Mayo Chan arrived at his field while humming a jolly tune thinking about what to get for his daughter. Thinking of the beautiful dresses in the town which almost cost him as much as his annual income, his heart winced in pain. Not because of the tens of gold coin in cost, but for his daughter who was born to such a poor man.
He toiled all day in the fields while using his magical powers to grow plants. He carefully guided the plants to absorb nutrients from the soil and absorb sunlight while stimulating their growth. Two more days of this and the crops are ready to harvest, he thought to himself.
He looked up into the sky and the scorching rays of sun were glaring back at him. He wiped some sweat off his brows with the old towel on his shoulder and walked to the temporary resting hut beside his field.
He sat down on the wooden stool and opened his packed meal for the day. Some riceballs with pickles and some water in his canteen. He picked up one of the riceballs without pickles and put them into two bowls on the floor after dividing it in half. He had especially put some of yesterday's leftover chicken stock in the ticeball giving it a mouthwatering fragrance.
He gulped some saliva due to the tantalising aroma and called out, "Meemaw... Bok Choy... Time to have lunch!" He waited for a few minutes and saw two figures running towards him from the other side of the field. The was Meemaw running with Bok Choy in tow with an unimaginable speed. With no signs of its previous lazy demeanour.
Soon Meemaw spotted the bowl and ran towards it like a homing missile. Bok Choy was just doing the best it could. Arriving a few seconds later with ragged breaths. Mayochan poured some water from his canteen into another bowl and put it in front of bok choy.
"Thank you for your hard work today as well. Enjoy your meal." Mayo Chan said with a silly smile on his face. Bok Choy let out a woof and started drinking water. After he was done serving both of them, he started eating his rice balls.
Even though it was bland and dry, save for some pickles, Mayo Chan showed a content smile. Both Meemaw and Bok Choy patrolled the area surrounding the fields when he was working at the fields. Due to how far the fields were from the village, there was a higher chance of wild boar or magical beasts attacking him.
He had been saved many times due to Meemaw's attentiveness. He was always thankful to them and always treated them like family. Soon, he finished up his lunch, took a short nap and began toiling in the fields again.
Soon, it was evening. Mayo Chan picked up his rucksack and headed home singing a jolly tune. He greeted the villagers he saw who were also returning home from hard days of labour. The sun was emitting a soft holden hue dying everything in a calm and serene atmosphere.
He saw his small hut from afar. The kerosene lamps were on and his wife was waiting for him by the entrance. Kimchi was in her twenties when she got married to him. Although not old, nobles and commoners alike got married by the age of 16 or seventeen. Someone who was nineteen would be considered too old to marry anymore....most eligible suitors would be taken by then slimming down the chances. Hence twenties were considered way too old.
Not that it bothered Mayo Chan. She was always.... and will always be... the most beautiful woman in the world for him. He walked towards the house with a jolly bounce in his steps. His wife saw him, her blank and cold face lit up into a bright smile.
"You're back." She said in a gentle tone. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a few loose strands on her forehead still giving a clean aura. She moved towards him, took his rucksack and headed back inside.
She began to serve the dinner. In the other corner of the hut, his daughter was reading a thick book by the kerosene lamp. Looking at her work so diligently, he felt his heart wince. If only your useless father could buy you a spirit lamp they sell in the town.
As soon as he had this thought his eyes lit up in delight. He said to his daughter," Little Cabbage, don't study under the kerosene lamp. It's bad for your eyes."
His daughter was startled and turned towards him, her lips instantly blossomed into a delighted smile.
"Daddy!! You're back!" She got up and ran towards him, hugging him while giggling like a child. "I didn't notice you were back. Shall we have dinner together?"
Kimchi looked at this scene with a gentle smile and scolded, "Little cabbage, You are already a grown woman. You shouldn't behave like a child anymore." She then placed the cutlery on the table and signalled for them to take a seat.
The father-daughter duo took a seat as the mother placed the side dishes on the table. She finally placed three bowls of rice and sat down herself.
They began their meal in peaceful silence. He quietly watched his lovely wife and daughter. They looked more and more alike as she grew older. The beauty that didn't belong to a villager couldn't be hidden even in these cheap but decent clothes. He sighed inwardly as he thought about the upcoming few days.
"I will begin harvesting in 2 days and leave for the town on the third. Little Cabbage what present would you like for your birthday?" He asked while taking some stir-fried vegetables for himself and proceeded to put some meat into his daughter's and wife's bowls.
"Daddy! you should eat some meat as well..." His daughter pouted angrily as she put some of the meat into his bowl. "You work from dawn to dusk, you need more energy than me. Anyways, I was to be slim. Everybody says I am too chubby."
Listening to his daughter grumble, panic set in Mayo Chan's heart. Thinking about how all those women starved themselves to look pretty. "But My precious baby, You are already pretty. There's no need to lose weight" He hurriedly put back the meat into her bowl and tried to change the topic, "Tell me, how's school? Did you learn anything new?"
Hearing this question, her mind was indeed distracted as she began telling her parents tales about her school. How they spent their time in town. What play they watched and what games they played. Mayo Chan and Kimchi happily listened to her story. Both understood this may be the last year their daughter might be able to happily smile like that.
Soon they finished their meals and Mayo Chan asked his daughter as his wife began to clear the table, "What about your gift? You didn't tell me what you wanted."
He looked back thoughtfully at her father and said, "I want.... a pretty ribbon. The one that's been recently popular in the city. with bright colour and beautiful embroidery!"
Mayo Chan smiled back. His daughter was always thoughtful. She never asked for anything extravagant. This kind of ribbon could be bought for a few copper coins.
"Alright!" He said with a smile as he took some tobacco out from the rucksack. "Now tell me.... What about school? Did you meet a nice boy?" He asked again this time, more directly as he saw his daughter's avoidant attitude earlier.
Her face reddened slightly as she replied, "Daddy! what are you talking about? I am still young!" She retorted and ran outside to wash up.
*Sigh* Mayo Chan sighed with heaviness.
"Do you think she will say anything if you ask her directly? She's a young girl, she knows how to hide things." His wife commented from the side as she was washing dishes.
"They grow up so fast" Mayo Chan sighed to himself again.
The next two days were peaceful. He would leave for the fields, while his wife and daughter took care of the vegetable garden in the backyard, did some embroidery jobs for the villagers and prepared food.
Three days later the harvest was completed and he was ready to go to town to sell. He took a hand-drawn cart, a rucksack with some food for the way his wife had prepared and Meemaw. He didn't take Bok Choy this time with him as it was too dangerous.
He waved back to his family and departed for the town with Meemaw on the cart. It would take him about a day and a half to go to town and half a day to come back.
"Take care of them. You are the man of the house now!" He said to Bok Choy and departed. He walked to the intersection and looked back at his wife and daughter. still waiting by the door.