𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 | prince zuko

⁰²

CHAPTER TWO

     "IS THAT MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER THERE?" Yan's father Fengge said once his daughter came into view. The earthbender girl smiled and waved at her father when she entered the tea shop after her short wall to the Upper Ring.

"Good morning, Bàba. Sorry for taking so long to get here. Māmā insisted I dress in this fancy clown suit." she smiled as she walked to her father. Before embracing his daughter, Fengge admired her clothing, smiling gently.

"You look as beautiful as the magnolia blossoms that bloom during springtime." he grinned as Yan chuckled and rolled her eyes playfully. An elderly man walked up to the two, holding a metal tray with porcelain teacups balanced carefully in the center of it.

"Good morning, Mushi." Yan greeted the old man as she took a seat at one of the tables. The old man before her was Mushi, the owner of the Jasmine Dragon tea shop that her father worked at. He was a kind man full of wisdom and great advice whenever anyone needed it. Although she didn't know much about his past, she chose not to pry whenever a question bubbled inside her.

"You as well, Yan. How is your mother?" Mushi asked as he offered a teacup to Yan, the teenage girl thanking him and taking the glass cup full of hot tea.

She smiled and sipped the refreshing hibiscus tea. "My mother is well. She has been itching to get back to work, but the shop has been closed for a while now, so she's been tending to the home for now to keep busy." Yan sighed, setting the teacup down on the tabletop as she looked down at the magenta-colored liquid. Lian worked at a local dress shop where she used her earthbending to mix the pigments for dyes that would be used for various fabrics. She also helped young women and girls to get fitted into their ceremonial hanfu which was why she always why she always had so many stocked up at the house. Ever since the Dai Li and Fire Nation took over, the shop has been closed.

"Oh, I see. Tell her she is always welcome here if she ever wants a job. She can help me brew tea or host customers." Mushi smiled. Yan smiled at his optimism and nodded at his kind-hearted job offer. The elderly man hummed before he inconspicuously slid a White Lotus Pai Sho tile onto the table. She gazed at the round object with confusion while the old man winked before heading back to the kitchen.

"Bàba, do you need any help today? I could help you with the tea boxes." the earthbender girl suggested once she drank the last bit of her tea and stood up from her table. At her suggestion, Fengge waved his hand and shook his head.

"Nonsense. Your mother always doubts me. Besides, you are dressed far too nicely to help me with the tea; you'll stain your hanfu! I can do it." he said determinedly. Yan snorted and watched as her father walked to the back of the restaurant. It would only be a matter of time before he came limping into the dining room, asking for her assistance because he threw out his back.

. . .

     "Thank you for the tea, Mushi. I'll make sure my father gets home so he can get plenty of rest." Yan waved goodbye to Mushi as she escorted her father out of the tea shop. He was currently hunched over, one hand holding onto his lower back.

"If you had let me help you, none of this would have happened. Māmā is going to scold us both when I get you home." Yan sighed heavily as she yanked her father along.

"And get your beautiful hanfu dirty? I wouldn't hear the end of it from your mother if she saw the expensive fabric stained. All I need is a nice soak in a hot bath when we get home and I will be as good as new again." Fengge said, groaning every few seconds when the pain skyrocketed. Yan sighed and practically dragged him back in the direction of their home.