On her day off, Er Yin is the happiest. She happily ride on her horse away. She is only 100 miles towards the nearest town when she hear her name called out. She stop her horse to see 3 men riding behind in a fast speed. When he comes nearer, she see that it is the Duke and 2 of the soldiers that usually stand guard at his tent. She bow to them and ask what had happen.
"Nothing. I am just taking a break."
"If you are here... then you left Ming ge alone."
"He can handle. Also those are experience soldiers guarding the camp. Nothing will go wrong."
Er Yin become speechless and look at the other 2 men. They too feels awarkward to be hanging out with the Duke.
"I am going to the town..."
"Me too. Let's go, together."
She look at the Duke who is commands his horse to walk ahead. She follows the direction where he is moving. The Duke, signal his hand from his back to follow him. The 2 men move their horses and Er Yin is rolling her eyes. She wanted a time to be alone is now gone. She feels that her work is never ending.
The town is rather busy today. Everyone is out on the streets. Venders are selling what they have made. The 2 soldiers are excited to see life outside the camp they know. Er Yin bring them to the stalls that she always eat at. The 4 have a good meal. They continue to walk around. She stop in front of a grooming shop.
"This is a reputable shop in this city. If you want to, you can have a person to do a grooming service at reasonable prince."
The 2 men got excited and wanted to try but the Duke is not excited and wanted to follow Er Yin around. Thus the 2 men goes inside to try it while Er Yin brings the Duke to somewhere.
"Where are we going?"
"Since you are here... i will bring you there. Its a place that you might like."
They continue to walk and she suddenly enter the shop. He look up the sign that says 'beauty every day'. He hurry in to see inside are all women. Everyone is looking at him as no man ever enter yet alone a handsome man like him. He hurry to stand near Er Yin who is opening some bottles and sniff them. She push a bottle under his nose.
"Like the smell?"
He take a sniff again and nod his head.
"What are these for?"
"Washing our hair."
He looks pleasantly surprise and delighted. He begin to help himself to take a sniff at different bottles. Later the shop owner comes by and greet Er Yin.
"Miss! You are back! You bring your husband?!"
Er Yin nearly drop the bottle. She hold it tightly and shake her head.
"He is my... brother."
After she said that he actually frown and look at other bottles.
"Bother? Oh well ... do you like these? The latest! Rose oil! It is granted that the hair will be shiny and smells good too!"
"What smell is this."
The Duke put the bottle in front of the shop owner.
"This is lavender. It promotes relaxation and helps to sleep naturally."
"Do you have pillow with lavender?"
"There is! But you have to pay first and the back room will make it. They are fast just need 30 to 40 minutes! Are you interested?"
"...Maybe when i am retuning to mansion, i will order a few pillows.... How about incense?"
"Of course we do have them!"
She brings out a box of it. Er Yin put it on the tray along with some bath products. Also she place the items for shampoo on the tray. While she is looking at those. The Duke see another section where the ladies are looking at. He see colorful powder in small containers. Er Yin look at him from where she is standing at. She is wondering if he is buying something for his future wife. She looks at the tray with all what she wants to purchase. The shop owner ask if Er Yin would like to try a dye for the nails.
"Try one nail. See if you like it."
Before she can say anything, the shop owner ask her to sit down and proceed to apply a dye on her pinky nail and wrap it. While waiting for the dye to sets it, the Duke walks over with a container. Without a word, he try the brusher on her cheeks. His action scare her.
"Sit still..."
"Wait! Her skin is too dry and dark! You need these. Master, let me do it for her. You will see the difference."
As he watch Er Yin, his lips slowly move up and curl into a smile. Er Yin who always have a clean and pimples free skin is easy to apply oil and powder, her complexion slowly change to a fair skin. Er Yin sits quietly like an experiment mannequin display in the shop. The ladies watch and amazed that a tan skin girl have transformed. Soon, the shop is selling most of the makeup products because they watching Er Yin doing a live demonstration. While Er Yin is staring at the girl in the mirror. How can it be that she is her? Inside of her tan looking skin, it is now dewy and white like jade. Her bows are lightly touch to enhance her feature. Her eyes are drawn with a unique charcoal shape of a pen. While the cheeks is powder lightly with rose powder. While her lips is blotted with a red oil paper. As she stare to admire the girl in the mirror, the shop owner unwrap the dyed nail to display a pink hue. For the first time, Er Yin feels like a girl. A pretty girl. She is busy admiring herself in the mirror and the Duke paid for everything on the tray and the cosmetic used on her. Er Yin protest for the cosmetic that is bought. She cannot use it on daily it will be a waste. The Duke is happy with his purchase and did not bother with her complaint of wasting money. He carry the bag of items and step out of the street. He look at his assistant who is standing with the shop owner, still talking. After that she run out.
"What are you asking about?"
"I have to know how to clean this off my face. I cannot return to camp looking like this!"
"... fine... what else you want to buy?"
"Nothing. I only need my daily items...."
Er Yin complaints of him buying unnecessary items when she realise that he have stop by a stall.
"What are you looking at."
"Which hair pin do you think is pretty?"
She look and don't really fancy anything on display. They continue to walk around. Till Er Yin say that she needs to go to the bathroom. She runs off while he stands in the middle of the busy street. She returns with a clean face and his small monolid eyes gets smaller with a frowning lips.
That evening the 4 returns back to camp. Laugh and smiling. She forgotten about the items she left with the Duke. Till the the fifth day, she is told to wash his hair. She is about to get ready to do so when the eunuch from the palace arrives.