One of the beautiful traits that Tambudzai told Tapiwa about herself was her ability to drive an ox-cart.
Tapiwa had been having issues regarding transport and whenever she thought of hiring a man for the job when she wanted to make her estate a man's no land, she kept on procrastinating thinking about it.
But then Tambudzai came. And she told her about how she could lead cows and do most jobs that men could do.
Hearing her talking about this made her recall how Madam Sekai used Tambudzai to do all the jobs.
And having an all-rounder like Tambudzai, Tapiwa decided to get that ox-cart as soon as possible.
A horse carriage was still expensive, as there were many things that she wanted to do at the moment.
So, after a meal, Tapiwa and Tambudzai left the estate, leaving the three girls at home with some instructions.
The girls were older, and the two women didn't worry much about anything happening to them.
Growing up in such a bad environment, the girls knew how to protect themselves. Besides, they were inside the house and if any strangers came, they weren't allowed to answer anyone.
On their way to Namwapa on foot, since they didn't see any ox-carts along the way, Tapiwa was having a heart-to-heart talk with Tambudzai.
"What I need from you and your girls is complete loyalty. As long as the four of you give me that and don't betray me, no matter what temptations are placed in front of you, I will make you live a life that other women will envy."
"To me, you aren't just slaves, but I consider you as employees. People that work for me. Which is why every single month, I will pay you a salary that you can use to buy anything that you want."
"It won't be as high as other people get out there. After all, I am providing everything for you. If you ever stop wanting to be my slaves, you can buy your freedom, but only after ten years."
"When it comes to wages, I will pay you and your three daughters. After all, you are all working. However, in return, you have to know that there will be a lot of work waiting for you that will need to be done."
"I will be starting a project pretty soon and everyone will be busy. And before there are other people to help with the workload. We all will be working tirelessly, and I don't want to see anyone lazing around."
"Every single recipe or anything that you see around the estate. You have to keep it to yourself. If you run your mouth and expose any family secrets, I will treat you like a criminal, and trust me, you won't like it. Don't make me treat all of you as slaves. It must never get to that stage. You get it?"
Tambudzai listened with an anxious heart as Tapiwa listed several things that she should commit to the heart. And honestly, there wasn't anything bad from what she was hearing.
There were simply too many benefits that if her mother-in-law were to know about, she would die of envy.
"As my people, you will also be given an advantage of investing in my projects. That's if your money reaches the threshold. In conclusion, I just want you to be hardworking and have several income streams. In the future, even if there is an indenture in your name stating that you are a slave, you can still walk with your head held high and show those shrewish women that you are a somebody."
Instead of trying to change other people that she doesn't know yet, Tapiwa found it very serious to try with the person who was very close to her.
Tambudzai's self-esteem was still very low and with her upbringing and everything that she went through, she looked down so much upon herself and Tapiwa wanted to change that.
She was going to head a club that was going to shake the world in the future and there was no way she was going to have a follower who was the complete opposite of what she wanted.
She was changing every single day, and that already was a testimony and she wanted to keep on growing so that in the future one day, she can just stand there among men without a care in the world and not be bothered much by them.
She also prayed that one day if she ever meets her ex-husband, she will look him in the eyes and show him just how much he couldn't affect her anymore.
Soon, the two entered Namwapa without feeling tired. If she, an ability user, were to be beaten by a normal peasant woman, wouldn't she become a joke?
Entering town, since she didn't have a lot of friends, Tapiwa didn't talk to anyone and just made her way to the livestock market area.
That was where those who wanted livestock in the form of cows, donkeys, poultry, and so forth would go.
As for the carts and carriages, these could be purchased at carpenter's workshops.
When she reached the market, Tapiwa began to scrutinize every single animal she saw there.
Now that there were people at home, she also wanted to keep a few chicks and raise them for food. It was tiring to always buy meat all the time.
Although she has the store on her, it was still unadvisable to keep on taking things out without buying them first.
"Madam, welcome, welcome. How may we help you today?" a man with a greasy grey beard enthusiastically directed his greetings at Tapiwa.
Tapiwa was looking at the sturdy cow tied to a pole and she just loved the animal. She didn't want to buy a sickly or thin cow that she had to feed first before using.
Hearing the man's greetings, Tapiwa raised her head to face the man while at the same time returning his greetings as well, "Thank you for the warm welcome. How much are you selling that cow?" and asked for what she wanted.
Hearing that question, the man secretly scanned Tapiwa with a wide smile on his face and answered, "Madam, this cow is ...….. and if you want it, I can sell it to you for just twenty bronze coins," and stated a lot of unnecessary things to hype up the price.
Tapiwa never bought a cow before, but she had at least heard the prices of cows before and they ranged from ten to twenty bronze coins.
And for the seller to just state his price at the final price, was he trying to piss her off or what?