“Hanako, if you find a man you like in this village, I’ll arrange it for you,” the village chief said.
Beside Kent, who was being courted by Parker and Brook for their daughter, the village chief was propositioning Hanako.
“No, I don’t need that.”
“Oh, is that so? What a shame.”
The village chief, desperately trying to connect Hanako with the village, was easily defeated. Since he was a benefactor to the village, they couldn’t afford to displease him, so even though he was the village chief, they couldn’t attack him aggressively.
“It seems that attempt failed,” Brook said.
“It looks like it. But Kent is listening to us, so there’s hope,” Hanako replied.
Parker and Brook, who had witnessed the exchange between Hanako and the village chief, noticed the chief’s failure and decided to intensify their pursuit of Kent.
“Kent, you like beautiful breasts, don’t you?” Brook asked.
“Huh? Well, I don’t dislike them,” Kent replied.
Caught off guard by Brook’s sudden question about breasts, Kent struggled to answer.
“I’m not bragging, but my daughter has very well-shaped breasts. And she’s beautiful, just like me,” Brook said.
Brook looked her age, but in her younger days, she was undoubtedly a beauty. Kent remembered her figure from the previous day: beautifully shaped breasts, a clearly defined waist, and a toned stomach. The proof of that was that Kent’s son had clearly grown larger. Hearing about Brook’s daughter’s appearance, Kent felt a flicker of hope.
“Oh, Kent seems interested too. She might have a slight visual impairment, which could cause some inconvenience in daily life, but she’s my proud daughter, boasting the top intellect in this village,” Parker interjected, supporting Brook by highlighting his daughter’s good qualities to Kent.
“Actually, I received a letter a little while ago. My daughter is supposed to be returning today. She should be arriving soon,” Parker added.
“Oh, speaking of which, the stagecoach has arrived. I’m going to go see it,” Brook said.
As Brook and Parker were talking, a stagecoach entered the village and stopped a short distance from the plaza. Seeing this, Parker hurried towards the stagecoach.
“Well, it’s fine if you just meet her and talk for a bit,” Brook said.
“If you insist, then I suppose I can talk to her…” Kent replied.
Unable to resist Brook’s persistence, Kent agreed to at least talk to her. Parker spoke with someone remotely, then carried some luggage, and together they entered their house.
“The people getting off the stagecoach are carrying a lot of luggage,” Hanako observed.
“The stagecoach connecting Laoshi Village and the neighboring town only runs once a week. It used to run more often, but there weren’t enough passengers. Now, the lord is providing subsidies for its operation, also to transport goods, so it barely remains. But it’s truly rare to see so many people getting off,” Brook explained.
It was already dark outside, so they couldn’t see clearly, but except for the first person who joined Parker, all the passengers disembarking from the stagecoach were carrying large amounts of luggage.
“They look like traveling merchants. Usually, only one or two people get off,” Hanako remarked.
“Is it because most people are stocking up on winter food, so there’s no business?” Brook asked.
“That’s right. Also, the income in this village is low, so people can’t afford to waste money,” Brook replied.
Brook seemed surprised by the unusual number of traveling merchants.
“Everyone seems to have gathered. I’ve brought water from the neighboring town. I’ll give you a good price now,” a voice called out.
“Water? Don’t you need water?” another voice asked.
“I’ll sell it cheaper than anyone else. Water! One large silver coin for this container!” a third voice shouted.
Since a festival was being held in Laoshi Village, most of the villagers had gathered in the plaza. Seeing this, the traveling merchants saw an opportunity and began their business in a corner of the plaza. All the merchandise they were selling was water. The prices were also high, ignoring the market rate. It seemed they had heard about the water shortage and came to the village, seeing a chance to make money.
“You rascals, preying on people’s hardship to start this kind of business is cruel,” the village chief said.
“Houhou, old man, you dare to say that? We know, don’t we? This village has no water, right? If you don’t buy it, you’ll die!” the traveling merchants retorted defiantly.
The village chief approached the traveling merchants and said sarcastically, “Preying on people’s hardship to do business is cruel. Before Kent and his companions arrived, some might have bought it, but I’m truly grateful for your help for the village.”
“Brook!”
Brook said, hugging Kent, “Thank you.”
“Foh, foh, foh. Have you seen the outside of the village?” the village chief asked.
“Huh? What are you talking about? It’s dark and I can’t see anything.”
“There was nothing outside this village, was there?”
“Ah, now that you mention it, maybe there were traces of a river.”
“Hahahaha!”
When the village chief said this, the traveling merchants replied in a mocking tone.
“Ah, is it okay to speak like this? Fine, it’s a special service. We’ll double the price. Be happy.”
“Then I’ll double it too.”
“Haha. This is hilarious. We’ll double it from now on too.”
The traveling merchants, aware of the village’s situation, raised their prices in a bold tone.
“Brook,” Kent said, still being hugged by her.
“What is it?”
Kent called out to Brook while she was hugging him.
“Those traveling merchants are probably working together. They all seem to have been told the same thing.”
“Is that so?”
Observing their coordination, Kent felt that the traveling merchants were connected or had come to this place under someone’s instruction.
“What a shame. The water shortage in this village was resolved today. There is plenty of water flowing in the river! Come back the day before yesterday!” the village chief declared.
“Wahaha!”
The villagers burst into laughter as the village chief spoke to the traveling merchants.
“Kk, damn it! You’ll regret this!”
“What a loss. Damn it!”
“Who was it that said I’d make a fortune by bringing water to this village?!”
Whether they lacked the fare for the return stagecoach or the money for their stay, the traveling merchants packed their belongings and trudged out of the village.
“By the way, Brook, how long are you going to keep hugging me?” Kent asked.
“Ah, I forgot. Still, that was refreshing,” Brook said.
By the time Brook released Kent, the traveling merchants were no longer in sight. She remembered hugging Kent and quickly let go.
“Father, I didn’t know I’d be introduced to potential suitors so soon after returning,” a voice called out from the direction of Brook’s home.
“Now, now, it’s fine if you just meet her. I’m sure you’ll like her,” Parker replied.
As Kent and Brook were having that exchange, the voices of a man and a woman were heard from the direction of Brook’s house.
“It seems my daughter has arrived,” Brook said.
“Ooh, we kept you waiting. Well then, time for the introduction,” Parker said.
Brook looked towards her house and informed Kent that her daughter had arrived. Parker, who had accompanied her, subtly shielded his daughter as he brought her forward to meet Kent. He quickly moved aside, allowing Kent and his daughter to face each other.
“Eh?”
“Ah.”
When Kent saw the woman who appeared, it was someone he knew well.
“Teacher Tia!”
“K-Kent! Wh-Why are you here?”
Parker and Brook’s daughter was Tia. Seeing her face, Kent remembered the original purpose of his visit to Laoshi Village.
