A Lifetime Promise

Chapter 9

Lin Xinglan hopelessly sat down in a dark corner away from the busy and lively streets, she had searched after a job to take for days but it ended up useless. Her clothes and body was dirty and worn out from not bathing for a long time, making her look like a poorly beggar.

She did consider to take a bath at the waterfall place in the forest she used to be with the young prince but she soon disregarded the thought on the point of not wanting the risk upon seeing him.

Lin Xinglan was a little ashamed to let him see what her life had become, she knew that if he found out, he would do anything to help her, and that was not something she wanted.
She didn't want to depend on him, that would leave her a not so good habit, she needed to learn to be independent.

Without warning, Lin Xinglan's little stomach made a loud noise, signing that she was hungry. She took a heavy breath as she patted her empty stomach pathetically.

This world really sucks. So many rude people and I am.... Really hungry. She inwardly complained only to make her mood worse.

Unexpectedly, a shadow was over her figure, she could tell someone was standing in front of her so she lifted her head to take a look. The shadow belonged to a white haired old man with a long beard. That reminded Lin Xinglan of a hermit old man or a wise old grandmaster figure. It seemed like she had read too many novels for her own good.

That very old man that stood in front of Lin Xinglan had in actual been watching her roaming around the streets acting like a beggar begging for food for days. He had been sitting in the third floor of a huge teahouse that was just right in front of the dark corner Lin Xinglan was now sitting.

In the beginning, he had caught a glimpse of the little child's figure as he watched the outside view through the window but he didn't pay any attention. It was normal to see children just like Lin Xinglan everyday in life. However, after catching sight of the child for a whole few days in streak, the old man finally took a notice on something that was in the child's hair, it was a jade hairpin.

If one didn't look carefully it would be seen as a normal plain looking jade but it didn't escape the sharp eyes of the old man. If one took a closer look, it was a matter of fact a high quality jade that only rich people could afford.

That made the old man bring out a lot of questions in his mind. Such question as why a little beggar child would possess such an expensive hairpin, and it didn't matter whether the child had stolen it or not, it didn't leave the fact that the child hadn't pawn it for money even though it could help the child from being poor. The old man immediately took an interest and decided to go to the little beggar child whom had been sitting in a dark corner for a long time.

At first, the old man couldn't make the child's gender because of the filth and dirt covering the body but now that he was able to observe the child in front of him in a closer view, he knew that the child was a female.

"Little child, I have been watching you for a while. You have been walking around the streets asking for a job to take to earn money." The old man spoke.

Lin Xinglan couldn't help but give the old man a pair of eyes accusing him of being a stalker which made him twitch his eye. He pretended he didn't see the look of the little child was giving him.

"Yes, old mister. Unfortunately, no one wants to hire me because of my age... Also, my appearance, I guess."

The old man took a glance at Lin Xinglan's hairpin before he opened his mouth, "You have such a fine hairpin, why don't you pawn it for money? Surely it would help your situation much better."

Lin Xinglan lightly touched her hairpin, she gave the old man a look that showed she was reminding of something, before she answered him, "Someone gave it to me... This is something that I will never pawn and will forever treasure."

"I see... Little child, how about this old one give you a job? Work for me." Lin Xinglan's eyes widened in stupefaction, those were words she wanted to hear the most during these past days.

"Yes, you see that teahouse in front of you?" The old man pointed at the direction of the teahouse, "I'm the owner and I'm willing to hire you, little child."

Lin Xinglan took a look at the teahouse and it was huge with three floors, she knew it existed but never gave the place a try as it seemed to be where people who had the money would go. She had expected there was no way someone would hire her in such place.

The teahouse had a huge board sign in the middle, just above the entrance, which had a beautiful calligraphy carved in with a golden color. It was the title of the teahouse, 'The Calmness of Heavens'.

It was a bold title but at the same time it gave out the feeling of calmness just as the words in the title held. Really a mystery, perhaps it was because of the scent of the tea they served that flowed out faintly but noticeable.

"Old mister... What's the catch?" Lin Xinglan looked at the old man, who claimed himself as the owner of the teahouse, suspiciously.

She couldn't believe it was that easy to get hired, there must be a catch behind it all and if it indeed wasn't then she would had stumbled into a jackpot.

The old man gave out a hearty laugh while he stroked his long white beard.

"You don't need to be so cautious. This old one just took a liking to your eyes, they seem simple but they show a deep meaning behind."

"How much would I earn if I accept?" Lin Xinglan asked impatiently.

When she heard the answer, her excitement disappeared and disappointment could be seen. It wasn't to her satisfaction so she decided to make a deal with the old man to raise her salary. She would toss up a coin, whichever hand the coin landed in, if he guessed right, he would win.

"Hmm... Alright, if this old one lose, I will raise your salary thrice but if you lose, this old one will cut your salary in half for a year. Is that good with you?"

"Definitely!"

The old man agreed with her deal as he was confident with his sharp eyes, he would be able to easily see which hand the coin would end in. It was unfortunate that he didn't notice something flashed through the child's eyes as soon as he agreed.

In the end, the old man was the one who had lost. He didn't expect a little child like her would be so quick with her hands the moment she tossed the coin up in the air. It was hard for him to follow with his sharp eyes, every time he was more or less sure which hand the coin landed in, he would guess wrong. It was beyond his expectation.

Of course, Lin Xinglan would never admit out loud that she cheated all three times. She might be quick with her hands as she would often practice seriously after she had lost to a classmate she hated the most. But the sharpness of the old man's eyes didn't go unnoticed so she had to cheat.

She used one of the classic tricks she learned on a whim since those tricks wouldn't work on people in her past life. Being able to make a use of it, she obviously felt proud and successful, totally disregarding her shameless act she just did to an unsuspecting old man.