Xiao Bi held out the basin full of warm water and fresh rose petals, waiting for her young lady to wash her hands. It was early in the morning and it was time to begin the early routine.
Meiwan thoroughly scrubbed her hands before drying them on a towel, before actually standing up out of her bed. Her feet were cold and she quickly slipped them into her shoes, the late spring weather still kept her room chilled at night.
"Miss Lu, would you like to wear the purple or white dress today?" Xiao Bi had set the basin down and gestured to the two complete outfits she'd chosen.
"Hmm, purple will be fine for today." Meiwan touched the smooth fabric. The dress also came with several simple peices of jewelry, designed to look like fresh flowers.
"Yes, miss Lu." She bowed and set about helping her mistress change.
Today, there were no classes, and most of the family would be out. Her uncle would obviously be in the palace for the morning session, and then her aunts were taking the two youngest cousins to pray at the temple. It would just be her and the older three girls for the day, as well as Zhanyi. Meiwan then exited her own courtyard, leaving her maid behind.
In the Lu mansion, her parents had given her a personal maid, but as a young girl, she felt she didn't have many needs. So other than accepting assistance for morning and night routines, she allowed her maid, A'Hu, to keep herself busy in other areas of the mansion throughout the day. So she did the same with Xiao Bi, leaving her behind as she left.
Now she headed to her younger brother's room, walking through the beautiful gardens and crossing over the small lakes and creeks that rippled beneath the bridges. In the four weeks they'd lived in the Yan mansion, other than school and mealtimes, she'd rarely seen her brother. But now she passed through the doors to his courtyard and called for him.
"Sister?" Still early in the morning, yet the boy was already perched in the tree next to his room. But he hopped down at the sight of his sister and ran up to her. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, little monkey." The older sister patted the boy's head. "After breakfast, how would you like to spend the day with me?"
Meiwan had thought of several things they could do together, most of it being activities to entertain an engergetic child. There were the public archery fields outside the city, horse riding, shopping, cuju... then maybe they could try out a few dishes from a famous restaurant.
Zhanyi thought for a moment, a smile already on his face. "In consideration of your dutiful services to me, I accept." He spoke playfully.
"Good, because I wasn't going to give you a choice you little rascal." Meiwan lightly pinched his cheek, making him squirm away. "It's settled then, let's head to the main hall for breakfast then."
The two Lu siblings made their way to the hall, the younger one telling his sister all about his friend, A'Zhe. His eyes were bright as he chattered away, happy to have his sister listen.
When they arrived, only Yan Wei was seated and had already begun eating, a the table hosted several fine dishes. She glanced up and motioned them to sit beside her, while her mouth was full.
"A'Wei, where are our other sisters?" Meiwan took a seat.
Yan Wei swallowed and took a sip of her tea. "Eldest sister decided to go along with mother and aunts to the temple. A'Shi is still sleeping, since there's no lessons today."
Meiwan nodded and used her chopsticks to grab a quail egg and put it in her bowl. Her brother was beside her already emptying his rice into his mouth, before taking more food. She smiled at his lack of proper table manners.
"What will you be doing today?"
"I plan to copy sutras to accumulate good karma." Yan Wei said, but with a mischievous look.
"Oh?" Meiwan's observations had shown her second cousin to be more spiritual, and a follower of Buddhist practices. Her answer didn't suprise her in the least, however the look her cousin currently gave her made her feel there was something more she had planned.
"Yes. Of course I admit, I do have something else to do, but later." She added, though more serious. "How about you? And Zhanyi?"
"Sister and I going to buy fun things at the market, and hopefully see street performances." Zhanyi spoke between mouthfuls.
"I hope to tour the capital more with my brother, since we'll be here for a long while still. Maybe you'd join us later?" Meiwan offered.
Yan Mei shook her head. "That's alright, have fun." She leaned closer and spoke quietly to Meiwan. "Avoid trouble, you might run into anyone on the streets today. Tomorrow is a festival for merchants, and there'll be crowds out preparing for it. There's always an accident or crime during these times." She cautioned.
"I understand. Zhanyi and I will be careful." Meiwan assured her cousin.
...
A festival indeed. The roads and markets had never been as crowded or loud as it was today. Meiwan, though enjoying herself, felt stuffy and cramped. Her and Zhanyi had to fight the flow of moving people constantly and even had to hold hands to stay together.
There were many people decorating their shops and part of the street, and others shopping for last minute items needed to celebrate. Colourful lanterns, paper cut-outs, and strings of firecrackers were hung on every door. The sight was incredible and unforgettable to the Lu siblings, who'd come from a much smaller and quieter city.
"Sister, look at the size of that lantern!" Zhanyi pointed to a dragon shaped lantern hung beneath one of the bridges that crossed over the street. It was painted red and orange, and swung in the wind.
Meiwan nodded, then allowing her brother to pull her on to the next stall set up. By now, they'd already visited over ten, just to see the goods being sold. From jewelry to baskets, to wooden toys, everything caught their eye. Earlier, a tanghulu pedler had sold them each a stick of sugar coated haws, and they eagerly finished them off.
"Zhanyi, look down there!" She pointed to further down the street. "Strong men are performing, shall we go and watch?"
She watched as his eyes widened. "Let's go, let's go!" He pulled her arm.
"Good! Good!" People in the crowd watching the act cheered as a large man lifted heavy blocks off the ground, his muscles bulging. Zhanyi's eyes glowed in admiration.
"One day, I'll be even stronger." He muttered to himself, while still in awe.
Meiwan pulled him into her side and patted his head. "You won't need to be that strong. Just enough to keep yourself and those you care about safe. Am I right?" She glanced down at him and smiled.
"I guess so." He pulled away.
The two siblings continued on down the street, pausing to watch performers as they did dangerous stunts, or danced exotic foreign dances. Zhanyi used his money to buy himself a child's bow, while Meiwan picked out a delicate hairpin.
"Hungry?" The older sister asked as they stepped onto a less busy street.
"Will we eat in a big restaurant now?" Zhanyi rubbed his stomach while it growled loudly, and smiled sheepishly.
Meiwan laughed. "I specifically asked our cousins earlier. There's a famous one down this road. Their specialty is Lion Head Meatballs, I figured since it has your favorite dish we could go and try it."
"Hmm, sounds good!" He grinned.
Minutes later, and they were seated on the second floor overlooking the street. A waiter had just taken their order and rushed off to serve new customers. While they waited, they watched the people down below. There were so many different sorts, doing different things, going to different places. It was fascinating to watch a city live and thrive in a state of pure chaos, yet always seem to be in order.
A couple led their children to buy toys, an older man sold antiques, and a begger sat on the corner asking for money. It was far more peaceful here than a few streets over, until a ruckes broke out further down the road, and things set in motion.