Chu Pian Ran's
Episode 101 The Sad Story of Xhi Wan Mei
Two weeks before the lantern/lampion festival is held once a year, many residents of the capital prepare themselves by making or ordering lanterns with various shapes and colors.
As in previous years, with every lantern celebration, all residents of the capital would welcome him with great enthusiasm, including members of the Lee family.
Especially for this year's lantern festival, Lee Jiang Wook deliberately made a lantern for his favorite daughter.
Since the young man had gained knowledge of the techniques for making lanterns, the young father ordered a servant to prepare the materials needed to make the lanterns.
So, during this one week Lee Jiang Wook was seen busy making lanterns near the pond in the afternoon before dinner time arrived.
"Well, that's pa?" asked Lee Chu Mian Yin's tiny lips one afternoon when the little girl was taken for a walk around the residence by her mother.
"Father is making lanterns or lanterns dear... Later if it is ready, this lantern is for Yin Er..," said his father while turning to his little daughter.
"Yon?" continued the little girl with her eyes constantly staring at the things her father was working on.
"Yes, lanterns or lanterns" his father replies, repeating the word 'lanterns and lanterns' with a clearer pronunciation than the first for his daughter to understand.
"Why not just buy my husband, instead of bothering to make it yourself..," said Chu Pian Ran who sat next to her husband.
"I did deliberately want to make one lantern for Yin Er, so that later if the lantern festival had passed, this lantern could still be used for him. After all, the lanterns that are sold are often easily damaged because they are done in a hurry," explained her husband while his hands still continue to make lanterns.
Young mistress Lee confirmed the reason for her husband, finally the beautiful woman did not bring up the problem earlier.
Before long, Lee Chu Mian Yin's eyes accidentally saw a frog that was sitting by the pond. A few seconds later, the little girl stepped on her legs and squatted down near the frog.
The eyes of his mother who witnessed his daughter's behavior were watching from his seat.
"No, you're gi pa?" the tiny lips of Lee Chu Mian Yin began to chat with the frog.
A few moments later, there was an obscure chatter of the little girl whose impression seemed to be conversing with the amphibious beast.
Lee Jiang Wook and Chu Pian Ran who were used to seeing the strangeness of his daughter, just let the little girl continue talking to the frog.
"Yin Er dear, come here son." called her mother because Lee Chu Mian Yin had already been over ten minutes sitting squatting while chattering indistinctly near the frog.
Hearing her name being called, the little girl got up and walked towards her mother.
"Mom, no.." said Lee Chu Mian Yin after being near her mother.
"You talking to frogs, son?" ask Chu Pian Ran.
"Yes, no no, that's it." replied his daughter with her left hand pointing towards the frog.
Moments later, the young mistress Lee lifted her daughter's body and held her in her arms facing the table, then hummed the beautiful woman who was then accompanied by her daughter's adorable babbles and mannerisms.
Watching the scene, Lee Jiang Wook was happy. During the construction of the household, his relationship with his wife is always harmonious, even though sometimes disagreements but never to quarrel. So the young man remembered his past memories when he was still pursuing the love of the beautiful woman who was now the mother of his child.
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The celebration of the lantern festival had arrived, that afternoon Lee Jiang Wook invited his wife to participate in the festivities.
Not to play happy Lee Chu Mian Yin saw the light of lanterns of various shapes and colors scattered in the streets of the capital and its surroundings. Unceasingly her tiny lips chattered as her hands pointed in various directions in her father's sling.
That afternoon, half the capital's population spilled on the streets until the streets were quite crowded with passers-by.
Because the road was quite dense, then Lee Jiang Wook and Chu Pian Ran walked rather slowly as their eyes looked at the lanterns that lined the street area.
Since it is a lantern festival celebration, the number of traders today is more than the usual day, as well, so that the left right edge of the street was quite filled with merchant stalls that were scooping windfall at the lantern festival celebration.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the capital, Xi Er, Zhin Zhuan and several female servants also took part in the celebration of the lantern festival.
It was customary in Chu's residence and Lee's residence that the host would free his servants in order to enjoy the festivities.
Because they are still relatively young, the girls often stop by in front of many stalls just to look at the merchandise sold.
Evening crept night, the atmosphere was getting lively because the lights of the lantern look very beautiful at night. Plus many residents of the capital flew lanterns, so that the dark night sky became beautiful when decorated by hundreds of lanterns.
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At a time when many people were happy in celebration of the lantern festival, on the outskirts of the capital, a 9-year-old girl was sitting alone in front of her house crying while staring at the hundreds of lanterns flying into the sky.
The little girl was named Xhi Wan Mei, a child who had been orphaned since she was 4 years old because her mother had died from severe illness. Meanwhile, his biological father, since Xhi Wan Mei was still in the womb, had gone somewhere and left his mother without taking responsibility at all.
Today, the little girl lives with her grandmother who is now sickly.
The soul of a child of her age was of course saddened by having to miss the festive night of lantern festival celebrations in the center of the capital.
"Mei Er, come in son, it's already night..," called her grandmother from the doorway while enduring the aching pain all over her body.
