Chapter 424: Wool
The owner of the tailor shop was a kind-faced middle-aged aunty.
She was very friendly, and when she saw Long Huan, she invited her into the shop and started chatting.
But after hearing Long Huan’s description of the clothing style she wanted, the aunty instinctively felt awkward.
“Um… Lady, the clothes you’re asking for don’t quite seem like… something you’d wear in daily life.”
“It’s fine.”
Long Huan smiled and said, “This is just something I’ll wear at home for Zhe Er; it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit revealing.”
The aunty looked at the outrageous design and twitched her mouth, but she still forced out a smile and went into the shop with the fabric.
While cutting the fabric, the aunty didn’t forget to continue chatting:
“You’re specially ordering a set of clothes that your child loves to see, you really spoil him.”
“Oh, it’s just that Zhe Er is so obedient and sensible; school is so difficult for him,” Long Huan said with a blissful expression. “As a mother, I just want to help him relieve some pressure.”
“You have children too, don’t you?”
“Ah, yes.” The aunty chuckled and pointed to a few kids playing nearby, “Over there. My big tiger and little hand.”
Long Huan followed the aunty’s gaze and saw two energetic little boys about four or five years old seemingly playing some role-playing game.
“Hah! I am the commander of the Holy Kingdom’s ninety thousand elite troops, General Hu! Surrender at once!”
“Ha! I am the world’s mightiest warrior, the Golden Battle God! Why would I fear you?”
The two kids were playfully wrestling, their laughter ringing through the entire village.
Watching this heartwarming scene and the aunty’s tender gaze, Long Huan smiled slightly:
“Since you have kids, you must surely understand my feelings.”
“…Yes.”
The aunty sighed contentedly: “For the sake of the children, no matter how tough life is, we can endure.”
“Before, I had bad luck with my husband, got tricked in business, lost all our money. Not only did we owe a mountain of debt, but we were also being hunted everywhere, without a place to stay.”
“Fortunately, everything took a turn for the better when we encountered a sect that took us in and arranged a job for my husband.”
“Together, we worked hard, and our life slowly improved.”
“Thanks to the help from the sect, we have a house now, and the children are growing up. In a couple of years, we can send the kids to the school run by the sect, and my husband and I won’t have to worry so much anymore.”
“Is that so?” Long Huan also laughed, “Good people are rewarded; you’ll always meet kind benefactors.”
“Yes, we owe it all to the benefactors at that sect.”
The aunty was filled with emotion, even blinking away a bit of moisture, then she forced a smile:
“Please wait a moment, madam, while I cut your fabric.”
Saying that, she turned and got busy.
Long Huan continued to sit on the chair at the tailor shop’s entrance and enjoyed the scene of the children playing.
…It’s so wonderful.
I wonder if Zhe Er will also have playmates like that at school?
“…Huh?”
Long Huan suddenly blinked.
She touched her cheek in confusion as a slightly wet trace slid from the corner of her eye.
“What’s going on… Did some sand get in my eye?”
For some reason, strange yet familiar images suddenly flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
In the images was a little girl learning to speak, looking enviously at the children outside who were throwing mud balls at each other.
Those kids were ragged and skinny, some had horns on their foreheads, and others had long, thin tails behind them.
Unable to suppress her childlike curiosity, the little girl went over to join them, and they started throwing mud balls together.
As a result, one kid threw a mud ball a bit too hard, hitting the little girl’s brow, causing her to burst into tears.
Her cries quickly attracted attention; there were maids, butlers, her parents, and the parents of those kids.
Then.
The little girl watched as the children who had just been playing with her were suddenly interrupted by her father, who dragged her away and threw her off the mountain.
…Huan Er, don’t play with those inferior bloodline little demons.
…Your mother has found many excellent children from various tribes for you, each of them well-educated, play with them instead.
“…Lady?”
Long Huan suddenly came to her senses and turned to find the aunty looking at her with concern.
“Oh, what’s wrong?”
“Is wool okay for this sweater?”
“Yes, yes…” Long Huan suddenly remembered that the child who had been thrown off the mountain in that dreamlike scene was also covered in wool.
“Great. Please hold on a moment.”
As the aunty turned to busy herself again, Long Huan quietly asked:
“Aunty, do you fear your child mingling with bad kids and getting led astray?”
The aunty was taken aback for a moment, but after hesitating, she smiled: “If I said I wasn’t worried at all, that would be a lie.”
“But after all, they’re just kids, they can play around.”
“When they get older and more sensible, if they still hang out with bad influences, then that’s when we need to discipline them properly.”
Long Huan nodded thoughtfully.
The aunty turned back into the shop, continuing her work.
Long Huan stared blankly at the scenery in front of her, starting to feel a bit despondent.
“Sigh, the aunty is right.”
“I don’t even know what kind of friends Zhe Er has around him. I need to ask when I get back.”
Waiting for the clothes to be cut was a bit boring.
Long Huan leaned back in her chair, leisurely watching the peaceful rural scene.
Playing children, sunbathing elders, busy farmers and hunters, housewives washing and cooking, woodcutters returning home.
Everything was so peaceful.
After lying there for a while, she suddenly felt the earlier sensation of being watched intensify.
Like needles on her back, making her uncomfortable.
Could it be that someone is secretly spying on me? Long Huan started to feel paranoid.
Who could it be?
The woodcutter who glanced at me while passing by?
The woman wiping sweat while washing clothes?
Her vigilant eyes scanned the people around her, and suddenly she noticed a small basket on the table beside her.
She lifted the lid of the basket and found a communication device inside.
…Wait!
What’s a communication device doing with this tailor aunty in a remote village?
Could it be that she’s in cahoots with whoever is spying on me?
Suspicious, Long Huan twisted her head around, then stealthily picked up the communication device, casually tapped on the screen and sent a message.
…If she really is in league with the person spying on me,
Then perhaps the message I send will reach that spy.
After sending it, Long Huan focused intently on her surroundings.
Anyone making a noise must be suspicious!
And then…
Ding! Ding!
Eight chimes. Ten chimes.
Farmers, woodcutters, women.
Even the children who were just playing.
Scattered “ding ding” sounds echoed from everyone and every household.
In an instant, the entire village was filled with the ringing sounds.
Long Huan: “?”
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