By The Will of the Gods

A Tart Peach

By the time Si Yin got the baskets of peaches to the top of the Mountain, not only were most of them split from having been dragged roughly, but her small body was exhausted and in no fit state to then drag them to the kitchen where Chang Shan had been waiting for hours.

Falling onto her bottom at the entrance, she quickly took off three of the best peaches she had managed to find.  Then remaining where she was, she slowly ate one of them.  If Chang Shan wanted to, he could be mean and serve her only a little dinner and no dessert, and seeing as food was the only thing she loved more than sleep, she was not moving until her empty stomach was full.  And it was empty because she had spent almost three hours sleeping in the poppy field.

"Seventeen.  It's about time, we were about to send a search party for you." Zi Lans voice suddenly broke the quiet air.

Frowning back at him, her head lowered a little.  "Is Second Senior still mad?" she asked trying her best to look contrite.

Flopping down beside her, he helped himself to a peach.  "It's going to take more than three baskets of peaches to make up for what you did." he replied before taking a big bite.  "And if I were you, I would get these peaches inside before he bans you from the festival next week." he added with a mouthful of peach.

Almost choking on her own peach, the wide eyes that were staring back at him soon had him laughing.

"Oh come on Seventeenth.  You didn't really think that these would compensate him did you?" he asked shaking his head in disbelief.  "He is so mad, I would suggest you enter crying in agony, because if you go in there acting all smart ass like you usually do, he is going to lose his head." he said before rising and walking away.

"I don't act......"

"Yes you do.  You just can't help yourself." he cut in over her.

"Well it's his dumb fault for grounding me.  He only did it because Shifu wasn't here." she huffed sullenly down at the peach in her hand.

Shaking his head, Zi Lan had no words of wisdom, because they would have been lost on her anyway. 

"Just try to be nice Seventeen.  You ruined his entire gown which had to be thrown away, and that forced Shen out of training  to make him another one." he said as he finished off his peach in one more mouthful before rising to leave her to it. 

"Eh?  You're not going to help me?" she whined as she rose swiftly to her feet.

"I'm not the one in trouble, you are." he replied with a smirk before walking away.

"So petty." she grimaced as she looked down at the peaches which were beginning to turn brown from being in the sun too long.

Heaving out a loud sigh, she took hold of a handle and began to drag the basket towards the kitchen.  It would take her at least an hour to get them there seeing as none of her brothers would help, and the longer she took, the harder it became.  This was the part of her punishment that she hated the most because it required physical strength which she had so little of and being already exhausted and still holding firmly to the belief that she was not at fault, she barely got the first basket to the kitchen door before collapsing in a heap to cry at the pair of feet that suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Seventeen.  You're acting like a baby.  Get up and stop you're whining."  Chang Shans harsh voice grated painfully in her ears.

"But Senior, my hands are bleeding.  I'm too delicate for such physical punishment, my fox claws will fall out." she whimpered while raising her hands to show him the most minuscule amount  of blood on the palms of her hands.