"Young master! Welcome back!"
The loud shouts by the guards coupled with the beating of their fists to their chests followed by dramatic bows struck Jing as a trifle excessive.
The black-robed man was long gone, having pointed Jing out to the guards before slipping away. Dropping his branch and bidding it a silent thank you for accompanying him in the woods, Jing hesitantly bowed back to the guards. He didn't miss the looks of surprise on their faces and he decided to consider his next words carefully.
"Um, thanks everyone!", was what he finally came up with.
"I seem to have dropped my wallet somewhere. Does any of you know where I can make some money?"
His stomach was growling loud enough that Jing thought the guards could hear it and money was the only way he could get food. After eating, he'd be in a better position to consider his next steps.
"Make money?" asked a younger guard hesitantly, eyeing Jing in a way that rang some alarm bells. "Are you feeling alright Young Master?"
"Fine, fine! I'm doing just fine", Jing tried to laugh heartily and came off feeling like a second-rate Santa. "Just looking to have a good meal."
"Ah, in that case, I'm certain your home will have a hot meal ready for you in no time. Master and Mistress Li have been looking for you since yesterday and I'm certain they wish to see you immediately." The young guard nodded at his companions who moved to open the gates further.
"Thank you! I'll be sure to see Master and Mistress Li immediately then", smiled Jing at the guard waving at them as he walked by. Having no clue who those esteemed people might be, Jing felt certain he couldn't ask any of the guards. So he decided to feign absolute knowledge of the situation and hope for the best.
Beyond the gates lay a marketplace, the likes of which Jing had only seen in historical dramas. Loud calls from merchants selling their wares on oak tables drew him deeper into the market square. Wafting overall were the fresh smells of roasting chicken, medicinal herbs and smoky fires that stung his eyes. Though there were fewer people than a 21st-century city, the marketplace was designed in a maze-like manner that made it seem even more crowded.
Behind the market, were numerous close-set buildings, homes with gabled roofs and stores with carved wooded doors. Towering over all in the distance stood a palace, or at least that is what it seemed like to Jing's overwhelmed eyes. The enormous distance building looked grander and more dominating than any of the others, and its white marble gleamed in the afternoon light drawing the eye of any onlooker.
Swallowing against the urge to grab at a tempting apple that lay on a nearby seller's table, Jing decided he needed to re-work his to-do list and find the Li residence first. Whoever they were, the guards had assured him they would feed him and likely for free.
Swallowing against the urge to grab at a tempting apple that lay on a nearby seller's table, Jing decided he needed to re-work his to-do list and find the Li residence first. Whoever they were, the guards had assured him they would feed him and likely for free.
Looking around Jing spotted a young flower seller. Her hair was charmingly tied up in two braids and she was wearing yellow cotton robes with a pretty orange sash. She was looking in his direction and for a moment Jing could have sworn she had been glaring daggers at him but a blink later she was smiling welcomingly at him and he passed it off as his imagination.
In truth, the flower girl Su Mei had indeed been glaring at Jing. Her beloved Chang had been dismissed to the stables, to work with stinky horses all because of the young master's petulance. Her Chang's exhaustion and daily complaints could be placed squarely at the young master's door and watching him walk over to her, Su Mei could hardly keep herself from silently cursing him and his descendants.
"Hello!" said Jing brightly. "I was wondering if you could tell me how I could find the Li residence please?". The young girl looked like a pleasant sort of person and he hoped that she could point him in the right direction.
"The Li residence?", stammered Su Mei looking hard at him. Had he suffered a head injury?
"Yes, please. I heard that the people of that house have been looking for me", said Jing attempting to be casual.
'People of that house'? It seemed that the young master didn't know the location of his own house or his own family!
"Certainly master. I can direct you there." Su Mei smiled winningly at him and gestured with her hand.
The ten-minute walk to Jing's manor took half an hour under Su Mei's direction. Recognizing that the young master truly did not know how to get back to his home, she decided fate had allowed her to take a little revenge on the nobleman who'd made her beloved Chang suffer.
