Yuping County
Magistrate Luo Manor
Ai, Luo Jingfei

In a meadow cover with an earthly green color, a brown hare munched away happily on the dress green grass when suddenly a light shined in it's eyes and it took off running.

It didn't take long before a sharp and fast arrow pierced deeply into it's head and the brown hare laid motionlessly on the floor.

"Jie¹, look you shot it!" A little girls voice screamed from a distance before her little feet took off towards the direction of the dead hare.

The little girl of about seven years old scrunched her face at the sight of the arrow piercing deeply in the hare's head that was now covered with blood.

"Jie, your method is so brutal,tge poor thing" the little girl sympathized with the deceased animal.

The elder girl couldn't help but chuckle as she saw her younger sister's expression. Her cute little face resembling he's when she was younger.

"You silly goose, don't you know this is the best method. Shooting it down like this will make it die faster and feel less pain before it dies" the older girl explained as the younger girl listened seriously.

"First young miss! Third young miss" a lady's voice called from behind.

The elder girl turned around and smiled immediately upon recognizing the lady. It was her mother's handmaid miss dongqing.

"Dongqing, what are you doing here is my mother asking for me?" The older girl asked smiling slightly at the maid who had stopped to catch her breath.

"En, First young miss please bring Third young miss back to the Manor, Eldest young miss has returned home" Dongqing responded after catching her breath.

"Lanfen jiejie is back!" the little girl asked in a cute high-pitched voice.

"Yes Third Miss, the Eldest young miss is back" Dongqing confirmed happily.

"Da jiejie quickly let's go back" the younger girl hurried her elder sister.

"Hao², hao we are going" the elder girl smiled but her eyes held a lot of complicated emotions. She was happy to see her older cousin but the reasons for her cousin's visit made her uncomfortable.

She helped her younger sister onto the back of her Chestnut coloured stallion before climbing on to it's back.

"Dongqing, hurry and climb behind me" she instructed.

The handmaid skillfully climbed behind her and held on tight before the girl cracked her whip and sent the house galloping freely towards the direction of the Manor.

Upon arriving they met an angry looking Madam Luo waiting at the side gate.

"Uh oh, Niang³ looks angry" the little girl said shrinking slightly as the horse came to a stop a few meters from the gate.

"Ehn then you'd better avoid her. Dongqing take Third miss to enter through the front gate" the elder girl instructed as she came down from the horse.

"Yes First miss" the maid replied before galloping away.

"Hey running away ay, just wait till I meet you inside. And you!" Madam Luo started pointing at the older girl who was walking towards her.

"Ai Luo Jingfei can you just look at yourself right now, do you look anything like a contestant for the xiunui selection. Look at you wearing boots and pants and roaming around with leaves stuck in your hair, is this how you're going to behave when you enter the palace" Madam Luo began to lecture and fuss over her daughter picking at her hair as they walked inside.

"Niang! We don't even know if I'll get picked now leave my hair alone" Ai said with a tired sigh as she struggled to escape her mother's fussing.

"Of course you'll be chosen, losing isn't even an option I didn't spend the last five years hiring tutors for all the four arts for you to end up being a failure" Madam Luo said resolutely.

"A process which was probably a waste of time and effort" Ai pointed out.

"Yes you've had a few quirks here and there but you are still an amazing and beautiful young girl, who could resist you" Madam Luo pointed out.

"Really Niang, beautiful, just look at me, is this what you describe as beautiful?" Ai said turning to look at her mother and using her arms to emphasize on herself.

She had a petite pear-shaped figure. She had a beautiful heart shaped face and large round coffee brown eyes, a small nose and full plump lips. She had a light scatter of little golden freckles probably from being in the sun for too long. Her long silky hair was a beautiful honey brown color that had been tied up in a high pony tail.

"I don't know what you're talking about, all I see is a beautiful and smart young lady, you really need to build up your self esteem if you're ever going to get anywhere in the palace. Now go and change, you look like you've bathed in grass and moss all morning" Madam Luo said.

"Urgggh" Ai groaned and quickly went to her room.

After some minutes she arrived at the main hall to find her mother, her little sister and her very pregnant elder cousin Lanfen. Her little sister dongmei hadn't changed her clothes at all and they were smudged with dirt yet no one seems to mind. Ai sighed internally and longed for the days where no one cared what she wore or how messy she looked.

Lanfen's eyes met hers and her face produced a very radiate smile. Obviously pregnancy suited her well.

She quickly went to hug her cousin as the two of them laughed with tears in there eyes.

Pulling back to look at her, Lanfen smiling with a sense of nostalgia.

"Last time I saw you you were just fourteen only reaching to my shoulder and now you're a fully grown woman, you're almost taller than I am. How the time flies, you're even more beautiful than before"

"A'jie stop I'm going to blush, besides I don't look as good as you do. It seems my cousin in-law is really taking care of you well" Ai teased.

