The next morning I woke up to nothing but silence. Pure silence. My eyes were still closed, and I was lying on my side until I turned over onto my back. My hair cleaned and curls more defined the moment I washed my hair cleaning myself up last night, avoiding the provocative conversation a woman was sharing with another who didn't mind my presence as they thought I'd make Madam Xuan much money from curious men traveling through. My skin left no trails of dirt and I felt more of a woman than I did yesterday.

But something was weird.

It was so bright out yet here I was in bed as if I had nothing else important to do. My eyes heavy, my stomach grumbling, my body satisfied and comfortable, and my arms wailed out, and I had a pleasant dream of Zian that felt as real as day that I felt my desperate for his touch — What was I missing?

I gasped.

I jumped in bed the moment it came to mind, my chest thudding ever so loudly from the sudden action. Jingfei nor Bai Han Zhi was in their beds when checking over to find them — their beds freshly made as if they hadn't been slept in. Well, Jingfei did. Bai Han Zhi, on the other hand, hasn't returned since leaving to comfort her scared friend.

"I'm late," fumbling out of bed to the hard ground as my feet tangled into the sheets, I pulled myself up and rushed to bring out my uniform. "I'm very, very late."

They, Jingfei and Bai Han Zhi, were supposed to wake me up as Lady Ting Yu instructed. I don't know why Jingfei didn't wake me or what her reasoning was for not doing as told, and now because of her, I might be in so much trouble on my first day and tarnish my first impression. I threw off my gown, pulling over the bottom shirt then the next top with shorter sleeves and tied my skirt as tight as it could go. The tan-ish shoes I was offered were thankfully my size though it was a bit tighter on the sides.

I held my stomach growling against my hand. I was so hungry that I would eat my hair if I could, and the tightness of this skirt wasn't making it any better. I'm sure it was too late for me to eat something now so it was best for me to make my way to the kitchens before I'm any later than I was.

"Watch where you're going," A girl gasped at my figure rushing from the room outside. She clung onto her friend to keep from falling over, my hair smacking her in the face.

There was no time for me to act with manners, gripping and holding down my hair. "Sorry,"

I failed to braid my hair last night after cleaning it. It's been so long since wearing it down and able to feel its curly length down my back that I left it as it was, too tired and lazy to do anything with it and now it was all a mess. A tangled mess. So much for first impressions.

Once finding the building, I stopped at the door. I couldn't enter just yet, not after running all over the place being pointed and gossiped at. I still had my pride and wanted to make sure I looked somewhat decent to obtain my position here. I wiped away my sweat, untangled most of my hair, fixed my clothes, and brushed down my skirt until I felt confident enough to enter.

The deep breath I was taking in the moment I stepped a foot inside had shoved down my throat by something thin and smooth unbalancing my stance where I found my butt kissing the floor, a small brush rolls freely. I wish to hide behind my hair the moment I heard a burst of laughter within the room. Their laughter caging me in.

"Alright, settle down girls, settle down." Silencing the kitchen, a woman faces me in her brown robes. A smile pressing her thin lips while noticing the rolled brush. She must've been the head of the kitchen given her clothes, her age, and how quick most girls stopped at her given order. "Is there something I can help you with? Are you lost?" She spoke to me as if I were a child or stupid as if I couldn't understand the language that's my first.

When standing up after pushing back my hair, I note those in the kitchen wore the same as I did which was the same as others I saw cleaning and many other labor jobs while rushing here. This must be the uniform to distinguish laborers from prostitutes.

Many of the girls — and few boys — were in their stationed areas cooking. Two who were not laborers ate their food quietly off the side while another was here just because, chatting and learning. Among those who laughed, I saw Bai Han Zhi with her a friend of hers — both laborers — and JingFei smirking amongst herself. She was not dressed as one of us, yet she was still here for whatever reason. Her smirk slowly dials when feeling my pressing gaze.

Feeling this feeling of anguish slowly fueling me up, I keep myself controlled. "No, this is where I should be. I am Huang Fei."

"Huang Fei?" She trails as if she wasn't aware of a new worker entering her kitchen. "Ah, Huang Fei from Quying?" Some gasped at Quying being named. "Right, right. You were supposed to be here an hour ago, yet you did not arrive on time. Do you not know one of our rules is to not be late? Especially during busy times? Might as well not have shown up."

Jingfei lowers her eyes knowing I would look at her. It was her fault I was late and now I was paying for it. She should know she was wrong. Was this because of yesterday? Was this her way of proving something to me?

"Yes, well I — "

"Could've spent that time fixing your hair properly since it's the only thing you can fix. Hair that wild is not allowed in my kitchen and will not be found in my food." She fished for laughter, turning slightly to the girls letting them know it was okay for them to laugh if it was at me. And they did. All of them but a few.

