Stepping away from the mirror, I give another fake smile to my sister and mother, hoping it reaches my eyes. I want my mother to see I’ll do whatever is necessary to make this work.
“Guòlái,” someone shouts from the street below, requesting us to join them outside, and my sister runs to the window to see who it is.
“Who’s there?” I ask, trying to see for myself but finding my movement restricted by the traditional dress.
“It’s several of the Yi Shu men. They’re calling everyone out.”
My mother places her hand to her mouth in shock. “We better go, Lia. Hold your skirt up. We don’t want it to get dirty before tonight.”
“I will, Mama,” I reply and follow her from my bedroom.
My father joins us at the front door. His limp is bad today, and I drop my skirt to help him. We walk out into the streets where several of the Yi Shu men are standing. In the middle of them is a blond haired man. He doesn’t resemble the usual faction members, but something draws me to him. He looks powerful and strong.
The surrounding men quieten the crowd, and he steps up onto a low concrete wall, built to ensure nobody can park on the pavements and spoil the appearance of the shops here in Chinatown.
I hold my father’s hand, still supporting him and not caring that my skirts are dangling in a muddy puddle left by the misty fog and drizzle this morning.
The man bows to us, and we respond likewise. He then addresses those assembled.
“Nī hāo, I’m Jaxon, a general in the Yi Shu. Our gracious leader, Gaozu, has issued the following proclamation.” The man pauses then begins to read aloud from a white sheet of paper he’s holding. “We are peaceful people. We came to this country to live a good life, away from poverty, hunger and servitude to bullying masters. But now our way of life is being threatened. There is an enemy at our door. The Jīn Long would have us run drugs and weapons. They want us to kill indiscriminately at their will. We can not allow this to happen. We must fight to protect our freedom and to do this we must strengthen our army. I, Gauzo, remind you of your sworn allegiance to the Yi Shu and invoke the one male rule.” The man speaking doesn’t look up from the piece of paper in front of him, even when a collective gasp goes up from the crowd. My father sags. I feel his weight falter, and I give him more support to keep him upright. “The eldest male from each family line must report to the Yi Shu headquarters tomorrow morning by 5 a.m. There can be no exceptions.”
“No,” my mother whimpers and looks to my father.
I see the terror in her eyes. My father’s condition with the injury to his leg means if he goes, it is very likely he’ll not return to us.
The eldest males from each family start to push through the crowd, demonstrating their willingness to serve the Yi Shu. Some are strong men, others barely through puberty. My father taps my hand and lets go of me before hobbling forward. I want to scream no but I know I must stay silent. Tears fill my eyes.
One of the men accompanying the Yi Shu general looks at my father when he stands in front of him and salutes. It is obvious my father will be of little use to them in any battle.
“Don’t you have any sons who can serve in your place?” the man asks.
“I’m blessed with two daughters,” my father responds and turns his head back to look at us. My sister is crying in my mother’s arms while I stand frozen to the spot. This can’t be happening. I can’t lose my father.
“What’s wrong?” The man with the blond hair jumps down from the wall.
“He has no sons, sir, only daughters,” the soldier reports back to his superior.
I see the blond man’s chest deflate as he approaches my father. “I’m sorry, but there can be no exceptions.”
My father stands up straight, the weight on the right side of his body leaning heavily on the stick supporting him. “I know. I’ve fought before, and I’ll willingly do so again. I owe my freedom to the Yi Shu, and I’ll fight for the future of my descendants.”
“Please no,” I whisper.
“Lia,” my mother beckons me, and I follow as she leads me and my sister back into our house. “We have to be brave.”
“He can’t fight, Mama!” I protest, “There’s every chance he won’t survive.”
My mother shakes her head as my sister bursts into tears again.
“You’re right, Lia, which is why we must put on a brave face. When your father leaves in the morning, it could be the last time we see him alive. We have to show him we’re proud of him, and we love him. He needs to know we’ll miss him greatly, but we understand he’s doing this for the honor of our family.”
I shake my head, anger rising within me. There is no honor in an old man going to an almost certain death. He’s already fought and given so much for the Yi Shu. We came here to be free, but they have their claws wrapped around everything in our past, present, and future, and now they’re sending my father to his death for a fight that isn’t ours.
“I won’t allow this to happen,” I respond angrily.
“There’s nothing you can do, Lia, except stay strong—it’s the only thing any of us can do.”
My father enters the house, and my mother and sister bow to him, but I stand ramrod straight, refusing to show deference to him as the chosen representative for our family.
“It’s crap. The whole thing.”
“Lia,” my father scolds me, but I don’t stop.
“You know you can’t fight. The time when you could be of use to the Yi Shu is at an end.”
“We don’t have an alternative, Lia. I don’t have a son.”
“No, you don’t have a son, but you do have a daughter with more combat skills than most of the men out there. I’ve been learning to fight since I was a child. I can do this.”
“No,” my father repeats and stomps off down into our basement, refusing to entertain my dissension any longer.
I look toward my mother and sister. Shock is written all over their faces.
“Lia, please listen to your father. You know that women are not permitted to fight in the Yi Shu. There’s nothing you can do,” my mother pleads with me, her hands outstretched.
I shut my eyes before raising my hand and pulling the jade clip from my hair.
“This isn’t me, Mama. This woman in make-up and a fancy dress. You know as well as I do I can save our father if only he’d allow me.”
I place the clip down on the kitchen table before going to my room. Women may not be allowed to join the Yi Shu army, but that won’t stop me. Knowing now what I must do, I begin the transformation that will change my future forever.
I don’t know why, but the last area I drafted men from was the hardest for me. There were some previously trained soldiers among them, but a lot were too young to be warriors. As for the older man with two daughters, he should be enjoying a peaceful life, not having to fight for his short-lived future. I couldn’t give any exceptions, though. It would have looked weak, and if we’re to survive the attacks on us by the Jīn Long, then weakness is something we can’t afford.
My head hurts, and my body aches after the previous day’s fighting and traveling around today. I haven’t stopped, and I long to lay my head down on a pillow and get some sleep. Thankfully, Gaozu has given me leave to do just that before the recruits show up in the morning. A couple of my men have gone on the hunt for willing women to get their dicks wet, but that’s the furthest thing from my mind. I need sleep, and when I flop down onto my bed, exhaustion takes over and the world instantly falls dark.