The coming days passed slowly. Mulan attempted to register concern about Shang's mother with her parents, but it was met with a well-meaning dismissal.
It's perfectly normal to feel that way. Leaving the only home you've ever known for another, there's bound to be that thought of unwelcomeness.
Many young brides often struggle with being accepted by their in-laws; you're not alone. Just give it some time, she'll warm up.
Despite all that, there was much to do to keep Mulan occupied and avoid stressing about the matter. It was not long before dowries and betrothal gifts were exchanged and the ceremonies could officially begin.
On the eve of the big day, various preparations were underway, and family members filled the various guest rooms of the Fa house. Most of them were distant aunts, uncles, and cousins invited on a sort of obligation, but there were a few faces here and there that Mulan could match names to. Her father, however, greeted every family with equal delight, despite how close or distant they were, and by some miracle seemed to have each person on a sort of internal catalog, knowing who each and every one of them were along with the names of their spouses and children. It impressed her, to say the least.
Little time was allocated for Mulan and Shang to be together... at least for now. But they did have the rest of their lives for that, she supposed. Mulan spent a majority of her day with her female relatives and various female family friends. These kinds of events made her wish she'd spent more time amassing friends in her youth; most of these girls were strangers to her. Nevertheless, they offered nothing but positivity and support. A small banquet was thrown as the girls threw around jokes and stories while elders offered advice on events to come.
When night was finally upon them, the ladies were dismissed. Mulan's mother and grandmother then led the girl to a bath they had prepared. Her hair was washed and combed through before she was released to bed. This was likely the last night she would spend there.
The morning started peacefully. Mulan awoke early in the morning and was greeted by the serenity of cool air and silence. One that she knew would soon cease as the atmosphere would fill with the heat and sound of their plethora of guests. She looked around for her dragon guardian, hoping she would get to exchange a last goodbye, but he had been absent for a few days; likely to make his peace with the ancestors. It was unfortunate; in a way he was the truest friend she had ever had, and soon he would be out of her life forever...
As she rose, she spotted her mother standing tenderly in the doorway, waiting to guide her. Upon walking towards her, Mulan identified the emotion in her eyes. It was loving, it was joyous, it was proud, and yet at the same time, it was so sad.
"Are you ready?" Fa Li asked her in a whisper.
Mulan met her inquiry with a somber smile, "I think so."
Her mother hugged her and dismissed her to wash for the morning before leading the two of them back to her room where her grandmother was now waiting for her. They also shared an embrace before beginning to help her into her dress.
"Now, just don't overthink it, and you'll be fine," Grandma Fa assured her.
Fa Li nodded in agreement before tending to a matter across the room. Mulan's Grandmother seized the opportunity and pulled the young girl close, "And don't listen to a thing that ol' wind bag has to say!"
Mulan looked at her in a bit of fright and confusion, gesturing to her mother, puzzled.
"Not her!" Grandma Fa clarified, "your soon-to-be husband's jerk of a Ma!"
"Oh," Mulan breathed out a sigh of relief, "I will... I mean I won't!"
The woman put on a light-hearted smile before patting the girl on the shoulder, "You've got this... wouldn't hurt for you to have a lucky cricket right about now, though."
As if on queue, a small cricket ran itself down Mulan's arm and perched itself on her finger to greet her.
Mulan couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the occurrence, "This is Cri Kee," she introduced.
After she was settled in her outfit, a small army of girls entered the room to help her with her makeup, while her grandma and mother styled her hair. With everything essentially being done for her, Mulan just had to focus on relaxing - letting things happen. Don't overthink it. It'll be fine.
Meanwhile, outside of the house, a large gathering had amassed. Firecrackers at the ready, and impatient onlookers filled the estate. For now, all eyes were on Shang. Many members of his own family were there as well. Like Mulan's, they'd arrived in the days before and helped to attend to various matters surrounding the festivities. Once he was given the green light, he'd brave the crowd and retrieve Mulan from her room, but for now he found joy mingling. Ling and Chien-Po in particular had proven to be excellent company. His lack of authority over them in that moment proved especially helpful as they poked fun at every aspect of him and offered him various methods of support; one could assume which of the men did what.
"You look ridiculous!"
"Can I get you some water?"
"You sure Mulan actually said yes? You do know she's too good for you, right?"
"Is the crowd too loud? I can try asking them to settle down."
Shang's mother had decided to stay at home to make sure everything was in order for their arrival. At least that's what she told him. His father would be happy for him right now, he just knew it. How he could use his support right now.
"Hi, Shang!" A little voice screamed out of the crowd.
