The next morning, Tapiwa and the others ate porridge in the morning before Tambudzai prepared a meal for everyone for later.
Since she didn't know how long it was going to take to buy all the tomatoes and onions villagers were willing to part with them. Tapiwa decided to bring some food over.
That was not the same as going to Namwapa, where they could buy food at a stall when they were hungry. They were going to another village, where no one was that charitable to offer free food for nothing.
So, the two of them packed their meal and water when they were leaving.
The cow, which the kids happily named Daisy, had already been fed by the happy kids. And it seemed that despite coming to a new environment, the cow was very relaxed and acting as if it had been staying at the estate for a very long time.
Tambudzai skillfully tethered Daisy to the oxcart. Tapiwa added several barrels to the ox cart before moving out.
As for the kids, they were responsible for looking after the house, and the livestock, and picking some firewood around the estate without leaving.
ZENGEZA VILLAGE
"Ma Denis, you better be not pulling our legs. If that hussy of a woman doesn't come today, I will deal with you terribly!" a loud shrewish voice sounded as several women stood with barrels and buckets filled with tomatoes and onions.
Ma Denis looked coldly at the shameless woman who just yelled at her and retorted, "Since you hate her so much and also don't trust me. How about you just go back to your house and forget about selling?"
"Hah, is it your money? I want to see with my own eyes how all of you will be fooled by her!"
"Alas, Ma Netsai, when will she ever stop?"
"It's not like she is the one taking out the money. Besides, it's not like that woman took her man away. Why does she hate her so much?"
"Who knows and cares? As long as I get to sell all of this, I will think about how to treat that woman in the future."
This was the nature of women, and it couldn't be helped.
Ma Denis looked at the women, who had woken up very early in the morning. And had been waiting at the entrance of the village for over an hour now.
Madam Sims didn't give her the exact moment that she was going to come and seeing her fellow villagers already flaring up as they were owed big, she was becoming anxious.
Ten minutes later; other women who had not plucked their tomatoes from their gardens lost interest and started to leave.
So, the crowd was becoming smaller. And with a lot of chores to be done at home, other women were starting to get impatient and wanted to go home already.
"Hey! What kind of cart is that?" one child asked excitedly while pointing towards the road that leads into the village.
Hearing the child asking that, all the women who had been gossiping without checking the road swiftly turned their heads in that direction.
"Isn't that the weird cart that Uncle Nathan made at his workshop?"
"Who could have bought this?"
"Oh! I know who owns this. It's that vixen. She has arrived."
"Ha, calling her Vixen and still wants her money?"
"Go, go. Hurry home and get your sisters to pluck the tomatoes. She is here!"
The women started once again as the cart approached closer.
Soon they could make out another woman sitting in the front and seeing this, especially for those who had not seen the scenario the previous day, were dumbfounded.
"What the heck is going on there?"
They were all curious about what they were seeing. After all, never had there been a case where a woman, especially in their village, was seen driving a cart.
This was the job of a man.
Even men who didn't have things to do and sneaking around the women, trying to see how much money they were going to bring home, were infuriated upon seeing a man driving a cart.
"How shameless?"
"Uncultured women. No wonder why they flock together!"
Whether this was just pure jealousy since they couldn't afford it or their inborn ego as men, no one knew and the people in question didn't care about what others were thinking about.
Tambudzai skillfully stopped Daisy, and Tapiwa, who was seated inside, also exited the carriage.
To show her mighty towards these women who had caused her trouble, and gave her no peace of mind. The women who made it very difficult and suffocating to just go and fetch some water at the river. She wanted to appear in front of them, looking as majestic as she could be.
To show that side of hers, she even spends a lot of time getting dressed and seeing the shocked expressions from these women, who had seen such an expensive ox-cart plus her on top, she felt that everything was worth it.
"Is that silk she is wearing?"
"Just how rich did she become?"
"I never knew that she looked that pretty. She is even more glowing than she used to."
"Ahh, this is very frustrating."
Tapiwa listened to every murmur, and whisper that the villagers said. Her hearing was quite good and hearing their envy made her blood boil.
At least that was much better compared to before when they would insult her when she didn't even do anything to them.
Ma Denis was astonished when she saw Tapiwa. She didn't concentrate much on what she was wearing when she came to her stall the previous day, so seeing her dressed like a noble lady, in silk and using a cart she knew perfectly well of being priced in silver, she felt like she had truly underestimated this woman who appeared from nowhere.
'If she can buy such a huge piece of land, putting aside that it is a wasteland. Doesn't this show on its own that she is rich?'
Ma Denis felt like a fool upon thinking to this point.
Anyway, whatever Madam Sims was like, that was none of her concern and shouldn't be placed on top of her worries. She needed money at this moment to improve her life better.
So instead of being envious and curious as to how she made so much money, it was better to sell her tomatoes as soon as possible and get the money she deserves.
And since she was the point of contact; Ma Denis smilingly made her way to where Madam Sims was waiting for her.
"Madam Sims, I am glad to see you here!" Ma Denis meant this with all her heart.
After not seeing her for over an hour, she was also starting to believe that she had been conned. And when she thought of how her fellow villagers would attack her and condemn her if that was true, she trembled with fear at the thought of that.
Tapiwa flashed a smile at the older lady as she walked a few steps towards her saying, "We had to take care of something at home. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"No, no, no. It's us who woke up very early," Ma Denis quickly rejected the apology. After all, she knew perfectly well about everything that had transpired.
With that issue out of the way, Ma Denis happily began to explain the situation to Tapiwa.