My chin lowered and my fingers through my hair, I felt small compared to them. It was easy when it was only a few people picking at me, at least I could brush it off and pretend as if nothing's happened. But now that it was the whole kitchen — the whole school — it was too much to handle and pretend as if they're not there because they were. I will see them daily, I will eat with them daily, I will sleep with them daily. It was something I couldn't escape from that was constantly going to follow me and there was nowhere for me to hide out and breathe. And I do want to run away and hide.

But these people don't know me. They don't know the real me back at home; they only know what they've been told and who I show them I am. These girls are mean, even the head of kitchen, but I can't be someone they will walk over or they will never stop. Never again.

"Will you give me work or shall I find someone well qualified enough to do the job you can't?"

The laughter stops.

The hand that hovered Head Feng's mouth — a name one of the students called out during the laughter — drops. The longer she stared at me the more her eyes grew crazy and she took a small step towards me. I believe no student has ever talked to her the way I just did, but if she can publicly shame me then there is no reason for her to act surprised when it's given back.

"Mind your manners, girl. I am your head and I can refuse to allow in my kitchen if I must and then you will go back to wherever you came from."

"You will not refuse to allow this girl in," All heads turn to Madam Xuan strolling effortlessly into the kitchen of gaped open mouths, including mines. None of us were expecting Madam Xuan to pay a visit, and from what I hear from others whispering to one another, it's clear this was quite unusual.

Head Feng fixes herself quickly with a bow greeting her, her presence clear from the character she uncovered just a few moments ago. "Madam Xuan, what brings you here today? Do you wish for something new on the menu? I shall get one of my girls to go to the market."

Despite the way we've met, I could never grow old admiring Madam Xuan's beauty. Gazing down the colorful fabrics of her dress when greeting her as the others did when Head Feng motioned for them too.

"Nothing in particular," She crosses Head Feng and inspects what the girls are preparing for the long night ahead, her movement so elegantly and sharp and very Lienna-like. She turns to face us both, a second after Head Feng exchanged an unwelcomed glare, "I just came to see how our newcomer is fitting in, yet I find myself intruding into some kind of unfinished predicament. Care to explain the situation so we may get to the bottom of it? We shouldn't waste time that should be spent on feeding hungry guests."

Head Feng chuckles lightly. "Nothing out of the ordinary, Madam Xuan. Just a new worker arriving late so I'm thinking of a proper punishment so that I may continue running my kitchen."

"Why not let her kneel outside?" Madam Xuan felt my gaze shift to hers. She simply ignored it. "Hopefully then she will learn to arrive on time, and you will do as you're meant to?"

After a short hesitation. "Very well. Huang Fei," Head Feng gestured to the door.

"Those who don't belong will leave to your rightful place and not disturb Head Feng with her duties. We have new guests that just arrived from very far away and could use a housewarming introduction."

It was only then that I noticed half the kitchen were still staring at me as if I had done something shocking. One girl, in particular, stared as if I was prey in a lion's din. The brooding glare from her upturned eyes, the clenched effect of her jaw more defined, and her shaped brow risen slightly were vivid enough to tell that I had an enemy on hand. Compared to others, she appeared as someone who wasn't afraid of her actions. And although she was quite pretty in her way, inside there was a monster ready to be revived.

"You are lucky I granted you a less exhausting punishment," Madam Xuan's dress fills my view before registering her voice, her figure leaving out the kitchens a few minutes behind me.

I've kneeled on my knees when I was a child always getting in trouble for disobeying my mother or going against her rules and bothering my siblings until the moment they cried. She'd have me kneel on the hot porch when it was the sunniest outside so that I was drenched in sweat, knees burning, slightly dehydrated, my hair hot down my neck, waiting for the moment I begged for her to let me up. I could kneel for an hour or two at the most, three if I wanted to be hardheaded and reverse the situation. Any longer, then I'd give out.

Kneeling out here wasn't as bad as home. However, the ground was filled with small pebbles and rocks and many of them were digging uncomfortably in my knees. I even eased my breath to think of good thoughts.

"Many punishments are much worse than this as my girls whine about. Some even unsanitary. But since you were late on your first day, I decided to spare you."

I peered up at Madam Xuan with words at my lips but decided to keep quiet. She was risking a lot by letting me stay here and for once I finally have somewhere stable to live for a few months and so I was grateful for her help.

"Don't show up late again, or else I will not be there to save you as I was today."

I brushed a pebble away but more appeared.

Madam Xuan continued. "And what do you say?"

"Thank you," A low grunt cuts into my speech. "Madam Xuan."

She smiles. "You're welcome, Huang Fei."

Then Madam Xuan leaves.

•••••••••

Idk why I end some of my chapters on someone leaving lmao. It just flows that way, but I promise we'll get some nice , bitch why the fuck you did that, cliffhangers soon. We just gotta introduce the beginning of this story first