Edgar and Fabby waited without worry. They had nothing better to do after all. Moreover, if they could get a free pair of clothes, why would they leave? Never. Not even in their dreams would they do such a thing.
However, what troubled Edgar was that Bravo had been eating sweets and hot items while he and his sister were waiting. Edgar couldn’t help but shamelessly drool.
“Control yourself,” Fabby nudged him, “and stop looking at him like that.”
“I am controlling myself,” Edgar replied and then whispered to her. “Why don’t you try asking him for a sweet or two? He’ll give it to you if you ask.”
“And why would he give only me? Why can’t you ask him?”
“I teased him, remember?” Edgar nudged her with his shoulder.
“No. I’m not doing it. His parents are right next to him. What will they think of us if we take their kid’s food?”
“They are super rich, so they probably won’t mind. Please ask him for your little brother’s sake. Can’t you even do this little thing?”
“Ugh, don’t be stupid,” she wanted to twist his ear and teach him a lesson, but she couldn’t do it with so many eyes around. “Don’t mess things up, or we may not only get kicked from here, but our chances of getting any recommendation will go down the drain.”
The worker who had left for the plates came empty-handed. He whispered the details in the baronet’s ears.
Jorga frowned.
“What happened, Dear?” Julia asked.
“The Zha clan has ordered all the plates in all the shops of the town,” he said, looking clearly displeased.
Jorga only thought of giving clothes and money as donation; however, it was Julia’s idea to neatly give those money and clothes in a plate. Though they had ordered a thousand plates, some of those plates were used during the birthday party the previous night. Still, he never expected that a thousand people would show up. After all, most the poor and the homeless would come to receive such offerings as the rich would be given better gifts.
Nevertheless, they were short of just two plates now.
And Jorga’s jaw made a hard line. After all, the Zha Clan always kept making things harder for him and his family. Even on the birthday cake, Bravo’s name and age were written incorrectly. They were written as Cowardo and 18. Still, he couldn’t scold the shop owner because he knew whose work it was. Just remembering the Zha clan’s actions brought anger into Jorga’s face, but he shoved it all deep down his throat and was about to speak to Edgar.
But then, Fabby was the first one to speak. “It’s alright if the plates are finished. My brother has a plate with him. You can just put the items on that plate.” However, afterward, her eyes were checking their feet. Jorga’s shoe size was quite big. When she shifted her gaze toward Julia’s feet, she was wearing relatively smaller sandals with silver lacing. By this point, she understood things and came to a conclusion. So that’s how it is!
Edgar quickly took the plate out, startling almost everyone.
“W-Why is there a plate in his pants?” Julia's eyes popped out of her sockets.
“I told you, mom!” Bravo was almost jumping. “You didn’t believe me!”
Jorga then leaned toward his wife and said in a low voice, “For beggars, their plates are quite valuable.”
“O-Oh…” Julia then looked at Edgar and Fabby once. (But their clothes look unlike the typical beggar’s attire.) But then she came to her own conclusion quickly. (These two probably only recently ended up on the streets. Maybe it’s still too awkward for them to come to terms with their new life. That’s why he’s still carrying blades to appear unlike those who live on the street.)
“If you have no problem with that,” said Jorga, “then let us continue.”
Edgar put the plate forward, and Bravo took it.
The parents had to snatch it back from their kid before placing two pairs of cloth on the plate and four hundred bronze coins on top of the clothes. Bravo then reluctantly handed the heavy plate back to Edgar who was showing most of his teeth through a grin.
Generally, only a hundred bronze coins were given to each person, but because the plates were missing, an additional two silver was given. The cost of the ceramic plates was much less, so some onlooker’s eyes envied the siblings’ luck.
Edgar then put the plate on the ground, puzzling everyone. Both the siblings kowtowed for a long three seconds and then walked away with the offerings while holding each other’s hands.
And in doing so, they surely left an impression in many people’s minds.
The rising anger in Jorga’s chest also seemed to have cooled down, and a lasting smile forged on his lips as he watched their backs. He didn’t have a brother or a sister, and the same was the case for his son, so his eyes couldn’t hide the little bit of jealousy he felt from their bond.
Meanwhile, Fabby was excitedly talking with Edgar about the revelation she got.
“Eddie, I think I know why your feet are bigger than mine,” she said.
“Eh? How?” he couldn’t help but ask, looking intrigued. “Is it because I’m strong?”
“No, you idiot! It’s because you’re a man.”
Edgar blinked. “What? That’s it?” he looked at both their feet.
“Yes. I’ve been checking out people’s feet,” said Fabby, “and there’s a clear difference between a man’s feet and a woman’s feet, be it in size or sharpness. You, too, check for yourself, and you will know it. Because we haven't worn footwear for many years, we never realized this simple thing. Even if someone’s masking themselves, you can look at their shoes and tell if they’re male or female.”
“But what will you gain by knowing whether they’re male or female?” Edgar asked as if he didn’t really think it was of much use.
“C’mon, I’m sure it’ll have its uses. Besides, isn’t it better to know than be unaware of reality? Otherwise, it may get tricky to come to terms with it.”
“Mm, maybe.”
“Humph!” she still looked salty that he wasn’t appreciating what she discovered. “What a dumb little brother I have.”
“I’m not dumb. I just don’t care as much about random things like you do.”
“Random what?” she grabbed his ear and twisted it.
“Aw, my ear!”
