The Dali City Lord had a strange hobby, he loved taking a hot bath in the evening. When he was still in the early year of his success, he appointed a thousand maid and manservants to prepared a hot bath every day, working on endless shifts. It was a massive splendor to the family wealth, and show how extravagant their lifestyle was.
This hobby affected his family, and thus his wives and children always take a hot bath in the evening. With their family condition that ruined day by day, they were no longer had the luxury. They couldn't afford to pay such a huge number of manpower and in the end, fired some of the servants. Still, in a week they would have at least two hot bath sessions.
Preparing a hot bath was a massive workload for the servants. Because Dali City located in a steep valley, it was impossible to find a natural hot spring nearby. Thus, when they wanted to have a nice hot bath, they must fill a giant bathtub on the bathhouse by hand.
Yes, the servants brought the water from the well with a bucket back and forth for a whole day. When the water was half-filed, another group of servants would start the fire on the fireplace placed beneath the tub. The heat then connected with a metal plate at the bottom of the tub. When the bathwater boiled, they would add the Kembang Tujuh Warna1, a prescription of herb containing seven kinds of wildflowers into the water. It then needed some time to make the temperature cooled down.
This whole session of preparing a single hot bath would need hundreds of men to work in a day workload.
In order to not wasting the water and energy to fill the massive bath pool, this bath would be enjoyed by all people from the family as well, similar to a public bath. However, the only thing that different was that the time would be strictly allocated.
Dian Xinyue holding a basket of change clothes and soap and stuff entered the bathhouse of the city manor. As one of the daughters of the City Lord, she had the chance to use the bathhouse after the Lord's wives, in other words, her mother and stepmothers.
After a day of training, she sweated a lot and felt really tired. She needed some refreshments, and the bath was a really good way to revitalize herself.
When she entered the changing room, no one was there. She then humming while stripping off her training suit, revealing her curvaceous still developed body stark naked. She covered her body with a bath towel and then entered the bathing room.
Inside the bath for women, some of her sisters already there with the blonde Withornian woman. Therese was submerging herself in the hot water while surrounded by her sisters.
"Miss Therese, you have such nice and moisture skin, what's your secret!? Please tell me about it, I am dying to know!" the fifth daughter Linxue asked with beaming eyes.
"Uhh ..., I think Lady Linxue also has healthy skin," Therese answered her with a compliment.
"It's true, so soft, like Ruyi silk fabric." second daughter Ruyen touched Therese supple arm with a tint of envy. This peculiar behavior made the priestess smiled wryly.
"Second sis, stop touching her arm like a perverted old man! Don't you see that she looks troubled?" fourth daughter Zhiqiao reminded her elder sister with a stern expression, she also tried to pull Ruyen from Therese.
"Xixixi ...," on the side, sixth daughter Shixi put restrained laughter watching their conduct.
Xinyue who just only entered the bath shook her head watching her sisters' behavior. They seem unaffected by the overall mood of the family these days. Still nonchalant and did things at their own pace.
While there was no need to be panicked when they were already sheltered, this Manor proved to be a strong and solid defense against an outer threat. However, Xinyue was a girl who constantly thought about 'what if' situation that somehow would happen all this time. And she would think for the worst-case scenario.
It was tiring for her these past two days, her granduncle and the whole clan was their enemies. Not mentioning that perhaps her granduncle managed to gain help from another noble family somewhere else. She tried to send people outside to gather information in the city. But the Madam of the House, Lady Liu forbade anyone from entering or leaving the mansion beside Xianli's subordinate.
Thus, there was nothing Xinyue could do besides preparing for the defense inside the manor. She was busied these few days, she roamed around in the Manor ensuring there was no weak spot on the defense, prepared some hidden trap, and tell the soldier to guard a certain area.
Albeit not knowing the plan of this eccentric young mistress, the soldiers followed her word obediently. Some smart guy reported her conduct to the Guard Captain, Dian Lugao.
The Guard Captains went to find her, after exchanged some arguments and debate for a few minutes. He then believed her reasoning and there was no fault on her logic. In fact, Xinyue's plan to solidify the defense on this manor was more effective than his.
Thus, Dian Lugao also agreed with her plan to fortifying the defensive power of the manor.
"Ahh, third sister!" It was Dian Shixi who first noticed her arrival.
"Good day to you, Miss. Xinyue. Come join us!" Therese welcomed Xinyue with a friendly smile that was her trademark.
