55 The man with the scarf (1/2)

”Girl, is there anything I can help you with?” The accountant behind the front desk asked with a wide grin which his decaying teeth showed through.

Xue'er nodded and placed the box in front of him, and stated: ”Hundred Flower Hall ordered fifty handkerchiefs to be made and embroidered with different blossoms from JinYi embroidery shop, here is the order.”

”Oh… I almost forgot about that.” A voice said from behind.

Xue'er knew that it was the voice of madam Lu, even without having to turn her head around. She had a great ear for voices and could recognize anyone from hearing their voice one time.

The strong scent of perfume soon became the only thing she could smell, which led her to pity her nose, and curse why she ever had such a strong sense of smell in the first place.

A hand wearing a gold alloyed bracelet, with the patterns of what aimed to be an imitation of majestic phoenixes, but looked more like wild pheasants reached to open the box.

The lid of the box was opened, and a handkerchief was taken out. The fabric was an ivory color, with a blue wildflower embroidery, and lifelike stems, thin enough for a breeze to pass through, yet thick enough to be unable to see through it completely.

”The quality hasn't changed a bit, always as beautiful as always.” Madam Lu marveled as she held the fabric towards the light.

Xue'er's face showed an undiscernable smile that couldn't be seen by a soul because her head was looking down at the counter. She was quite proud of herself, all those extra hours of practicing had paid off.

Madam Lu placed the handkerchief back into the box and accepted it. Xue'er prepared to leave.

Just when she was about to head out for the door, a hand fell upon her shoulder and held her in place. Xue'er turned around to come face to face with madam Lu who was more than a head taller than her. She stared into madam Lu's face of heavily worn makeup to make herself look more palatable, yet it did not work. The cracks to the heavy makeup could be seen around her eyes as the wrinkles had grown deeper.

”How old are you this year?” She asked with her hand remaining on Xue'er's shoulder.

”Nine.” Xue'er said firmly, though internally, she had no idea how old her body was. It was simply a rough estimation based on her height and the growth of her body.