The bare road stretched out in front of her; on either side the crops waved in the gentle breeze, ready for the great autumn harvest that would soon come. In the distance, small rickety houses rested at the base of the rolling green hills that would give way to the harsh, stark mountains of Tufei Ba.

Lien-Hua walked along the road, hoe over her shoulder, tired and feeling the dirt caked on her skin - but happy. She couldn't be happier in her life, ever.

As the crickets sang in the bushes, she came to a stop and looked up at the mountains. She knew them by heart - she could even find her way in them during night - and their great majesty had lent her the power to control the harsh winds that howled around the mountain tops. But for the past few months, she hadn't been using her skills at all save for her every day training.

She felt thankful that her father had allowed her to actually step out of the city to help with the crops. Of course she knew he'd be protective over her, being his only daughter, but she was just as stubborn and persistent as he was. She smiled in amusement, shaking her head as she recalled the ridiculous arguments they had had, her trying not to laugh at the nonsensical reasons he gave her just to stop her from going.

In the end, she had won. With much laughter from her brothers and her mother - at her father - she was granted permission to leave her home and help the people outside Zuyao to tend to their crops. And she'd worked with them for several months, living their lives and understanding them - and she had no regrets. No, even if she had to sleep in smelly hay with the animals in the stables without bathing, as opposed to her comfortable bed at home with scented spices burning in her room.

Lien-Hua closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of the countryside was so refreshing and so different from the bustle of the city. The air out here was so clean! And every day, the gentle breezes from the plains swept past to counter the blazing heat of the sun as they worked, every day.

The taste of her last meal with her host family lingered in her mouth. She smiled. It was lovely, good food, simple as it was. Nothing fancy...it kept you warm, it told you that everything was safe. That was all she needed to know.

As she stood there, gazing at the mountains of Tufei Ba, she heard someone calling out her name. She turned to see the oldest son of her host family run up to her, cupping something in his small hands. Lien-Hua raised her eyebrows.

"I picked this for you, big sis!" he said cheerfully, offering her a rich orange marigold.

Lien-Hua looked down into the heart of the marigold, and felt her heart warm to the little boy. A simple gift.

"Thank you, little brother," she said, as she took the flower. She looked at him, and saw his expectant look in his eyes. "I love it, it's very beautiful."

"Thanks for helping!" He smiled brightly at her. "Come back for the harvest, okay? We'll be waiting for you!"

Lien-Hua watched as he ran back to his family standing in front of the small house in the distance, and waved back as they waved goodbye to her. Then she took a deep breath and walked on, tucking the marigold into her hair.

Even if it meant that she become a farmer girl for a few months, she'd do anything to help the future of Zuyao. A general's daughter working in the fields? Her ancestors would laugh at her - but not for long, not when Zuyao would be as prosperous and wealthy as as its sister capital Jingai.

Lien-Hua looked into the setting sun and smiled. Our future.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

<sub>For the summer event at *Adept-Stone.

I am seriously driving myself into the ground working on every single art piece that I can possibly finish in the month of September. Therefore if you have any complaints about proportion etc., don't tell me. What matters to me is the meaning of the image.

As an explanation or if you didn't want to read the story, Lien-Hua negotiated with - and won over - her father to help the farmers outside Zuyao with their crops for the summer. This also shows a different side to her, which will now tell you why she isn't as awesomely arrogant as she looks. A general's daughter and bounty hunter working as a farmer's girl? Would YOU lower your pride and take up the humble farmer's tools if you had that sort of lineage?

Note that in ancient China (which is what I'm basing this off) girls and women are NOT supposed to even step out of the house. But Lien-Hua isn't your typical woman, and yes her whole family knows she's a professional bounty hunter.

Extra info: Lien-Hua had to learn how to use farming tools for a good one month. She's still not very good at it, so she's resolved to return for the harvest.

I intended to make them speak Chinese when they addressed each other, but unfortunately HTML doesn't seem to allow the accented e with a downward mark. Big sis in Chinese is jie jie (pronounced ji-e ji-e, not ji ji!) and little brother is di di. You find out the exact pronunciation yourself.

Creditage

Texture(s) from CGtextures.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Program(s) used:
Paint Tool SAI, Adobe Photoshop CS.

Tool(s) used:
100% tablet.

Time taken:
About two days.

Tutorial(s) referred/remembered:
Wood - *mindsend

Special brush(es) used:
None.

Character(s):
Lien-Hua (and the little boy), concept, art © me</sub>