“Why were you playing with the wig, huh? What if it had fallen off while we were standing in the line? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it would have been?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s your fault for wearing a wig,” he didn't back down even though she still got his ear twisted.
“My fault?” she twisted his ear some more.
“No, no, it’s my fault. My fault.” While he was saying, he swiftly grabbed her ear and twisted it.
“Kya,” she cried out and let go of his ear.
“Hehe,” Fabby ran away.
“Agh, you brute!” she chased him. “Wait, stop right there!”
At around seven in the morning.Edgar and Fabby were in deep sleep, but Fabby kept rolling to her left and right and kneed him a few times, forcing him to eventually wake up. He wasn’t disturbed by it because it was a pretty common thing. Most times, it was her kicking that woke him up, though not always at the right time.But luckily, today it seemed like the time was right. When he opened the wooden windows, warm light came in at an angle.He sat at one end of the body and basked in the sunlight, but then his eyes closed, and his upper body kept moving back and forth. Eventually, he fell forward and ended up banging his head to the floor. “Ah!” he put his hand on his head and rubbed the bruised spot. All his drowsiness had vanished in an instant. “Tch, I didn’t think I would fall asle
As the dog came closer, Edgar smashed the dog with the can.The entire hall fell silent instantly, and nobody laughed anymore.The dog squealed and ran outside, and the rooster followed its trail.“Stupid things,” Edgar said, but the people couldn’t tell whether he was scolding the animals or them.“How dare you hurt my dog!” the innkeeper barked from his table.“That’s your dog?” Edgar was startled. “Then what about the fowl?”“That’s mine, too!” he barked.“Oh, then teach them some manners, alright?” Edgar said. “If I had hit the dog harde
Almost every important person in Orseya was visiting the southern side of the Zha Clan’ residential complex where Red Night was being hosted. About four hundred people attended until now, and only those with the invitation card were allowed inside. As far as Orseya was concerned, this was an epic event. The full moon night made it extra special. It was drizzling a bit, but people weren’t worried because rains in summer wouldn’t stay for long. There were plenty of folks envying those who got cards because one could eat and drink as much as they wanted on that night. Whatever the outward reason stated for hosting Red Night, its main aim was to boost the Zha clan's businesses by attracting outsiders through their connections. Parties were historically used for explosive
The Four Masters of the Zha Clan, also widely known outside as Zha’s Four Dragons, were the most notable figures of the town, even more than the baronet himself. All four of them were red-haired people, for they were blood brothers and quadruplets. The youngest was Dubril Zha, the one with a long beard. The third eldest was Corio Zha with a long mustache. The second eldest was Bushin Zha with long eyebrows. The first eldest was Ashang Zha with a long beard, mustache, and eyebrows. They wore different colored clothes that represented the sects they were part of.Only when these four took the stage and gestured, everyone sat down.“We heard that there’s full attendance this time,” Ashang said, wearing a light smile on his face as he briefly glanced at the table Jorga alone was seated at. “And thank you all for sparing your valuable t
“He said he was a herbalist, wasn’t he?” Edgar’s eating pace had significantly decreased compared to a few minutes ago. “To think he was planning some crazy stuff… What do you think?” “Well, he never really talked much,” Fabby looked a bit unsure. “So what’s there to think? We can only feel glad that he didn’t pull anything nasty with us.” “Mm… you’re right.” Fabby looked toward Vino who was now writhing in pain next to the stage. Like a cockroach struggling on its back, he looked totally vulnerable, enough to raise pity in other’s hearts. (What was that beast-burdening thing they talked about? That man, Vino, was carrying a gel, and we asked him, hoping it’s good at repelling mosquitoes, but he told us that it was something he needed to eat to cure his health problem. S
Fabby was alone inside the room, looking dull. Even though it was around eleven o’clock in the morning, the humidity was high enough to make her sweat, despite the windows being open. She remembered the time when her mother once slapped her for beating her friends when they tried to bully her. And she still didn’t know the reason why exactly her mother slapped her. Compared to her mother, Raha looked insignificant all of a sudden. That woman didn’t say a word when her children were running their mouths, having a mouth-day, or maybe a mouth-night. “May be, I should’ve put my hopes on the baronet instead,” she thought. “If he didn’t mention the Zha family second…” She remembered the time when the old man from the cloth shop had mentioned the baronet’s name first and th
In the evening, Edgar and Fabby were aimlessly roaming the town, and there was cold wind blowing around. Even though the afternoon of that same day was like the hottest day they’ve ever experienced, thanks to the short but heavy rain, the atmosphere changed greatly. People of all ages came out into the streets. And they kept hearing different things. “Someone stole my duck’s eggs!” “Stop playing near the well!” “Oh, Damn it! The cow has got its head stuck in the fence again. It took me so long to get it out last time.” “Should I chop off the head then?” “That’s my water! Don’t drink it!” However, they had too many things running in mind to process everything their ears took
As night fell, the town guards dressed in black uniforms were patrolling in the streets and forced people who were sleeping outside their homes to go back in. They even went so far as to beat those who weren’t listening to them, starting with their legs. Even children weren’t spared. Some kids were especially stubborn, and they ran away from the guards, but after they got chased and beaten with sticks, they ran home, crying aloud.A group of four guards were roaming in a street, and one of them saw Edgar casually resting on top of a branch. “Hey, you!” he called out. “What are you doing up there?”The tone of the voice and that rashness dwelling in it reminded Edgar of the watchers back in Shushui, and his gaze darkened. “Mind your own business.” He didn’t even look as he responded in a cold manner.