The three sisters' attention turned to the new arriving Dian Xinyue. Their all smiling face turned into sullen expression.
"Yo ...," Xinyue greeted them with a stiff smile.
"..." the other three sisters just nodded and continue chatted with a change of mood.
After all, even if the little devil known as Dian Xianli had already forgone the matter from before. She was distanced by the three of them. Her sixth sister Shixi was the only one who still had a slightly better relationship with her.
Xinyue did not mind with this treatment by her sisters. Although she found this was rather unfair for her, she would not mind with this small thing.
And she also felt content when her mother finally got the treatment she deserved. Not like before when she was treated lower than that of a servant. She was forced to sleep in a cramped storeroom, never allowed into the same table at a diner. But worse of all, Liu Beiwei forbade Dian Yuanli, her Lord Father to sleep with Han Yin or change this arrangement.
After all the incident that happened, with Dian Xianli no longer mad at her, Liu Beiwei then became softer to her and her mother. This, of course, was good news for Xinyue. The problem was her sisters who already had a sour relationship with her these past few months.
Xinyue walked to the corner of the bath where there the water container was located. She wanted to clean up herself from the sweat and dirt in this place before soaking herself in the warm bath. There was a long container connected with the massive tub there with warm water that could be used to wash the body while sitting on a small stool.
She found another figure already occupied a spot over there. It was not another sister of hers, but it was Dian Juewang with an unknown green-haired woman. This woman was someone she had never seen before, she had an almost perfect body but her ears were a bit too long and the tip was pointed.
Juewang who was squatting on the green-haired woman's side was wearing a bath towel to cover her undeveloped body. She helped the green-haired girl cleaned her body and hair with perfumed soap and shampoo.
"How can you still look pretty when you are this dirty?" Dian Juewang mumbled while still busy rubbing the elf lady.
Juewang rubbed the green-haired woman's back and arm, she also helped her clean her long hair. And it was surprisingly dirty. Some strange and pungent moss sticking out on her hair, and there was layer after layer of dirt accumulated on her skin. Still, in the eyes of the maid, she was beautiful even with all of that dirt, grass, and moss, or whatever that stuck on her body.
When Dian Juewang turned to the other side, she noticed Dian Xinyue who already seated beside them. She stood up and bowed.
"Good evening, Young Mistress Xinyue."
"Ah, don't mind me, Juewang, continue with your work. By the way, who is she?"
"She's ...,"
Dian Juewang looked at the beautiful long-eared woman with a bitter smile. How would she explain where did this woman come from to Xinyue?
She heard about the story of their origin from Therese, and although she couldn't believe it fully, she had to believe it for the meantime. In the end, she just bit her tongue and explained how her Young Master explained it to her.
"Young Master Xianli summoned her ..." and hoping that Xinyue would understand about this.
Juewang never witnessed this so-called Summoning. But Xinyue immediately understood what she means, after all, Xianli had explained his power to her and the other yesterday.
"Oh, so she's like the Priestess and the Old Veteran. Nice to meet you, I'm Dian Xinyue. Your Lord's Third Sister, I hope we can get along." said Xinyue to the elf woman with a charming smile.
Xinyue had her share of conversation with Allescar and Therese. And she learned that they always called the little devil as 'Lord'. It was a strange manner when everyone in the manor called him as the Young Master.
But it was true. The summoned people were Dian Xianli subordinate, not her Lord Father's subordinate.
It was understandable when they would regard Xianli as their Lord and not Young Master. After all, Young Master/Lord literally means that he was the son of their Master/Lord. Even the red-haired girl with great expertise on fire manipulation disregarded Liu Beiwei and only followed Xianli's words.
Rebecca turned to the Juewang and the maid girl nodded her head with a smile.
She then looked back at Xinyue and said, "Rebecca, nice too."
"...'nice too'?" Xinyue was a bit perplexed with that introduction of hers.
What was supposed to be the meaning of those words? Was she wanted to say 'nice to meet you too' or something along that line? Then why would she cut the word and only said two non-phrased words?
"Young Mistress Xinyue. Well, you see, this lady was a bit ..., weird sometimes. She doesn't like to speak that much, and when she does speak, she likes to cut her word short and ..., undecipherable." Juewang continued to wash her long hair with the bubble created from the shampoo. "Miss Rebecca, close your eyes for a while! I will rinse your hair."
"..." she closed her eyes and Juewang took a bucket of water to rinse her hair.
