Chapter 130: Back to a brighter time (I) + (II) + (III)
Li Hua slowly felt reality started to shift. Though the fuzzy blue-white glow of the hospital fluorescence, a warmer yellow of sunshine started to break through. Soon the brilliant warmth broke through and replaced the false light, shining brightly down onto her face.
The sudden change in light was blinding and LiHua had to bring her hand to her eyes. Lifting it though Lihua was astonished to see her skin looking young and as fresh as when she was a teenager. Bringing it down, LiHua it in amazement unsure if what she was seeing was real.
Bringing her other hand up she felt that over her shoulder, her hair lay in two long braids. Looking down and around LiHua realized she was standing before her parent's old store.
Rushing into her parents store Lihua for the first piece of reflective metal or mirror that she could find. When she did, she was astonished to see that she was only about 18 or 19 years old. Right around when she had met Hénri.
"Miss Yan." As she was touching and staring at her reflection in wonderment, a voice she was oh so achingly familiar with her came from behind.
Her heart beating wildly LiHua turned to see the tall figure with the sun shining through his reddish-brown hair.
Hénri Alexander Dumont stood there in a formal navy blue suit holding a bouquet of white lilies, her favorite. He stood there looking nervous, his deep blue eyes staring at her intently.
LiHua felt her cheeks flush as her heart went crazy, that was how he had appeared when he had proposed to her.
After their first awkward meeting Hénri had started to frequent their shop more and more often. At first she had thought he was a pest, and chased him out more than a few times with her broom or words.
Over weeks though she would find her eyes were sometimes lingering on his tall broad-shouldered figure, or her thoughts would linger on him late at night before she'd go to bed.
Her parents had become angry about the large foreigner who kept coming around the shop and scolded her to keep away from him. When she tried to speak up for the soft-spoken large awkward man LiHua received a slap to the face from her mother for talking back.
It wasn't even close to her first time being struck by them, but it had stung like a thorn in her heart. Holding her face, Li Hua had ran out of the shop in tears, ignoring their shouts for her to return immediately.
Dodging through the people in the crowded streets LiHua had run aimlessly, not knowing where to go. Eventually she made it to a relatively less crowded area, not knowing what to do or where to go, LiHua had just held her face in her hands and cried alone. People passing by had given her weird looks and scoffs as she stood there alone on the street corner sobbing.
As she had stood there, she thought she heard a voice call her name. LiHua looked up briefly with her tear stained face to see the young man standing across the street from her with a shocked look on his face.
Dodging cars, apologizing to the one he had made slam on their brakes, he crossed the street against the light to get to her.
LiHua was stunned by his sudden appearance, but had been embarrassed having been caught crying. Seeing him rushing up to her with an anxious look on his face LiHua immediately had tried to leave. Before she could get away Hénri had grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her into a hug, causing her to stiffen up.
Growing up LiHua could count on one hand the number of times she had been held, and as such was very unfamiliar with the feeling. Hénri had apologized seeing her reaction. Holding her he had told her it had looked like she looked like she needed a shoulder to cry on, and if she needed it, he would do that for her.
The words and the feeling from being held had melted her resistance and she grabbed the sides of his shirt letting it all out. He held her patiently letting her cry as long as she needed, which had been a lot more than she had ever thought possible.
After the two had walked down to the pier together and sat there until sunset. As they sat throwing bits of bread to the birds the two had talked. On the way back to her house Hénri bought a cold pack for her face, as well as some food for the two of them.
That day she finally learned and remembered his name, Hénri Alexander Dumont. He had told it to her before, but she hadn't ever really cared before then. He was a 21 year old French man who had recently moved to the area after serving in the armed forces.
He'd left his home behind to make a fresh start for himself out from the large shadow of his father. Eventually he asked her more about her home life and the mark on her face. Lihua never spoke about it to another person but when she had looked into his earnest blue eyes, she had found herself wanting to share everything with him, both what was beautiful and ugly.
Hénri had been saddened when he heard about her home life. LiHua herself had never felt sorrow over the matter, it just was, but seeing how much he argued for her, it touched her and she felt just a twinge.
