A Wuxia Tale: Twins of Trouble

Crates and Barrels

(WANG DAO)

I cannot believe it at first. Seeing someone else wearing my clothes.

I know that it's my clothes because Father doesn't make it a point to buy us too many clothes. He just bought me a few sets of clothes that I have to take care of while wearing.

Hua has more clothes than me, but that's a given because she is a girl. She needs more stuffs. That's like an unwritten rule, I am not sure.

"We are rich, I know. But you and your sister needed to learn how to value your things. If I buy you new clothes every week or even every full moon, you will take your clothes for granted. This way, you will wear your clothes more and make some memorable memories while wearing them, and then you will remember those memories when you see your clothes."

Father is a wise man.

That's why I knew that the clothes on a boy running after someone were mine.

So I run after him. How dare he stole and wear my clothes?!

But then the boy got cornered and when he spoke, asking for his money pouch, I almost had a heart attack.

That voice, I knew that voice. It belongs to my twin sister. Wang Hua.

My sister, wearing my clothes got robbed in the market and now she is trapped. With a bully dangling the money pouch Father gave to us and specifically reminded us to take care and never misplaced, to my sister's face.

Oh I can take that. Someone bullying my sister. Hua can take any bully. What I cannot take is if someone putting their hands on my sister. Oh no. Not on my watch.

Hua can kill that bully. And if Hua killed that bully, she will live in guilt. She will cry. And I will never let that happen to my sister. So I had to interfere. Punched and kicked that bully to take Hua's pouch back before grabbing my sister so we can run together.

And now, we run to go back to the street where the Lecture Halls is. Where Hua was robbed in the first place.

But this is the safest place for noble kids like us. The Lecture Halls are reserved for it's students and those peasant thieves and their leader cannot follow us inside the Lecture Halls.

When we got there and passed the entrance doors, I let go of Hua. We tried to catch our breaths.

Then I got angry.

"Have your senses left you altogether?!" I shouted at her. "What were you thinking, wearing my clothes?!"

"Shhh!!!" Hua pulled me away from the entrance doors and beside the tall wall surrounding my school. "No one must know..."

"No one must know? Hua, the whole estate must be in turmoil now, looking for you. All the servants. What are you doing? Escaping..."

"I cannot take it anymore! I can take care of myself..."

"Oh sure. You can take care of yourself that is why you were robbed and almost got into trouble with that gang. You obviously can take care of yourself," I want to hold her shoulders and shake her because that might woke her up from her delusions.

Hua gave me a hurt look. I sighed. "I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"

"No," Hua said before looking down. I hugged her. "I was so worried, when I heard your voice..."