The girl who had the name immediately wiped her tears with her shirt, then got up and put her feet into the house.
"Already Mei Er, there is no need to grieve like that, next year there will also be another lantern festival celebration..." the old woman said as she stroked her grandson's shoulders after they had sat on the edge of Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother's bed.
"Now you better go to bed quickly, so that tomorrow you can wake up early and replace the work of grandmother at the house of Miss Shung." continued her grandmother.
"Yes Grandma, then Mei Er went to the room ya..," Reply Xhi Wan Mei who then left her grandmother's room headed to her room.
Ever since Xhi Wan Chang became sick, the little girl had always replaced her grandmother's job in order to connect their daily lives.
While working at Shung's mistress's residence, her employer rarely paid her money, but in exchange the middle-aged woman provided enough food for two people, twice a day.
It was not because of the will of Madam Shung, but indeed Xhi Wan Chang's own grandmother who wanted it so, provided that she and her granddaughter could eat everyday.
The next morning, before sunrise, Xhi Wan Mei was sweeping through Shung's spacious courtyard.
Because she was only 9 years old, the little girl was not charged with too heavy a job, such as sweeping the yard, watering plants, mopping and helping Aunt Chui wash clothes.
Mrs Shung is a widow with two children. The eldest is a 25-year-old young man, who until now still has no desire to get married and manage a fabric store. While the second child, is a 19-year-old girl who daily helps her mother manage the restaurant.
After completing his task of sweeping the lawn and watering the plants, as usual, Xhi Wan Mei would return home briefly to drop off her grandmother's breakfast, the, she soon returns to Shung's house to continue her work helping Aunt Chui wash her clothes.
That day, after all his duties were completed, then Xhi Wan Mei returned with a bundle of food that would be eaten with her grandmother in the afternoon.
Initially, Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother could still get out of her bed or walk around the area in her house just to do something light, but one day, she said, the old woman had begun to be unable to move her body even just to sit down.
Automatically, the state of his grandmother makes the 9-year-old girl confused, scared and sad. So, without thinking, after saying goodbye to the old woman, Xhi Wan Mei immediately headed to the Lee residence to ask for help from princess Nanyang.
Forty-five minutes later, the little girl arrived at Lee's residence, then he also expressed the intention of his arrival to a servant who at that time happened to see the figure of Xhi Wan Mei enter the gate.
After the servant found out if his little guest wanted to see his master for needing help, then immediately the servant sought out the whereabouts of Chu Pian Ran.
Now, it appears that young mistress Lee is riding a horse with Xhi Wan Mei heading to the 9-year-old girl's house.
After riding at a rather slow pace for 15 minutes, they arrived in front of the residence of Xhi Wan Mei. Without waiting for long, the little girl immediately invited young mistress Lee into her grandmother's room.
After a few seconds of checking the condition of the old woman's body, Chu Pian Ran was now channeling his supernatural power into the body of Grandmother Xhi Wan Chang so that the old woman could return to activities as usual.
For more than thirty minutes, the thumb and index finger of the beautiful woman held the old woman's right wrist while channeling her supernatural power.
Apparently, Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother was sick to the point of physical exhaustion because for decades he had used to work hard to slam bones to support himself and his family members. Including, during the late mother Xhi Wan Mei when left by her husband somehow limp when the woman was only a few months pregnant, until she was very sick to death, it was Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother who acted as the breadwinner. So no wonder, if the current old body becomes often attacked by sore linu.
As the healing process progresses, the old woman felt like there was a warm stream creeping in her body and the sore linu that was originally so excruciating she was getting less and less and now completely disappeared altogether.
"Now try to move and sit down, Grandma" said Chu Pian Ran finished channeling his supernatural power.
A moment later sat the old woman with a body condition that felt quite light.
"Thank you so much princess, I am currently recovering" said Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother.
"Grandmother doesn't need to thank you, I'm happy to be able to help you... Preferably, for the next few days this grandma rest first until the grandmother's body is completely recovered. If you are tired, do not push yourself too much again so that the sore throat does not attack again," explained young lady Lee.
"Alright princess, I will obey the words of the princess.
"From today, if you really need help, don't hesitate to come looking for me. As long as I can help you, I will help you" continued the beautiful woman.
"And you, I salute you, because all this time you have been trying to be a devoted child to your family members..," Chu Pian Ran continued by looking at the 9-year-old girl.
"That's already my responsibility princess. Right now all I have is my grandmother, so I try my best to help ease the burden on my grandmother." explains Xhi Wan Mei.
"You have a noble thought Mei Er, continue to help your grandmother as long as you can...,"
Before leaving the house, Chu Pian Ran gave a money bag containing 100 gold coins to Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother.
Gaining that much gold coins, the old woman and her granddaughter felt very happy because their needs for the days ahead would be fulfilled.
As the young mistress Lee had ordered, Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother rested not working for a few days until her body completely recovered completely.
From then on, once every two months Chu Pian Ran would give 100 gold coins to Xhi Wan Chang's grandmother, so that the money could be used to meet the needs of her life and her grandchildren.
