Noon.
Thanks to the two of us working together, the weeding of the field had completely settled down.
A traveling merchant arrived.
Clop-clop, clop-clop, riding in a covered wagon.
Spotting Miyako and Fuuka from afar, the traveling merchant approaching leisurely clapped their hands happily.
“Oh my~! There really are two young ladies here! My merchant’s intuition was right!”
The traveling merchant was a young girl.
She had hair the color of autumn wheat fields tied into two buns. Her smiling face, stretching wide, looked like a cat’s.
“I’m Xiangli! Nice to meet you~!”
She seemed to be from a clan that came from the western continent.
She might sell us some rare items.
“Oh my~! Your matching work clothes are so cute!”
“Ehehe~… To be told that Fuuka-chan and I are matching. When you say it like that, it’s kind of embarrassing! Thank you, little miss!”
Little miss.
When I said that with a bright smile, the merchant girl Xiangli’s expression froze.
Huh? What?
Did I say something wrong?
“Heeey!? I’m not a ‘little miss’!!!”
“Eh, eh, I’m sorry!?”
Suddenly being yelled at in the continental language, Miyako panicked.
I had no idea what she was saying.
“…Honestly, step aside, Miyako.”
Fuuka’s voice.
“Huh?” I turned around.
“Um, Xiangli-san.”
“○☆! ☆彡×%&~!!”
Fuuka began speaking fluently in the continental language.
Fuuka’s continental language, which she studied diligently every single morning, was fluent, and soon Xiangli’s face returned to its wide, cat-like smile.
Fuuka turned back to Miyako and said.
“Xiangli-san says she’s 30 years old this year.”
“Huh, is that so… Wait, WHAT!?!?”
“Seriously~. Calling a lady ‘little miss’ is rude, you know~”
“Indeed, it is.”
“Hey, why are you two getting along so well? More importantly, Xiangli-san looks totally like a teenager…”
“Miyako?”
“…She’s a wonderful older sister.”
“Very good~”
Miyako held her spinning head.
Thirty? Seriously???
She only looks about 15 or so, though???
“As an apology, we’ve arranged for you to buy ‘Xiangli Onee-sama’s Recommended Pack’ every day for two weeks.”
“Eeehh!!?”
When did you negotiate that!?
“Fuuka-chan, you can’t just decide that on your own…”
“Ah~, that young lady over there, I’ve seen you before, haven’t I? Now that I think of it. You’re the daughter of the Florence household, right?”
Gulp.
Miyako stiffened.
Nyo~n. Xiangli smiled like a cat.
“I went to the Florence household yesterday, but they didn’t say anything about this house. In fact, I heard ‘That tomboy young lady now has a fiancé in the royal capital, what a relief!'”
“Ah, eh, that’s…”
The matter of the broken engagement was being kept secret from her family.
I never thought someone so nearby would know, I thought I could keep it hidden for a while…
Only the coachman who brought me here knew. I made sure he kept quiet too.
The coachman, who wanted to live in a southern country, should have resigned from the Florence household just yesterday and set off on a journey.
“Th-this is bad, bad…”
“Hmm~? This Xiangli is a merchant who knows how to keep secrets, you know~?”
Nyo nyo~n.
“…Regarding my valued customers, that is.”
And so.
Starting tomorrow, we were committed to buying Xiangli-san’s regular delivery service.
“Since Fuuka’s continental language negotiation skills are top-notch, I’ll include lots of extras for you~!”
“My! How delightful, Xiangli-san!”
“Fuuka, you’d make a great merchant~. Bye-bye!”
Fuuka laughed triumphantly, humming, and since she was still super incredibly cute,
Miyako decided this situation was “acceptable.”
“…More importantly, the goods are amazing!?”
In the afternoon, before heading to the bath, we decided to have a quick meal and opened the hemp sack of the ‘Recommended Pack’ we bought from Xiangli.
Eggs.
Milk.
Cheese. Bread.
Leafy vegetables, root vegetables, herbs.
And even smoked meat and bacon.
“All for that price!? That’s surprisingly reasonable!?”
“Hmph. I’ve never done shopping before, but it seems inexpensive, doesn’t it?”
“You’re amazing, Fuuka-chan! You’re so good at haggling!!”
I hugged her without thinking,
“…Would you refrain from hugging me so casually?”
She looked at me with eyes that seemed to be looking at trash.
“Ehh”
“Why are you so shocked?”
“Well, you made breakfast for me, and you helped with the weeding. Aren’t you being a bit cold…?”
“What are you misunderstanding? I merely judged that doing so would be more efficient.”
“Ehh~!? But, but, you said ‘Weeding looks fun’!”
“My studies in white magic and medicinal herbs are inseparable. At the mansion, I couldn’t let the servants see me doing farm work, but for someone aspiring to practice white magic, having a field is a dream.”
“Ehh, so then…”
“It’s not like I was taking your side or anything, Miyako!”
It’s not like I was happy or anything, you know—!
As Fuuka turned her face away, Miyako scratched her head, poki poki.
“…You’re just not honest, are you?”
“Did you say something!?”
“Nothing at all!”
For lunch, we decided to keep it simple with bread, cheese, and the leftover soup from this morning, which we re-seasoned.
Now then.
In the afternoon, let’s go to the bath.