As soon as Cree returned, we gathered around to eat. He couldn't contain his excitement and began talking with a mouthful of food.
" Wow! Elder sister, I never knew something like this existed!" he exclaimed, chewing happily.
" Who would have thought that a simple green leaf could turn into Green Tofu? It's amazing! Does this mean I can have Green Tofu every day? That would be awesome!" We all chuckled at his enthusiasm.
" You greedy little rascal, all you care about is eating," Eldest Brother teased, playfully tapping his forehead, which earned another round of laughter.
" Well, it's made from a jelly plant, so regular leaves won't have the same effect," I said, pouring cold water on his thoughts while placing another piece of green tofu on his plate.
" Really? Is it rare then?" he asked, looking down and muttering to himself. " I better eat more, just in case. This might be the last time I get to have it. I need to savor the moment!" His words didn't go unnoticed by us, martial practitioners. We burst into laughter again.
" Don't worry, little brother. Whenever you crave it, Elder sister will cook it for you," I reassured him, adding some fried cassava to his bowl.
" Eat this too," I said, distributing some to everyone's bowls.
After finishing our meal, we took a break. Allardy, Seeley, and I went to the mountain to collect our trophies. We managed to catch 2 pheasants and 3 wild rabbits. It was a successful hunt.
As we made our way back, they insist that I shouldn't carry anything, so I went ahead of them, occasionally stopping to pick wild mushrooms. After walking a good distance, I sat down and waved my arrow back and forth. Suddenly, I heard a cracking sound coming from behind the bushes. I parted the grass and discovered three dirty-white eggs. Oh? Aren't these pit viper eggs? What a treasure! Unfortunately, I accidentally broke one.
" Eh? What kind of eggs are these?" Eldest Brother asked.
I just smiled at them and gently caressed my eggs. They were my precious ones. In the modern world, pit vipers were venomous snakes, but in my previous life, they were my companions, my true friends. In the harsh training of the organization, where it was a dog-eat-dog world, I couldn't trust anyone, so I raised some beasts as my allies. They also served as a protective talisman for me.
During one of my missions in Great India, I saved a sage who taught me how to tame these beasts as a way of repayment. Since then, I developed a great interest in them.
On our way back, we stumbled upon a group of taro plants, so we grabbed a hoe and took some back with us. Our baskets were full, but thankfully, our training kept us from getting too exhausted. When we arrived home, Cree was astonished to see our harvest. I immediately set down my load as I wanted to take a bath. I felt sticky all over, and I longed for the comforts of a modern bathroom with hot water and sweet-smelling soap.
After giving some instructions on how to handle the harvest, I headed straight to the bathhouse and took a cold bath. Seeley scolded me when he found out that I didn't use warm water, so I playfully coaxed him before tending to my little babies.
I was alone inside the house while everyone else was busy in the backyard. Uncle Jiang and Elder Brother were occupied with chopping taro leaves into small pieces. Seeley was cleaning the taro crops, and little Cree was busy flipping the dried herbs and wild mushrooms I had collected.
As I was busy taking inventory of our stocks, I heard a young voice outside.
" Uncle Jiang! Little Brother," He must be calling from the back door.
I had just taken a bath and let my hair down before coming out. I was greeted by the sight of a teenage boy, dressed in coarse yet clean clothes. He had a manly face and tanned skin, likely from farming.
He was visibly shocked when he saw me, frozen mid-air with his hand and slightly open mouth. Oh no! I had forgotten that I was considered quite beautiful. I mentally scolded myself. Well, I can't blame myself, as in my previous life, despite being devastatingly beautiful, my face had been scarred from years of suffering. Fortunately, as a little girl in this life, I looked like a tiny fairy.
" Eh? Are you Brother He's son?" Uncle Jiang came out and saw him.
" What happened to him?" He stared at me for a moment and then sighed, while Elder Brother coughed lightly. Seeley also came out and immediately glared at the young lad, standing in front of me. He snorted and made a disapproving sound, blocking the boy's view.
" Um, I... I'm, um," the young lad stammered at first, but then realized his manners and felt ashamed of his actions. He subconsciously rubbed his head and kept his eyes fixed on the ground.
" My name is Zhong He. I'm the eldest son of Xiong He, your neighbor," he said, handing over several cleaned utensils.
" My mother asked me to return these to you and give our thanks." He bowed, still looking at the ground. Uncle Jiang chuckled lightly and accepted the utensils. Cree must have heard his voice, as he came out and called him.
" Big Brother Zhong!" Little Cree saw the plates and immediately his face darkened.
" Big Brother Zhong, don't tell me you want more of the Green Tofu and Fried Cassava because they were so delicious? Well, I'm sorry to tell you that even though you're my friend, I won't give you any! My beautiful Elder sister said that I'm the only one allowed to crave it, and she'll only cook it for me!" He said all of this without pausing, squinting his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.
" Hey, you little rascal! Big Brother Zhong only returned the plates. Why are you getting angry?" Allardy remark lightened the awkward atmosphere, and everyone laughed.
" Is that so? Then we can be friends again, Big Brother Zhong," Cree blinked his eyes and gave a warm smile.
" Okay! We're friends!" Big Brother Zhong laughed.
" My parents said if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for our help. We are neighbors, and we should take care of each other."
" It's a blessing to have received support from Brother He. We didn't even get a chance to properly thank him and your mother when they helped us settle in. So, Zhong, please convey our thanks to your parents," Uncle Jiang slightly bowed to him. Big Brother Zhong also bowed and expressed his gratitude.
" Big Brother Zhong," I called him.
" Yes?" he replied.
" Oh! This is my niece, Bellona Eunoia Moore..." Uncle Jiang introduced us all. I made a small courtesy and then looked at Zhong.
" Big Brother Zhong, may I ask you a question? And please call me 'Bellona'," I requested.
" Eh? What is it, Bellona-sister? If you want to know anything about our village, feel free to ask me anything. I may come across as rough, but I know the ins and outs of this place," he said, lightly tapping his chest and offering a warm smile.
He seemed like the kind of person I could be friends with. Despite my own dark past, I always had great respect for straightforward and honest individuals. I genuinely smiled back at him. He blushed momentarily but quickly shrugged it off.
" Well, here's the thing. We set traps in the mountains and managed to catch several animals. I was wondering where I could sell them," I explained. I still needed to figure out how to earn money in this village.
" Eh?! You hunt too?" We were surprised, but he still answered my question. " Bellona-Sister, you can sell them to other villagers for 10-15 liang, but if you go down to the town, you can get a better deal of 20-30 liang."
" Oh!" Hunting alone didn't seem like a great way to earn money, especially considering I needed to provide for my family as well.
" Oh, how could I forget? We're going to town today to buy some supplies. My mother also said that if you need anything, we can buy it for you since you don't have an ox-carriage. Maybe I could sell your trophies too?" Zhong suggested.
" That would be great, Big Brother Zhong! After that, please use the money to buy white rice, fine flour, and buckwheat flour. You can decide on the quantity," Uncle Jiang informed him, having already given me the remaining money.
" I have a list of seasonings and seeds that I need to buy. Would these two strings of copper coins be enough?" I inquired. I only needed soy sauce and salt, which would cost around 3-4 liang, and for the rest, I wanted to buy seeds for cabbage, radish, and carrots.
" Okay! You can count on me. We should be back before early afternoon," Zhong assured me. With that, he bid us goodbye and left, carrying a basket with a pheasant and two rabbits. We attended to our own tasks for about an hour, and then I retreated to my room to cultivate secretly.