Bab 5: 第5章：When Things Go Unexpectedly

When she opened the door to the restaurant, carrying the basket filled with ingredients. Xiao Yan came in first, but ended up standing rooted to the ground, finding himself staring before him. She turned around, only to find herself looking at the same girl from the last night.

"Don't just stand there." Her mother chided them. Xiao Yan took a move, while she went to the kitchen wanting to avoid this as much as possible. Helping the woman, called Zi'er despite her age. And she was one of the people she loathed to work with, but today was an exception. If her choice was between dealing with the storm outside or here, where it was much safer for her at the end of the day.

At most she could find ways to retort her, the same way she did for three years. As the woman disliked her from the moment they began to work together. It was an uneasy relationship, that her mother simply didn't favour one over the other. She was a skilled cook, and why her mother kept her around. While her daughter was said to be one of the most intriguing and charming girls around, which was to her advantage when it came to being at the front. At least when she dealt with difficult customers.

While the woman kept a smug smirk on her as she slowly arranged all of them. Doing so intentionally, since she never liked her from the moment she began to work here. But her mother knew the reality and as long as they were cordial, if hostile at best. This was how they needed to be.

She had let her do most of the work, in a way that enraged her. But she didn't want to remain outside, since the girl directed all her anger against her. Not Xiao Yan who was safe to such a situation because he was the substitute, while she had been the one which refused her.

Thankful that the girl simply didn't decide to start yelling at her. And acted as though she was mute, which was a good thing for her. At least she will not have to put up with that noise and her demands. While she knew if she was in such a mood, it was nothing good to say the least.

Well, there were still some possibilities that it won't just be what she thought it was. That she was now going to be working here.

She went to the front once she was done, and there was nothing that she could give as an excuse. Along with Xiao Yan.

"She's going to join us from now on." She looked away from them, awkward as much as she was uncomfortable.

Although she looked at her for some answers, but it seemed more on the lines of simply following them. She could easily answer them in private. While the girl still seemed unwilling, which was natural given that she was born into a family and taught this was far too beneath her.

Her mother gave her a matronly smile. Although she knew what it meant, she had to keep her thoughts to herself. And act in a civil manner to the girl, even if she knew next to nothing about her name. "Please show Zhao'en the way."

She hesitated before she knew that this was very much hard to change, since she was a girl and not the proprietress, hence she was assigned. Although she doubted Xiao Yan was keen on this as well, given the fact that he had been the person who served her. Since she was unwilling to take up her order at all.

If anything convinced her, it was the fact that she was barking to her servants. With no room for compromise or any sort of negotiation, even for someone with a tongue as glib as hers, she will not be able to do much. Persuasion has its limits, although it can convince a lot of people.

She sighed, knowing that those weren't good traits in a worker either. Anyone who worked in a restaurant or an inn will have advised you to leave your dignity when you entered. Because it was the one thing which got many into trouble. Even Chaoyun knew her own limits and at times she was left with no choice either.

Having her livelihood depend on this, it was something that she could easily keep in her mind. But for her now subordinate, it was not affecting her at all. Even if she struggled, she could still depend on her father to one day save her.

Unlike her, and all of them here. They couldn't think that they could simply leave, or find another place to take them in. And wondering why her mother did it, she was never petty or greedy. To use her, even when there was so little that could have been used in the first place.

She was not thinking of the trouble she might bring, given that she was nonetheless useless in this at the end of the day. Being unaware of the outside world was not a good thing if she wanted to work in it. Although most women were said to have been happier outside the world of men, and that only poor women did so.

She went forward, to look at the new girl that she will end up working with. When she came close, the girl simply gave her a glare and not even moving.

"I don't have much of a choice either." While not even keen on working with her, but without choice she had to simply settle.

Although she knew that asking a girl like her to do this was hard. Bred in wealth and never expected to make a contribution to the family. Other than to marry well, she was educated but it was too much to be expecting anything out of her. If her legs didn't ache by the time she was done for the day, she will have thought that impressive.

"Please." Not wanting to become the cook, who ended up threatening most of her assistants that she ended changing them often. Her mother was likely to have seeked another for her. Because the work was just far too much for anyone else.

"Or you'll end up in the kitchen." Well, she gave a slight shudder. Either from who ran it or the kinds of danger was within it. Even rich women avoided that, preferring to delegate this sort of work to the servants. Known as hot, stuffy and dangerous since they dealt with knives and fires most of the time.

