96 ③ First day - after the end of business

"... I'm home now. Ah," he pulled open the doorboard, greeted with a slight face by Ai-Fa, who was also sitting against the wall.

"What, what's going on? In Inn Town, is something wrong?

"No. It was a safely sold out dustbin, so I had to return."

"That was... a lot faster. It's not even supposed to be Jomtien yet, is it?

"Yeah. I've stopped by enough for this, though."

When I bought the ingredients for tomorrow, I was interested in standing up with Dora's father. After returning the stall, I also got feedback from the Camuans of Kimmus' Tail Pavilion. After arriving at the woodland, I washed the iron pot at the water field and, after that, I returned now.

The remainder of the tarapa sauce, which was not even given time to boil at all, was packed in leather bags purchased on the spot by Vina-Lou and taken home with a mollusc in his face.

I left the excess firewood with the stall I returned, so I can only carry the tarapa and cookware for tomorrow, it's me in a light outfit.

Anyway, I put the iron pot back in the kamado, cleaned out the tarapa I bought into the food pantry, and then I lowered my back to the front of the eye-fa.

"The ten I prepared could be sold out. After deducting all expenses, I have five red copper coins. Which sales? Well, as for the first day, it's a huge success..."

But it doesn't really come down to something.

In order to make sure that I didn't fall for it, I told Ey-Fa everything about the situation today.

"Hmmm... but well, the fact that I sold it because I recognized your flavor doesn't make a difference. Can I honestly be happy with my success?

"That may be true, but I don't even know how long that group of eastern people will stay in the Inn Town, so it's hard to figure out what to do after tomorrow."

In short, it is a state of mind that "facial appearance" and "topic making" failed greatly.

What emotions would the people in town have had about us turning back in less than an hour after we left the stall? Something went wrong and they pulled it out, or what?

Paranoia may be too much, but it's true that my gaze hurt.

Plus, that group didn't seem to flatter Locke with the West word, so I don't really expect the mouthpiece to spread its reputation either.

"... business is a tricky thing," Ai-Fa looks at me, wearing a golden brown head.

"Still, you did your job. A little joy."

"Yeah......"

"Be glad," he says.

And I = fa suddenly reached out and twisted my left cheek.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Ho ho, the meat can be chipped! What are you doing all of a sudden? You!

'Cause you say you're happy, but you don't know what to say'

and - a fluttering smile floats up in Ey-Fa's face.

"Am I happy?

"Ai-Fa, you -"

"Hmm?"

"You've been smiling a lot lately?... Ouch, ouch, ouch!

"Hmm!" stood up Ai-Fa as she fogged the smile on her face, taking the fur cloak from the wall as it was.

"Stay... oh, it's time to head to the woods already?

"Hmm. What are you going to do now, Asta?

"Right. It's still too early to do the planting. I think a little bit about the future, but I also crack it with firewood."

"If it's firewood, I broke it too. Well, it would be nice to crack as much as you can within the crack."

And so on, he turns to me again with an agua on.

"Okay, I'm coming.... Never be alarmed today, huh?

"Oh. If some crazy drunk approaches, I'll run away."

"Uhm," nodded Ai-Fa's eyes, lit a very strong light.

When you left me for the woods, Ai-Fa started to look at me like this - you know, after the day I finished Rutim's feast.

That's how I-Fa headed into the woods and I was left at home.

(Jomtien, or...)

If it's true, now should be the right time to hand out tastings to people in a crowded lodging town. Sitting around the house all alone, me.

After all, the sense of disillusionment outweighs the sense of accomplishment.

"Well, there was nothing I could do! The battle starts tomorrow, tomorrow!

It's going to be a bit of an adventure, but we'll bake 20 patties tomorrow.

So if you fail miserably, you just have to go back to ten.

Or, if you still seem to sell out lightly, you can add it every day. We'll have to deal with the ad hoc while cutting off the cost of the ingredients.

(There is no rush. If we don't even have a big deficit, we can keep the store open for ten or twenty days. We just need to be able to achieve a little bit)

I was able to feel a lot more positive, thanks to the honest pleasure of I-Fa.

It was a bit of an unexpected development, but I guess I can honestly be happy with that part because I was able to sell it out on the first day I didn't even think it would sell properly.

Besides, even though it's all familiar to you, Tara, your father, Camua, and the Late Boy all admired 'Gibba Berg'.

More than anxiety, we should engage in work from tomorrow with hope.

"Alright!... do you want to split some firewood?"

I pulled a bundle of bamboo and firewood from the storage shed and tried to get out of the house.

But.

I tried to put my hand on the doorboard, at that moment...

tons, tons, and was knocked on the doorboard from the outside.

- Guests?

I can't believe I have a guest in Fa's house - less than a month after I've lived there, I've only welcomed Rimi-Lou and Mr. and Mrs. Gazlan.

Besides, now, it fits right past Jomtien.

It should be obvious to everyone that Ai-Fa, the hunter, is leaving the house.

So you're saying you've been visiting me?

