5- Learning Local Custom

"So, what now? Are we heading back?" Evelyn asked, prompting the twenty-year-old woman to shake her head.

"No, not yet. We need to take care of some things first," Kayla replied, eyeing him up and down.

"What things?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling disturbed and self-conscious under her scrutiny.

Kayla smirked and stepped closer.

"You'll see," she said with a confident smile, waving her right hand to summon the errand boy.

"How much is our bill?" she asked, her brow slightly furrowed as she pulled out her purse from inside her long-sleeved hanfu.

"It's 20 silver coins," the young errand boy replied, maintaining a respectful distance.

"20 silver coins for the tea and this dish? Okay, here." She opened her purse and extended it toward the young boy.

"You can take the necessary coins," She said kindly. Beside her, Evelyn observed with curiosity. Understanding her intention, he stepped forward, took the purse from her hand, carefully counted the coins, and handed some to the boy.

"There. Keep the change," 

The errand boy thanked him before hurrying away with the money.

"Why do you randomly let other people take money from your purse? No matter how rich you are in this world, it doesn't mean you can openly offer your purse to others," he complained, his concern evident in his voice.

"It's not intentional. I don't know how many coins I should give—I'm unfamiliar with the value of Chinese money, you know?" Kayla replied, feeling embarrassment and frustration at her unfamiliarity with the local customs.

"Right, I forgot you and I have different hobbies," Evelyn chuckled. 

"I guess the literature club and the historical club that I joined during my academic years paid off," he added, feeling a sense of pride in his knowledge.

"Well, I suppose I'm fortunate. I have an elder sibling who's a bookworm," the twenty-year-old woman said with a smile.

With that settled, they headed out, walking north.

"Where are we heading exactly?" Evelyn asked, exhausted from walking under the scorching sun for hours.

"We're here," Kayla replied tersely.

Immediately, he squinted ahead and noticed a building that resembled an inn but exuded an air of extravagance.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"An inn," the twenty-year-old woman stated bluntly.

"An inn with different kinds of stores?" Evelyn asked, astonished.

"Yep, amazing, right? I was amazed too when I first saw it," Kayla said, and he nodded.

"You've been here before?" he asked, his eyes examining every detail of the place.

"Yes, earlier, when I was running away from those three servants, I found myself in this street before I bumped into you," Kayla explained.

"I see, that's good then. Are baths also available here?" He asked.

"Yes, that's why I brought you here in the first place," She replied.

"Ahh... You could have explained this earlier," Evelyn complained.

"Why stress you out beforehand?" Kayla smirked mischievously. A hint of betrayal and disbelief immediately showed on her brother's face.

"Let's go," she urged, not minding him. But before they could fully enter, a man blocked their path.

Observing two unfamiliar and somewhat disheveled individuals attempting to enter their luxurious establishment, the head errand man couldn't hide his irritation.

"What do you think you're doing entering this place? Leave! Now!" He started but abruptly stopped upon seeing a substantial pouch of silver coins waved in front of his face.

"I have plenty more where that came from," Kayla said with a forced smile.

"Take us to your finest and most private room," she instructed confidently. The head errand man immediately complied without asking any questions.

Meanwhile, the young man beside her was speechless and somewhat disappointed by the behavior and attitude of the head errand man.

He couldn't believe that some of the information he had read in books about ancient people's corruption was true. Corruption truly began in the past. Evelyn couldn't help but click his tongue three times.

"We have arrived. Two young errand boys will attend to you both later," the head errand man announced, his eyes expectant.

"Tell those boys to prepare us a warm bath and also ensure we're not disturbed," Kayla instructed, handing over the money before they entered the room.

Closing the sliding door behind them, Evelyn remarked,

"That's quite a quantity. Do you still have some left? Remember, we still need to buy your shoes."

"And your clothes," Kayla interjected, turning around to face him with a reassuring smile. 

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," she assured him.

"Excuse me, warm water is ready," a sudden voice of a boy rang from outside.

"How did he get the warm water inside without entering our rented room?" Evelyn asked, his voice tinged with confusion and curiosity. 

"I don't know. Don't worry about that; go ahead," Kayla responded, her tone dismissive yet slightly intrigued.

"Weird," The young man who had just reached adulthood muttered, furrowing his brow. 

Without wasting time, he strides to the second door but stops abruptly, turning to face his younger sister.

"What about my clothes?" he asked.

"I'll buy them while you bathe. What color do you want?" The twenty-year-old woman inquired.

"I don't know, just buy whatever suits me. I'll go now," Evelyn said impatiently, quickly entering and closing the door behind him.

With that said and done, Kayla left the room, carefully observing her surroundings to ensure there were no signs of those three servants before striding away and heading downstairs.

First, she entered the shoe shop and bought a pair of hanfu shoes and hanfu slippers. Then, she visited the tailor shop, which sold a variety of hanfu costumes styled from ancient times.

She pondered her brother's skin tone and indistinct facial features as she selected four costumes from the women's section. Afterward, she went to a makeup station, selected shades perfect for her elder brother, purchased them, and then returned upstairs.

"I'm back!" she called out, entering with five large paper bags, only to be surprised by her elder brother, who had just finished bathing, once again dressed in his dirty clothes. Hair was wet, and facial features were now clearly visible.

"Oh, welcome back. What kind of hanfu did you bring for me?" Evelyn asked eagerly, standing just two steps away from her. Kayla remained silent, staring at him, clearly taken aback by something.

"What's wrong?" he asked, couldn't help but feel uneasy and concerned at her intense gaze.

"Have you seen your face in the mirror yet?" She asked softly, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on him.

"Huh? Yes, earlier on the street. Why?" Evelyn inquired, confusion creeping into his voice.

"You're a man, right?" his younger sister asked.

"What are you on about?" He said, now sounding annoyed.

"If only you could see yourself right now in the mirror," Kayla said, her voice turning excited.

To be continued.