"You know, it's quite tiring to do that every day. Don't you store water in your house?"
The guard at the village entrance kindly chatted with him after he returned from washing his face and rinsing his mouth in the river.
"I just arrived yesterday. Ha ha ha. I still lack those things," Juan replied humbly.
"Ah, I forgot about that."
The guard laughed wryly before he seemed to have thought of something and said.
"Since that's the case, come with me," the guard suggested.
"Eh? Why?"
Juan was puzzled, they were just strangers after all. But he still followed as he had guessed something.
"I have some things at home I have already discarded but can't have the heart to throw. So I'm giving them to you instead."
Juan felt some warmth from the guard. He didn't expect it, aside from the shady kindness from Garu.
There are also other villagers who seem to just give things out of kindness. There's no motive hidden underneath.
"Brother, I'll be leaving for a while. I'll come back fast, okay?!"
"Alright, no problem, brother!"
After leaving some words with his partner, the guard left with Juan. In just a minute, they arrived at the guard's house.
After some time, he came out with a load of things that he placed on the ground.
"Woah~ these are quite heavy, so be careful when you lift them on the way."
There is a jar for the water container, a cooking clay pot, two wooden bowls, two wooden spoons, and a wooden basin.
"Also, you don't need to pay for them. I said it before, but I've been using them for a long time and bought a new one since they're quite old."
"You don't mind them being old, right?"
Although it was embarrassing, Juan still thickened his face and accepted everything.
"I don't mind; actually, I won't mind. Still, I haven't heard of your name yet, benefactor."
The guard laughed and said, "Sandre!".
He bowed to the guard called 'Sandre' in a humble way to show his gratitude.
"Mister Sandre, thank you for your generosity. These things are of great help to me. I'm very thankful."
"For this gift, I shall remember this in my heart. If you need any help that's within my means, don't forget to come to me."
Sandre laughed as he nodded.
"Oh sure! In the future, if I need your help, I will surely come to you. But for now, I shall leave first and return to my post. See you then."
Juan bowed again after seeing Sandre leave. Then he turned his attention back to the objects on the ground.
"I...will surely be late because of this." He smiled wryly.
Still, this is a great help, even if he got late and can't have breakfast.
This items are much more important since it concerns him in the long term.
"It doesn't matter. But this might dissatisfy Garu and his family. Still, I can just explain it to them. I'm sure they will understand."
It should be.
And in the next few minutes, Juan ran back and forth to his house with items from Sandre.
By the time he was done, the sun's figure had already completely risen from the horizon.
'I don't know how they define 'early' in here. So I don't know if I'm actually late or not.'
Juan wiped the sweat off his face with his clothes. Then he jogged his way towards Garu's house.
When he arrived, Garu, with his naked upper body, was outside the house holding an iron headed axe. He was doing chopping motions every time.
Clearly, he was practicing, and it should be quiet sometime now since he has been bathing and reeking in sweat.
From Juan's point of view, Garu is a tall man with the buff figure of a bodybuilder. His muscles and figure literally scream of a retired warrior.
Disturbing him now in his practice is both dangerous and disrespectful, so Juan refrains from doing anything after arriving.
A few minutes later, Garu stopped to wipe off the sweat on his body and rest. Just as he turned around, he found Juan standing not far away.
"Oh, Juan. You just came in time. Let's have some breakfast first while we wait for Menmo."
Juan nodded, much calmer than yesterday. As an old man born into modern society, he can adapt to changes faster than normal ones.
"Thanks for having me again, Village Chief."
Juan soon followed behind as Garu cheerfully laughed along the way.
The latter didn't say anything about yesterday, even when they finished their meal.
Which means Juan didn't do anything weird yesterday after leaving. This made Juan feel much more relaxed.
The table was harmonious, and Garu would sometimes tell a joke or brag about his achievements as the village chief.
While the madam just smiled and chuckled from time to time. If this were all of it, then Juan wouldn't feel embarrassed again.
It's just that Ceth is on the move again without saying anything. Passing more vegetables on his plate without permission.
When he felt the need for water, she would pass a bowl of water for him instead. Not to mention, the distance between them seems to be quite close, isn't it?
They're literally just a few inches away from touching each other's shoulders and even had few shoulder brushes a few times.
What was even more outrageous was that Garu and his wife just looked at them with a smile and said nothing.
If this were a normal family, a daughter getting too close to a young man would surely incur the father's wrath.
And the one who will have to face the brunt is usually the innocent young man. As for the source of trouble, the daughter will just be locked at home for a while instead.
'As expected of this family, They even go this far into making me lower my guard, huh?'
Even if this is just him overthinking things, Juan still wanted to view this act as well as their kindness this way.
So that when this assumption becomes a fact, he won't have to feel any pain or heartache.
However, even if he is wrong, there's nothing for him to lose since he never did anything harmful to them. It's just that he didn't want to invest emotionally.
He just wants to follow the flow and be like a leaf on top of a river.
Wherever fate takes him, he shall go. The pre-requisite is that no pain may come his way.
Although he was still feeling nervous inside, in Juan's mind, he was very calm. The body's restlessness couldn't affect his consciousness anymore.
Still, he showed that he was still the same on the outside.
After having breakfast and resting for a while, Menmo finally came and took Garu and Juan away.
At the door, Ceth looked at their leaving back blankly. More specifically, on Juan's leaving figure.
Nobody knows what she thinks, but from her eyes and unsmiling lips, she seems to be biting down and depressed.
As a young lady, she could feel something had changed around Juan, despite seeing nothing wrong.
She couldn't describe it, but from what she could guess, Juan seemed to want to distance himself from her.
"Mother, am I not pretty?"
Soon, her mother came and held her hands.
"Don't worry, you're the prettiest lady in our village. Even me in my youth isn't as pretty as you."
Hearing her mother's words calmed Ceth's depression for a bit.
"Then Juan, why did he seem to have become cold toward me? Although he doesn't show it, I can still feel it."
If Juan heard this, he would surely be surprised in his heart. To think a woman's instinct is that accurate.
"Don't worry, there should be a reason for it. My advice is to just ask him directly, and you will know the answer."
Ceth was silent; her eyes were still looking at the distant figure far away.
...
"This is a second-story building; the materials needed must be stones and thick wooden pillars."
"We also need limestones and sands, most of which can be found in the river. The wood needed is quite big, so there's a need to find one directly in the forest."
Menmo talked directly to business as they walked.
"Village Chief, I need you to prepare and calculate the estimated cost of this afterwards. So please prepare the money."
"Juan is to announce the news to the village that we need laborers. Just tell the real reason for this work."
Garu nodded.
"Very well." He turned to Juan, and then he continued.
"Juan should go and start gathering laborers right now; you can use my name."
"Is there a limit to numbers?" Juan asked, just for precautions.
"No, the more, the better. And this will also speed up the construction much faster. Also, gather them outside the smithy."
Garu shook his head as he replied.
After accepting the order, Juan jogged away and started shouting along the way. Since it's already morning, the sun has risen.
People shouldn't be angry if he makes a loud recruitment announcement, right?
And with the village chief's name as his backing. No one should be able to find fault with him.
"Announcement to everyone!"
"Village Chief is currently hiring laborers for the construction of a building. If you're interested, please gather around outside the Smithy!"