... by whom?

While I was thinking about it, I was also knocked on the doorboard twice.

I put a bundle of bamboo and firewood at my feet and put my hands on my chest to breathe.

"... who is it?

Silence.

It was time for me to reach for the candlestick on the wall.

Cage or run and run. You'd better have more options.

But - my voice rose from beyond the doorboard on the verge of that fingertip touching the candlestick.

"I... am Sarris Lang-Fou, of Fou's house"

Not at all, it is an unfamiliar name.

But the voice belonged to a less powerful woman.

I get lost for a few seconds and then gently pull the door open.

A little skinny, a young woman stood there.

I wrap a piece of cloth around my chest to my knees, and in that hand, I hold a baby smaller than Kota-Lou.

So finally, I was able to lower my alert level, too.

"I'm Asta, the family of Fa's house. What can I do for you, Parent Ai-Fa?

"Yes...... No...... A, has Ai-Fa been in the woods yet?

"Yeah. I just went out with you. If it's any message, I'll pass it on."

"Ha... you know, give this to Fa's house..." the woman lifted a hemp bag to add the vegetables she had left at her feet.

The bag is big but crushed by pepper and looks a lot lighter.

"What is it, this?

"Yes... Um... it's a Pico leaf..."

Somehow, this woman seems more alert than I am.

Well, they'll think you're a pretty nasty person to live around here, so that's the only way.

"Is it Pico's leaf? But how did you get that into Fa's house?

"Ha... Actually... I've already gotten a bunch of furs for I-Fa..."

"Fur?"

I don't know what that means.

"Fur, do you mean giva fur?

"Yes... for about a month now, more than I can count... Wow, my house, Fou's house, is less manly and hardly satisfactorily giva hunted. But that's how I managed not to starve this kid because Ey-Fa furried me..."

"Did you? - No, that's my first ear. Our parents had that kind of neighborhood thing, too."

Then Sallis Run-Fou gave him a little thought and hugged my child in that hand all the time.

"No… there is no connection… Parents' words forbid us to associate with Fa's house…"

"Huh?"

"Fa's house has a bad connection with the chieftaincy muscle. If you interact with Fa's house, that evil edge may extend to Fou's house, say... For two years now, you have been forbidden to interact with Fa's house..."

"Ha. We've been through it all along."

So I - Fa - should have consciously been disconnected from other houses, too.

So, what's the story with the fur?

"... Ai-Fa always put fur in front of our house without saying anything"

Sarris Lang-Fow's eyes look at me.

There were only a few tears in the light blue eyes.

"I also thought it was a little thin because I didn't know who the hell was doing this to me... but I can't change my belly on my back. And we smeared the fur, and exchanged it for a bronze coin, and with it we got Aria and Poitan… so we managed to milk this child as well…"

"... Yes"

"But a few days ago, a man back from the woods saw it. Put the fur I = fa had just stripped in front of Fou's house.... so finally we could know by whom we were being saved. The parents nevertheless said that they would not be able to bond with Fa's house… all of the women, who pleaded. At least I want to thank you for the fur..."

That being said, Sarris Lang-Fou laid her eyes down.

"Even so, we don't have a big thank you or anything to offer, as this is Fou's house where we don't even get copper coins satisfactorily on our own. But if it was Pico's leaves, it wouldn't get in the way no matter how much... it was a bunch of women, and I picked it."

"Was it..."

"I know that in something like this, you can't reward the benefits of I-Fa, etc., but I wanted to say a word of thanks. To the house of Fou, who was frightened of the Sung family and stuck with them, you have done so far... we are ashamed..."

"No. Don't worry, we didn't have the manpower to get rid of the fur in our house anyway. If you're a parent, you probably don't want to know who you are."

"But..."

"Yes, I appreciate your feelings. And then, if you get a chance, talk to Ai-Fa herself. I didn't know what was going on, and I can't speak for myself any more."

"... Yes. Thank you."

That's how Sallis Run-Fou left.

Leave a crushed bag in my hand.

A peek into the contents of the bag revealed just enough for me and I-Fa to collect in a day to stack a snug overlap at the bottom.

Still, it should have been quite a struggle to collect this much after securing up to the minute of our own home.

(... if you handed out fur instead of meat, well, you wouldn't increase the decadence of the people)

Or if someone complains about that, I'll defend them to the best of my ability.

A month ago - that fits just when I was picked up by Ey-Fa.

Gibba's fur, which I judged for the first time, must have been delivered to Fou's house, too. It has always been the work of I-Fa to end the fur and guts after judgment, from the very beginning to the present day.

(Rich living, or...)

I don't think I understand Gazran-Rutim's intentions.

And I don't even know if there are aspirations or anything like that in Camua-Josh.

I just - I don't think it's the right life to starve and not even milk a child.

Even more so if there are people behind it who live a comfortable life with the wealth to be distributed to the clan.

(Still, there's only so much I can do)

After I cleared Pico's leaves into the pantry, I decided to excite him to crack the firewood that would burn tomorrow.