71 I Declare

Qi Tao made sure to keep his head up high, his hands by his sides and to keep on marching forwards on towards the kitchens to begin his day and declare his intentions to Ming Cheng, apologising for what he had done the day before and to now pledge his support.

He saw that his sister was taking glances at him every now and again, and he wished he knew that she knew that he was going to be fine - that everything was going to work and out and be alright.

He knew that everything was going to be alright.

Everything was going to be fine and they could all go back to being happy, playing around, and pretending that everything was going to be alright and fine again.

As soon as he had made his promise and had declared his intentions, everything was going to go back to normal and they could all go back to having fun.

They would spend all their days together forever and then they would work on the Ambassador's visit.

His sister, as they walked up the path towards the kitchens, ready to begin the day anew and fresh, suddenly grabbed his arm by the sleeve.

The birds above them tweeted out their songs, the sky was a fresh and luscious blue, and the sun was a bright, bright white orb up above them all.

Qi Tao looked behind his shoulder to look at her.

Her face held something solemn and serious, and for a moment, she looked just like grandmother, when their grandfather began slipping away.

Her face was in equal parts hopeful and cautious.

She looked at him dead in the eyes, tenacious and sharp, and muttered under her breath the one phrase that he desperately did not want to hear," Temper your expectations."

Qi Tao stopped, freezing in place at her words.

He knew that one day that she would say those words to him, that she would resort to using that particular phrase and idea to hold him back and leash him.

But that was their gimmick.

He would play at being the overly cheerful one, the role that was far more socially acceptable to be given to him, while she would be the quiet, cautious and serious one.

It was the act that kept their grandfather together, allowing him to live out his dreams of what a family ought to be, what a family was expected to be, equal parts innocent and cheery, while aware and reverent.

It made him happy.

It made their parents happy.

It made all the head cook happy.

It made all the cooks happy.

So just kept on going, further and further, until A-Yuan, in the end, was the only one aware of the truth.

Qi Tao knew that it would be her to one day use grandfather's favourite words on him, but he hadn't just expected it to come in this one situation - especially when hope was the one thing that was keeping them both going.

And she knew it.

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