RE: Intertwined Destiny

Madam He's Tea House

Days passed like blurs. Everyday was hectic like hell but Bai Shuyin was quite content with this kind of lifestyle.

"Bai Shuyin! Table 4 needs a refill!"

"Coming!"

"Ah Yin! After this, go upstairs! Room 28 needs cleaning!"

"Okay!" Bai Shuyin padded through the hall into the kitchen area, tearing open a bag of tea leaves and pouring it into the teapot before bringing it out in a tray.

Her face was flushed from all the running since morning. Her hair was undone, long white strands slicked and glued to her sweaty face.

Every morning, Madam He's tea house was buzzing with customers looking for morning tea and breakfast, not including the travelers coming in and out of the inn above demanding some breakfast being served before leaving.

The tea house had a faint fragrance of camellia plant, buried under the smell of cigarettes and wine. Sounds of loud chatters filled the place, the thumping of boots hitting the wooden board floors were loud that they echoed.

Servants like her ran around, each busy with their own tasks, they would even bump shoulders when rushing because of the limited space.

Bai Shuyin wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve after handing the teapot to the table requesting a refill. She was ready to head upstairs before one of the sisters working at the tea house called out for her.

"Ah Yin, Ah Yin! Wait a minute!"

"Yes?" Bai Shuyin stopped in her tracks, turning to look at the owner of the voice, Ning. She was one of the younger ones working in the tea house, just two years older than Bai Shuyin.

"Can you bring up the yellow wine from the cellar?" A pile of dirty dishes were staked on her arms, towering over her head.

"A jar or two?" Bai Shuyin asked.

"Just one!" She replied over, struggling to pull the hem of her robe under the drunkards lying in the middle of the hall.

"Right away!"

Bai Shuyin made her way across the hall and to the back rooms, where the cellar was. She had to dodge a few customers sleeping and lying down in the hallway. One might wonder why there were a lot of drunkards lying around. It was because this place turned into something like a pub or bar like the modern day during the night.

It was understandable that there was an inn right above the tea house and even private rooms for officials who wanted to do the deed but fear of being exposed.

Bai Shuyin almost snorted in disgust when she passed by one of the officials with an arm full of younger girls in pretty robes that stumbled out of the private room from the second floor, still tipsy.

Well, as long as they didn't touch her or anything, she would have to say, life was pretty good.

Even if they did, the first time was probably quite traumatic enough, both the victim and assaulter. An already drunk patron had groped her ass when she was serving him his wine.

Bai Shuyin was stunned at first, she had never been one to be targeted. During her high school years, her friends were the one getting catcalls and all that kind of stuff. No one had ever done that to her, she was just too ordinary that she could pass off as dust among the jewels.

She was too shocked to even move when it happened. It just dawned to her how immoral people could be. She was fifteen, for fuck's sake!

Bai Shuyin wasn't sure if she should count that as lucky or not, but both Madam He and Wang Heiyue were there to witness such an embarrassing event that day. Said drunk patron almost lost his arm from Wang Heiyue's monstrous claws if not for Madam He's quick interception.

Madam He calmly assured the man with the rules and regulations in her tea house the drunk man and ushered him to where 'those girls' were available, because Bai Shuyin was not one of 'them'.

He even had the audacity to ask if she was ever going to be one of 'those girls'. That man had been kicked out ever since. Even if he ever came back, Wang Heiyue had promised him that he wouldn't even leave the martial world intact.

Bai Shuyin shivered when she thought about how those disgusting hands smothered the back of her thighs and the painful squeeze on her ass cheeks. Wang Heiyue should have just cut both his arms off and let his corpse rot away.

Which reminded her... Where the hell had that little bun been?

She rarely sees him these days. True, she was busy all day long, she sometimes missed him even during bed time!

The last time she saw his stupid little antlers was when she bought him another set of new clothes; dark robes with ruby red laces and sash. She knew for sure he would look good in it but she still wanted to see him wearing something she bought with her sweat and tears.

The white-haired transmigrator grumbled as she pulled the jar of wine from the cellar and brought it to Ning jie, who muttered a quick thanks before hauling the jar of yellow wine and rushing over the other side of the hall with it.

"Ah Yin! Did you forget to clean room 28? Take the bed sheets while you are at it!"

"Yin Yin! Can you bring these up?" Another one of the servants named Mei passed by her and handed her a plate of lotus seed soup.

"But I need to head upstairs already--"

"Do me a favor, will you?" Mei jie pleaded, giving her puppy eyes.

"Why is everyone asking for me today?" The white-haired could only sighed.

"Didn't you know?" Mei jie gasped, dodging another servant that was rushing as well, expertly balancing the plates in her arms. Her eyes, heavy with makeup, looked around like she had something big to hide before leaning over to Bai Shuyin's ear. "I heard that we will be having guests from the Imperial Palace and neighboring kingdom!"

"So?" Bai Shuyin frowned. What did it have to do with her?

"Aren't you excited?!" Mei jie half whispered, half shouted. "The Princess of our kingdom and the Crown Prince of South Wu Kingdom will be here for a playdate!"