and mournfull as she remembered the way the child shook when she'd found him. He still had the wounds, his body was currently covered in bandages under his robes and her heart hurt whenever she'd help him change.