The next day, Muren and the other men went to the forest for their morning labor again. He took the opportunity to ask them where Ai resides and immediately got the information as they have all been interested with the woman too.
During their break time, instead of a fair young lady, an old woman was chosen to serve them their food.
Nevertheless, even without the presence of Ai, the laborers had given respect to her and enjoyed the food without returning any leftovers.
After their morning work, Muren went to the bustling public market to buy his mother some medicines.
There were only few of it in the market and the villagers would usually stock a lot since medical houses accommodate them poorly after getting too preoccupied with the soldiers from the colonizers.
The villagers would usually rely on those retired caretakers and put up with what is left for them.
After getting some medicine, he happened to see some beautiful hairpins which he imagined being worn by the prettiest lady.
Muren bought the fanciest one which was adorned with dark red threads.
Soon, he was walking towards the first block to the street that the other men had mentioned.
When he had spotted the beautiful lady, their eyes had met as if some fateful string had pulled their heads together at the right time.
The woman immediately expressed her recognition with a heartwarming smile and invited him to her house. Muren politely accepted the invitation and shyly went in with her accommodation.
She offered the man some vegetables and water to eat and drink.
"This is quite a sudden visit," She said. "Had I known, I would have prepared for it."
Muren let out an uncontrollable smile. "There is no need, milady. This accommodation was more than enough. It was great enough to see you."
Ai chuckled, then asked what his business was for today.
He honestly told her that he only happened to pass by the area, so he gladly checked it out.
"Were you perhaps inspecting the place for the battle preparation?" She said in a dropped tone.
This took him by surprise, making him stop eating and almost breathing.
He stared at her with blended emotions of wonder, anticipation, and confusion.
Asking an explanation through his eyes, she whispered the confession that she had recently become a member of the secret organization for the Western independence activists.
And with that, Muren had become a bit more open to the woman.
They talked about serious things, then shifted to a lighter conversation. Ai would sometimes crack a jest and they would laugh and smile at each other.
Muren found out that Ai had been an orphan since she was 16 because of an accident when her parents had travelled to the south for a meeting with a government official and had learned to live and survive alone.
She received the news through a mail that was given to her by the government.
She had received a small amount of monetary compensation by the government until she had turned into legal age.
Since then, she learned to do odd jobs and sell woven clothes that was taught by her mother.