Shang turned to the sound and found Sha-Ron waving at him with a hoard of smiling girls behind her.
"Hi, little warriors!" Shang greeted them.
This crowd was really Mulan's territory, but he was always happy to talk to the kids.
"This place is loud," one of the kids told him.
"And crowded," the girl behind her squeaked, yanking her leg free from the huge crowd.
"Yeah it is..." Shang tried to respond.
"Is it time to eat yet?" one of the girls interrupted. "Our mom said not to eat any breakfast cause we'd get food here," her twin continued.
"Uh..." Shang brought a hand to his head. He didn't know. And what was he supposed to do about the noise and the crowd?
"Cadets!" Sha-Ron yelled, getting the girls' attention as they all stood still and saluted, "we're 'posed to be guarding this wedding! Not complaining! Back to work!"
Shang looked on in confusion as the girls all let out sighs in disappointment and waved goodbye to him, dispersing into the crowd. What had just happened???
"Sorry, that's the army I told ya 'bout," Sha-Ron explained to him, "they're s'posed to be dis'plined, but they sometimes fall outta line."
Shang let out a forced laugh, still as confused as before. Wasn't she the one that brought them there in the first place?
"Anyways, my mom said I had to give this to you, but I didn't know when, so here!" the girl said as she handed him a hongbao.
"Oh... thanks," Shang said as he timidly took the envelope. It was supposed to be given to him a bit later, but he figured it would be less hectic to hang onto it rather than explain the whole procedure to her.
"We're gonna go back out and work on lesson number 2! Number 1 was good, but we're ready to beat stuff up!" the girl declared before grabbing a stick off the ground and running away with it.
Shang seized the opportunity to exhale as she disappeared into the crowd. He really didn't understand children at all.
Some time had passed when Shang was approached by a tall figure who made his way towards him with the help of a cane. It was Fa Zhou.
"How do you feel, son?" Mulan's father asked him.
The title was extremely comforting to Shang. Fa Zhou by no means had the same demeanor as his dad, but he was incredibly loving and sincere. With his own father absent, there was no person on Earth he could fathom who could possibly better fill the position.
"I think I'm doing well... I'm ready."
"Good. Good."
The two stood together for a moment, just taking in the view. The decorations. All the people who had come together for this day. It was beautiful.
"It's time, Li Shang," he declared, turning to Shang with a loving smile, "take care of her. She's a good girl."
"I know," Shang said, going down in a small bow, "I promise, I will."
He finally began to make his way towards the house as the crowd cheered him on. After going through various obstacles and handing out his own hongbaos to the members of the bridal party, he arrived at Mulan's door. Inside he found her sitting on her bed, patiently awaiting his arrival. He knelt to greet her and the two of them exchanged a smile and a hug before he took her by the hand and led her out of the room.
Walking back through the house, all that could be heard was clapping and cheers of joy and support. The couple reconveined with Mulan's family to complete the first tea ceremony. The couple poured the cups and served Mulan's grandmother and parents with the utmost amount of care. The motion made Mulan extremely anxious, seeing how she'd struggled to do this properly in the past, but it went down without a sinch. Before long, it was complete.
Mulan's family pulled her aside to get some time alone. The motion allowed the weight of the situation to fully dawn on her. She was leaving her home; her family. Her entire life was changing today. The moment they were away from the crowd and behind closed doors, Mulan allowed her facade to fade and she broke down and began to cry into her mother's arms.
"Oh... no, no, no, no, no," Fa Li cooed as she hugged her daughter and stroked her head, "it's okay. You're okay."
"I'm going to miss you so much," Mulan said raspily, out of breath, "all of you. What am I going to do without you?"
Fa Zhou and her grandmother joined the hug as well.
"Change is good. It's a part of life," her father told her, lovingly holding her tighter, "and it's perfectly normal to be sad about it; that's your right as a person, but don't spend too long dwelling on the sadness. You'll miss opportunities to form even happier memories."
"And we're not going anywhere," Grandma Fa assured her, "we're just a horse ride away. If you ever need us, we'll be right here."
Mulan pulled away from the hug and wiped her eyes, "I love you all so much..."
"We love you too, dear. More than you could possibly imagine," Fa Li said as she extended an arm to graze her daughter's cheek, "and you'll be back here tomorrow, don't forget. You have nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, you're right," Mulan told them as she tried to calm herself down, "thank you."
As she started away, her skirt was pulled back by a frantic Little Brother. Mulan noticed the dog, and immediately fell to the ground to embrace him.
After affection was exchanged, she lightly stroked his head, "I'll be back tomorrow boy, I promise."
