13. Love Around the Corner
In the village, life is quite leisurely.
So comfortable that I almost thought I was an ordinary human girl.
Every day, on time, I fertilize the farm, water the plants, and feed the cows. At mealtime, I help Grandma Claire, occasionally go to the forest to gather some vegetables or herbs, or help in the wheat fields with Aria and Barry.
Country life is monotonous, especially in such a remote little village, where most of the time there's nothing to do, and people gather in twos and threes to chat about trivial matters. I rarely join in unless Aria drags me along; otherwise, I choose to daydream alone or find a secluded place to practice my "homework."
Although the people here live in poverty, they don't have much stress in life. There's no worry about not meeting this month's targets, no fear of being eliminated for walking a bit slower, no need for a house or a car.
Everyone is the same; no one looks down on anyone else.
I think this is what life should be.
If days could continue like this… it seems not bad at all.
A couple of days ago, a merchant came to the village, a big uncle with a loud voice and a full beard. He and his wife regularly travel through the forest to the surrounding villages, buying herbs from the villagers at fair prices to sell in the distant towns. Their way of doing business is very primitive.
If it were me, using the special nature of the Woodward Forest, I would first find a master of healing potions as a partner to develop my own products and create a new brand.
Next, I would try to negotiate with nobles or lords for their investment to start setting up shops and advertising, while also investing a lot of time and money in developing new technologies that could replace the existing formulas on the market. Only then would there be a chance to grow bigger and not be quickly replaced and buried after a brief success.
Of course, it's not easy to implement, but following this path, the chances of winning are quite large.
The merchant's principle is that the money he can earn should not be earned by others. With so many opportunities in front of him, it's really unqualified to just sell raw materials honestly.
But these things, I just think about them when I have nothing to do, and I won't try to implement them.
I really don't want to enter that circle again. It's nice to be a quiet village girl.
…………
Time quietly passed, and before I knew it, the harvest day arrived.
The east had not yet brightened with the first light of dawn when I got up early, following Aria and Barry, even Grandma joined us, the four of us pulling a cart of tools towards the wheat field.
"Good morning, Grandma Claire!"
Not far away, a family of villagers pushing a cart out of the house greeted Grandma loudly.
"Good morning, Mr. Doug, may the Goddess of Abundance bless us."
"Goddess of Abundance bless us, this year is definitely a year of good harvest, haha!"
Grandma Claire chatted with the people with a smile, and I subconsciously looked over and saw that the child king, Ryan, was also there.
Ryan also saw me, grinned with a big smile, showing his big yellow teeth.
I rolled my eyes at him.
Barry saw my expression and thought Ryan was bullying me again, and immediately shouted loudly.
"Uncle Doug, can you talk to Ryan? He always bullies my sister Sil!"
"What! Ryan, why are you bullying her?" Uncle Doug looked furious and glared with his bushy beard.
"I didn't bully her!" Ryan shouted back defiantly, glaring fiercely at Barry.
Barry glared back just as defiantly.
The rivalry between the boys was interesting.
"If you didn't bully her, why would little Barry tattle on you!" Doug kicked Ryan's butt hard, "I know you! You must be teasing her because you think the little girl is pretty. Hmph, go apologize to her."
"Why should I! I didn't bully her, Barry is slandering me! I won't go!"
Doug, angry, kicked Ryan again.
"You little rascal, I'm giving you a chance to talk to the girl by telling you to apologize. Look at you, no ambition. If you like her, chase her with your abilities, don't just embarrass me all day!"
"Alright, alright, Doug, don't hit Ryan anymore, he's still young, still young." Grandma Claire intervened.
"Almost nineteen and still young, your Barry is much more sensible than him…"
Barry, hearing the comparison, glanced at me with a smug look, barely containing his smile.
I returned the smile, and his face flushed, his gaze darting away shyly.
Heh, amusing.
The journey to the field didn't take long, and soon we arrived at our destination.
About a kilometer northeast of the village lay vast wheat fields, rolling waves of gold as far as the eye could see. The sturdy stalks topped with bushy heads, the ripe wheat heavy with full grains.
The Claire family's plot was the closest to the village entrance, spanning about three to four acres.
"Little Sil, do you know how to harvest wheat?"
Entering the field with our tools, Grandma Claire asked me with a smile.
"No."
I shook my head in response.
"Come, Grandma will teach you." Grandma Claire bent down to pick up a sickle, demonstrating for me, "This tool is called a sickle. You use it to hook the wheat stalks. Then like this, take a small step, plant your feet firmly, bend over, grab with the left hand, sweep with the right…" She placed the cut wheat to the side neatly. "See clearly? You try now."
