Chapter 1 : XioayuVillage

Mei Hua yells out as she comes back to consciousness

"Ahh!"

Mei Hua was in an unfamiliar bed in a room she did not recognize. After that, she hears heavy footsteps coming toward the door, and she sees the door open. An old woman with gray hair and glasses adorned in a brown dress walks through the door.

The old woman says with a worried expression

"Are you alright, dear"

Mei Hua says

"I think so, but do you know what happened to my brother."

The old woman says

"I am not. When I found you passed out by the river outside, there was no sign of anyone else."

"Do you know how to get to Fairmeadow from here"

"Fairmeadow, this is the first I've heard of the place; old Yan, the cartographer, may know where Fairmedow is. He lives on the other side of Xioayu village. What's your name, dear?"

Mei Hua replies.

“My name is Mei Hua mam,”

The old woman says.

"Just call me Willow, dear."

Mei Hua says.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Willow."

Willow says to Mei Hua.

"What brings you to our humble village. "

"I was blown into a strange crack in the sky with my brother. We both got separated. I am still determining how I ended up here. I really want to find my brother and bring him home."

"Sounds like a spatial crack to me; you are fortunate to have not been ripped apart by the passing through space. I hope your brother is alive. Can you tell me what he looks like so I can keep an eye out for him?"

He has black hair tied in a bun behind his head and is wearing a blue robe. He is about a foot taller than I am."

"I will keep an eye out for anyone who meets that description, and I will let you know if I find him."

Six months passed by, and Willow took Mei Hua into her home. Willow posted a poster in the village square, so if anyone had seen Mei Li, let her know. But alas, there was no sign of the boy.

Mei Hua walked outside the tiny house she had spent the last few months in toward the heart of Xioayu. She passed by a street vendor who was selling baozi. The scent filled the air with a delicious fragrance. Xioayu is a small farming village with a river cutting the town in half. The village is surrounded by a dense bamboo forest on the south side and dominated by the farms on the north side of town. Mei Hua made her way toward a tower on the north side of town. The tower had a cobblestone path with rose bushes on either side of the path leading up to the tower.

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Mei Hua walks up the path toward the tower, knocks on the door, and says

"Mr Yan, are you home"

Mei Hua hears a series of rapidly approaching footsteps

Old Yan yells in a grumpy voice as he opens the door

"Who is it? What do you want!?"

Mei Hua replies, saying.

"My name is Mei Hua Willow sent me."

Old Yan replies, saying.

"you must be that girl Willow started taking care of; come in."

Mei Hua says as she walks into the tower.

"Do you know where the city of Fairmeadow is, Mr Yan."

Old Yan closes the door and says, as he walks up the stairs toward his study.

"I have never heard of Fairmeadow. Do you know what nation it is in or what continent it is on?"

Mei Hua replies, saying.

"No, I am not sure where Fairmeadow is or what nation it is in."

Mei Hua follows behind him as he enters his study. The study was full of shelves lined with books and scrolls. Yan would look through the various maps he had in his research.

After a few hours, he says to Mei Hua.

"I do not think Fairmeadow is anywhere on this continent or the neighboring continents. You may never be able to get to Fairmedow again in your life."

Mei Hua replies

"I thank you for your help today. Even if I never return home, it is still worth trying. Goodbye, sir."

Mei Hua leaves his tower and returns to Willow's house swiftly. Shortly before arriving, it started to rain heavily on Mei Hua. Mei Hua walked inside. Upon seeing Mei Hua, Willow grabs a towel and starts to dry off Mei Hua.

"You should have brought an umbrella. "

Replies Mei Hua

"I am fine. "

Willow says to Mei Hua.

"Did you find out where Fairmedow is"

Mei Hua

"No."

Willow prepared a soup for Mei Hua. Meanwhile, Mei Hua sat by the fireplace and played the guzheng.

Mei Hua is reminded of the time she spent learning to play the guzheng from her mother.

Mei Hua Softly says to herself.

"Mom, I miss you; I wish our family was back together; I will find a way back to Fairmeadow and bring Lier back home."

Willow calls out to Mei Hua, saying

"Come eat before it gets cold."

Mei Hua breaks out of her self-reflection, saying

"I am on my way."

Mei Hua arrives at the dinner table and eats soup with Willow.

Willow Says to Mei Hua

"Did Old Yan give you any clues as to where Fairmeadow may be

"Fairmeadow is nowhere near where I am now, So I want to focus on finding my brother."

Willow says with a concerned expression on her face.

"I have talked to everyone in Xioayu village, and no one has seen anyone who matches your brother's description. If you were not so young, I would tell you to go to Rainburrow to look for him. But at your age, it is not safe to make the journey, And I am far too old to make the journey, or I would go. So I recommend staying with me until you get a little older."

"Thank you for your hard work. I agree with your assessment and would be honored to stay with you. I just hope I am not too much of a burden."

Willow Replies in a soft voice.

"You are not a burden at all, dear; I love having you stay with me."

4 years passed, and Mei Hua spent the time practicing guzheng, learning how to read and write from Willow, and asking the townsfolk if anyone had seen Mei Li. No one had seen him in town, and the peddlers had not seen him in the neighboring city either. Mei Hua approaches Mrs Willow to talk to her before Mei Hua leaves on her trip.

Mei Hua says to Willow.

" Thank you for your hospitality these past 4 years and for taking care of me after I got separated from my family. I will remember your kindness to me forever."

Willow Replies with a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine; I'm sorry I was not able to reunite you with your brother or help you find Fairmeadow. I hope you all reunite soon."

Mei hua says

"You tried your best to help me find them. Do not feel bad about it. You helped me in so many ways."

Willow Says

"Does this mean that you will leave for Rainburrow now?"

Mei Hua says

"Yes, I have to find my brother as soon as possible."

Willow Hands Mei Hua a pouch containing Gold coins and a Dagger as she says.

"Take this Gold with you to cover your travel expenses, and you will need to take this dagger for protection."

Mei Hua hugs Willow and says to her.

"Thank you for everything. Goodbye."

Willow says to Mei Hua.

"Goodbye, dear."

Mei Hua grabs her guzheng, the dagger and money ouch, a canteen, and a backpack packed with food Willow had packed for her. She sets off toward the city of Rainburrow.