After a while, her green hair became cleaner, and the murkiness because of the moss and mud were cleansed. In fact, the color of her hair turned into the original luster. Deep emerald green.
"There you go, you can open your eyes, Miss Rebecca," said Juewang.
The elf girl opened her eyes and looked at the reflection of her face in the mirror in front of her. She was stunned with her own look. She wiped the steam on the mirror to get a clearer reflection of her and exclaimed.
"Ahhh!?"
Rebecca put her hand on the chin and then to her hair that was cleaned and all shiny. She smiled all the way and then looked at the maid girl.
"Juewang, good girl." while patting the maid's head for some reason.
Dian Juewang was a bit dumbfounded with the enchanting smile of the elf woman. But then she laughed it off and led the elf girl to the hot bath.
Juewang then returned back to Xinyue and kindly asked. "Shall I help you wash, Young Mistress Xinyue?"
"Oh, thank you, how kind of you!" Of course, she wouldn't reject her kind offer, it was a long time since she enjoyed this treatment from a maidservant.
In the evening, the little maid Meimei called him to take a hot bath in the bathhouse. And he was immediately reminded with that strange custom. He sighed and put aside the matter he currently occupied with.
The hot bath was only available on a specific day of the week. Sometimes on the first day and fifth day, while on the next week it would be on the second day and the sixth day. The cycle continues with a three-day gap at least.
Dian Xianli also knew about this weird custom of the house made by her father. The noble of the house must enter the bath before the soldiers and servants could use it. This means when he didn't enter the bathhouse, then all of the male soldiers and servants would not get the chance of a hot bath.
To enter the bathhouse became something he must do no matter what. When Xianli was sick and unable to move from the bed, the servants and soldiers would never dare to use the bath. It was as if they used the Young Master's share of water and they considered it disrespectful.
Xianli did not quite understand with such a hierarchical arrangement. It was basically nonsense if he must say.
But, well he had some nice and relaxing time in the bathhouse. And everyone from the manor loved to do so. It became a habit and a way to relax for them.
Walking to the bathhouse, it was strangely bustling with people. Starting from soldier, maid, and manservants. They chatted and joked around with smiles and laughter. Some soldiers even flirted around with the maids. It looked like an event of some sort, but only inside this manor.
'It's not bad ..., the atmosphere in this place.' Xianli thought after watching them socializing merrily.
When he walked past the alley, the soldiers and servants noticed him. They immediately stopped talking and bowed their head deeply.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master Xianli!"
And one by one, they shouted his name. The front yard of the bathhouse instantly quieted down. It was an eerie sight for the Xianli to see such a display of respect from the employee toward their boss' son.
[..., indeed, and Host just ruined that very atmosphere.]
Catherine said, holding back her laughter from erupting.
'shut up ...' he retorted in his mind.
He continued walking with the many heads bowed to him, still silent this whole time. When there were this many heads bowed in his sight, it would be easy to notice when a person raised their head. And Xianli noticed such behavior from one of the middle-aged maid.
The middle-aged maidservant who stood beside a huge parasol tree raised her head and took a long look at Dian Xianli who walked to the bathhouse. He glanced at her in the corner of his eyes, but the middle-aged maid immediately bowed her head back down.
However, she was already noticed by Xianli. She was a woman in her thirty with a thin and frail figure with a small mole below her thin lip. She had a face in a goose-egg shape, and her eyes were big and round unlike the usual Jiang with narrowed eyes slit.
Dian Xianli continued walking after catching a glimpse of her. But then he was greatly surprised when her visage connected with a figure from his memories. He stopped his feet and turned around to looked at the middle-aged woman one more time.
"..., mother?" he muttered.
It was not because he saw his mother, Liu Beiwei, in that particular direction. But the middle-aged woman who just takes a glance at him had the same figure and facial features as his mother on Earth.
Dian Xianli stopped on his track, he then approached the middle-aged woman. Some maidservants nearby backed off when he walked. He stopped right in front of her and said.
"..., raise your head!"
The middle-aged woman with a frail figure raised her head. And Dian Xianli almost choked with his own breath. It was undoubtedly his mother. She was the perfect copy of his mother's back on earth. His chest tightened when he finally saw his mother that he missed this whole time.
Dian Xianli also noticed some strange light on her eyes. As if she was trying to convey something, but she couldn't.
But, this place was not Earth. Dian Xianli was the son of Dian Yuanli with Liu Beiwei. Then, who was this person who looks like his mother on Earth?
He couldn't stop himself from asking, "you ..., who are you?"