《 | Jade ♢ Lovers | 》

Episode 2 - A kind-hearted tiger...

<One year later>

The chirping of the birds, the sound of the light breeze of wind and the sun rays shining trough the window..

Someone knocks the door to LiFu's room and then there is a voice following: "LiFu? Are you awake? Breakfast is ready, my dear, won't you come down to eat?". It is the voice of her aunt.

Her aunt is the wife of her mother's brother and it seems like she is the daughter of some new appointed minister - that's why they suddenly got rich and are enjoying their "richness". It has been a year since we started living here. Their house has two floors. A very long stair connects the two floors. And they also have a small, yet big garden behind the house. Paintings are hanging everywhere, there are so many so that it looks like an artistic home. It seems like they want to look aristocratic so that no one would guess that they were poor before.

"Yes aunt, I am coming!", LiFu said and slowly gets out of her bed. After changing out of her sleeping gown she goes out of her room. Going down the stairs she sees her mother insisting to help out a servant. "Sister-in-law! You don't need to do those things. You just need to sit down and let them serve you, that is their job. Mind your status - you are in higher class now please don't forget it.", the aunt says while pushing the mother to sit down.

"Servant, status, high class and low class.. is it really important? Isn't it important that we are all human. Why get all high and mighty? I don't understand that aunt.. I guess I won't ever get what she is thinking.." , LiFu thinks while siting down.

A few minutes later, the uncle appairs and everyone starts eating.

As everyone eat their food the mother notices that LiFu doesn't eat anything at all. "I am full now.", LiFu says and gets up. "What manners! Is this the way how a young girl like you should be like?" , the aunt says shockingly, "this won't do.. tomorrow you will start to learn some manners. I will hire you a good teacher."

Without saying anything LiFu turns her back to her aunt and leaves the table. "What does she want from me? Just leave me alone already!", she says to herself while heading back to her room.

She takes out the red jade stone inside a small pocket. "Sister RuoQi.. If I were so lady-like and well-mannered like you, than I think aunt would have liked me more. But I can't help it. That is how I am - I will not change.. well.. not because of that aunt at least." , she thinks while looking at the stone sadly, "How could I lose my jade stone.. I am really helpless.. to lose something important like that - the connection between my dear sister and me! I can't even go out to search for it.. I don't even know where I lost it.", LiFu lets out a big sigh and puts the stone back into her pocket.

After awhile the mother comes into her room. Noticing the depressed daughter she takes out some money. "It seems like we are short on eggs. Can you please go buy some for tonight?", she says while giving her the money.

"Alright mother, I will go now.", LiFu says and prepares to go out. She knows that her mother wanted her to relax a bit because if it's shopping, then the servants would go buy it instead of her. She thanks her mother within her heart and decides that she won't think of anything anymore and goes down the streets.

The streets were busy - as always. "This is the capital. It's totally different than the streets at our small village back there.", just as she thought someone runs into her and she falls down hard.

"Ouch! That hurt!", she gets up und looks behind the man that doesn't even apologise for running into her. She notices that the money and her precious jade stone isn't in her pocket anymore. "My money! My stone!! It must be him! A thief!, she screams while running, "It's a thief! Someone please catch him!".