12 Breakfast with the Madam

So... there's still a shopping cart in my room.

Nothing special just a classic metal and plastic supermarket cart. It's just....really out of place here.

I don't think plastic is even invented yet.

That and I stole the market's shopping cart. I really should return it but truth be told I'm lazy. Do I have to jump through the magic mirror just to return a cart?

Hey magic mirror can I just kinda, hold you out and have you send it back? Haha I'm just joking-

Oh

I really was just joking when I held out the mirror like it was a damn pokeball. Forgive me universe it's how I cope with the absurdity that is my life lately. I didn't think it would actually work!

The shopping cart in focus faded and disappeared faster than I could blink, as if it was never there.

An itemized pokeball?

Oh god what else can thing thing do?

As much as I would like to experiment, this thing doesn't come with an instruction manual. I also don't want to tempt fate and end up worse off. Let's just be thankful the mirror can usefully just...send stuff. Hopefully back to the right place.

The little wooden room is much roomier now that the glaring shopping cart is gone. My own supplies are beginning to pile. Definitely a suspicious-looking place if anyone were to come in here.

The plain cot now has a layer of my camping sleeping bag to better cushion and insulate. It's still winter here and I don't know how heating here works outside of burning charcoal. I didn't hesitate to fluff it further with my own spare pillows and winter blankets. The sheets they gave me were rather on the scratchy side and I'm just not used to a hard pillow.

Seriously what is with that? How do you turn over or sleep on your sides with those things?

Nearby is my trusty duffel bag that I now relegate to holding sanitary supplies and other small items. A side tote bag helps out. The clothes I brought along are folded and piled in a neat corner.

The snacks and medical supplies are awkwardly hidden in what I assume to be a storage cabinet. They are further covered in a lumpy pile of tablecloth and some jackets I picked up from home.

It's not even midnight there yet. According to my phone and when I last jumped back to my apartment, it's still the same night as when this all first started.

With the grocery run and stopping back home for supplies I missed maybe about 6-7 hours of of this day. Whatever the time dilation between is, it's definitely over 5x as long. It's not as long as 10x that much I can tell. Well I'll just have to set a timer or something to confirm it exactly.

With that in mind, it's more productive to think over and make plans over here before heading home for supplies. Make a list and grab what you need accordingly. That and just throw everything into the pile. That's essentially what I did popping over my apartment for the second time today. I kind of want I try seeing if the Pokeball technique really works.

Or well keeps working.

More clothes, pillows, random accessories that could be useful or given to Lu Shan. Just throw whatever can be used in the pile. Hell, I might as well throw in stuff from in the kitchen. Protein bars and bananas right on top.

When the pile is stupidly large, past the point of carrying on my own, I start the experiment. Pile, I choose you!

It's not a poof and there are no flashing lights but it works. Or at least I think it does since the pile faded away like a mirage. There's only one way to confirm.

The next time I blink it's back into Lu Shan's guest storage room. The haphazardly selected pile of items, scourged from my apartment right next to me.

Oh, this is convenient.

I spend the rest of the evening sorting and tidying up all the stuff I brought. If anyone noticed my rustling and fussing from the other room they didn't come bother me about it. It's nice to be so trusted.

----

So I missed lunch and whatever constitutes as dinner here, early and late.

It's not that big of a deal, especially with all the time jumping.

I just happened to fall asleep right after finishing with cleaning all the shit I brought over. Just straight up collapsed unto my little nest. It's much more comfortable now though it looks like it belongs to some college students in their dorm.

Besides I'm a modern girl who knows overtime and skipped meals, It's not healthy exactly but schedules are tough. Not so long ago I was a stressed-out student too. I'm quite experienced in not eating on time. My stomach is calling this morning but I can hold out.

I can just go to the kitchen or wait for breakfast right?

But no.

Day three and the Madam has called for me even before I get the chance to grab any breakfast.

This is the second time I've bell called up and I haven't even been here long. God it's not midnight yet in my time.

Obviously, her actual living and resting quarters are blocked of. Instead when I and many other unfortunate girls in trouble, we to get in a lead up ground floor parlor room The principal office once again.

Makes sense with all the things she has to supervise.

I still need to follow the girls she sent otherwise I'd still get lost. Just how big and twisty is this place?

Upon arrival, the madam was already up and wonderfully dressed in soft layers and furs. Her face contained not a trace of makeup which I found better showed off her natural beauty. Despite her age and obvious wrinkles, it's clear that she must have been a very popular courtesan once upon a time. Without that dreadful overdone makeup sat a beautifully graceful though scary madam.

In the slightly judgmental silence, I managed a silent greeting and one sip of tea before she starts talking.

"I see you really have offered the kitchen head your gifts first."

