I Know You (1)

Waking up again, her sisters and her prepared getting their men uniform out. Prince Hui Ru left the brothel in the morning drunk. Ning Jin was working with Bao Siyu, he knew though about Bao Siyu and his brothers. He wanted the mine that had silver and gold. He was only working with them to get the mine as his. He would only get half of it but Huai Li Qi couldn't trust such a man. She knew men like him would not keep up to their words.

"Young fellow! You and your brothers... have a fine business! I'll be looking forward to coming here again!" He said in a drunk tone. Prince Hui Ru went wobbling into the carriage leaving.

"Please do come again!" Weng Yan Mei said to him as he was gone from there. The girls sighed with how they were exhausted. "That bastard! He kept going on and on about how he was lucky to be born in royalty! He kept bragging about how he had such great fun with servants and beautiful woman!" Weng Yan Mei was angry, she had to hold in her anger to avoid punching him.

"He was such an a**! I hope that he will be flogged until he bleeds!" Kei Ren said. Seeing how both of her little sisters were filled with anger. Hao Fang just kept looking at Kei Ren, he smiled seeing how she kept her feelings true. Kei Ren looked to Hao Fang she gave a smile to him. His heart jumped a little again as he turned away. He Hung noticed wrapping his arm around Hao Fang, they went off to talk secretly.

Huai Li Qi smiled rubbing both of their cheeks. She was saying, "It's okay. He will be punished soon and given the correct punishment to be held with. Let us see him suffer very soon." They smiled to her nodding in response.

Days passed, Prince Hui Ru had been visiting the place more often as they would listen close to what they could use against him.

They all got up, Bao Siyu was with the lead woman as they were all being given assignments to find a source to use against Prince Hui Ru. "You girls all heard it right?"

"Yes." They all responded.

Huai Li Qi was waiting outside for Bao Siyu, waiting she then saw him talking with a courtesan. She hid near the corner watching them.

"Siyu, will you not let me in that hard shell? I've known you since you were a young bandit." The courtesan said to him. Huai Li Qi knew the courtesan since she had begged Bao Siyu to let her work in their brothel.

"Chun Hua, I've only ever seen you as a sister to me. My heart belongs to another woman though. I cannot be any more than a brother to you."

"Have you ever loved me once and thought of me more than a sister?" She asked him. He only looked to her seriously and more coldly.

"No, I've only seen you as a sister." He told her straight up.

"What about those times we've hugged, petting my head, and helping me back on my feet." She expressed to him.

Huai Li Qi was now in thoughts maybe he was treating her as a sister but not being sincere. She didn't want to be misunderstood. Clutching her fist to her chest she saw the courtesan walking off angrily gathering all her things rushing out of the brothel.

Huai Li Qi saw her leave, she had climbed onto the roof of the brothel. 'What if he didn't really mean anything at all. He probably felt just really bad for me?' Her mind was in a lot of thoughts she started to feel troubled and flustered.

It started to rain, looking up to the sky. Feeling her eyes tear up, she didn't want to cry but there was no such things as no tears.

_____

"Older sister!" Weng Yan Mei were running around calling for their sister.

"Older sister! Where are you!?" Kei Ren was in tears now as she didn't want her sister gone for long. They were a family and they never leave each other alone.

"What's going on!?" Bao Siyu and his two brothers with him walked alongside with him.

"Sister Li Qi hasn't come back yet! It's raining outside and we can't find her anywhere." Weng Yan Mei was crying now. Bao Siyu was worried, he turned around as his two brothers jumped back hitting the floor with a scream seeing Huai Li Qi when thunder popped also. Huai Li Qi was looking at all of them as she smiled. Soaked in rain water, she felt her head become dizzy. Fainting as Bao Siyu caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Hey! Li Qi!" He called her, rushing her to her room.

"Yong Zheng get over here!" He called to him. Xuan Yong Zheng in his priest clothes rushed over.

Checking her, she was still drenched in rain water. "She needs to be changed out of her clothes. It's not healthy for her to remain in soak clothes." He said as her two sisters kicked the guys out.

"We'll be on it." They both said starting to change her out of her soaked clothes.

Letting them back in, Xuan Yong Zheng checked on her. "She has a fever. It's going to take awhile for her to recover but she has to be sure to eat simple food for the time being. Just make sure that she isn't going out for awhile. Her body seems oddly weak." He said as they all nodded to understand.

"Why was older sister in the rain?" Kei Ren asked. She was wiping Huai Li Qi's sweaty head.

"Why was sister in the rain? She usually never stays out in a weather like this." Weng Yan Mei included. They looked to their sister. Bao Siyu then grabbed both of them pushing them out along with his brothers.

"I'll take care of her. You four go and keep Prince Ru company when he arrives." He told them off shutting the doors.

Going over to Huai Li Qi he held her hand looking to her. "Little Lotus, you cannot get away from me. You always disappear because it's always a problem that I did. I will find out eventually what it is. I will not let you keep a secret from me. I know you." Kissing her hand, he saw her sweating plenty.