Underneath a massive tree just twenty steps away from the bustling city, a girl laid peacefully on the verdant grass. Her slender body curled comfortably into a crescent-shape while burnt umber hair sprawled carelessly amongst the underbrush. Soft blades of grass tickled a face speckled with freckles, but the girl did not wake up from her tranquil slumber.
"Xinyu!" A woman called through the quiet calm, startling the girl from her afternoon nap. At the familiar voice, her large, hazel eyes finally fluttered open only to be met with the harsh glare of light that slipped through the rustling leaves.
Xinyu blocked the sudden attack with a small hand and looked towards the direction of the familiar voice. It took her a while to adjust to the light before she could make out a graceful, plump figure making its way towards her.
"You silly girl! Who was the one who offered to come and help me buy groceries? Yet, here you are, sleeping under a random tree without a care in the world!" Aunt Yanfei scolded frustratingly, looking down at a sleepy Xinyu with a frown.
"Mm," Xinyu could only manage as she rubbed away the gunk that had formed in the corners of her eyes whilst she was taking an afternoon nap.
Aunt Yanfei shook her head exasperatingly. "And here I thought you were going to try to help this old aunt of yours today, but it seems you just wanted an excuse to get away and sleep, hm? Good, that means no meat for you!"
Xinyu immediately shot up from her daze at the mention of meat. "Meat? Where?" She looked up at her aunt with a glow in her eyes.
"Right here!" Without warning, Aunt Yanfei smacked Xinyu right on the head.
"Ah!" Xinyu winced from the unexpected impact and pouted indignantly. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For being an unfilial niece!" Aunt Yanfei retorted with a puff and raised her hand for another hit.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive this unfilial niece!" Xinyu pleaded and brazenly grabbed the helm of her aunt's dress. "I'll make up for it by getting auntie a gift before we head home today!"
"A gift? With whose money?" Aunt Yanfei felt her fury rising to the Heavens, and she swung her hand ferociously. "You don't even have a single coin on you, and you're talking about getting me gifts? Shameless!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! This unfilial niece knows her wrongs, please forgive her this one time!" Xinyu pleaded again and easily dodged the hit with a swift duck of her head. She wasn't going to become a dumb person from all of Aunt Yanfei's ruthless hits today!
With a roll, she slipped from under Aunt Yanfei's imposing figure and dashed towards the city, quickly pulling her hair in an attempt to tame the unruly mane that flowed behind her. Grabbing the plum blossom hairpin that was tucked near her chest, she locked her untidy brown locks into a messy top-knot.
"Come here, you little rascal!" Aunt Yanfei's shrill voice rang loudly, her large figure clumsily bumping through the busy afternoon crowd in a futile attempt to chase this unfilial niece.
"Catch me if you can," Xinyu hummed back to her aunt in a singsong manner. She could not help but slip a laugh at the sight of the plump woman struggling to catch up with her quick feet. It looked as if a human-sized boulder had come crashing through town in a craze.
"Once I catch you, I'm going to shave your head and hang you upside down on the tree in Old Deng's yard!" the human-sized boulder screamed.
"Awww, I know you can do better than that, Aunt Yanfei," Xinyu frowned in superficial sympathy before knocking down a small stand of loquats long past their due date.
The rotting fruits rolled across the hectic street.
Although familiar with this stunt, poor Aunt Yanfei could not stop her heavy steps in time and slipped on a ball of the mushy flesh. She did an amazing flip before landing on the array of yellow-brown with a loud slush!
Xinyu chuckled. With such an ample figure, she wondered how Aunt Yanfei managed to climb the hill back up to the house every day.
"Be careful now, don't want you hurting your hips!" Xinyu yelled to the vexed Aunt Yanfei and retracted her eyes from the commotion. "I'll be back at the house before sundown, I promise!" She waved a hand carelessly into the air.
"Xinyu! If you don't come here right now, there will be no dinner for you tonight!" Aunt Yanfei screamed threateningly from behind. She could not believe her niece! Pleading for forgiveness one minute, and then running away like a thief the next! Utterly shameless!
Xinyu only grinned and casually walked away from the scene as if she had nothing to do with the mess upon the streets.
Despite the anger in Aunt Yanfei's voice, Xinyu knew her aunt had a forgiving heart. She wouldn't let her starve. By the time she returned, Aunt Yanfei would have forgotten all about the incident today, and Xinyu would be able to eat her delicious taro cake while listening to Old Deng tell her stories of the Five Realms.
His stories were always full of epic adventures and tales of love that transcended the world. Whether they ended with happy endings or in tragedy, each had a lesson to tell.
Soon, Aunt Yanfei's howling could no longer be heard as it faded into the city life. In order to let her aunt's temper cool down, Xinyu decided to take a stroll through the lively streets of the ever-changing metropolis.
She walked leisurely with hands folded behind her back.
Merchants and shopkeepers called out to her as she passed by their shops and stands, but Xinyu did not pay them any heed. Her gaze barely grazed them before slipping away like the river that only knew how to move forward. The playful face she donned with her aunt disappeared, quickly replaced with a look of indifference.
It was not that she didn't like these humans running and yelling about, it was just that she didn't care for these mortals and their trivial matters. If she hadn't angered Aunt Yanfei, she wouldn't even be here!
So, as usual, Xinyu didn't plan on interacting with anyone today. After all, she was not like these humans who chattered and scrambled about. In fact, she was not human at all!