Grandma handed me a short sickle. I clumsily tried to imitate her but couldn't get the hang of it for a while.
"…No, be careful, the sickle should cut at an angle, you need to be quick and forceful, but steady with your cut."
Following Grandma's instructions, I grabbed a bunch of wheat with my left hand and swept with my right… I was a bit too forceful, and the blade nearly grazed my leg, sending a chill down my spine.
"Be careful, my dear… You're doing it dangerously, silly girl. Here, Grandma will show you like this…" Grandma came over and guided me hand by hand, "Plant your feet, bend over, grab, sweep… That's right, just like that."
Aria and Barry had already cut a large area by now, and they were sneakily watching me and laughing.
I felt a bit frustrated and made a face at them. But with Grandma's patient guidance, I quickly got the hang of it and my speed at cutting wheat increased.
The sun rose, and the air gradually became hot and stuffy.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and suddenly noticed a large sickle lying not far from my feet.
"Grandma. That, what is it?"
"That's a scythe, you… can't use it." Grandma is old, and was already panting a bit from the effort.
"I want to try. Grandma, take a rest."
The scythe was nearly two meters long, the blade gleaming sharply. I walked over, picked it up, and stood it on the ground. It towered over my one-meter-sixty frame, yet it felt balanced. I swung it a couple of times; it felt surprisingly natural.
This thing… if used to cut something else, would be very frightening.
"My dear, put it down! It's too dangerous." Grandma quickly took the scythe from my hands, "You stick with the sickle, don't play around or Grandma will get angry."
"Okay. Grandma, don't be angry."
I saw that Grandma Claire seemed genuinely upset, so I put aside my restless thoughts and continued to harvest with the sickle obediently.
"Grandma, give me the scythe!" Barry suddenly called out.
Grandma Claire handed the scythe and a net-like object to Barry.
"I'll rest for a bit, and you're not to give the scythe to little Sil to play with!"
Barry nodded, then fitted the net onto the blade and swung the scythe through the wheat field, cutting down swathes of wheat.
"Little sister Sil, you need to be strong to use the scythe, and it requires skill, you'd probably get tired after a couple of swings. Only I can use it in the family, even my sister can't."
Barry spoke with a hint of pride, tilting his head to look at me as if he were a child showing off his candy.
"Barry, so impressive."
I fed his vanity, but my mind was on something else.
Do I need a weapon now?
If one day I have to face those strong and burly church knights again, with my small stature, if I use a sword like them, I'd be at a disadvantage due to my shorter arms and legs.
If there were a weapon that could both stab and slash, long enough to compensate for my "shortcomings"… My gaze returned to the scythe in Barry's hands.
Then I saw Barry sneak a glance at me, his swings growing more vigorous…
…………
The four of us worked quickly, and with the scythe, the three to four acres were harvested in no time. Looking at the large bundles of wheat lying in the field, I thought about the upcoming task of hauling them back by hand, cartload by cartload, and my head began to ache.
However, the sky was already turning a dusky yellow, and night would soon fall, leaving any remaining work for the next day.
"Little Sil, you're amazing, you've cut more than me since the afternoon."
On the way back, Aria stretched out with a big yawn, looking at me with a hint of surprise.
"Who would have thought you're so strong? Last night, I even bet Barry that you wouldn't last an hour. Kudos to you!"
"Thanks to Grandma's teaching."
Hmph, there's a lot you don't know about me.
"Don't you feel tired at all? I'm so exhausted… Grandma, what are we eating when we get back?"
Aria looked at Grandma with anticipation.
"All you think about is eating…" Barry muttered under his breath.
"Barry! Have you been finding me annoying lately? You contradict everything I say! Are you looking for a fight?" Aria, getting angry, immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready to battle Barry for three hundred rounds right there and then.
"Sister, you're about to get married, and you don't have a shred of modesty… I don't even know what Allen sees in you."
"Mind your own business!"
"Stop arguing, the wheat is falling out."
"When we get back, I want meat!"
"Cluck cluck."
Watching the old and the young in front of me, the corners of my mouth lifted into a pleasant curve, feeling that this was my journey in another world.
Life is nothing but these trivial matters, mundane yet warm.
Thinking this, I turned my head and my face went pale, as if falling into an icy pit.
By the roadside, a familiar silver figure crouched there, patting a child's head, smiling and saying something, then standing up.
The white cloak billowed behind him, the style I knew all too well.
He turned his head towards me, squinting his eyes.
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