Noon on a warm summer day. A large, round, wooden building sits next to a forest, and not too far from there is a pond. Children run around it. Adults have set up low tables with various engravings in Aifeng - the language of Aiming. A pair of teenagers sixteen years of age wearing summer clothes walk near the pond. The shorter is a boy with loose trousers worn and a large shawl in place of a shirt. The taller - barely taller - is a girl who wears a similar outfit, only the shawl is tied tighter to stay on her, and she wears a straight, floor-length skirt. They both have long hair - the boy with part of his hair held in a loose bun at the back of his head by light brown hair sticks, and the girl with part of her hair in a looped bun on top of her head - two white fox ears framed the bun. Taiyang, son of Builai, and Lianhua, daughter of Kedai. Friends since childhood who had outgrown the age of swimming in the pond, but still enjoyed swimming there.
They passed by three men who sat at a low table playing a game with tiles. Landuleng, as Taiyang's brother - Meiyang - said it was. It was a gambling game, but the men here were playing it just for fun.
"I think he should keep his face out of our business," one man said." He's Danchen's King, not Anyulu's Duke."
"Seems like he's trying to find an excuse to start a war between us and Yuchao," another said. "You know relations between his nation and Yuchao are tough, and us fighting his enemies would give him an excuse to attack them."
"Wouldn't surprise me. Remember what he did when he first became King?" the third asked. "I'm surprised the throne wasn't immediately handed to an advisor," he added as he placed three tiles with red moons and one purple flower. The others groaned and the three began to slide the tiles back into a bag.
"His poor son," the second man said, shaking the bag to mix up the tiles. He dumped the tiles back on the table and took five. The other two followed as he continued: "He'll forever be known as the son of a villain."
"A terrible thing," the first man agreed, arranging the tiles in his hand. "If the Danchen King wanted to show he was a good King, he would have started his reign with peace, and kept his face out of other nations' business."
Taiyang and Lianhua walked away and sat on a large, flat rock in the sunlight. Taiyang took off his leather sandals and put his feet in the water.
"What are they talking about?" he asked Lianhua.
"The Danchen King is getting involved with Anyulu business again. He's trying to make a deal with our Duke to make it harder to cross the Anyulu-Yuchao border. My mother says he should suggest we protect all borders if he's truly concerned about our safety."
"What did they mean about his son?"
"You don't pay attention in history lessons? He had an entire district of Danchen killed to prove how powerful he was. They were mad because his son will have to work extra hard when he rises to the throne to prove that he's not evil, like his father."
"Oh. Well, you were right. I don't pay attention."
Lianhua rolled her eyes.
"You should. You could learn a lot about our world if you did."
"Why do I have to learn it myself if you can just tell me?"
Lianhua playfully hit the back of Taiyang's head.
"Someday, I'll be married and live far away from here. How will you learn when what happens?"
"Letters exist for a reason."
Lianhua rolled her eyes again.
"If you keep rolling your eyes, a monster will attack you while they're rolled back."
"Disproven. And what are you, my grandmother?"
"No, but I wish. Have you seen the paintings of your grandfather when he was young."
"There are so many things wrong with you."
Taiyang shrugged.
As the sun began to set, Taiyang and Lianhua began walking back to the large, round building. Through the gate was a small city built into the walls. A walled village - or hayili in Aifeng. Animals lived and workshops were built on the bottom row, stored were on the second, and ladders and stairs climbed up the side to where homes were built into the walls. Lianhua lived on the third row of the building, while Taiyang was on the fifth. There were five stories overall.
Taiyang walked with Lianhua to her house. Her mother - Kedai - opened the door and smiled at Taiyang.
"Hello, Taiyang! How has your family been?" she asked.
"We have all been well. My father is teaching my brother how to fight, so he can represent our family in war."
Saoqun Kedai nodded.
"It is good for young men to learn to fight. Meiyang has been matched, yes?"
"Yes. I haven't met her yet, but my father has."
"You will soon, tai lana."
Taiyang nodded.
"Well, I will let you go home. You can't be wandering late at night. Come inside, Lianhua."
"'Bye, Taiyang," Lianhua said.
"'Bye."
"Have a lovely night," Saoqun Kedai said.
"I will, thank you."
Taiyang began walking away, and heard the door close behind him.
After walking up the next sets of stairs and going left, Taiyang reached his home. He took off his sandals and placed them in a box on the ground before opening the door.
"Fayie, I'm home," he said, walking in and closing the door behind him.
"We're in the dining room," he heard his father - Builai - say from another part of the house.
Taiyang walked through a sliding door that had been left open and to the dining room and kitchen area. On a low table with the word nam - or, "food" - engraved on top, a bowl of soup and two cups of tea were placed. On either side sat Taiyang's father and his brother.
"You're home early," Meiyang said as Taiyang sat down.
"Lianhua didn't want to walk through the woods in the dark."
"Wise decision," Builai said. "It's dangerous for anyone to wander when strange things are happening."
Meiyang nodded.
"What did you two do all day?" Taiyang asked.
"I helped Dulafao Gui make swords," Meiyang said. "He says I improved a lot since I began helping."
"Yeah, didn't you spill melted metal everywhere?"
"We don't talk about that."
"You don't. I do."