Bringing her up the stairs, while Xiao Yan returned to simply serving and covering for her. Although she mostly did the night shifts.

Chaoyun stopped showing her to a room, a much smaller room than the one Chaoyun used. But will have been far smaller to the girl entirely because of her status.

"You'll be staying here from now on."

"This isn't fit for someone like me." She glanced over the room, Chaoyun only had a slightly bigger room by comparison. But her servants will have lived in the same space, perhaps even sharing.

"Well, your father entrusted you into our care and it was at the cost that you work here. And you could be sleeping on the floor." Which promptly shut her up, as this was a far better alternative. Even if the bed was not nearly as soft. Although she could have been in a worse place.

Her mother had a reputation of being fair, and one of the women who paid her own daughter to work. And allowing her the freedom, instead of just having her work and keeping her inside to keep her desirable. She wasn't expected to do much, not marry well but to see what she wanted to do. Because she wasn't her own daughter. Many looked at her in pity because of her expectations, which were low.

And that she had never thought that her daughter will one day be in dire straits. But she never did think so. She was satisfied where she was, and still being capable to do as she wished. Even as times changed and talented women could live here, in a world where all women prided in marrying well and having a good life.

"If you don't this room can be given to Xiao Yan, the boy you saw down below."

Although she was lying about that one, since he had to look after his mother regardless of the situation or time. And his family depended on him so often.

She left, bringing the only source of light with her.

"Isn't there any candles?"

"It's not as though you'll be reading. We don't have much books here."

"I need to be able to see."

"Trust me, when you're done this room is a sanctuary."She went out, knowing what her mother will have wanted to ask her to do next. Having her serve in this dress was rather difficult by any means. And her shoes as well, seeing that it was embroidered.

She lifted an old trunk, looking for an old dress of hers. Meant for her when she was still a child, although now she no longer was. She took one of them from the trunk, it was light blue although she was forbidden from wearing them any longer. Although it was kept around, for reasons that were beyond here.

But it had a use now, and it was for her to wear. And she took a small pair of shoes that she once put on, and was the girl's size from observation. Although she was free labour, she did need to be taken care of. And that her mother was never a slave driver in the first place. She took care and looked after them.

Entering the room again, where Zhao'en now sat on the bed. Although still not accepting her new life easily, or even thinking that this was going to be an arrangement for a while.

"Here, change into these." She passed it to her, although tempted to just throw it across the room. She took it from her, unfolding the dress to have a good look. Knowing that this was not only simple, it was made from hemp. Which had been rough around the edges at best.

Chaoyun worn most of such dresses, except for a few which were made from rough silk but hers had to be pure if there was brocade on it. As much as it looked appealing, it rarely was a good option when it came to serving. As it easily broke, knowing that if anyone wasn't careful in them while running, it could come off. Pretty, but never a good option for hard manual labour.

Especially when it costed far more than what a farmer made in a year. Hence only merchants or scholars used them. She took the dress she wore last night --made of hemp-- showing that most of it was already dry and also no stain left.

"Why can't I wear this dress?" Still stubborn, not that she blamed her. But it was better to just abandon it at the end of the day.

"Do you want it to get dirty?"

She shook her head. Remembering what happened to Chaoyun just a day ago was enough. She was splattered with wine, and having a normal dress on will make it a lot better than one which she treasured.

"You can wear them on the days you're not serving." On some level, she was disappointed but she took it. Looking at how rough it was, and how she was not used to it. She left by the door, while she looked to Xiao Yan who leaned against the side.

"Well, we are going to have a hard time."

"I can see that, even when she mistress hires a young girl of humble background." Or even someone who grew up doing this.

"But we will just have to deal with it." She sighed, turning her head back at the girl who was still dressing. All at the same time, surprising her at how things could change in such a small amount of time.

Questioning what was the truth of her mother trying to hire someone. Or was it just her in the first place. She sighed, knowing that this was something that she at times never understood fully. Or whether this had been expected.

Wondering whether Xiao Yan was of similar mind as well, given how it was so pronounced that she chased them away and then she was now a part of them.

"Chaoyun, see me upstairs." And she knew that she will have been told while Xiao Yan handled the orders. And she was expected to do the same as well to him. She went to the side, away from all the customers and behind the kitchen. Just close to the back exit.