"Since the death of Li... she's taken on her role," Zhou sighed. "Whether she knows that is beyond me. But...." He gazed into Shang's eyes. "I fear she's in too deep to stop..."

*Set after the events in Mulan. For the point of the story, Mulan & Shang are not dating. The emperor has a task for Shang, Mulan and the famous 3. They go to get her and meet a slight problem: she's not interested*
*she also has a sister: (Jia) Jiang*

Zhou sighed as Mulan bustled around the kitchen. She was wearing her traditional blue hanfu with a dough-stained apron on. "Baba?" She asked, pouring some tea into his cup. "Yes, blossom?" He asked with a smile. The nickname she'd claimed as a young girl usually brought a smile to her face. "Could you get the door? I don't want these to burn, and I need to check on Jia," Zhou raised his eyebrows: he hadn't even heard the door go. "Baba?" She asked again. "Are you ok?" She smiled. Zhou waved her off, "If anyone should worry, it is me, my blossom. I am, after all, your father," He teased. Mulan shook her head with a light chuckle and breezed down the hall.

Zhou let out a puff of air as he opened the door. "Chang?" He blinked in shock. Chang Li... the last thing Zhou knew, Chang had gone off to fight the huns! Whatever was he doing at his house? "Oh, Chang is...uh... was my father. I'm Shang," The young man held his hand out, and Zhou grasped it firmly. "Ah, my mistake. Sorry, my boy, you looked so like your father then," He caught sight of 3 other men behind. "Would you like to come in for some tea? I believe it has just been brewed," He offered. Shang rubbed his neck, "I wouldn't mind... do you have room for 3 others?" Zhou chuckled softly. "Of course, but, I do ask you to remove your shoes before you come in. My daughter will have a field day if you track mud into the house,"

Zhou left the door open and slowly walked to the room at the end of the hall. He knocked on it with his cane. "Jia? My sweet, can I come in?" He asked. "Yes," Her raspy voice called back. Zhou pushed the door back and stepped in. "You look a little brighter, my dear," He smiled. Jia snorted and immediately coughed. Mulan poured some tea down her throat. She gestured with her thumb. "It's because of my sister the hovering bird."

Zhou tapped Mulan's leg with his cane. "Perhaps we can leave Jia to rest for a moment, my dear. You have guests," He said with his "listen to me or I'll get the bamboo stick" voice. Mulan frowned in confusion but stepped out anyway. Zhou nodded to his youngest. "Get some rest, I'll be back in later this afternoon," He smiled. Jia rolled over and fell into a sleep.

Zhou walked into the hallway, almost bumping into his 17-year-old. "Mulan, what are you doing? We have guests!" He reprimanded. "Why is Shang here?" She hissed. Zhou simply shrugged. "I do not know. Perhaps we go and find out?" He prodded her legs with his cane, effectively kicking them into motion. She breezed into the kitchen and poured 5 cups of tea.

Zhou took his usual space at the head of the table. "So... you must be Captain Li Shang?" Zhou asked. The former nodded but didn't break his stare to the kitchen. "Yes, honourable Fa Zhou. These 3 here are of my 4 most trusted soldiers: Ling, Chein-Po and Yao," Zhou nodded to each one and smiled as Mulan handed him a cup of tea. She placed the other 3 cups down and breezed back into the kitchen. "May I inquire as to your visit today, gentlemen?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yes. Um... we have to speak to Mulan... if that is ok with you," Shang answered, finally looking at Zhou. He snorted softly. "Good luck. She's not the same person as she was when you last saw her. I can barely get her to sit down for longer than 10 minutes," Zhou said over his tea. "Mulan, my dear, do come and speak with our guests," He called. "I am baba, I'm just getting the dumplings out,"

"Dumplings?" Ling, the soldier, echoed. "I didn't know she could cook," Yao commented. Zhou chuckled. "Believe it or not, she didn't use to. Before she left, my wife, Li, would prepare the food and drinks," Zhou recalled fondly. "Is she away then sir?" Chien-Po asked. Zhou sighed bitterly. "Unfortunately not," He said. "While Mulan was fighting, Li... she caught a horrid fever," He clenched his teeth. "It took her fast... less than a week," He finished. The table was silent for a moment. "My deepest condolences, sir," Shang spoke. "I know what it is like to lose a loved one,"

For a second, Zhou thought he was speaking of his father, General Li. But his eyes were on his daughter in the kitchen.

"Since the death of Li... she's taken on her role," Zhou sighed. "Whether she knows that is beyond me. But...." He gazed into Shang's eyes. "I fear she's in too deep to stop," Zhou finished. Shang nodded in thought. "But she's a warrior at heart, so the news we have should bring her back... right Shang?" Ling asked with a frown. "News?" Zhou echoed. "Yes... the emperor wishes to speak with her about a new mission. That's why we're here," Shang explained.

Zhou nodded. He smiled as Mulan finally sat down. She nodded her respects to the men at the table. "Captain," She acknowledged. Shang nodded back. "It's Shang. While we're out of rank, it's first name basis. You've earnt that much, Mulan." He smiled. Zhou watched as a faint colouring appeared on his 17-year-old's cheeks.

"I never thought I'd see you in anything other than our training garb, Ping!" Ling teased with a smirk. Zhou frowned with a smile. He watched in shock as Mulan stuck her tongue out. Ling cackled alongside the smaller man with a black eye. "Uh... we were just saying to your father, Mulan," Shang deflected. Zhou watched her turn to face him. "The emperor wants to speak with you about a new mission. We're all going on it," He smiled as he handed her a letter. Zhou watched her eyes flicker through it.

She put it down with a small smile. "Thank you, but no,"