Tapiwa awoke the next morning with a brighter smile on her face.
Her body was aching from sleeping outside for three days because the carriage coach's security was stronger than before.
The torturous journey made her bemoan how difficult it was to not have her own carriage.
She had previously refused to purchase one due to a lack of funds, but things had changed. She was loaded now and only required a few silver pieces to purchase a gorgeous carriage, which was also a waste given how many projects she might do with that money.
It was also because of such sentiments that she refrained from considering purchasing a horse carriage. She was definitely going to get an ox-cart, but she would also need someone to drive it, which would be difficult.
Leaving these troubling thoughts aside, she quickly bathed herself before walking downstairs to the restaurant, where she ate a plate of sorghum porridge with stir-fried veggies and a cup of black tea without milk.
Tapiwa, dressed in a basic green and white tunic dress, left the inn, which happened to be the second-best inn in Guche, and began walking around town towards Chipo's inn.
Towns were usually smaller, so strolling around was not as tiring as it was in cities. Tapiwa left cities, particularly Karoba, without really exploring them.
'One might live in the city and die without seeing everything. The only place I would say I have seen completely is the marketplace, or CBD as modern folks call it.'
Tapiwa arrived at Chipo's Inn after a leisurely walk of more than an hour, and the sight of the establishment made her smile.
"She has really done it!" Tapiwa said amusingly, delight written all over her face.
Tapiwa felt a sense of accomplishment just looking at the inn, which had grown significantly taller since she had left it.
The inn used to be two stories with a lot of useless rooms and space, but when she signed the partnership contract with Chipo, she left her a plan of how she wanted the inn to look.
The design also took into account the whole amount of space available for the inn, and she wanted to walk inside to view more of what the area looked like.
However, as she stood there, doing the same thing as other interested passersby, she began to wonder if Chipo was present.
'I could have found out where she lives if I had known this!'
This was one of the reasons she checked into a different inn when she arrived the day before.
Was she, however, going to let this defeat her at this time? Never! She had already won a much more difficult battle. How could she give up without doing anything or learning more?
So, with that warrior spirit, she took a step forward, her destination being the inn itself.
"Oh, another curious individual!"
"There are always people who are like her!"
Terrence was at the spot, merely watching the development as Tapiwa made her approach towards the inn. His mistress was busy stitching at home, so he had to come and complete the task.
He made his way to the front of the inn after leaving the back where the bathrooms were being built. He was hungry because he had left the manor without eating anything.
He was considering going to his favorite street food stand and ordering a plate of steamed buns and watery sorghum porridge, which made his tummy grumble.
'Don't worry,' he said in his heart, caressing his stomach, 'I'll have you filled up soon!'
As he was leaving the inn, he was met with a face that he would never forget, even in his dreams.
"Madam Tapiwa! It's really you!" he cried eagerly when he realized she was the person he believed she was.
Tapiwa, who was still trying to figure out where to find Chipo, was relieved to see Terrence appear.
The idea of asking sweaty men where she could find Chipo or Terrence was already driving her insane.
"Nice to see you here!" she said, smiling back.
All of his hunger vanished as he saw his or their savior standing right in front of him.
Approaching her excitedly, pedestrians and builders got intrigued as to who this madam was and why Terrence was so joyful and respectfully treating her, even more than he treated his mistress.
"I am also delighted to see you. The mistress had been anticipating your arrival for quite some time."
Tapiwa's lips curled joyfully when she heard it, so she asked, "And where is she? I need to see her."
"Haha, this is extremely simple. I'll show you the way. Please come with me."
And with that, all eyes turned to see how the strange madam, whose face wasn't extremely recognized or common in Guche, was soon whisked away by a delighted Terrence.
"Is she that lass's relative?"
"What kind of relationship do those two have?"
"Who gives a damn? Instead of cooking for your children, you're here talking. Aren't you embarrassed to be doing all of this when that lass is busy constructing her future like this?"
"Heh, you're talking big just because you're grumpy! Are you not also here with us?"
It quickly devolved into chaos when numerous women began trading words with one another.
While they were tormenting one other, Terrence was gladly bringing Tapiwa to Chipo's manor, and the man was being as talkative as he could on the way.
'I wonder when he'll be able to marry! He'll need a miracle with how loud he talks!'
It was unusual to come across such talkative males. She was used to seeing women behaving in this manner rather than the other way around.
'After all, why should I bother? It's not like I'm going to marry him. Let me go about my business and accomplish what I came here to do!'
She finally chided herself as she followed Terrence.