Mulan gazed across the lake, sitting on the ground, leaning against a boulder underneath a huge tree. She was reminiscing about how she just took a journey that was deemed impossible for people like herself, masquerading a man and joining the army.

Mulan had just returned from the Imperial City. Her family was overjoyed to see her alive and even more enraptured to see her bring honor to their family in ways that they never thought she could. As for Mulan herself, she was still unused to the fame that had been bestowed upon her, earning herself stares and gazes in the village.

Of course, Mulan's relationship with her family has changed too. For instance, her father had grown prone to sharing his experience in the army with her whenever they could. Her sister and mother would occasionally bug her to tell them about her experiences in the infantry and fighting the Rourans. Sometimes, her sister or her father would follow her to the place where she likes to train and master her chi, the field, and the lake that was not far from the village by horse. As much as she likes about returning home, Mulan felt that something wasn't the same, that her heart was somewhere else.

"How was being in the army like?" Hua Xiu asked while Mulan was gazing across the lake. It was just a couple of days since Mulan returned, and Mulan wanted to rest and didn't discuss much of her activities in the army with her family.

"Well, it was quite torturing in the beginning," Mulan chuckled as she recalled the first week in the camp as Hua Xiu sat down beside her.

"Well, I want to know all about it," Hua Xiu said excitedly.

"Really? You don't seem the type of person to be interested in these types of stories. You seemed bored when father talks about his days in the army," Mulan said with a hint of joking disbelief in her voice.

"This is different. Father is a man. You are a woman. Plus, I rather hear your experience suffering in the army," Hua Xiu quipped, earning a light push from Mulan, who chuckled with her.

"Well, if you want to hear me suffer that much," Mulan joked sarcastically. "You would have been glad to hear that I almost got lost on the way to the conscription camp. And that I almost got into a fight with one of my later comrades when I got there, we drew our swords at each other necks," Mulan said, making Hua Xiu chuckle.

"You almost got into a fight with a future comrade? Things must have been awkward between you two," Hua Xiu said.

"Yes, he didn't seem too bothered about it. I would say he tried to amend things with me," Mulan said while recalling her first encounter with Honghui.

"I see, but how did you even cleanse yourself without the others finding out?" Hua Xiu asked confusedly.

"I... initially, I didn't," Mulan admitted embarrassedly.

"Oh my, you must have stunk so badly," Hua Xiu said while laughing.

"You have no idea how bad it was. To avoid bathing with the men, I volunteered to take guard duty every night," Mulan said.

"Well, I guess you didn't saw anyone's manhood then?" Hua Xiu asked with a smirk Mulan knew all too well, earning another push from Mulan, who was scowling as she recalled her first night there where Yao dropped his towel right in front of her.

"Xiu!" Mulan groaned.

"I assumed you did," Hua Xiu chuckled.

"I try to forget about it, all right?" Mulan said sarcastically.

"So, when was it when you finally decided to clean yourself?" asked Hua Xiu curiously.

"Well, it was after a couple of days. During training, I impressed many of my comrades. They got close to praise me, and well, you get the idea," Mulan recalled.

"So, you finally cleansed yourself?" asked Hua Xiu.

"Yes. I went to the lake when everyone was sleeping to bathe," Mulan said.

"So, nobody saw you?" asked Hua Xiu.

"Uh...um. Actually, somebody did follow me to the lake. The man whom I fought against during training. Also, the same man whom I drew my sword at," Mulan added.

"Was it the same person whose manhood you saw?" asked Hua Xiu, wearing that smirk again.

"No!" Mulan's voice went a little high, nudging her sister. "But I wished it was," a voice inside Mulan's head sounded.

"I'm getting lost with who is who, sis. What's the man's name?" asked Hua Xiu, puzzled.

"Chen Honghui," Mulan answered.

Hua Xiu looked at Mulan. She saw her sister, blushing faintly, as she mentioned this person's name. "Could she have something for this Honghui?" wondered Hua Xiu.

"So, this Honghui followed you to the lake..."

"He didn't see my body if that is what you are going to ask," Mulan quickly interrupted, flushing more furiously now.

"Calm down, sis. I'm not that dirty-minded," Hua Xiu chuckled. "Though that answered one of my questions. I assumed he joined you?"

"He was going too. I pushed him away," Mulan recalled while internally scolding herself for saying such hurtful things to Honghui and never apologizing to him about them.

