Volume 6, Chapter 16: Dim Sum and the Foreign Girl Former Part (2/2)
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Strolling idly on the main street—what a naïve thought.
Maomao, Yao and En’en sighed deeply under the shade of a willow tree.
“Court physicians get paid so well, don’t they—”
Maomao looked at the mountain of pastry packages. To some degree, it was a statement that was rich with sarcasm.
“There are a lot of fresh sweets, but can they finish them all?”
They visited multiple shops and got their hands on a large volume of sweets. Was the money leftover their tip?
“….” Yao was not used to running, so tired it seems she couldn’t make a sound. En’en tactfully went to buy fruit juice from a street stall and passed it to her.
The sweets they bought were all from famous shops. They were commonly procured at Rokushoukan. To have left the money in Maomao’s custody, the court physician must have known that she knew a lot of those shops.
“I think we’ve bought enough, though.” En’en sqinted at the piece of paper.
There was one more name written at the end.
“Ahhh, this place, huh.” Maomao dropped her shoulders. It was located quite far off, so she didn’t really want to walk.
“I don’t think it’s sold out, but. We still have half-a-dual hour left too.” She peered at Yao.
“I’m good.” Yao looked lively as she had drunk up the fruit juice.
Maomao and En’en exchanged glances and tilted their heads. What should we do?
“En’en. What’s with that attitude?” Yao said.
“No, Yao-sama. I won’t ask for the impossible.”
“I’m going! I’m going, okay!”
“Understood.”
Though En’en was expressionless, she was probably be thinking, “A bluffing milady, so cute.” From the back, Maomao could see her shapely backside was sashaying playfully.
“The shop is a little way out on a side street…” Maomao guided them as they walked. The bags of snack in her arms were questionably a hassle. Yao pretended to be tough by carrying the most items, so it was somewhat better, though.
(A competitive spirit isn’t bad.)
In this world, there are many arrogant people who make a show of the position they got from birth. However, it seems Yao wasn’t the type. Her expressed desire to become a court physician assisting court lady, was that also related to that part of hers?
The shop they were headed for wasn’t actually a confectionary shop. It was a shop that sold unusual ingredients, more of a wholesale shop. For a court physician who is skilled in compounding medicine, he might cook a little too.
The instant they entered the backalleys, the atmosphere changed substantially. Private homes increased when they passed through the space between the shops. A cat yawned under the shade of a tree, and a child wearing an apron was teasing it with a foxtail in hand.
There were women washing laundry at the canal, and before a tethered dog, chickens in cages—tonight’s sidedish perhaps.
“I-is there a shop in such a place?” Yao said uneasily.
Instead of replying, Maomao pointed to a small signboard. When it matched with the name written at the end of the piece of paper, Yao looked relieved.
“Why couldn’t they set this shop closer to the front?” she asked
“The closer to the main street, the higher the tax,” Maomao answered.
The higher the pedestrian traffic and the better the location, the more tax they will take. She didn’t know how it was calculated, but this place would have to be somehow cheaper compared to the front.
“Shall we finish this as soon as possible?”
They were going to head inside the store, but En’en suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?” Maomao asked, and En’en pointed to the other side of the canal. There were a number of children crowding around a single person.
Are they playing? she thought, but it looked strange.
As she watched to see what was happening, a shadow dashed past them.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”
It was Yao, crossing the small bridge and pushing herself into the crowd. It surprised the children.
“YOU’RE BULLYING, AREN’T YOU?!”
Since she screamed out, the children scattered.
(How should I say this?)
She’s young, Maomao thought as she chased after Yao. There was a lone child left standing before Yao. The one who had been surrounded. If they took Yao’s word at face value, it would have to be the bullied child, but…
“…huh? This child?” Yao tilted her head.
Maomao also studied the child’s face and copied her in tilting her head.
“She seems to be a foreigner child,” En’en said.
The child was wearing their clothes but her facial features were different. She looked under ten. Her hair and eyes were black, but her skin was rosy, white colour rather than yellow. She had a sweet face; she had big eyes with thick lashes.
(Her skin colour resembles Empress Gyokuyou.)
In that case, she could consider that she is a mixed blood child, but she understood why En’en had said foreigner child. There was a pattern on her face. It wasn’t the type of ink drawn on criminals. It looked like a curse, the red ivy design that framed her eyes.
Ink isn’t put on faces in this country. Maomao drawing freckles on her face was quite out of the ordinary.
“Are you okay?” Yao asked the child.
The child tilted her head with a lovable expression.
“Could it be that she doesn’t understand?” Yao looked troubled. It would be fine if the child said something, but there was not a peep out of her.
“It seems this child can’t speak.”
It was one of the children Yao had scattered just then who suddenly spoke to them. “She looked lost, so we asked where she came from but she wasn’t speaking to us at all. That’s why all of us were asking her, but it seems she can’t talk.” The child simply stated that and ran off.
“Ummm…” It seems Yao had dived in without any idea of what to do.
(It’s troubling even if you look at me.)
A lost, mute child from a foreign country. They also had no knowing if she understood them.
“What should we do?” Yao asked.
(That’s what I want to ask.)
What should we do? Maomao was at a loss.