Meiyang rolled his eyes. Why did everyone roll their eyes? It hurts after a while.
"I got a letter from the father of Meiyang's match. We are planning to have our families meet sometime soon," Builai said.
"How many people are in the match's family?"
"Five, including her and her parents. She has two younger brothers. It'll be six soon, according to the letter I got today."
Taiyang nodded.
"We will meet with them this weekend. It is unfortunate that there are not two mothers helping plan the wedding, so I asked Xian Kedai to act as that. She and Wuxian Lianhua will join us."
Taiyang and Meiyang nodded.
After a few hours of talking, Taiyang got tired and went to his room. He put on his pajamas - ao ba - and laid on the bed with an old brown curtain shielding it from the rest of the world. He fell asleep quickly.
The week was coming to a close, and it was time to go meet Meiyang's match. The village Taiyang lived in was small, so they all came to send the family off. A plain cart with an old donkey was what Taiyang, Meiyang, Builai, Saoqun Kedai, and Lianhua sat in. They left and travelled an hour to a nearby village.
The walls were made of wood - like Taiyang's home village - but they were painted. A group of children ran around with paintbrushes and paint, creating images of animals, the sun, a house, a family… anything a child could think of. Taiyang swore he saw one of them draw a dragon, but its snakelike body was soon covered by another child's drawing of a landscape.
The gates were wide open, and Taiyang saw a family standing near them. The daughter was looking around, scanning every face she saw. Her eyes met Meiyang's, and both faces lit up.
When the cart stopped, Meiyang stepped out first and the girl ran to meet him.
"I thought you wouldn't show up!" she said.
"Why would I leave?"
She shrugged, still smiling.
"Here, introduce everyone now," Builai asked, putting a hand on Meiyang's shoulder.
"Oh, ah, yes. Antai, this is my brother, Taiyang. My father's friend, Kedai, and her daughter, Lianhua."
Antai waved.
"These are my parents," she said, pointing at the two who stood behind her. "My older sisters: Huakai and Lengna."
Lengna was obviously the oldest. Instead of the casual sabai shirt that Antai and Huakai wore, she was dressed in a soft blue ru and green sinchali covered in small purple flower patterns. Huakai wore a pink sinchali and gray sabai. Antai wore an ocean-blue sinchali with silver wave patterns. Her sabai was the same.
Antai's parents stepped forward and Taiyang and Lianhua bowed ninety degrees. Saoqun Kedai bowed forty.
"I am Aejica," Antai's father said, bowing with his wife.
"I am Catru."
Builai bowed and introduced himself to Antai's sisters.
"Here, we should eat," Sui Sao Catru said.
Taiyang followed as the group walked further inside. The village was full of life and excitement. People chatted as they did their everyday jobs.
Some of them stared at the fox ears that appeared to hold Lianhua's hair in place.
"Taiyang, they're all watching," she said, stepping closer to her friend.
"Don't worry. Maybe they're just excited because they know what's happening."
Lianhua didn't seem convinced. Taiyang noticed her shoulders slouch as she tried to hide among the others. If Taiyang were taller, he could have blocked her from everyone's judging eyes.
The night was spent eating a dinner Catru prepared - with the help of Lengna. Taiyang quickly learned what his soon-to-be relatives were like.
Lengna was quiet, but unafraid to tell someone when she thought they were wrong. Huakai was also quiet, but she tried not to offend people and tried to keep Lengna from starting arguments. Antai was quiet as well, but she told jokes and changed the mood quickly when it became awkward. She and Meiyang teamed up and told jokes and stories that nobody could stay quiet during. By the end of a single sentence, everyone was laughing.
Aejica and Catru did the same, only their stories always ended darkly. Sui Sao Catru would teach a lesson with the ending, and Fui Fao Aejica would quickly lift spirits with a loud or happy ending.
"Dun! The sun rose, and every monster who attacked the child crumbled to dust!" Fui Fao Aejica said, making everyone jump back at his exclamation.
"Stop scaring us like that, fayie!" Lengna said, holding a hand over her heard. "I almost died of heart-fear!"
"What is a father if he doesn't scare his children with stories?"
"A good person."
Everyone laughed at that.
"Well, we must go," Builai said. "Taiyang and Lianhua still have school tomorrow."
"Oh, right, they're young," Antai said.
"They aren't children, Antai," Huakai said.
"Basically, they are. How old are you, tell me?"
"Sixteen," Taiyang said. "Both of us."
"Ah. I remember Lengna at that age."
"Oh, don't repeat that! She won't like it."
"I'm repeating it. When she was your age, she tried to tame a horse, but it threw her before she could even sit right, and now she's scared of horses."
"That's not the only reason!" Lengna exclaimed, ears turning red. She could tell what her ears were doing, and she tried to loosen the hair around there, letting parts of it fall and hide her ears from the others.
"Yes, it is! Unless you want to tell us another story."
Lengna scoffed.
"It is my business only."
"She's embarrassed!"
That erupted into a shouting match between the sisters, which ended in Taiyang and his family quietly sneaking out… and Huakai apologizing for her sisters' behavior.
Everyone found it funny, so no harm was done. Taiyang was glad that, of all families, his was joining with one that could have fun. He heard many stories of families who ended up with terrible matches who used them for social status and left as quick as possible.