12 Family Secrets 2 (1/2)

In the entire Jiang Manor, there was only one person Fei Hong would ever give his life for without a moment's hesitation.

When he was younger, being the unfavored, lowly son a concubine meant there was hardly any expectation about his future or place as a noble man. No-one could care less about his education or the amount of effort he put on it.

His brothers would go out of their way just to bother him, and servants tended not to respect someone whose only talent was stirring up trouble. Although it wasn't the life he wished, he knew in his heart it was still better than being completely forsaken by his family, or being shipped off to some shady relatives.

So he told himself to deal. To suck it up and keep going. He learnt to be invisible, learnt to lower his head and endure every injustice that came his way. Because he knew he should be grateful, he knew the First Wife could do worst then degrade and look down on him.

He never in a million years would've thought that the same reason that made him the lowliest son of that household would end up being the reason he was still alive while his brothers were gone.

Even in his darkest moments, Fei Hong never even considered taking down his brothers and becoming the Jaing Family heir. He had only ever wanted a calm, happy life. One he could share with the single, most important person for him. His small ray of sunshine.

So, when the messenger had reached him on the Military Camp with news of what had happened to Ying Yue, Fei Hong understood for the first time what was to feel an anger so strong, a fear so overwhelming, that he felt he could burn the entire city down with him.

But now she was there. She was finally awake and in front of him again. For the first time in days, Fei Hong felt things would be okay once more.

”Ah Ying, your brother is sorry” he whispered furiously, the words barely discernible”Fei Hong was wrong! I'll not leave you behind again! I Promise.”

Sam was completely still, her eyes widening in disbelief as his arms surrounded her, tightening around her until the sweet smell of morning dew and grass was enveloping her like a warm blanket. For some unknown reason, she felt herself sighing, part of the tension leaving her shoulders and being replaced by trust and relief.

She felt safe.

For the first time, Sam felt she had found home on that weird place.

Even if she couldn't rationally explain why, it was like that body remembered him. Like it trusted and loved him back.

Before she had time to make anything of her jumbled thoughts, Sam felt her arms hugging him just as tightly as he was doing, silent tears slowly rolling through her face and into his neat clothes as her hands held tightly to the fabric over his shoulders.

”Ah Ying” he whispered, caressing her plaited hair ”Ah Ying, Ah Ying, don't scare your brother like this again”.

Sam tried to answer, to move away, anything, but her body seemed to be completely out of control. Not the knot on her throat, nor the tears that were still falling.

And then it happened. The imagens inundated her mind like a lighting bolt striking her head, in a confusion of voices, colors and sensations.

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”Why didn't you hit him?” she hopped from a stone to another her attention fixated on the young boy sat on the low, wooden bridge, his shoulders slumped and head bent down.

Fei Hong looked up just in time to see a small, dark-eyed girl wobbling her way across the darkened garden, his bare feet brushing just minimally on the calm surface of the lake.

He frowned. Wasn't that the youngest child of his father's second wife? What was she doing there? And at such a late hour? Where were her maids? He really didn't need any more trouble coming his way!

”You should not be here” he said in a lifeless voice, trying to look as stern and unimpressed as any nine years old could be.

To his chagrim, the girl simply sat by his side, her laugh twinkling like wind bells on the silent night.

”He told a lie, it wasn't you that ruined papa's letters. I saw it” she she argued in a thoughtful way ”Nanny always said that lying is bad, so I suppose it would be okay to hit him this once”.

”Hitting people is also bad” he retorted with a frown, seemingly annoyed ”Just as listening on other people's business. It's not polite”.

She shrugged.

”I'm just a child” she looked at him with a mischievous glint her eyes, like someone that did not have a care in the world ”And Nanny will never tell on me, she is too scared of that woman”her eyes widened a bit, referring to the first wife ”She is really scary”.

”She is a proper lady. Something that you should try to emulate” he retorted begrudgingly.

”But I don't want to be a lady! That is too boring!”she protested, crossing her arms over her chest ”How could I beat First Brother for you if I was a proper lady?”.

Fei Hong felt almost like spitting blood.

”You are not beating anyone!” he cried out, maybe a bit too loudly ”Didn't anyone teach you anything? Where are your maids? You should be in bed by now, and not here looking for trouble!”

Ying Yue just just ignored him, her eyes lost in the water that moved slowly, dislodging some noisy dragonflies and shiny fireflies. Theirs reflexes fluttered on the dark surface of the lake, a full, silver moon hung low on the sky. A frog croaked somewhere, his low tones being answered with lighter ones. It was peaceful. One of those moments when someone could forget all its problems, if only for a few seconds.

Finally, the young girl looked at him again, her face calm and friendly.

”What are you doing here? Are you hiding from papa?”

”None of your business” Fei Hong muttered, kicking the water with his feet and dissolving their images still reflected by the moonlight and breaking the moment's enchantment.

Ying Yue's gasped, finally noticing his bare feet on the water.

”Hey! I want to try it too!”

He didn't answer.

”Do you think I could reach the water?”

”No”.

She laughed.

”You are funny” Ying Yue said brightly, resting her head on his shoulder as if it was nothing special ”Fei Hong GeGe, I really like you”

And even though she was only an annoying six year old girl with prospects almost as bad as his own, Fei Hong couldn't help the small smile that warmed his eyes. Suddenly, the night didn't feel so cold anymore.

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Sam gasped, backing away from her brother with trembling hands and wide eyes.

”You... You were on that bridge” she whispered, completely out of it ”You were hiding from father... They said you had destroyed the letters” she mumbled ”but... But it wasn't you. You didn't even pass the threshold”.

She herd the sound of chinaware breaking, just as Qing Shan gasped, before rising from her place and walking till she was side by side with Few Hong.

”Yue'er... Did you finally remember?” she asked, help shining in her face.

Sam frowned, feeling like there was a stone crusher trying to cut through her brain all the way to China. The pain just wasn't as big as her confusion. What had happened exactly? What were those images...?

Was it a memory from the real Ying Yue? But if it was, how could she access it now? Was it possible that the girl was still inside that body, hid somewhere so deep she couldn't reach to the surface?

”Yes... No... I don't know what happened” she answered honestly, to affected to try and plan her words ”I think I need to sit...”.

Her words had barely left her mouth when a wave of nausea and dizziness took her. Sam would probably had ended up on a hip on the stone ground if it wasn't for Fei Hong quick reaction.

With the swiftness of someone very comfortable on his own skin, he took hold of her arm, supporting her back with the other and then guided the shaking, cold-sweating girl to a chair.

”Ah Ying, don't overthink this too much” he said eventually, when some color had come back to her face.