"Not really, didn't we go over this yesterday?."

Shit, that old woman already went to report? Or is this about the groceries again? That or nothing ever passes the Madam, who knows.

"Earlier the kitchens reported it was 4 ½ kilos of white rice, 3 Kilo of an unknown fragrant oil, 2 kilo of ground meat, 5 kilo of Northern wheat flour, 1 kilo of whole grains, and 25 hen eggs. These are not easy things to get on such short notice."

"Easier for me than whatever bribes you're all asking for. You understand that I don't understand how things work around here. I don't wish to offend anyone so isn't this my compromise. A few collective things we can all enjoy is easier no?"

"It's easier for you to get goods rather than money? A few bronze coins or even a silver to some servants added up wouldn't be able to buy rice of that quality or flour from the north. Not even in summer let alone now. "

Maybe I should have done some better research before buying that stuff. But who has time for that? White rice and flour are so common for me I forgot how difficult it was to make prior to big machinery industrializations. Of course, that stuff is pricey here.

"I wanted to show my sincerity. As I stated I don't understand how it supposedly operates around here. I don't like it but I won't be rude." I laugh it off, trying to play humble.

"You're no simple doctor." she says simply, sipping a steaming cup of tea.

"I never said I was only a doctor."

"It would be foolish to ask you what connections it is you have."

"Yes Madam I suppose it would be."

At that moment some young serving girls come in through the doorway and have breakfast displayed promptly. It's a beautiful array of fragrant ginger pork congee, steaming mantou, and a meat-filled puff pastry if the smell and oil are to believed. The pickles are here too of course.

My empty stomach growls at the wafting scents.

Is this a torture tactic or is she inviting me to breakfast? Worst case scenario it's just a test to see how I react. Man, it's tiring trying to read people like this. Harem dramas really weren't exaggerating. How do ancient women live like this?

I would never survive if I was born in ancient times. Or thrust here without a magic mirror to take me back. Look my stomach is growling already, isn't that a sign of weakness.

The madam laughs out loud at that.

"Ohhohoho, really you are interesting.. One moment I see you as ferocious as a stalking tiger and I can't tell a thing from you. The next you turn into a child, like Lan Shan."

Is it the face? I can understand comparing our looks but how am I like her otherwise?

The serving girls scoop two servings on congee from the central bowl. So you are going to feed me right?

"You don't believe me. Yes you are very different from her, not as simple, but there are moments. Well go ahead, your 'contributions' provided for this meal after all."

You don't need to tell me twice but I still wait for her to take a bite first. I hate manners but some of them have been beaten into me, literally.

Only then do I reach for a steaming mantou and start dipping. It's sweet and fluffy, fresh and organic if a bit rustic.

The madam is laughing at me for some reason but hey more food for me. There's no such thing as an awkward silence during meal times. The focus should be on eating, especially when the food is good.

And damn is today's food good. Definitely not a meal for a woman on a diet, not with all these carbs that is. It's delicious though. So this what they decided to use the rice and flour on.

"The treatment for Aunt Hang-" the madam starts to say.

There it is, nothing really does get past the madam.

"-I will pay for the items in full" she finishes with a tone of finality in her voice.

Well, that was unexpected. I look up and consider her for a moment, still full of nonchalant poise sipping her congee. It's a wonder how long Aunt Heng's been with her.

"Don't bother. This time only, it's on me. Lu Shan is special but Aunt Heng feeds her and everyone here. I want to eat too." I smile, playing the game.

"You're getting easier to figure out, you know that?" she continues sipping her tea, hardly touching the food.

"I'm serious though, which courtesan or girl of yours can replace Aunt Heng's cooking? This is my bribe or favor or whatever you want to call it." I counter, playing my hand upfront.

"Hmm true. Very well then, I thank you for the treatment on her behalf. Take these then, in advance for the others." an embroidered pouch slides to my side of the table.

Yeah like that old woman would say thank you. So thus I graciously accept the pouch with unknown coins and continue on with my meal. Oh the meat puff pastry used my olive oil and meat, how nice.-

---

Once again I was allowed to accompany the madam's direct serving girls to the kitchens after breakfast. Do they really have to just stand there and wait around while we eat? Sounds unproductive to me.

The kitchen is still as messy as the day before but with one difference. Aunt Heng was still yelling at people, she was just walking around to yell at them more directly instead. Her gloved hands posed behind her back the whole time.

She immediately notices us arrive, somehow, and turns her one over at me. Her glare makes me feel like a kid who got caught stealing from the cookie jar. I stuff the stolen rice cake in my mouth anyway.

"A week" I mouth at her.

She better keep this up for at least a week or I'm not refilling her hand cream.