Chapter 1: Fu Bin

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“Xiao Bin, Xiao Bin”

Lane felt someone shaking her, none too gently at that, but her body was so tired that no matter her willingness, her eyes just refused to open. The person’s soft voice now carried a hint of exasperation.

“You ah, how can you sleep like this, are you a pig?” As she was saying that, she was shaking even more fiercely.

“She still dares sleep so soundly. I say, dump a bucket of cold water on her, and let us see if she’s still in the mood to sleep.” Another feminine voice arrived at her ears.

‘Try it, and I swear to you that I would not throw a bucket, but directly fling you in the river!’ thought the mad Lane who still, for some unfathomable reason, couldn't convince her own body to move at will.

None of both voices were from people Lane could remember. Wasn’t she in her own apartment anyway? Who were these people? Barging in on someone's property, weren't they afraid? Were jails for dogs? And waking her up like this at that, without any gentleness! Really, she must report!

“Sister Hua, how can you be so heartless ah, don’t you know about sister Bin’s situation?” reproached the first person, “If she wets her cloth, who will give her any replacement? She won’t be able to assist the morning call and will be punished!”

Disdain was almost palpable as the other voice resounded again,

“So what? Didn't she ask for it? Sticking to her even now, aren't you afraid of being implicated? I'm not you, I owe her nothing. More so, she's unsightly and unpleasant, I won't offend sister Zhu for her. I talked enough, if you know what's good for you, you'll act in consequence. You're your own person, just know that I won't be helping anymore... I’m going, if you’re late because of her, don’t think I’ll speak for you!”

The person’s voice had started to sound less and less as though she was walking away and in the end, it completely disappeared. Lane could only interpret it as the person exiting the room.

The one shaking her, whose hand was still on Lane's body, trembled a bit, and even through her clothes, Lane could feel it. What? Were the words spoken to her so scary? Really? 

After a moment, Lane’s eyes became obedient and opened themselves.

The room she was in was small and she was sleeping on ragged things on the floor. It was humid and cold. Deeply unpleasant, not talking about the fact that her back hurt and her whole body was somewhat sore from the sleeping arrangement.

The moment she opened her eyes, the girl in the room literally forced her to stand, joy in her voice as she exclaimed,

“Ah, finally! Come, hurry, elder Zhu is calling for the position change!”

Lane didn’t have the time to understand anything, that she was practically dragged outside, forced to run along many corridors at the pace of the girl who was holding her hand in a desperate grip, and finally, arriving at that girl's destination, both of them lined up with other women in servant clothing. They were all lined up- seven lines of twelve people each from her approximation- in a vast court behind a mansion. Everyone was wearing the same clothing style with the same colors and even the same hairstyle, which, in her dazed state, Lane failed to notice that the girl from before was arranging her hair from behind her.

No, Lane was preoccupied with something else. The color of the sky! It was still dark outside, who knew what time it was. Way too early for sure!

Briefly, Lane wondered if they were filming on set or something, but it didn’t appear to be the case. She couldn’t see the cameras, the director, and she herself had certainly never been an actress. Panicking a bit inside, she bit the insides of her cheeks and resolved to calm herself. Wait and see. Her imagination was running wild, but couldn’t come up with any logical explanation. She better, for her own mind's peace, wait and see.

Not long after they arrived, other women came. They had different clothing colors, but the style was roughly the same and they seemed older than those who were already lined up. They were three middle-aged women and they all had stern expressions on their faces as though someone owed them money. They stopped in front of the lines and took the time to observe the people in front of them for a while. Lane's gaze met with the one in the middle and the other's lips lifted, as though mocking her. It was quite perplexing for she couldn't remember offending this person at all. Then, that same woman unrolled the paper in her hands and started reading. It was a list of names. Names were called and attributed to locations. It didn't take long for Lane to understand that bit. The affectations were where those servants who were called were going to work. 

Was she, Lane, turned into a servant now? What happened to her job in the company?

Definitely, she had yet to wake up! What kind of bizarre dream was she having?! She heard about lucid dreams, but this was her first time experiencing one!

The one who woke her up before nudged her and Lane, snapping out of her daze,  met the proud caller's cold eyes, and the smug look she had before turned into a nasty smile on her face. Did she say ‘Fu Bin’? What does this name have to do with her?

“What? Can’t recognize your name anymore?”, taunted the previous voice that she recognized as the one who wanted to throw a bucket at her.

Lane took the time to properly look at the person. It was a pretty girl with two buns neatly styled on her head like everyone around here. A teenager apparently or maybe a childish-looking young adult. Lane would range her years between sixteen to twenty-two. Not a person worth picking a fight with.

But even though she had yet to talk, others actually seemed to think she was going to pick a fight.

“Silence you two.” Ordered the woman ahead, looking particularly annoyed with Lane. Really, 'I did nothing' wanted to complain the latter who had yet to understand the situation she was in.

“Sister Bin is just tired from yesterday’s punishment, forgive her,” spoke the one who woke her up. What a kind fellow.

If the matter wasn’t brought up, it would have been best, but now it seemed, the caller's dissatisfaction with her increased.

“Good, good, you think you’re here to play? You three are to be assigned to the young master’s personal need!”, harshly said the middle-aged woman.

The women around suck in their breath, the one who talked paled while the one who provoked her before knelt -in a loud sound, making Lane wince, hoping that the little girl's knees were okay- begging for forgiveness.

Wasn’t it just a job affectation, was that young master so terrible? Questions like those, Lane wasn’t asking herself that for the time being, she had yet to round her head over the fact that she somehow turned into a servant? A maid? And for unfathomable reasons she had a feud with one of the superior maid?

That superior maid was really annoyed too for she immediately chased them away to collect their things and go to their new posts.

Later, when they were packing their measly propriety in the previous room she woke up to, Lane took the chance to ask the questions in her heart. But the one who responded was that annoyed fellow.

“You’re just a newly arrived maid, yet had already dared to fight elder Zhu’s authority, if it wasn’t for you, would we be punished like that?”

Not losing her temper, Lane asked,

“Is it so bad there?”

“You, you,..." the other's temper was really big, just a shy point to stomping her foot, that was how much she was angry, "you don’t even know this? Since when had the young master ever been happy with the maids-concubines he was given? Isn't it just a way for her to chase us out of this mansion?”

Looking at the calm fellow who was silently ordering her things with a grievous expression on her face, and not contradicting, this seemed to be true. Actually, hearing those words, tears started pearling in that teenager's eyes.

Lane didn't think it was a good reason enough to cry over though.

“Isn’t it just losing the job, then?”

The girl's face twisted and it wouldn't be surprising if the next second she pounced on Lane to scratch her and slapped some senses in her head!

“You! Do you think that you’re still merchant Fu’s beloved child!" She paused to laugh mockingly, and with a sneer, she lifted her small bag now that she finished packing and glared fiercely at the woman who was spouting ridiculous and brainless nonsense, "You’re now nothing more than just a servant!"

Lane sighed and returned to moving her hands, letting this hot-tempered woman talk by herself -or rather kept on insulting her. Those kinds of childish things were far from being what could bother her. 

A couple minutes later, her bag was made, though small. She lifted it and a small broken piece of jade fell from it, letting her know about the hole it had.

Crouching down to retrieve the jade, her hand halted as she looked at her face reflecting in there. Lane’s hands shook.

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