The Hunt for Jack the Ripper (The Phantomhive Diaries #1)

47. Mey-Rin Dai

And I'm finally back to posting after taking a small break from writing. Things have been pretty hectic lately but that hasn't stopped my love for writing. It's just life getting overwhelming. But hopefully, I can get back to my usual writing schedule. 

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1875

Beijing, China

It was strange for 11-year-old Mey to see her father arrive home so joyfully. Usually, Shoi-Ming would return home exhausted from working at the tea shop all day. Sometimes with more demanding clients. But not tonight. Tonight, it was different. Much to Mey-Rin's surprise, he returned happy and ecstatic. Even her mother, Liena, appeared astonished as well as confused. And even more so when Shoi-Ming picked Liena up and spun her around, causing the woman to squeal. Mey simply watched silently as she was finishing folding the laundry.

"What the hell, Shoi-Ming!?" Liena shrieked while smacking him on the shoulder. "Are you crazy?"

Shoi-Ming eventually put her down. Yet his smile never wavered for a second and even gave his wife a big kiss on the cheek. "Oh, I wish I was crazy. Hell, I wish I was dreaming. Or maybe I am dreaming. Is this a dream? Am I really here? Is our daughter real? Are you real?" He pinched Liena's cheeks, only to have his face slapped. With his eyes widened, he muttered. "Yep. You're real. That slap was definitely real."

Mey-Rin couldn't suppress a gentle giggle that escaped her lips. It was a delightful sight to witness her father's lively antics, always bringing a Sometimes he would purposefully indulge in absurd behaviour, solely to uplift Mey-Rin's spirits whenever she found herself sad. He was akin to a whimsical caricature, a source of endless amusement. However, there were occasions when his jovial nature would irk her mother, Liena. Liena possessed a more composed yet stern demeanour, a quality that Mey-Rin didn't find as endearing. In moments of her mother's displeasure, both Mey-Rin and her father would run and hide while Liena chased them both with a frying pan. Nevertheless, Mey-Rin cherished her mother dearly, just as her father did, for she still held a protective and loving nature that Mey could always depend on. Imperfections aside, their love for one another transcended all boundaries, creating a bond that was truly extraordinary.

Well, almost all boundaries. Shoi-Ming didn't help himself by startling Liena with his sudden outburst of joy. Thus earning that slap to the face.

"And well-deserved too," Liena said. "What's the matter with you? Why are you acting like a lunatic?"

"Because, my love, we're saved!" Shoi-Ming exclaimed with excitement.

Mey frowned in confusion. "Saved?"

Shoi-Ming turned to face Mey and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Yes, my sweet girl, we're saved."

"Shoi-Ming," Liena barked, her hands now firmly on her hips. Mey's eyes grew, knowing that her mother was losing patience with him. "You have five seconds to tell me what you're blabbering about before I use my cauldron to knock some sense into ya."

"We're going to England!" he said.

The room fell silent immediately after those words came out of his mouth. Both Mey and her mother stared at him with bewildered expressions on their faces. England?

"...No, we're not," Liena first spoke while Mey's mind was still processing what he just said. "You're lying"

"I'm not lying, Liena, I swear. We're going to England."

"With what money? You do realize we're poor, right? We can't afford to go to England."

"I have the tickets, Liena."