In addition to the young master's insufferable behaviour towards her Chang, the overnight search party to find him meant that her beloved was too tired to attend the Blue Moon festival and all her friends were questioning whether they had broken off their engagement. Angry that she'd lost face with her friends, the girl found the perfect target to divest her feelings of injustice.
Taking the most roundabout route possible, Jing found himself huffing away climbing stairs upwards, and downwards, trekking through narrow alleys and passing suspiciously similar trees three times. After the third turn, Jing clutching his side and breathing hard, decided to ask his devious savior, "Hey, isn't that the same tree we passed ten minutes ago?". The girl dropped her head in a bow and said, "Sorry young master, it is not. The pine tree is a symbol of our LiShi Guild and there are many planted around the neighbourhoods."
Knowing the young master was growing suspicious and there was a limit to the extent of her revenge, she quickly said, "There master, just over the rise is your family house!"
Surprised by their sudden arrival, Jing bowed back graciously and thanked her profusely. "You've been very kind. Thank you so much for leading me home. Please…", patting his waist and chest Jing couldn't find a single pocket or coin tucked away on his body. Awkwardly he continued, "Please find me later if there's anything I can do to repay this kindness."
The girl bowed back, "It's truly nothing young master. Please have a good rest." Walking away, she glanced back at the handsome young master. Pale blue robes set off nicely by the setting sun, he had the mien of a hero out of a romance novel. But she had her Chang and the comfort of knowing the young master seemed to have lost his memory.
In the meantime, Jing was faced with a crisis. He had to find a way to sneak into the Li home. The young girl had proved very helpful indeed. He finally knew that the Guild was called LiShi… which still meant that he knew very little. Sighing, he plucked up his skirts of courage and decided to forge ahead into the residence.
Over the rise lay the palatial mansion he'd lost sight of when he was walking through the narrow cobblestone streets. Overbearingly beautiful, the building was both gaudy and luxurious. The white jade columns he'd spied from afar held the same engravings he'd seen on the entrance. Entranced by the undulating carvings, Jing didn't notice that he was drawing closer to the mansion. So close in fact, that he drew the attention of the guards by the imposing gates who called loud greeting to him, startling him out of his reverie.
The enthusiastic welcome drew the attention of other people inside the mansion and within minutes, Jing found himself swarmed by people.
Some were clearly guards who clanged their spears on the ground and bowed low, welcoming him home. Others were servants who drew closer, some bowing obsequiously and others eyed him sourly while muttering a greeting.
Suddenly there was a flurry of fabric and Jing just had time to take a breath scented with lilacs before the life was squeezed out of him.
He was being hugged by someone, a foot shorter than him, with silken black hair that tickled his nose. The sensation of being hugged felt foreign to him and as he slowly became accustomed to the sensation of being held by this person, Jing realized that it had been many years since anyone had got this close to him.
Still, he was slowly losing circulation so he gently extricated himself out of the strong arms of a beautiful young woman. A doe-eyed beauty, Jing stared at her radiant, watery smile. Dazzled by the smile, Jing lost his train of thought and was in danger of going crossed-eyed until a sharp pain echoed from his left arm.
"AH, ouch!"
The sweet beauty had delivered a tight punch to his arm, saying through clenched teeth, "Brother! Where have you been? You only returned a few days ago and you already disappeared with those miscreants from YanLuo."
Eyes watering from the pain, Jing smiled at his sister dumbly. He had a sister! From an orphan to a man with a family. This was more than Jing had ever hoped for.
"Mother and Father have been so anxious. And you know you promised to be beside me during the visit", she whispered heatedly, eyeing the nearby servants. "But I'm glad you're back, though a bit late already. Come on, hurry up. You need to dress before our dinner with them."
Grabbing Jing's hand, she dragged her brother along behind her. He still had that uncomprehending, stupid look on his face, something he'd better work on losing before tonight's important dinner. After all, they both had betrothals that needed handling.