Chapter 1: Girls' Talk
Qingyun's POV
I'm so excited, my Hairpin Ceremony is finally here! In a few moments, I'll be a full-fledged young lady. Isn't it amazing?
It might not be for you but for me, it is, it really is. I've been looking forward to this ceremony ever since I discovered what it means. Hairpin Ceremony is an important part of a girl's life, it marks the end of being a little girl and the beginning of being a young lady, a marriageable young lady.
I'm not the only one excited actually, my mother is too. She's here with me in my room, in the courtyard next to hers, combing my hair while I sit in front of my bronze mirror. She is helping me fix my hair, for the first time into a lady's hairstyle. I think she's more excited than me though, she's literally grinning from ear to ear like she has some incredibly interesting gossip to share with me.
"Mother, what's with that big all-knowing smile? Do you have something you want to say?" I ask her. I know she wants to say something.
She looks at the two maids with us, Ping'er and Xiao'an. I look at them in confusion. They seemed to understand my mother's look, like she talked to them in their minds.
"Mistress, Missy, we're going to the seamstress to get your outfit and see if it needs any alteration." They say at the same time and I just nodded in agreement.
"Mother, you can tell me now." I urged her. She smiles wider than before.
"So, my dear daughter, is everything to your expectations?" Not surprisingly, she sounds very concerned.
I kind of understand her though, I know she loves me very much. Mother got married to my father when she was twenty and that's already considered old. She had 5 sons before she had me when she was already 35, she was almost sure she'll never have a daughter. Then I came along and became everyone's treasure. My family loves me very much, they'd do everything for me, more so my mother. My mother makes sure I am always taken cared of and get everything I want, that's how she loves me.
"Mother, thank you for everything you have done and given to me. I understand you sacrificed a lot for me and my brothers and I really thank you for that. Thank you for all the love, Mother! I want to repay you for all the hardships you endured for me but for now, I'll just add a little bit of hardships and ask you to feed me some more." I giggled to make her laugh.
She did laugh. She even slapped my right arm lightly.
"Qing'er, what's with you making me cry this early? Of course, I'll do anything and everything for you, you are my only daughter after all." She says as she wipes the first tear that escaped her eyes.
"We're going a little bit off-topic aren't we? Tell me, what are you expecting from this ceremony? Who do you think will give you hairpins?" She asks spontaneously as she wiggles her eyebrows at me like a little girl very eager to find out who her best friend's crush is. I can't help but giggle at her extremely girlish ways. My mother is so adorable!
"Mother, I think it's quite obvious? You, father and my brothers will give me one. And my friends too, they'll give me one because they're also excited for me. Even my cousins will give since they have to." I list all of them out happily. "And Brother Zhan too?" I giggled as I added.
My mother raises her eyebrows at me.
"Honey, did you know that when a boy gives a hairpin to a girl on her ceremony, it means he has feelings for her and wants to marry her. And if the girl wears the hairpin, she feels the same."
"Is it really like that, Mother?" I asked her shyly. I can't believe it. I was even expecting to get at least twenty hairpins. I probably sounded like a spoiled princess counting her gifts a while ago.
"Of course! So tell me about your crush now!" My mother gushes like a giddy pre-teen.
Speaking of crushes made me instantly think about my crush; Brother Zhan. Brother Zhan has been my crush ever since I started having crushes, it's not like I have somebody else though. Brother Zhan is the perfect crush, he's handsome, he's smart and very charming.
Although he looks cold on the outside, I know he's a big softy inside. Why do I know that? Because I've known him since I was 6 and he was 12. He's always very considerate to me, even when he doesn't like showing his love to others, only me. I'll gladly go with him through thick and thin, to wherever he wants to go and back. Wait, why do I sound like a terribly head-over-heels wife? I should be!
I've known Brother Zhan Sheng and Brother Zhan Yun for nine years. I first met them when I went with my family to my uncle's mansion for his birthday. I got lost in the garden and I met Brother Sheng and Brother Yun there. At first, I didn't like Brother Sheng because he doesn't listen to me and makes fun of me. Brother Yun on the other hand has been the perfect big brother ever since, he always gives me the best in everything and only smiles at me, at least when I'm around,not that I don't have perfect big brothers.
"Hey! Qing'er! Where's your soul? Why are you suddenly daydreaming? Is it about your crush? You should tell me about him!" Apparently, Mother hasn't given up on that 'topic' yet.
"A-Actually, I have a c-crush, he's been my crush for a l-long time." I admitted shyly. "I think I'm in love with him but I don't think he feels the same because he told me I'm just a sister to him." I added nervously.
"Awww! My poor girl! Don't worry, you're still young. You don't need to wait for him, there's millions of fishes in the big ocean." She comforts me in a very righteous manner.
I really hope she's right. Brother Yun has been my crush for as long as I can remember and I never looked at other boys the same way I looked at him. It will probably be quite difficult for me to move on from him. This is making my head and my heart hurt!
"Dear, you can be with any man you want but, please not the Crown Prince, he's way too high for you to aim. Not even anybody higher than the chief steward in his manor, they are not what they seem from outside. Certainly not for you." She warns me in a suddenly serious tone.
"But Brother Zhan Sheng is the Crown Prince." I whispered with my head down.
"Qingyun, remember my warning, I don't want you to be miserable all your life." She must've misunderstood my reaction.
"Of course, Mother. I know that. It's not like I have feelings for Zhan Sheng anyways." I reply crisply, to clear her doubt.
"You better." She says and rushes to the door. "I'm going to my courtyard to get some more jewels from my dowry. Stay here, don't go out." She adds as she closes the door. I sigh as I turn my head to the mirror.
I hear the door creak. "Mother, I thought you were going to your courtyard?" I ask. "Missy, it's us." I turn around at that and saw Ping'er and Xiao'an come in with different colorful robes in their arms.
"Missy, we heard a little bit of your girls' talk. Don't worry, whatever path you choose, we'll be there with you. We'll be happy when you're happy and miserable when you're miserable." Ping'er states.
"Yeah, because we love you." Xiao'an adds happily.
"Silly! I don't want to be miserable with you, I just want to be happy." I tell them. I'm glad I have them, I love them very much, they are the sisters I never had. They've been with me ever since I learned how to walk and we grew up together. I know they love me a lot too.
"We should stop all this drama, the ceremony will start soon." I chide them. They laugh heartily, how nice. Ping'er arranges all sorts of jewels and flowers on my hair. While Xiao'an holds up the robes for me to choose from.
"You just sit back and relax Missy, we'll make you so beautiful that the fish will stop swimming when they see you and the flowers shy away when you pass by." Xiao'an tells me as Ping'er nods in agreement.
"You don't need to make me beautiful, I'm already the most beautiful!" I flipped my hair at them. Ping'er playfully frowns and Xiao'an follows suit. Oh, these two!
"But Missy, your crush's gonna be there, sitting at the front row. Don't you want to look even more beautiful for him?" I blush at Ping'er's question. Of course I do. He's very handsome so I should be very beautiful too.
"Choose the best ones for me then. Nothing but the best." I demand. They laugh at my sudden change of mind. Right away, they went back to work but much faster this time around.
"I'm willing to suffer for the love of my life...and beauty too!" I resolved making them clutch their stomachs in laughter.
"Hey! I'm serious! And don't pull my hair too tight! Oww!"
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