Eternally Ambitious Wangfei

Chapter 43: Dancing under the Heavens

Mingxia Jie wasn't one to hold grudges, but Bai's behavior was far from where she demanded respect. Out of her heart, she felt annoyance and pity for  Bai although she would never express it in his lifetime. Mingxia walked past the permafrost that had grown into the ground from Bai's cold rage, forever damaging the tree that sat above it. The weather was cold and bitter and the Velvet Piano was in similarly a deafening silence as the wind whipped the blossom trees around. There was no merriment or joy that was felt, one the quiet suffering of comrades. The atmosphere was suffocating and Mingxia Jie found no solace in such a place retiring quickly to her room. 

The next morning nothing had changed. The mood was still a quiet one and no one had said nothing except plan the burial for their fallen comrade. No revenge was plotted. Everyone knew the risks of the job yet each time they lost a friend, they lost family. All for the cause for something greater than the extra pennies of wealth they earned. Mingxia Jie dined quickly that morning and left as soon as daylight had graced the kingdom she currently resided in. She strolled the streets of Jiang. Her steps led her in no particular direction since she had not had the chance to wonder about. Her feet dragged her to a music store. A small smile blessed her face at the thought of expressing her emotions without the need to explain them to others. She entered the store unaware of Bai following behind her. Bai had no regret for his actions towards Mingxia Jie the previous day but felt a nagging sense of betrayal in his actions. He was curious as to why he had followed her and discussed with himself his actions. Voicing aloud his questions:

-"Why am I following her? There's no reason, but yet-- I feel conflicted in leaving her alone. I'm curious, but this is also really creepy. Would she think of me as a creep then?"

Such thoughts plagued Bai's mind as he continued to stalk her. However inside the shop was a different matter altogether. Mingxia Jie was not plagued by thoughts of Bai but rather thought of her husband. She had not thought of him in all her journey. She did not fret about whether he had taken a concubine, but rather if he snuck into her rooms and was searching for the reason why she was trying to be kidnapped. Bai had not explained it either. She had a feeling Bai was close by, because of the collar but was unaware of where he currently was. Shrugging her shoulders she believed that such thoughts would bring her headaches and make her age faster. At the forefront of her mind, she now wondered what type of instrument she would buy. A guzheng seemed like a good idea since the tune played nicely, and she didn't want to buy anything too expensive to show off her wealth.

  Having bought the guzheng with little to no problem, she started to leave the store. Aware of her actions and her uniqueness in an area where everyone had blue eyes and darker skin than her earned her a few weird looks here and there, but there was nothing to do about it except continuing on her path away from the gleaming inner city. After crossing where the Velvet Piano existed, her feet walked on dirt paths instead of stone paths. The housing situation became poorer, and death started to reek where she passed by. She did not feel empathy for these people, but a certain part of her was upset at how easily the women gave up and lulled themselves into their state of being.

As Mingxia Jie continued down the dirt path did she realize that it only got worse. The people tethered to their spot as illness and death surrounded them. The dulled out colors of their clothing hanging loosely around their frames and the dirty black and brown homes teetered in the wind, sometimes collapsing in on themselves as though whining their fates. Mingxia Jie walked aimlessly around hearing the desperate cries of the poor and hungry, yet not weighed down by their sorrow. She knew she could do nothing for the people here because the people were not the problem, but rather the system that did not support them at all. Mingxia Jie was aware that for decency to occur, bloodshed and the cries for revolution would have to echo through Jiang. 

Pushing back such traitorous thoughts in her head, she realized that she had discovered what looked to be like a small orphanage. Now she wasn't big on children, but she found that the area she was in had a large square where not a soul could be seen, except for a rundown fountain. She placed the guzheng down in front of the destroyed fountain and sat down in the dirt. She didn't mind since she used to roll around in the dirt when she was younger and the clothes on her back weren't hers anyway. A tune started to play through the empty and dull square, one filled with bitterness and loneliness. It started attracting attention. Children from the rundown orphanage got curious and peeked outside to see Mingxia Jie playing the guzheng, the whispers of the children didn't enter Mingxia Jie's ears, as she was fully concentrated on the music she played. 

Her thoughts diluted into the music and played for the listening ears in dull rags. As the song ended, she felt eyes on her, but no one made a move towards her. She was about to pick everything up but heard a childish voice.

-" Oi. Can you play another song?"

Mingxia Jie raised her eyebrow looking for where the child's voice came from. Her eyes found the small head of a boy coming from the run-down orphanage. She sighed and started to pluck another song impromptu. She heard a small thanks and a few gasps and sighs from the change in tune and speed. The melody lept from her fingers and danced around before wisping away into the sky. The small child brought out a small girl and they started to dance oddly to the music. A few more appeared following their lead and bits and pieces of laughter rang out. More people started to peek out from their homes. Some brought other instruments to accompany the guzheng including an old bamboo flute from an old man nearby. The mood was pleasant and continued on as such. Nothing had ruined that evening as everyone danced under the heavens even during such a terrible time.  

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OMG--- I"m so sorry! I legit haven't posted for almost a whole year since my last post! Truth be told I was writing up a new story since I had gotten writer's block for this one. My new posting schedule for the next few weeks is gonna be wack, so hopefully, love you'll stick with me and like the continuation of this story.

-V