Following the events in Qui Gong in Mulan 2, the story is nowhere near its conclusion. The group still needs to face the consequences of their choices and impending challenges as their lives begin to change.
All art by me!
The two chuckled together for a bit before he continued, "You know, before the Hun invasion, she was obsessed with me getting married. She never really wanted me to get involved with the military. She wanted to make sure I honored our family by finding the 'perfect bride'"
"Mine too." Mulan said, pushing the hair from her face. "They said the only way to honor our name was to impress the matchmaker and strike a good match."
"My mother had me meet so many girls trying to set up a match herself! It was torturous!"
"You think that's bad?! During my meeting, I accidentally set the matchmaker on fire!"
There were a few seconds of silence before the two burst out in hysterical laughter. They nearly suffocated before they could stop, struggling to exchange short dialogues through their episode. "HOW!?" "I DON'T KNOW!" Finally, they calmed down and began to wipe the tears from their eyes.
"Your mother sounds wonderful, Shang. I can't wait to meet her." Mulan assured him with a smile.
Shang exchanged a soft smile back before urging his horse to ride ahead.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was late evening when the couple finally arrived back at their village. Shang escorted Mulan back to her home where the two were immediately greeted by her parents and grandmother, who had been anxiously awaiting their return. It was amazing how close all of them had grown. Shang was no outsider, he was part of their family now, and they treated him as such.
They eagerly invited him inside for tea and a meal, which he couldn't bear to turn down. Through their dinner, they insisted on every last detail of their journey, from every event leading up to the river accident, to whether or not the prince of Qui Gong was handsome (Grandmother Fa's inquiry).
"You've been through quite a lot. I'm glad the two of you are safe." Fa Zhou said gently with a heartfelt smile.
"And I'm glad you weren't married off to some weirdo from another country!" Grandma Fa added.
"Mother!" Fa Li hushed, before regaining her train of thought, "We're so happy to have both of you home." she said, gesturing to Mulan and Shang who smiled at each other.
"And happy that we can now move forward with the ceremonies," Fa Zhou added, raising his teacup to the two of them.
"Speaking of which, Li Shang, when shall we meet with your mother?" Fa Li asked him.
"Yes," Fa Zhou agreed, "we need to plan the events, and negotiate a dowry."
"Of course. How does tomorrow evening sound?"
"It sounds perfect!" Mulan responded, turning to her parents who both nodded in agreement.
"Great!" Shang said, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "I'll let her know."
By the time they finished their meal and wrapped up their goodbyes, it was past midnight. Shang waved to the family a final time before finally taking leave of their estate. As he rode away, he couldn't help but think about how much he loved them, and how different they were from his own family and cloud of family friends. The Fas were so open with their thoughts and opinions, especially Mulan's grandmother. His ring, however, was much more reserved and elegant. Specifically the women. He thought back to all the girls his mother had introduced him to. They were like machines! How they stood there covering their emotions with their fans, batting their eyes, and agreeing with whatever he said in an effort to take his name. He could never have married a girl like that! That's one of the reasons he loved Mulan. She acted like herself around him; she spoke her mind.
When he arrived at his home it was dark and late. He lit the candle left near the front door and made his way to the nearest chair. The long journey had finally caught up with him and all his muscles wanted to collapse at once. About half a minute into his rest he heard footsteps down the hall.
"Shang? Is that you?" a voice called.
He turned his head to see a tall, slender woman holding a candle staring at him from the other side of the room.
Shang immediately smiled at the sight of her and stood up. "Mother!" he said enthusiastically before rushing into an embrace.
Her name was Shu.
She had been the matriarch of the Li family for many years following the death of General Li's mother. She was obsessed with honoring her role to the fullest and doing whatever it took to uplift the Li name. She had become known for her amazing ability to organize gatherings between high ranking military officials, which she did often to aid Shang's father, while always keeping a calm demeanor and looking better than presentable. She was a walking image of stability and order.
"Shang, it's so late! You know I've been worried sick about you for days!" she scolded him.
"I'm sorry, Māmā. I took Mulan home, and got caught at the house of Fa," he explained.
"I see," she responded, stiffening her face.
Shang could sense what was coming and became nervous, but knew he had to speak, "While we're on the subject, they'd like to meet with you tomorrow evening ... to discuss the wedding preparations."
At that, Shu's expression turned from that of disregard to anger.
"I've told you already. I don't bless your relationship with Fa Mulan!"
