The sun crawled overhead. She felt the sweat collect on her own brow and wished for a drink. But she did not stir from the bench.
Chen Yong suddenly thrust forward as if to punch Li Rong in the face, but instead he brought a leg up and kicked him square in the chest. Li Rong doubled over with an audible grunt and fell to his knees.
“No, you certainly aren’t six years anymore,” Chen Yong said.
Li Rong squinted up at him. Chen Yong offered his hand a second time. “You’ve improved tremendously. You kept your concentration and cast away your emotions.” The admiration was clear in his voice. Li Rong took his hand this time.
The two brothers bowed low to each other, one hand clasped over a closed fist.
“Thank you, Chen Yong.”
Ai Ling could see the respect Li Rong held for his older brother, even if they teased each other constantly. Li Rong tugged his tunic back on and wiped the sweat from his face with one sleeve. He then disappeared behind the house, where the well and washroom were located, and emerged not long after, looking refreshed, but still a bit flushed.
Li Rong joined her at the stone bench. “May I?”
They both watched Chen Yong go through his forms, bounding into the air with grace and executing kicks and punches that made him look as if he were flying.
“You accompanied Chen Yong to see Master Tan?” Li Rong asked.
“He asked me to.”
He turned and tilted his face. “To be truthful, I’m surprised. He must trust you. It hasn’t been easy for Chen Yong, being half foreign. He’s always on guard.”
Ai Ling recalled the insults and scrutiny he had endured as he searched for Master Tan.
“I urged that I should go with him on this journey. I offered many times, but he refused. He’s so stubborn. He said he had to do this alone. You reached him, somehow.”
Ai Ling’s heart soared, and she furrowed her brow to disguise her pleasure. “Chen Yong told me he was adopted.”
“My parents took him in when my eldest brother, Tian Ren, was just one year. Father insisted. But my mother was always partial to her firstborn and the son of her own blood.” Li Rong sighed, a seriousness passing over his roguish features. “She treated Chen Yong well enough but, in the end, insisted on arranging a marriage between my eldest brother and Chen Yong’s childhood love.”
Ai Ling glanced at Chen Yong, who continued through his forms, oblivious to all else. His face was serene, but she could hear his breath quicken with each movement. Did Chen Yong love this girl still?
“I didn’t know,” she said, her mood heavy now.
“He doesn’t talk about it with anyone. It only made him more withdrawn,” Li Rong said.
“And this childhood love . . . ?” Ai Ling felt compelled to ask. Was she beautiful, accomplished, and elegant? She looked away, trying to mask her interest.
“She loved Chen Yong as well,” Li Rong said.
Of course she did.
“But she was the best match for the family, and Mother made sure that she married Tian Ren—her favorite. No one else had a say in it.” He spoke quietly as he watched his brother. “Chen Yong was devastated. He tried not to let it show. But I know him well enough to know he suffered.”
Ai Ling stared at her hands. “That’s so sad.”
“Ah, who weds for love anyway? We’re bound by what our parents dictate when it comes to marriage.”
Her stomach twisted. “My parents wed out of love,” she said, surprised by her own vehemence.
“That’s a rarity, isn’t it?”
“I don’t understand why it has to be. And Chen Yong is here because his parents were in love.”
Li Rong scuffed the ground with his shoe. “I guess that’s one way of seeing it. But out of love, they only managed to be selfish and create scandal, defying an entire empire for their own desires.” Li Rong looked toward his brother. “Not that I would or could ever imagine life without him. I just wonder what Chen Yong himself would have chosen, if he could.”
Ai Ling also turned her gaze toward Chen Yong. She didn’t have an answer.
Li Rong slapped his thighs with open palms. “I think I’ve lost enough face today. It gives me incentive to practice harder and win back my honor.” He shook his fist in the air, a look of determination on his handsome, boyish face.
Ai Ling laughed, her heart lightening with his good humor.
“Really, I’ve never been able to beat him. No one has. And my father’s family prides itself on its knowledge of shuen. Even my sister was taught from a young age.”
Li Rong turned to his brother and shouted, “Enough showing off for our lovely companion. You’ve made me look bad enough as it is.”
Chen Yong finished with a final leap and kick, twisting around in a complete circle midair, arms flung over his head, fingers splayed wide, weightless before landing on his feet. He pressed his palms together and bowed.
“The mantis takes its prey,” Li Rong said. He saw the confusion on her face and smiled. “It’s the name of that last move.”
Chen Yong also disappeared behind the house, emerging a few moments later. He strode toward them in long easy steps, as if he had not spent the last hour leaping about like a graceful leopard.
“He hasn’t talked your ear off?” Chen Yong asked. “Are you promised yet?”
Li Rong thrust a pretend kick to his brother’s shin. “You need to marry before I do, old brother.”
Chen Yong’s smile dropped, the humor wiped from his face. Li Rong blanched, obviously regretting his jest. He leaped to his feet and slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Next time, I’ll win. Ai Ling is my witness, and I can’t go back on my word to a beautiful woman.”
“Let me know if he bothers you,” Chen Yong said, amusement quirking the corner of his mouth.
But Ai Ling had not missed the pain that had pinched his features. Even if he had hidden the emotion in the span of one breath. He still cared for this girl, his childhood love.
She managed a tight smile and shook her head, hoping her mask was as persuasive as Chen Yong’s.
Li Rong laughed.
“I see you’ve charmed another one, little brother. Impressive.” The midday meal did not disappoint. The steamed silkthread bread was light and slightly sweet. This was paired with cold spiced lotus roots and bean curd mixed with a savory minced pork sauce. She watched the two brothers dig in to the meal, eating voraciously. Ai Ling wasn’t used to competing at the table, but she filled her small porcelain bowl often, for fear the food would disappear.
But they need not have worried, as Rui returned with a second tray laden with filled plates.
“The food is delicious, Rui,” Chen Yong said. “Did Lao Pan prepare this?”
The boy smiled shyly. His skin was dark, making his round eyes seem even brighter. He wore a black square cap on his head, similar to the seer’s. “My grandfather does not have time to prepare meals. I do. I must learn everything as his apprentice.”
Ai Ling clinked the eating sticks against her empty bowl in appreciation, and Chen Yong and Li Rong followed suit. “It was a wonderful meal, Rui,” she said.
Rui bowed low, bobbing his head with obvious pleasure. He retreated back into the house and returned with a tray of fresh-cut starfruit drizzled in honey.
“Are these from your tree?” Ai Ling asked.
“The last offerings of summer.”
She bit into the golden fruit; its five points tinged in green, savoring both the tartness of the fruit and the silken sweetness of the honey.
“I’m going to burst,” Li Rong said as he shoved another piece of starfruit into his mouth. He reclined fully on the bench with a groan, forcing Chen Yong to sidle next to Ai Ling. She was acutely aware of him, thinking of the last time he had touched her and how she had entered his spirit. She edged away, fearing it would happen again.