Severing Time & Space

Getting Ready for the Party

Wu Jian was still on cloud nine as he left the arena alongside the other Wu Clansmen. He remembered having people slap him on the back, congratulat him on his victory in the tournament, and tell him how amazing he was all the way back home. Part of him was annoyed. He didn't get to speak with Wu Meiying or Hou Jingshu because everyone was crowding around him. Another part of him was exalted.

Was this not the recognition he had longed for?

Was this not what he had been striving for?

He was still just a young boy, after all, and what young boy didn't enjoy being praised?

After returning home, Wu Jian was taken to his father's residence instead of his own. He split off from Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu as he followed Father, Mother, and Wu Taohua. Neither Father or Wu Taohua spoke, but Mother chattered enough for all three of them.

"I was very impressed by how well you fought, Little Jian," Mother said with a bright, beaming smile. "I knew you were strong now, but I don't think I understood just how strong until I watched you fight. Ah. That said, you really shouldn't be so reckless. Watching you sacrifice your arm like that during your fight against Zhou Lihua scared me so much. You should think about how your family feels when they see you get injured like that. Do you know how worried I was? It felt like my heart was going to stop beating."

Mother... really likes to talk a lot.

"Ah, um... s-sorry. I'll try to be more careful next time."

"That's all I ask. Anyway, now that you've won..."

And off she went again. Wu Jian was honestly impressed his mother could talk so much, but she had always been the sort who could speak about anything and everything. He remembered the one time a visiting dignitary from the Zhou Clan had come over once because rumors about Wu Meiying had begun circulating in Zahn City. Not only had the man not been able to get a word in edgewise, but he had been turned so upside down that he ended up going back to the Zhou Clan without having ever discussed his reason for visiting.

I might have even felt sorry for him if I hadn't known his reason for visiting. Good job, Mother. I'm glad you're around to protect Mei with me.

She might not have intended to keep the dignitary from discussing a possible marriage between Wu Meiying and some member of the Zou Clan. In fact, Wu Jian was certain the idea had never crossed Mother's mind. But he was still grateful. Wu Meiying was his, and he would never give her to another.

They soon arrived at Father's residence and entered the entrance hall. After removing their shoes and wandering further in, Father directed them toward the reception hall. He sat down on a throne-like chair. Mother and Wu Taohua stood on either side of him, one smiling broadly and the other wearing a very gentle expression that she would have never directed at him years ago.

Wu Jian knelt on the floor before his father, his back straight, hands resting on his thighs.

He did not speak. He merely waited in respectful silence.

"You did well in the tournament," Father said after a moment of silence.

"Thank you, Father." Wu Jian bowed his head.

"Haaaah. Is that all you have to say, dear?" asked Mother with an exasperated expression.

Wu Jian's head snapped up and he looked at Mother, who was staring at Father with the look of a woman who was fed up, then looked at Father, who was... blushing? Wu Jian blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He wasn't. The tips of Father's ears and some of his cheeks had turned red.