Kirin

Chapter 3 The elder

They look at me which is discussed and without saying anything they drag me out towards my bathing area. They have prepared a bath for me though they have not bothered to warm it up so the water is ice cold when they throw me in it. after stripping me of my clothes. They then roughly clean me and watch my hair. After that, they put the new hanfu on me which actually looks like it belongs to a rich young lady. Though it is plain compared to what I have the others of the Wu family wear. Even the blue color of the hanfu looks almost gray. At the same time, they brush my hair and put it up in a simple half bun with a white hairpin. 'It seems that they want me to go somewhere where it would be rude not to dress up, but they only bother to do the bare minimum. Is this one form of bullying? Well if I have to guess that there is either an esteemed guest where it would be considered rude if not every family member greets him or the elder wants to see me.'

Once they are done one of them grabs my hand and drags me toward the intended destination. 'As I thought, the difference between the rest of the residence and my place is like the difference between a normal pebble and a gemstone. It practically screams that they are rich and powerful. I wonder if the Wu family loves to flaunt their wealth and power.' All the servants and family members either ignore my presence or glare at me with disdain. Finally, I arrive at a big black door. The servants open it and push me in and then closes it just as fast. Inside is big and I notice that this place is the great hall as at the back of the room is a sandalwood chair that looks like a throne. On it sits an old man with long gray hair and a beard. His eyes are cold and deep like the ocean. Beside him stands a top-tier servant and he tells me to walk closer. 'That man on the chair is probably Wu Su's grandfather who is not only the only elder of the Wu family but also the family head.'

I do that and then do a courtesy bow that Wu Su has taught me,it is one of the few things she knows how to do. "You may rise." He says sternly and looks at me with a judging look in his eyes. "Do you know why you were punished?" He asks as if he was not expecting me to understand. 'What is he doing bringing that up again when a few weeks have already passed.'

"Because I did as my cousins told me and went somewhere I didn't know I was not allowed to be," I tell him like a clueless child. He looked surprised that I actually answered. "Are you putting all the blame on your cousins?" He asks me sternly.

I pretend to look shocked and say "N... no I am to blame for my ignorance but... is it the same for my cousins?"

He then looks at me in silence for a moment, thinking about something.

"Hm, luckily you did not do any damage to the wind blade fan that I will use as a bargaining chip so I will not punish you too badly." He says and then pauses for a moment.

'How is being whipped to death, not a punishment?'

"In a week, a distinguished guest will arrive and it will be rude if not everyone in the clan shows their face. Even if one of them is a cripple. So I will expect you to be at the welcoming banquet. I expect that you don't cause any trouble. Don't talk to the guest or his friends and dress to the occasion. Normally I would prefer it if you dont attend all together but that is not an option."

'Tch, the one causing trouble are the rest of the clan who bullies Wu Su.' I think while being annoyed though on the outside I look like a naive young child.

"I... I'm sorry but I don't have a dress for the occasion." I stammer pretending to be too nervous. He looks at me and realizes that what I said was true. 'Really, did you forget just how little Wu Su owns? What a nasty grandfather.'

"I will let my most trusted servant get something decent, letting you borrow a dress from one of your cousins will ruin the reputation of the Wu family."