Tapiwa's body felt incredibly numb and ached severely after sitting for so long, so she stretched as she got out of bed.
"Hu, my body feels stiff after sitting for so long, but hehe, this won't last long! But when I think of what I have gained after sleeping for a night, I am grateful and glad that I did it," she smiled.
Tapiwa was ecstatic as she spread the bed; while living alone and in slightly inferior conditions than when she was still at her parents' house, she preferred being in her own home to being at the mercy of others.
She massaged her tummy, which was hollow from hunger, after spreading the bed. Her living conditions had recently deteriorated significantly.
Tapiwa came across an old lady two weeks ago when harvesting wild vegetables on a nearby mountain, approximately two kilometers from her home. This old lady was burning hot with a fever, and she was frightened she wouldn't make it if she was left alone.
Her heart ached as she watched this elderly lady, and she was reminded of her mother. Her mother used to like her and nurture her, even if it was just for a brief period.
She was educated from a young age to respect the elderly, help those in need, and simply be a nice person.
This was a difficult task to complete because not everyone you see out there merits your respect.
And if you help everyone you see, won't you be sucked dry by them all?
However, after living alone at her estate for three years, Tapiwa thought that having another person, even if the other guest was unwell, was preferable to being alone.
Her compassion that day drove her to carry the elderly lady back home, even though it was exhausting. Tapiwa used her funds, which would have lasted her several years if she had spent her money as wisely as she had planned before rather on treating the elderly lady.
Tapiwa felt she should be accountable to the end because she had already brought the lady to her residence. That's just what she did.
She spent money on a doctor, medicine, and nutritional food to nourish the sick lady for two weeks.
Although her heart ached every time she saw her money draining, she believed it was worthwhile.
At the very least, guilt won't plague her. Her heart was at ease because the lady was doing much better than before.
Money can be earned again, but a life that has been lost cannot be reclaimed. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life wondering if the lady was still alive.
The mountains were not particularly safe; it was possible to encounter a beast there, making it feasible for the elderly lady to be devoured if she became unlucky.
Tapiwa was thinking that as long as the lady didn't have any place to go, she would look after her and have someone accompany her in the future.
After all, being two was preferable to being alone.
With that in mind, Tapiwa persevered and took care of the elderly lady without complaint.
Despite her savings diminishing, she had been very pleased for the past two weeks, which she would not have enjoyed if she had not saved the old lady back then.
However, something horrible occurred the day before. She spent a lot of time hunting for quality food after leaving the old lady at the estate to go scavenge for some food for the two of them to eat.
When she arrived home, the house was empty, and the elderly lady was nowhere to be seen.
She was in a panic at the time and looked everywhere for her. She was even compelled to travel to nearby villages in search of her, but no one saw her.
In the end she returned to her estate to think things through.
Tapiwa was sitting in her bedroom, on the bed that made her bottom ache due to the thin mattress, when she felt something poke her, and when she opened the blanket to see what was in there because she didn't remember putting anything there, she was surprised to find a letter.
When she opened the letter to read it, she realized that the old lady had left, and that she was grateful for her assistance.
She even claimed in her letter that the heavens will bless her because she had such a nice heart. Tapiwa was just relieved that the old lady was safe, and that nothing had happened to her.
She absolutely dismissed the idea of being rewarded by the heavens. Even her appetite returned, and she went to bed with a smile on her face after a delicious meal and a hot bath.
And what happened next was something she hadn't anticipated at all but was very glad to experience. And when she awoke the next day, she knew the heavens had actually rewarded her, and her life would never be the same again.
For the first time in her life, Tapiwa felt as if the heavens had not abandoned her. For years, she had been puzzled and blamed everyone she could, for everything that had happened to her.
Why wasn't she conceived by the main wife?
Why did she have to be born without mystic veins?
Why did she have to be born inferior to her younger sister and suffer so much just because the other was destined to become a mage?
Why did she meet an ungrateful man and suffer for a decade under his tyranny?
Why was she so unlucky to have such a miserable life?
She could only afford a wasteland, a spot where peasants didn't even want to live, or own, even after she bought land and a house.
Why did it become like this?
She loathed the heavens, gods, and any deities if they were around, but for the first time in her life, this all changed, and she was happy about it.
After all these years, she finally understood what it meant to be rewarded for doing good.
Tapiwa pledged earnestly, "I will do my best to become a good person and gather good karma," sincerity visible on her face, as she stood with a smug smirk on her face.