Lanfen blushed making Ai laugh while she pinched her and scolded lightly "you naughty brat, you still haven't changed at all" making Ai giggle.

"Da jiejie look, Lanfen jiejie's belly is so huge. She looks like she swallowed a watermelon" the little girl exclaimed happily.

"Dongmei where are your manners, what have you been learning from your teachers all this time" Madam Luo scolded.

"Auntie is alright, besides my belly is really big. It's so heavy my back aches when I stand for too long" Lanfen said smiling happily.

"Aiyoo then what are you doing standing? Quickly sit down! Don't harm your child!" Madam Luo panicked quickly leading her to sit.

"Auntie I'm fine really" Lanfen said but that didn't stop Madam Luo from forcing her into a well cushioned seat making her smile helplessly at her aunt's fussing.

"By the way where's father and cousin in-law" Ai asked scanning the room once more.

"They just left, Uncle took Laoye⁴ to greet some old friends" Lanfen said.

"Don't mind you're father, he has a good son in-law and he can't wait to show off to all he's friends, so childish" Madam Luo snorted making the ladies laugh.

"How are my younger brothers and feifei" Lanfen asked.

"Yunxi and Lixing are still at Leshan academy, we asked for them to be granted a leave so that they can see Ai before she leaves for the capital so you'll be able to see them before you leave. Feiye is in the classroom room with Feifei, where dongmei is supposed to be but for some reason she's roaming around the woods" Madam Luo said looking pointedly at Ai and Dongmei who had suddenly taken interesting in the vase that has been sitting in the room for five years now.

Shaking her head with a defeated expression she turned her attention back to Lanfen.

"How has your mother in-law been treating you recently" Madam Luo asked worriedly.

Lanfen's expression fell before quickly covering it up with a  smile "she's been treating me well, no troubles at all".

But Madam Luo had already seen it. Frowning she turned to the younger girls "the two of you go out, I have something to discuss with your cousin"

"But you'll probably talk to her for the whole day then I won't get a chance to play with Lanfen Jiejie" Dongmei complained pouting her cheery red lips.

"You can talk to her later, besides it's not like you won't sneak into her room at night again like you usually do, now leave" Madam Luo snapped making Dongmei pout her as Ai led her away.

"What talk to her night, A'jie will just send me back to sleep again" Dongmei murmured.

"That's why I'm the elder sister so be born earlier in your next life so that no one can boss you around except mother and father. Now go for your lessons or Tutor Lu will have you facing the wall for the rest of the day" Ai said as Dongmei reluctantly went for her lessons muttering and kicking pebbles on the way making Ai grin at the little miniature version of herself.

Being born in a family of nine, Ai is the oldest of six children. Growing up be like a little mother for her younger siblings. From tending to a wound from a fall to patching up clothes for her younger siblings, she has always been a typical hard working eldest sister.

The only older figures she had other than her parents were her cousin Lanfen and her father's concubine, Yun Lifei.

Lanfen was the only surviving daughter of her late Uncle, the previous patriarch of the Luo family before her father. Her Uncle had been said to be an excellent and talented scholar who had ranked second in the imperial examination and had received a high post in capital not long after passing.

Unfortunately on he's journey to the capital to receive he's appointment letter and resume he's new post, he had been attacked by bandits and had suffered severe injuries. Even after being saved by passersby and rushed to the nearest clinic, he still ended up succumbing to he's injuries and passed away the next day.

He's wife passed away soon after from depression and Lanfen had come to reside in their Manor ever since then.

Lanfen, like her father was a scholarly child who would have her head buried in books from sunrise till sunset and would make no move of even getting up till Madam Luo came dragging her out by the ear and scolding her for not eating her meals on time, or skipping her embroidery lessons.

Still she maintain a good relationship with her cousins always helping them with their homework or covering for them when they missed class, all of them growing up to look up to her and be as perfect and beautiful as their oldest cousin. Her biggest admirer being Ai who would always come to stare at her beautiful calligraphy and whine about how her terrible handwriting would never be able to hold a dust to hers. The two girls grew up being closer than actual blood sisters.

When she was finally getting married, her cousin had cried and begged for her to stay and had absolutely hated her husband for almost half a year for taking her away. Until they saw how much he cherished her and defended her from he's mother's maltreatment had they finally coming to accept him as their eldest cousin in-law.

Now Lanfen was visiting again, but this time it was to take Au to the capital with her for the Xiunui selection.

Looking at the primroses in the garden, she wondered what the future held for her.

_____________________________

Glossary

1. Jie/Jiejie : elder sister

2. Hao : yes

3. Niang : mother

4. Laoye : husband