Volume 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 2 – Pure Water Herb Hall
Li Yiming rested against the mattress of a hotel bed, gently rubbing the thin invitation between his thumb and forefinger as he struggled to recollect his thoughts. He did not return to his apartment as he lacked the courage to confront Ji Xiaoqin. Tonight's events were one shock after another: his girlfriend's betrayal, the weird uncle that labelled himself as a big brother and then this gold laminated invitation.
”Was he crazy or just a swindler?” The encounter with that weird man was somehow much more memorable than seeing Ji Xiaoqin cheat on him. 'August 15th… It's today. To go or not to go?'
'Whatever! I'll go and take a look. It's not like my worries would disappear, but I can at least distract myself with this. I’ll indulge myself this time, and even if it turns out to be a fraud, it'll be for once.'
Li Yiming got up from the bed and took out his cellphone and opened the map.
”Is that place downtown?” The only result of the address search showed that Pure Water Herb Hall was a teahouse located not too far away from the Second Provincial Hospital.
He looked at the time: it was eight o'clock in the morning. He washed his face, went downstairs, checked out from the hotel, ate breakfast, and took the bus to his destination. On the bus, Li Yiming didn't forget to update his status on social media – Here's to a new beginning, off we go to Pure Water Herb Hall! He posted it just in case that place was a sweatshop. At least the police would have a lead to work on if something was ever to happen to him.
It took three bus transfers and twenty five minutes of walking before Li Yiming finally arrived at his destination. The shop front was not very big, but above it hung a very antique and eye-catching plaque with the name written in a bold calligraphy, giving out a certain artistic impression.
'Well, this doesn't seem like a sweatshop to me.' The sight of the storefront made Li Yiming exclude the possibility of an obvious swindle. He pushed the door and entered the shop.
”Welcome.” He heard a melodious voice. It came from a demure young woman wearing a cheongsam1 She stood calmly in front of him.
A flash of surprise flit through Li Yiming's eyes. 'How pretty! Fresh and soothing, natural and unrestrained. Elegant like a flower reflected on still water and similar to a willow fluttering in the wind when she moves. If there was someone that could make me forget my sufferings, she would be the one.'
Li Yiming raised his eyebrows. This kind of beauty is delegated to the task of welcoming customers? What if this is a trap? With this kind of investment, it would not end at just losing a kidney. Li Yiming looked around dubiously.
”I apologize, sir. The shop is closed for today.” She bowed to him with a professional smile.
'A fine smile! The nascent crescent formed by her eyes, the angle of her smile, not too faint, nor too exaggerated: just enough to bring out her charm.'
”Sir?” She noticed Li Yiming staring at her. A subtle blush crept onto her face.
”Ha? Oh… I have an invitation card.” He hurriedly took it out to ease his embarra.s.sment. ”This… Is it the right place?”
”Yes, it is. I apologize, I didn't know you had an invitation. Please follow me.” She took the invitation, scrutinized it before stroking its upper right corner. Then, she politely returned it to Li Yiming and made a gesture inviting him inside.
Li Yiming took his card back and followed her. His eyes couldn't help but wander around the young woman's figure, not only that, he kept glancing at her legs.
'What's wrong with me? I'm a dance program graduate. I've seen my fair share of beauties. What's more, during cla.s.s, my cla.s.smates would always wear practice clothes covering less of their skin than a swimsuit. She's pretty, but to that point…? Did the shock from last night make my hormones run amok?' Li Yiming found his earlier behaviour rather odd. As he mulled over this thought, his gaze uncontrollably jumped back to the long legs peeking through the gap of the cheongsam. 'Nice legs! Straight and smooth, with just the right curves…'
The first thing Li Yiming saw when he entered the room was a four-piece screen. On it the following was written:
Three millennia of recorded history, fraught with power, l.u.s.t, and greed;
Ninety thousand miles of meditation, only to return to gardening, wine and poetry.2
Black characters on yellow rice paper, the archaic rhymes of the poem embodied perfection. Li Yiming's opinion of the venue improved, and he grew ever more vigilant.
As Li Yiming went past the screen, he was finally able inspect the teahouse in its entirety. The shop facade was small and the inside was… even smaller. The place was not meant to accommodate a lot of customers, and it resembled more the study room or the living room of a wealthy family than a tea shop. It was at most 50 square meters. The inside was nicely decorated with wooden furniture: a sculpted wooden tea table, complete with a set of six chairs…
'There's only one table in the entire shop?' thought Li Yiming.
Three of the six wooden chairs were occupied. Occupying one of them was an elderly woman dressed à la mode. A thick dark green shawl wrapped around her head in two layers and covered her head like a cloak. Next to her sat a bespectacled man in a suit, whose golden rimmed gla.s.ses hid eyes which showed the temperament of a layman. The third person was a woman, a big sister type with deep cleavage. Although the corners of her eyes were marked by crow's feet, they only served to accentuate her elegance and maturity.
”What took you so long?” The elderly woman looked at Li Yiming with disatisfaction. Her voice was hoa.r.s.e and rough.
”It didn't take that long, at least he's not late. ” The big sister interposed with a chuckle. Her eyes glossed over the young woman in the cheongsam and the latter seamlessly nodded back. ”Thank you for coming today. Please take a seat. Qiaoqiao, give some tea to the customer.”
”Sir, what would you like to drink? Black tea, green tea, scented tea or fruit tea? I apologize in advance, we only have tea here.” The cheongsam young lady led Li Yiming to his seat with a beaming smile and asked courteously.
”Hot water, please.” Li Yiming looked at the patently expensive tea sets in front of the other three people. He had barely 500 yuan, including the 300 he had on his card: it was wise to stay within his limits.
Qiaoqiao turned around and left. Meanwhile, the fas.h.i.+onable elderly lady stared at Li Yiming coldly, and the big sister type sized him up with a smile. As for the bespectacled man, he continued to wholeheartedly sip his tea, as if Li Yiming was nothing but air.
”Qing Linglong. The proposer for this time. Hi!” The big sister put down her cup, and stood up with her eyes on Li Yiming. Her actions had a kind of grandeur embed with natural grace.