LiHua was born the third of four children. Her two older sisters had been beloved, by her parents and had married well to respectable families in their neighborhood.
LiHua had a younger brother who was quite a few years younger than her, who was the apple of her parents eyes. Once he had been born, Li Hua had become less than useless, merely another mouth to feed. The only worth she had carried within their home was as a pair of hands to help with the shop.
"You are worth far more than that!" Hénri Dumont had looked her seriously in her eyes when she told him. After they had talked for a little while longer, he had walked by her side, ensuring that he got her back home safely as twilight came over them.
Once she was safely home Hénri jad left to go back to where he lived. Before going inside to face her parents wrath, Li Hua had stopped and watched his large figure as he had walked away. Before he had made it ten steps Hénri stopped and looked back. Seeing her still standing there watching him surprise had been written all over his face.
Hurrying back to where she stood Henri had bent and stole a quick kiss from her. Shocked she could only stand there staring wide eyed with a hand over her mouth. After his bold actions Hénri Dumont had blushed and stood there akwardly scratching the back of his head.
"Sorry, I had to, I knew I would regret it if I didn't do it. Have a good night Miss Yan!" As he spoke he had awkwardly retreated before running away.
After that night, he started coming to the shop almost everyday with flowers for her. A different kind everytime, until he brought in a beautiful bouquet of scented lilies.
LiHua couldn't help exclaiming then, and rushing up to smell them. They were some of the most enchanting pink ones she had ever seen before. As she happily chatted with him, looking up to his face, her mother came down to the store from the house at the sound of the commotion.
Shu Yan had berated Hénri endlessly when he tried to explain his intentions of courting her. No matter how the older woman yelled at him Hénri had stood his ground, refusing to stop. When screaming and yelling didn't drive him out she took her yard stick and began to hit him. After taking several hits, still trying to explain himself he had looked to Li Hua. Taking her hand he promised he would return before leaving the store before casting a rueful look at her mother.
Ripping the bouquet from her hand, her mother trashed the lilies and berated her. After having satisfied her anger Shu Yan counseled her daughter, telling her not to get mixed up in something foolish.
LiHua had promised her mother she wouldn't, but once Shu Yan left, she had picked her lilies from him out the trash, and gave them a deep whiff, savoring the feeling in her heart.
Hénri Alexander Dumont didn't come back for almost a month. While he was away Lihua had felt a little listless and disappointed.
During that time, she made more than a few mistakes, incurring her parent's wrath. As she had been standing at the counter, her face sunk into her arms, trying to get through another day she heard her name in a deep bass voice.
There he had stood in a nicely cut blue suit, holding a bouquet of white lilies and a small box. Standing before her with a smile Henri had apologized for all the time he had been away.
Though the second he had been there, LiHua hadn't cared anymore about that, but she still cried and complained about his sudden and prolonged absence.
"Then I promise to never do that again. Li Hua Yan would you do me the honors by marrying me." As he had said that, Hénri handed her the bouquet and got down on one knee. Clutching the flowers tightly she watched with her heart pounding as he had opened the small box containing a ring. His hands visibly shaking a little he looked her in her eyes.
"I am a bit of a fool, and I can't cook to save my life, unless it's charcoal. I'm not very eloquent or svelte despite my upbringing. Neither am I the most handsome man you would probably ever meet. I have managed to save a little though, so I'm not a complete penniless fool.
"I may have many faults, but I also truly and deeply care about you. If you wanted it, I would give you the world, starting with mine, and my heart.
"Would you marry me LiHua?"
She had been choked up at the time and had only been able to nod in tears, while he put the ring on her finger. Hearing the two her mother had come down and erupted at the two of them. LiHua immediately spoke back to her mother proclaiming she was going to marry him, unafraid.
"If you leave now and marry him don't ever bother coming back. Now don't be unreasonable, come inside now and we will talk with your father about finding you a suitable husband. If you leave now you will regret it."
LiHua had been heartbroken by her mother's ultimatum but she still chose to go with him. The two had left hand and hand with and with him she found her life's greatest joy.
