At Chipo's manor.
"Please hurry and serve everything. Hurry, hurry!" Chipo enthusiastically summoned the nanny who had followed her from her house to Guche.
Because she didn't want to spend a lot of money earlier, most of the staff had left, especially those who weren't chained to her like slaves.
She needed to plan ahead of time, which is why any excess people were let go.
This left her in the manor with her nanny and Terrence, while at the inn she had a total of three staff if Terrence was excluded.
Tapiwa had been at the manor for about an hour, and when she arrived, Chipo was busily sewing something by hand under the shade of a large tree.
Because there were no sewing machines in this society at the time, most people had to do everything by hand, which was a laborious task.
One of the reasons why, despite knowing how to sew, Tapiwa would prefer to have Madam Sinikiwe in the neighboring community make her garments than buy them in town.
The time and effort required to complete a single garment, no matter how tiny or large, was simply too much for Tapiwa, who refused to participate.
Furthermore, every time she sees a needle and thread, she is reminded of how she diligently sewed garments for her husband for so many years, just for him to wear them to pursue another woman.
She didn't want to be near those minor things because they reminded her of too much suffering and made her want to eliminate anyone with the gender male in front of her.
Although there are still many wonderful men out there, Tapiwa doesn't want to think about it or be reminded of it.
That's why, although knowing she might have misread the brothers she met in Karoba; she formed an unfavorable opinion of them.
However, once the mind had locked onto something, it was extremely difficult to change one's mind.
Chipo was obviously happy to see her when she arrived. Tapiwa was overjoyed by the way she smiled and couldn't stop moving when she came.
Chipo acted more like Ratidzo, and the sentiments she had from these two young ladies were so nice that she wanted to adopt them as her little sisters. However, when she considered the unknown future, she grew unwilling to make that thought a reality.
She'd been injured too often by her siblings, and she wasn't ready to put herself in that situation again.
Despite Tapiwa's assurances that she had eaten, Chipo had her nanny prepare a meal for her. Tapiwa decided to let Chipo do what she wanted after seeing how determined she was.
This was how they ended up in a situation where the nanny was rushed to serve the meals.
"I am delighted to see you, Madam. You have no idea how excited I have been for your arrival!" Chipo chatted happily as she sat down across from Tapiwa, who was smiling.
Tapiwa couldn't help but want to massage Chipo's head fondly, but she controlled her thoughts when she realized she and the other weren't as close as she was with Ratidzo.
"Didn't I promise you that I'd be back in a month?" she teased.
"I couldn't wait to see you, hehe. A lot has been going on, and I was hoping you'd be here to see it all come to fruition," Chipo replied hesitantly.
Tapiwa shook her head gently and said to her, "I have already seen and heard so much about the hard work you have been putting in while I was gone, and honestly, I am very proud of you."
"I am glad you like it," Chipo said, her eyes lighting up and butterflies filling her tummy, "I simply didn't want to let you down."
"You're not just doing this for me. Remember that this place belonged to you before I partnered up with you. As long as you remember why you endured up to this point, I can tell you that only success will follow you. Even if you fail in the process, you can just learn from it and do things differently the next time."
Chipo listened intently to the advice. Hearing Madam Tapiwa reminded her of her deceased mother.
She was constantly encouraging and gave her advice when she was in a jam.
It was terrible that she was gone, and she didn't have somebody to sit down with her and simply tell her the realities.
"I appreciate it. It means a great deal to me!" Chipo thanked Tapiwa honestly, her eyes moist and her gaze fixed.
Tapiwa noticed Chipo's emotional shift, but she didn't understand why the young woman was feeling that way, so she remained silent.
The two enjoyed their lunch, and despite having eaten earlier, Tapiwa ate it with zest; this was one of the advantages of being awakened. Every food that you eat, gets automatically turned into energy.
Every day, a lot of energy was required, and food was another way to replenish that energy. So, when free food was offered, Tapiwa would not refuse, no matter what the reason given.
The two observed proper table manners and ate quietly. Following their meal, the nanny hurriedly removed the plates, and Chipo led Tapiwa to her study for a discussion.
The two ladies sat opposite each other in the study, talking.
".......so far, this is what I've done!" Chipo explained herself to Tapiwa.
Tapiwa stroked her chin as she listened to Chipo, and when she heard what she had just said, she nodded her head, satisfied, "You have done well. With the way things are going, I'm sure there's nothing I should be concerned about."
Hearing that, Chipo smiled triumphantly at Tapiwa, pleased with the many praises.
"Is the money enough?" After a while, Tapiwa inquired.
"Hehe," Chipo said with a toothy grin, "I have been using what I have sparingly, but it's not enough. If it's possible and acceptable to you, you can contribute a little," she said embarrassingly, recalling how she boasted about giving all the finances while Madam Tapiwa was in charge of the ideas, recipes, and other future expansion ideas.
Tapiwa chuckled quietly, finding Chipo's reaction amusing and adorable. She was also concerned about this issue before she left. And because she didn't have any money, she never promised Chipo that she would put money into the firm.
But now that she had money, she wasn't going to let the business go down without a fight.
"Just add up the money required. I'll hand it over to you!" She casually stated, just like a rich lady boss.