In the next hour, the two of them had washed up and changed into fresh clothes and ready for bed.
Although she had not gone to town yet, she still had a few sets of male clothes, she had purchased in the early years she missed her late husband a lot.
So, Orson had clothes to wear.
Before going to bed, Calista informed Orson that she would be traveling to Silverbroke early in the morning the next day, so he would have the house to himself. She didn't elaborate much but left after telling him everything that she wanted.
In her bedroom, Calista didn't hurry to go and sleep first but rummaged through her wardrobe and picked an appropriate outfit for her trip and shoes.
She went to the cabinet where she pulled the drawers, picked out a money pouch which matched the outfit and filled it to the brim with some silver coins from the other drawer.
She took out some copper coins and placed them on top of the cabinet before locking the cabinet and touching the corner of the cabinet, triggering a protective array on it. With the array protecting the cabinet, she didn't need to worry about anyone opening her treasure trove.
With the preparations done, Calista finally went to bed.
In the other room downstairs, Orson had his eyes closed, his breathing very stable and seeming to be in a slumber.
...
"…..cock-a-doodle-do ...."
The sound of the rooster calling in the morning woke her up as soon as the first call was done. Calista opened her eyes groggily with her hand over her mouth as she yawned, bringing herself back to earth from the dream world.
She stretched her muscles for a moment before she climbed down the bed and opened the window first to allow some fresh air into the room.
Calista removed all the quilts on the bed before she spread the bed anew and looking at the well-spread bed, she clapped her hands to applaud herself for doing such a good job.
She picked up the broom on the corner and swept the room before picking up the dirt and throwing it into a trash basket she kept in her room.
Calista removed her nightwear and went to the bathroom where she washed her face and brushed her teeth before going downstairs to the kitchen to pick up a few ingredients to prepare a meal.
She didn't dare go and check on Orson as it was still early. She didn't want to disturb him just because she was awake.
In the kitchen outside, an hour later, the cauldron was over the fire with hot water in it, while a pot of millet porridge was on the second stove and lastly, a pot of mixed rice was on another.
To cook fast and get everything done at once, she was multitasking and didn't dare to leave the kitchen.
The rice was the first to be cooked fully and seeing the white grains that were cooked to perfection with the small pieces of rabbit meat she had prepared a while ago when she woke up, she couldn't help but lick her lips in anticipation.
After removing the pot of rice from the fire, she found a big meal box and scooped half of the rice into it before setting it aside to let it cool.
The rest of the rice remained in the pot as she didn't have any thoughts about the rice. That was Orson's share and she couldn't leave her future husband hungry.
The millet porridge was next, and she didn't serve it like the rice but simply set it aside after removing the pot from the stove.
With the food cooked, she began to concentrate on washing and getting ready. But before she went to bathe, she placed another cauldron on the stove for Orson.
When she was bathing, Orson on the other hand had already awakened. He was a light sleeper and if there were any strange movements, he would always wake up in a bit. The moment she woke up and started walking up and down in her room doing whatever she was doing, Orson also awoke.
However, he didn't leave his room as he didn't want to be tormented by her so early in the morning.
Nearly two hours later, he heard the faint sound of water splashing and he knew that she was bathing. Just looking outside and at the sundial visible from his window, he could tell that it was pretty early. And knowing that she woke up that early, his curiosity and interest in her was piqued again.
Calista to him was very contradictory. She acts lazily at times and yet at times again; she is very hardworking. Which one was the real her?
Anyway, he wasn't going to show his face until she was gone. He needed a peaceful day without getting embarrassed at every turn whenever he thought of her.
Meanwhile, Calista who was upstairs didn't have a single clue about what Orson was thinking. Instead, she was busy admiring herself in the mirror once she was in her bedroom, praising herself shamelessly as she twirled around after adorning one of her favorite dresses.
Ever since she finished the mourning period, two years ago, Calista stopped wearing all plain and blunt colors.
Her wardrobe was filled with all sorts of colors and also black for when she was cooking or doing any manual work. She didn't want to spoil her beautiful colored dresses just because she was working.
Satisfied with her dressing, she picked up her money pouch and a small bag which she put some other items she might need during her journey before leaving her bedroom. She locked the door before leaving the floor and descended to the first floor.
On the first floor, she quickly jotted a message before placing the paper in front of Orson's door hoping that he would see it as soon as he left his room.
After doing so, she left the tree house with a smile and headed for the kitchen where she served half of the porridge into another meal box. The two meal boxes were placed into a basket, and she added two more bowls and three spoons. There were also two water gourds she added to the basket before she left the kitchen, closed it and then started leaving.
As for Whitey, she didn't know where the kitten was. Whitey could take care of himself, so she wasn't worried.