Looking at his younger 22 year old self standing in the sunshine before her, LiHua couldn't help but break into a beaming grin, as a couple of tears leaked from the corner of her eyes.
"You're back. I thought you promised me that you wouldn't ever leave without saying anything again."
"I'm sorry, I promise you that it won't ever happen again."
"You promise?"
His blue eyes shined sincerely as he looked down on her. "Of course. Will you come with me now, LiHua? Would you do me the honors of becoming my wife again?"
LiHua smiled through her tears and thought of their beautiful, but simple wedding in a park by a lake.
Decorating their home together, that he had bought with the last of his savings.
Their small honeymoon down to Pismo Beach where she had lost both her shoes to the ocean and almost her husband to a sleeper wave.
Laying in his arms at night, staring at the stars as they stroked her huge pregnant belly trying to come up with names for their first child.
Holding Chang in her arms for the first time after a long and difficult birth, and how had he cried more than she did, when her tiny fingers had curled around one of his.
Taking Chang to school together for her first day, each holding onto one of her tiny hands as they swung her into the air.
Dancing through the night as he held her in his arms, with her head pressed against his chest.
"Nothing would make her happier than to do it again with you." Taking his hand, LiHua Dumont walked with Hénri in to the bright sunshine of their future and past.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Kayalicia
Kayalicia Gah, all these chapters about Li Hua are making my heart bleed just a little. How can I be crying so much and smiling while typing this. (T - T)
Read this chapter while listening to unchained melody by the righteous brothers~
Chapter 131: Ashes
Liang Jian Amal exhaled a cloud of smoke as he watched a few of the guards wash away some of the last of the blood in the square.
Even though it had broken his Jid's heart, he sentenced his eldest son Mamud Ilyas al-Hassan to death by a firing squad for the thousands of lives he destroyed, through the attempted coup and the human trafficking ring he managed.
While Hakim al-Hassan passed the sentence down, he was unable to view the process himself, and so Liang Jian Amal attended the execution as representation. This had been one of the last things that had needed to be taken care of, now that it was over he could finally attend to his needs.
He put out the cigarette against his heel and left to return to the palace and grab a few things before leaving.
In the front courtyard there was a bit of commotion surrounding two figures in the gateway. His brow wrinkled as he nudged the horse to go a little faster to see what was going on.
Once he was close enough to recognize the figures he was surprised. Liang Jian Amal was completely shocked to see the small woman standing in the gateway, absolutely filthy and covered in cuts and bruises. She had a wild look in her eyes and was completely disheveled, in complete contrast to usual calm collected self. By her feet kneeled an even worse looking man with his arms and hands tied behind his back.
"Hao Jin Ying? Why are you here, I thought you left with-" He stopped himself before saying 'my wife,' his heart dropping and changed it to "Chang. Where have you been for the last 8 weeks? "
"Chairman Liang left me in a bit of a difficult position after he took LiHua and Chang. He came here with armed men, and forcibly took her and then tried to silence me."
"Tch, it's time I defanged that old snake, I'll have to take care of that first.." Liang Jian Amal muttered darkly. "I am glad you are safe, I will see justice for what was done. I was actually about to leave to go to the US, but it looks like there is something I need to settle first in Shanghai. I know you've been through a lot, I can see this but will you come with me?"
"If you don't mind, I am in desperate need of a bath. I brought you a present I'm sure he'll have some interesting things to tell you sir, he and his comrades did for me. Please enjoy my gift while I make myself feel human again." Hao Jin Ying left no room for argument as she headed inside leaving the bound man kneeling in front of Liang Jian Amal.
----
Chang left the crematorium in a cab after listlessly filling out what seemed like endless amounts of paperwork. The nurses gave her several pamphlets for counseling and aid that she left behind, looking at the words only seemed to make the stabbing sensation in her heart feel worse.
In the end all she left with were a mountain of bills that would be mailed to her later, her mother's words which remained unread as if it could change the reality, and a small cold metal urn.
As she rode in silence, she kept her head pressed against the window, trying not to think about the now empty home. As the pain festered she pressed her mother's ashes tightly against her chest, desperately trying to subdue the feeling of drowning in air.
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