"Not yet Aunt Helena." Jiangia huffed quietly. "Aren't you nearing the end of your best years, Fa Mulan?"

*Set after Mulan. Zhou's brother visits with his wife and three children. 2 daughters and his son. Jiangia, Mei and Chun. Jiangia and Mulan war over Shang, who is oblivious to the whole thing*

"Mulan, my sweet, could you prepare the guest room for me after breakfast? I'm afraid my back isn't what it used to be," Li exchanged a look with her mother-in-law. "Of course baba, but why today? Shang isn't due for another few days," Her daughter asked over her rice. "Close your mouth whilst you eat, daughter," Li chided. Mulan flushed but continued looking at her dad. "No, not for General Li. For my brother, and your cousins." Li bit her lip, worried at the reaction that would happen. Mulan took a sip of her tea, frowning as she did. "Who, Uncle Yu? With Mei and Chun?" Zhou pointed with his chopsticks. "And Jiangia," Li shut her eyes at the sour face sent by her daughter. "And because of their visit, I'm afraid General Li will either have to house himself elsewhere or delay his visit,"

Mulan waved her hand. "Nah, it's ok. He can bunk with me, in my room." Li choked on her tea. "Absolutely not!" She exclaimed. "Why not, mama? We shared a tent in the Tung Shao Pass!" Li glared. "When you were masquerading as a man, may I add!" Mulan groaned. "I still had the bits of a woman, mother! What does it matter? We aren't sharing a bed!"

"That is enough, both of you." Li looked at the table while Mulan huffed loudly. "If the general has no issue with it, I don't see why not. He is, after all, courting our daughter, Li. Something like that doesn't happen lightly," Zhou cleared his throat pointedly. Li sighed loudly. "Fine, ok. No sleeping in the same bed, no changing in the same room, and certainly no undergarments to be shown, is that clear, daughter?"

Mulan hid her snort over her tea. Her family had yet to find out that she bathed, naked, with other men, including Shang. And she knew what they looked like. Shang had also helped her with her wound and more than once accidentally walked in on her either changing or attempting to dress the wound up. "Crystal," She said instead.

~

"Mulan, when are you in the city next?" Mulan stretched the bedsheet over the last corner with a hum. "A few days, Friday, I think. Why?" She opened the window and pulled back the curtains inhaling the fresh air. "Mei and Chun apparently want to see the city, so you'll meet them there instead. I shall write them now," Mulan bit back her spite. Whilst she loved Mei and Chun, her beautiful younger cousins, and her English aunt Helena, she despised her cousin Jiangia. Jiangia was one year her junior, but twice as horrid. Jiangia is a half-Chinese half-English child, something that she'd always thrown in Mulan's face. "I'm a wealthy bilingual lady, Fa Mulan. You are a farm girl," Was a favourite taunt of hers. "We are both Fa's, Jiangia. Do not disrespect the name," Mulan would snap back.

"I will leave tomorrow morning, baba. Shang and I are going to ride in together, so I will journey to his estate first." Zhou nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Although you saved China, a minor feat, really," He winked, "I do not like you journeying into the city alone. There are still plenty of horrid people out there," Mulan rolled her eyes in jest. "I am aware of the bandit-ridden camps, baba," She hung up one of her old gowns in the wardrobe, a gesture forcefully suggested by her mother. "I am not worried about the bandits, daughter, I know you can take care of yourself with them. I meant the slimy men who will try to wed you or take you for their own,"

Mulan kicked one of Little Brother's balls into the next room, smiling as he tore after it. "I will be fine, baba. I will have Shang with me,"

~

"Hey, can I ask you a favour?" She asked urging Khan into a gentle trot. "Depends on how nice I'm feeling," Shang teased. Mulan threw her apple, not surprised when he caught it smugly. "Funny. My cousins are staying at an Inn about ten minutes away from the capital. Would you mind bringing them to the gates so I can meet them after I've seen the Emperor?" She asked. Shang grimaced. "Sorry, but I can't. I'm only grabbing some bits from the war storage and heading off to Wu Zhong for a while." Mulan grimaced too. "Kill me then?" Shang snorted. "I thought you liked your cousins," He said. "I do," She shrugged. "Just not all of them. I have a slightly younger one, Jiangia. She's the worst," Mulan shook her head, in an effort to somehow clear her head. "Like, to the point where she and Chi Fu would be best friends," Shang gasped dramatically. "How heinous," He chuckled. "But no, sorry. I'm helping train a new captain into training some recruits." Mulan flung her head back, groaning loudly.

~

She'd picked her family up less than twenty minutes ago and already wished she was dead. Her uncle Yu wasn't too bad, though he slept mostly. Her younger cousins, Mei and Chun, had dozed off next to Yu, leaving her in the riveting company of Jiangia and Helena. "Mulan, are you married yet? I do not see a ring on your delicate hand," Helena asked lightly. Mulan sniffed and blinked in disbelief. Perhaps word hadn't reached them of her most recent life event. They did live in England. "Not yet Aunt Helena." Jiangia huffed quietly. "Aren't you nearing the end of your best years, Fa Mulan?" Mulan bit her lip. "No, Fa Jiangia. I am not. And there is a man who I am close with. We just aren't ready for a committed relationship yet." Jiangia scoffed. "It is not up to you. It is up to him," She fluttered her eyelashes. "At least, in the social circles I'm in,"

Mulan sighed silently. It was gonna be a looooong ride.