"Lu Muyan?" her mother comes inside, a bamboo basket in hands.
Muyan pretends to yawn and stretch in order to seem just awoken.
"Morning, ma." she greets her, trying to sound as sleepy as possible.
"Aigh, why are you up already? You remember no running today?" her mother says, already picking up dirty clothes from their cloth basket. Muyan gets a bit tensed, fearing her mother might sense that she went out by touching the sweaty clothes.
"Anyways, since you are awake, come out and help me. Water the plants and feed the birds." she rants, pulling up the pile of clothes way too quickly to notice anything.
Muyan lets out a small sigh. "Yes." she adds.
"Now look at this girl." her mother says, looking at Mingxia.
She makes her way and reaches her, putting the basket down.
"Lu Mingxia. Lu Mingxia?" she pats her body, trying to wake her up.
"Let me sleeeeep." Mingxia responds, drunk in the essence of her early morning doze.
"Get up! Help your jiejie out in the garden." she adds, pulling the blanket off of her.
"No." she only replies this before rolling to the other side.
"At least sleep less recklessly. You're gonna fall off of the bed anyday at this state." her mother sighs, tucking the blanket back again, defeated.
"Let her sleep. I will do everything." Muyan adds before getting up from bed.
"You work too much, and these two don't work at all. Speaking of which, it's even harder to get Meiran up, before coming here I went to her room and tried to wake her up too but it all went in vain. I don't know how she gets up when she's in university dorm." she adds more.
"Ma, everyone gets disciplined under pressure if they're not by nature. I'll be out in ten minutes." Muyan replies.
"Hou." saying her mother leaves.
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(Garden)
"Ma, these can't tolerate too much heat." Muyan places the water jug down, slowly removing the pots from the higher shelves of the wooden rack.
"Ah Muyan, get down, I'll do it." her mother practically drags her down the steps.
"I've got it, its not that-" Muyan tries to reply before getting cut off by her mother.
"I said no, just water the ones down here and fill the bird pots with chick peas." she talks in a hurried manner before stepping away to wash the damp clothes placed under running water.
Muyan sighs and does she asks.
"Ma?"
"Yes?"
"Birds shouldn't be kept caged up like this. They're meant to fly." she says.
"What are you saying? Your baba will throw a tantrum if any of his birds fly away." she answers, somewhat laughing.
Muyan doesn't say anything to that, just keeps looking at the birds.
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(Breakfast time, Dinning Table)
"Baba, I need some money to buy new color pens." Mingxia says, chewing her cereals.
"Hou." Mr. Lu responds, reading his newspaper while eating an apple.
Muyan and Mingxia are ready in their school uniforms, Meiran joins the table.
"Ma, we need to go the clothing store today, I have to pack everything by tomorrow." Meiran speaks up, filling her bowl with milk and some fruits.
Meiran is a student of fine arts in Shanghai University Fine Arts College. She has booked a ticket from Hong Kong to Shanghai for the university opening again.
"Aigh aigh, come to our shop at 2 PM, it's less load during lunch time." their mother says puring a glass of water to Mingxia.
"I'm leaving for the shop now. Drop them off to school and come." their father says, folding the newspaper down and standing up.
"Baba, money!" Mingxia raises her voice a bit thinking he might forget.
"Ah, yes. Here's 20 yen. Will this be enough?" he turns back, putting the money on the table. He slides another 20 yuan note by Muyan's bowl.
"Yes." Mingxia replies smiling.
"Baba I don't need it. I have money on me." Muyan says.
"Just keep it." her father replies smiling.
"Aigh, why so much?" their mother snaps at Mingxia. "Since when color pens cost this much? And we gave you 30 yuan just a a day ago, you've used that money already?" she adds more.
"Maaaaa, 30 yuan is not as mu-" Mingxia couldn't complete the sentence before their father talks.
"Aha, leave it. Kid's things also come pricey these days. I don't want to be late to open the shop. See you tonight girls." he says while walking towards the main door.
"Bye bye baba." all three of them say.
"Go safely." their mother adds.
"Aigh." saying he leaves.
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(In car, On the way to school)
Mrs. Lu drives their Hafei Lobo, bought just last winter, her two daughters sitting in the back. Muyan keeps reading something from the science book. She's now in class 6A, while Mingxia is in 5B, just one year behind her in both age and class. They both go to Heep Yunn Girl's High School in Hong Kong.
"Ma! Look to the left, isn't this the flower bouquets we made yesterday?" Mingxia says, leaning outside the car window, joy in her voice.
"Yes, I saw. Some guests must be returning from the function now I suppose." her mother replies.
"It was a big wedding from what I heard. Baba said the client loved our flowers a lot." she adds, looking at their mother and then at Muyan.
"We are so popular that two of friends asked me to bring them some roses for free." Mingxia adds more.
"You can take a few." her mother replies, laughing lightly.
They chat for some more time but Muyan stays engrossed into her book.
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They reach the school gate and the two sisters get off. They and their mother bid goodbyes to each other. But as they were about to enter the school after their mother drives away, a few running girls almost knock Mingxia over but Muyan catches her just in time.
"Aigh, careful Lu Mingxia!"