"You said bad things to him, didn't you?" asked Hua Xiu knowingly.

"Yes, I did. And I feel terrible about it. Even though Honghui wasn't bothered by it, I still feel bad," Mulan sighed.

"Wow, the relationship between you and Honghui is quite complicated," Hua Xiu said.

As the two sisters talked, Mulan told Hua Xiu about many things that happened to her and the things that she experienced fighting alongside the army. Hua Xiu had always admired her sister for being such a strong girl. But now, she admires Mulan even more than before, after hearing the wonders she did.

"It must have been good to have such powerful chi in you. Things must have come easy for you," Hua Xiu said.

"Not at all. Hard training is required to master chi properly. I had to stay up late to train," Mulan said.

"I thought that your strong chi is a gift from the heavens," asked Hua Xiu confused.

"From what I learned from my commander, Commander Tung. He says that we all have chi in us, and we all can train to make ourselves stronger and enhance our chi," Mulan explained. "So, you can train to empower your chi too, sister."

"Well, that life is not for me," Hua Xiu said as she shook her head. "I'm already matched. I'm happy with my life as it is."

"Good for you then," Mulan said, smiling at the prospect of her sister finally settling down with someone.

"What about you?" asked Hua Xiu suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Mulan asked, puzzled by her sister's question.

"Don't you want to find a man to settle down with and have a family? I'm sure there must have been appealing men in the army," Hua Xiu asked.

"I don't go for men just because of their looks, Xiu. You know that very well," Mulan scoffed.

"Really, you don't have feelings for at least one of them?" asked Hua Xiu, smirking again.

"I swear that you weren't like this before I had left, little sister," Mulan said. "Now, it looks like I'm the younger one, you know?"

"You're not answering my question," Hua Xiu said, not straying away from the topic. After a short pause, Hua Xiu asked, "It's Honghui, isn't it?"

"Was I that obvious?" Mulan asked, her cheeks now flushed red.

"Well, you were," Hua Xiu chuckled. "You said that you made five friends in the army, yet you talk about him quite a lot," Hua Xiu explained. "Does he knows?"

"Of course not! I haven't told him yet," Mulan said hurryingly.

"Why not?"

"Did you honestly think that it was suitable to tell him right after the war that I have feelings for him, the person whom I drew my sword at? The person whom I said hurtful things too?" Mulan asked, with her tone filled with sarcasticness.

"Well, it's a perfect time. If you ask me," Hua Xiu answered, smiling at her sister. Hua Xiu knew that as strong Mulan is, her elder sister was always weak in relationships with men.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

"He was so nice to me, yet I pushed him away again and again," Mulan said, sighing.

"You said that he stood up for you, right?" asked Hua Xiu.

"Yes," Mulan answered.

"Isn't that is enough proof that he cares for you?" asked Hua Xiu, smiling at her sister.

"I know, but it is just so hard to bring myself to tell Honghui," Mulan confessed.

"You know, the way you speak of Honghui. I can tell that you, my dear sister, is hopelessly in love with him," Hua Xiu stated, making Mulan blush even more. "You should tell him the next time you see him again, or when you write letters to him. No, forget what I've said about writing letters, not romantic at all."

"What if he doesn't like me that way?" asked Mulan.

"I'm sure he does. But he is doesn't like you that way then he doesn't deserve you," Hua Xiu assured, placing an arm around Mulan's shoulder.

"Since when have you been so good at giving advice?" asked Mulan after a short pause.

"Don't know, maybe because I'd grown up?" Hua Xiu joked, making Mulan chuckle.

"Well, nice to see my little sister giving me advice now. Thanks, Xiu," Mulan thanked.

"You're welcome, sis. Hey, we'd been here for quite a long while. We should head home and help our mother to prepare for dinner," Hua Xiu said.

"Yeah, let's go," Mulan agreed, walking toward her horse.

"Don't ride so fast. I'm not used to sitting on horses yet," Hua Xiu reminded as she sat on the back.

"Oh, don't worry, Xiu," Mulan assured, smirking a little.

As Mulan laid in bed that night, her mind pondered on Honghui, her comrade, and her friend, wondering how he was doing in the Imperial City. Mulan thought about Hua Xiu's advice to tell him, wondering if she will get a chance to tell Honghui soon and how.