𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 | 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎

"𝗡𝗼𝘄 she is a girl worth fighting for." Cricket's voice carried over the dining area. Sheng and Mulan scanned the soldiers and the seats, looking for a place to sit and eat. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Longwei leaving the barrack, head down with his meager possessions clutched tightly to his chest. Sheng gulped. He had heard Longwei's name called after the shrine, ordering him to meet with Commander Tung. Sergeant Qiang had spotted the man emptying water from his buckets to make the climb easier and immediately expelled him. It had been the smallest of infractions, but the punishment was quick and severe. Sheng shuddered at the thought of Mulan's secret being revealed, the punishment that would be brought down upon them if her secret came to light. 

Shaking his head, he returned his attention to finding a seat. Seeing the only option was near Cricket and another conscript named Ling, Sheng walked over and took a seat with Mulan, trying not to draw attention to himself. As Sheng started to eat, Ling held up a piece of paper. On it was the drawing of a young woman.

"We were matched twenty-seven days ago," he said dreamily. "Her name is Li-Li. Her skin as white as milk. Her fingers like the tender white roots of a green onion . . ."

Sheng bit his lip, holding back a laugh. A green onion? He wondered what the man could've thought of to come up with such a comparison. 

"Ling is a romantic!" Cricket said, apparently more impressed then Sheng and Mulan at Ling's choice of words.

Ling smiled dreamily and continued. "Li Li inspires me," he went on. "Her eyes are like morning dewdrops, her hair like distant mountains, darkened by black clouds-"

Yao slammed his hand onto the table, interrupting Ling's similes. "I like my women buxom!" he said, letting out a loud, booming laugh. Around them, other soldiers voiced their agreement. "With strong, wide hips!" he added.

Sheng's expression formed into one of disgust. He had met some other young men who thought this way about women, it quite frankly disgusted him. Sheng had always wanted to marry for love and had a strong belief that you should marry for love, not just for status or adult activities. Sheng warily glanced at Mulan, seeing her expression of disdain, he sighed. She was being introduced to the world of men and what some of them truly were like.

Cricket had begun to take part. "I like kissing women with cherry red lips," he said, smiling at the men around him in hopes of getting the same reaction that Yao had received. Sheng smiled a bit, deciding to tease the young man.

"Then your mother must have cherry red lips," Sheng teased, "because she's the only women that ever kissed you!" The other soldiers howled with laughter, clapping Sheng hardly on the back.

"I don't care what she looks like-" Po begun.

"I agree" Mulan chimed in, oblivious to the true meaning of his words.

"I just care what she cooks like!"

Sheng and Mulan's face fell. Turning his attention back to his unappetizing meal, he was surprised when he heard Mulan's cover name being called.

"Tell us, Hua Jun," Honghui said, calling out her name. Deciding to press further, he went on. "Tell us. What's you ideal women?"

The room filled again once more with noise as the other soldiers voiced their agreement. Sheng's eyes widened, seeing Mulan's mortified glance, he shrugged, his eyes mirroring her own terror. She tore her gaze away from his, pausing and clearing her throat before answering.

"I guess," she said, making her voice deep and steady. "My ideal women is courageous." 

The room grew silent. The men looked at each other, confused. They were all dumbfounded and disappointed. Only Sheng and Honghui seemed intrigued by her answer.

Stubbornly, Mulan went on, knowing that even as she did, she was once again making herself stand out. But she didn't seem to care. Sheng watched her intently, his eyes shining with curiosity and a bit of pride. Mulan had never liked anyone romantically and never described her ideal men and Sheng's curiosity grew as she was finally voicing her answer, expect describing her ideal man as a women.

"And she has a sense of humor." Some of the men laughed. Mulan ignored them. "She's also smart." Now everyone was laughing. Everyone except Sheng and Honghui. 

"But what does she look like?" Cricket pressed.

"That's not the point." Mulan answered, shaking her head.

"Courageous, funny, smart," Yao repeated. "Hua Jun's not describing a women!, he's describing a man! He's describing me!"

As the room erupted into laughter, Sheng watched as Mulan sank back down in her seat, lowering her head. She slowly lifted her head, Sheng watched as Honghui smiled at her and winked. Turning to Yao, he called out. "Courageous, funny, smart? No, that's not you, Yao. That's definitively not you."

Yao's face fell, the attention drifting towards him; away from Mulan. Sheng, Mulan, and Honghui burst out laughing, both of them sending Honghui a grateful smile, before slipping away from the table.