Clara peeled off the skin, took a bite, and found that it tasted similar to sweet potatoes. She thought that maybe sweet potatoes also existed in this world during spring.
Clara dug up a lot of sweet potatoes, planning to keep some for herself, give some to Gloria, and also bring some to Grandma.
In the woods, several beasts crouched on trees, quietly observing the newcomer Clara. They saw her happily digging out things from the ground, similar to tree roots, and eating them. They found it disgusting. They whispered to each other, some voices loud enough for Clara to hear. They called her stupid and worried that she might be poisoned.
Clara didn't want to argue. She quickly left, heading towards the waterfall, to wash the things she dug up.
The sunlight was excellent at the moment. Clara looked around, saw no one, and jumped into the water for a quick wash. It was so cold! She needed to find a container for bathing and a bucket for water as soon as possible. The next few days would be very busy!
After washing up, Clara carried her things back home, changed into a clean animal hide dress, and washed the dirty clothes by the stream. She hung them on the trees near the thatched house. Looking at the two trees next to the house, she considered stringing a rope between them for drying clothes in the future.
Things inside the thatched house were messy, and Clara busied herself sorting them out, throwing away things she didn't need.
After a morning of hard work, she looked at her accomplishments and felt satisfied. Clara lay comfortably on her newly made bed. This would be her new home. In a few days, she would weave a grass mat to ensure her sleeping place was clean!
Since arriving, Clara had thought a lot. Mateo was kind, Grandma was gentle, and Gloria was friendly. Everyone here was good. Thinking back to her past life, where her family favored boys over girls, her parents divorced because of it, and she became an unwanted burden. She lived with her grandmother in the countryside, enduring bullying from classmates who saw her as an unwanted illegitimate child.
Because of these experiences, she became more introverted and lonely. She had no friends and wasn't liked by her peers. While others formed pairs, she remained perpetually alone. Instead of returning to that loneliness, she preferred to live a good life here. Moreover, she now had a home. Currently, her observation of her future husband seemed pretty good. She could work on developing their relationship gradually!
The more she thought about it, the more motivated she became. Clara walked around the vicinity of the thatched house, considering how to renovate this earthen house. It was fine for now, but if it rained, this adobe house would be in trouble.
Clara urgently noted down the things she needed on her notebook. The priority now was to solve the issue of food. She needed a pot that could be in contact with fire, as well as chopsticks and bowls. Bamboo could be used for chopsticks and bowls! Bingo, that's it—time to find bamboo!
As Clara stepped outside, she spotted Gloria hiding behind a tree not far away, where clothes were hanging.
"Hey, Gloria!" Clara happily waved.
Gloria, realizing she had been discovered, was about to run away but hesitated. In her heart, Gloria liked Clara, and she slowly walked towards Clara, avoiding eye contact, feeling a bit awkward.
"Gloria! I have something for you, wait a moment." Clara went into the house and brought out a basket filled with sweet potatoes, handing it to Gloria.
Gloria's eyes lit up as she hugged the basket and wagged her tail. "Gloria likes it! Gloria doesn't dislike Clara anymore."
Clara was also delighted, pointing to the sweet potatoes inside and said, "Gloria, these are edible. Take them home, roast them over the fire, and they taste delicious."
Gloria nodded eagerly.
The two patched up their differences. Clara took out another basket of sweet potatoes and asked Gloria, "Do you know where Mateo's grandma lives? She gave us a lot of things yesterday, and I want to visit her and give her something in return."
Gloria nodded and happily said, "Gloria knows! Let me help Clara carry the basket."
Gloria was indeed taller and stronger than Clara. Carrying two baskets like holding two bunches of flowers, she looked quite adorable.
On the way, they first went to Gloria's house, which was also a thatched house. Clara went in and took a look. Perhaps because of Gloria's cleaning, it was much cleaner inside. The arrangement was similar to her house. Suddenly, Clara remembered the pottery and asked Gloria, "Does your house have any pottery, something we can use to cook?"
Gloria was a bit puzzled, shaking her head. She wondered what that was. Still, she felt that anything Clara mentioned must be a good thing, and now she trusted Clara. Her eyes glanced at the baskets again. She liked them a lot, even more than the ones she gave to Hua Li yesterday. They were bigger and prettier.
Leaving Gloria's house, they went straight to Grandma's house, located in a cave. Gloria explained that it was where the older generation lived, and they loved it there, reluctant to leave. The current generation, when they were children, also lived there. As adults, they moved out to establish their own households.
Clara looked at the complex and intertwined rocks in front of her. Some old beasts were lying on the rocks, basking in the sun. Upon hearing someone approaching, they all turned their heads to look at Clara and her companions.
Gloria directly led Clara to Grandma's cave. In front of the cave was a wooden gate, weathered and seemingly on the verge of breaking.
"Grandma! Are you home?" Gloria shouted from outside the gate.
After a moment, the gate opened, surprisingly not in bad condition. Grandma Yan looked at Gloria and Clara with some surprise, then smiled and said, "It's Clara and Gloria! Come in quickly!"
Clara handed the basket to Grandma, who poured the sweet potatoes on the ground. Holding the basket, Grandma studied it for a long time and curiously asked, "Where did this come from?"
Gloria said, "Clara made this. I saw it with my own eyes. Clara is amazing!"
Clara felt a bit embarrassed by Gloria's praise. She looked around the relatively spacious cave. Sunlight streamed in from the slanted ceiling, and it felt like a Stone Age museum. Clara thought Grandma must be a collector.
Grandma liked Clara a lot, especially seeing her wearing the animal hide dress she made. She was even more pleased. Watching Clara look at the things in her house with curiosity, Grandma decided to give her some gifts. She took out a small package from her animal hide bag and handed it to Clara, gesturing for her to open it.
Gloria also came closer. Clara opened the cloth package and was dazzled by the brilliance. It was a gorgeous crystal box, adorned with diamonds. Clara was shocked, not because of the diamonds, but because of the exquisite craftsmanship of this jewelry box. She opened the lid, revealing a diamond necklace with a ruby.
Oh my god! What's going on here? Gloria exclaimed, "So beautiful, even more beautiful than what Gloria has at home."
What! Gloria's family also has one? Clara was a bit confused. This was a civilization from her own era! She wanted to ask more, but Grandma just said it existed very, very long ago. Gloria also echoed the same. Clara was puzzled, but she decided not to dwell on it for now. Maybe she would gradually understand in the future.
Clara thanked Grandma and packed up the gifts. She prepared to roast sweet potatoes for Grandma and Gloria. While waiting for the sweet potatoes to roast, she helped Grandma tidy up the cave. Clara had a habit—she couldn't stand messiness. She straightened any tilted cups and arranged them neatly against the wall. In other words, she had a bit of cleanliness obsession.
During the cleaning, Gloria discovered many strange things—broken porcelain pieces, various colored gems, golden chains, all incomplete. These things might be ordinary in the eyes of beasts, but to Clara, they were money! If she brought them back, she could become rich.