After giving the puppy a light kiss, she picked herself up and returned to Shang. The two interlocked hands once again as her family gave them their wedding gifts; boxes that were likely filled with gold and jewelry to help them begin their new life.
The couple made their way through the house, being cheered on as they went. Various people handed them hongbaos, while others reached out for contact. Once they were outside, a path was cleared for them, and as they walked down firecrackers went off behind them. It was a full blown celebration that left the two with little to do but smile and laugh along with ceremonial gestures being performed.
At the end of the path, a carriage drawn by both Mulan and Shang's horses awaited them. Turning back to the guests, the couple waved before entering the structure together. It would lead them to Shang's home and all the guests would follow. It also marked one of the first times the two of them had gotten a chance to be alone that day. The two seized the chance to relax a bit and breathe as the carriage began to move.
"How are you doing?" Shang asked, shifting his weight onto one arm to face Mulan.
"Tired," Mulan sighed, turning to face him as well, "but good. You?"
"I'm doing alright. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be."
"Mmmm," Mulan smiled before addressing him again, "how's your mother doing?"
"As good as you'd expect," Shang shrugged off.
Mulan frowned and looked away from him. This was because of her last meeting with Shu...
"Hey, it's not your fault," Shang tried to assure her, "you didn't know I hadn't told my mother what had happened in Qui Gong. It's my fault, I shouldn't have kept it from her. Secrets lead to nothing but problems."
The sentiment he had used to try and make her feel better made the sharp pain of her guilt worse. She was keeping a secret from him. A stupid secret, at that! It didn't need to be this way! She wanted them to be able to trust one another. This was the first day of the rest of their lives!
"Shang, I..." she started to say when she was interrupted by the carriage coming to a halt.
They had arrived.
Shang took Mulan by the hand and helped her out of the carriage. Behind them was the crowd of guests that had followed, and in front of them stood none other than Shang's mother, Shu; her hands folded behind her back and a stern look on her face as usual. The couple greeted her and were led inside along with the crowd.
The tea ceremony was performed once again, this time for the Li family; it's small size made it much easier, but Shu's presence was still haunting to Mulan. Fortunately, it was completed without incident, and the most daunting of ceremonial tasks were now behind them.
A giant feast was held for all the guests, and things took on a more casual and festive tone. Kids were fed and played out in the courtyard while adults helped themselves to food and wine. Mulan and Shang were taken to the bridal chamber where close members of their party did everything possible to disturb them: knock on the door, tap the window, pretend to start a fight outside, or just randomly scream.
It was mostly Ling.
After some time, things seemed to settle down and the two got a genuine chance to talk to one another. Mulan knew what she needed to do.
"Shang, I need to tell you something," Mulan finally admitted with an urgent tone.
"What's wrong?" Shang asked her worriedly.
"Shang..." Mulan bit her thumb before pushing past her fears and speaking, "Shang I lied to you!"
"What do you mean?"
"That hongbao you saw in my room last week; it was from Mei! She was here! I just didn't tell you!"
Shang just stared at her, unsure of what to say.
"I didn't want to lie to you! I just didn't want to hurt Mei and Yao... and I didn't want you to leave! I was afraid if you knew, you'd go out to find them. I'm sorry. It was dumb and it was wrong," at this point there were tears forming in her eyes, "I tried to tell you the truth, but then the whole thing with your mother happened... and... and I'm just so sorry! I Should've never lied. I shouldn't be keeping any secrets from you!"
Mulan's face was now buried in her hands and her legs folded in front of her.
"Hey," Shang said as he moved closer to her and tried to calm her down, "it's alright. I'm not mad."
"You're not?"
"Well, I'm not happy that you lied to me, but I'm glad that you went out to make it right," he explained, "honestly, I'd actually spent some time thinking about what you had said... about this being Mei and Yao's choice, and I realized that you were right. They made their decision, and as their friends, we needed to respect that."
Mulan looked up at him and started to smile, her eyes still shining from her burst of emotion, "...Shang," she managed to get out before pulling him into a hug, "thank you."
Once they pulled away from one another, there was a sense of relief and calm all around them; like they could say anything to one another now.
"So, as long as we're on the topic of not keeping secrets, is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" Shang asked her.
"Well... uh..." Mulan began, bringing herself back to a normal sitting position and placing her hands on her knees, "...tomorrow when we go back to my house, I have every intention of kidnapping Little Brother and bringing him back here to live with us."
Shang took a second to process what she had said before laughing, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
With that, they had a feeling everything would turn out just fine.