The Normal Farmer - Completed

Chapter 11 – Mira Sonanji and Ma Yangfa

They all laughed at that remark, even Ovaidel. Taly and Ari left after giving Duza three silver coins and twenty copper coins for the supplies, and Ronald excused himself because he had something to discuss with the Guild Master. Mira guided him to the back office, where her father was.

Upon entering, Ronald saw him looking at the map of that region, a little worried. “Hello, Mister Ronald, have a seat. I am glad you came; I was about to go meet you. I was told you are going with Duza for an escort service to Argoheria, and that will take some months. I still owe you three silver coins for the Blue Brittlebush leaves. So, I was wondering, do you want that money now? Because as I said, I don’t have that amount right now.”

“That’s not a problem; you can pay me upon our return. I want to return; I don’t want to die in the next few months.”

Haje frowned, and he went silent for a while. After some moments, he took a deep breath and continued: “How did things go on your walk with Duza?”

“Very well, actually. She is fun to be with. And a wonderful guide.”

“That was not what I was asking…”

“I know, but you didn’t ask it very well. I just went with the flow.”

“Fair enough… So, what are your intentions towards my older daughter?”

“Well, I... I like her… a lot… but I just met her yesterday. I know it’s too soon, and I still don’t know what she thinks of me. But you can rest assured that I don’t make a habit of seducing women everywhere I go. She is special in a way that I can’t truly put my finger on. She is very friendly and kind, but today we had a situation with some Guards and her violent behaviour surprised me. She looked like a different person.”

“I heard you are like that as well. That’s why I am worried. Are you going to give her problems or put her in any kind of danger?”

“Are you really asking me that, considering the dangerous voyage we have ahead?”

Haje nodded. “That’s exactly why I am asking. Can I count on you to protect her?”

“Yes… I can even say that if everyone is in danger, she is the one that I will rush to help without even thinking. Wait… Maybe I shouldn’t say this out loud… It is supposed that I try to help all the members of my Party, right?”

“Well, as a Guild Master, that worries me. But as a father, it makes me happy. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I know my daughter, and I never saw her smile as much as she does when you are near. I hope you take good care of her from now on. And I will say no more; this is turning out too awkward; it sounded better in my head!”

Ronald was making a small smile. “Yeah, I don’t feel as comfortable as I thought talking about this subject with you. Well, I need to go because Miss Duza may need help to get the supplies. I am the Carrier, I am supposed to take care of that, right?”

Ronald left, leaving behind a smiling Guild Master. When he got near his table again, Feebles was saying his goodbyes. “Oh, Mister Ronald, I was just waiting for you. I need to leave to take care of some business. Last time I checked, I was a Merchant, but because of every distraction that you provide, I keep forgetting my work! Are you going to have dinner here or at the Inn? If you don’t mind, I would like to have a last meal with you before your departure. I guess that tomorrow you won’t have time available for that, with some last-minute preparations.”

“Of course, Mister Feebles, it will be an honour. I can join you at the Inn for dinner if you want.”

Feebles smiled while nervously looking around. “I would prefer that because all these violent people here get on my nerves! I think I saw one guy in that corner taking my measurements as if he wanted to slice a piece of my meat!”

“Ahahaha! Don’t worry, Mister Feebles. If someone tried that, Woof would be the first to stop them. Miss Duza, if you want, I can go to the market and buy the supplies. I remember the way and where were the stalls.”

Before she could say anything, Mira spoke from behind him: “I can go with him! I need to buy some things for today’s dinner!”

Ronald looked in Ma Yangfa’s direction and saw him looking away. “Okay, as long as we take Mister Ma with us. It would be funny to have such a big man work as our escort. We can make him carry all our stuff; it would be even better.”

Mira pretended to be shocked. “Mister Ronald, you are so mean! Yeah, let’s invite him too.”

Mira went in Ma’s direction, and Ini asked, “One in the morning, another in the afternoon? Mister Ronald, I never thought you were such a ladies’ killer!!”

Ronald waved both hands. “No, that was never my intention! I even suggested we invite Ma, so that… never mind… Excuse me, I must make sure he doesn’t get the wrong idea as well!”

Ronald rushed to join Mira and Ma while Duza was smiling. Ini noticed, even when she tried to disguise it and teased her, pretending to be serious: “That guy is weird…”

Duza whispered, “I think he is sweet…”

But Ini heard her. His hearing was way better than a Human’s. “Sweet for what?”

“For… wanting to help everyone around him…”

Ini frowned. “Or he is just stupid… Helping everyone is a good way of getting killed around here. But I don’t know why I like him. He seems… naïve would be the proper word, but it is also a little mean… I guess calling him a ‘good soul’ would be better. Yes, that’s it. That guy has a good soul. I do hope he doesn’t lose that goodness of him.”

Duza looked in Ronald’s direction; he was talking with Ma, and he had a genuine smile on his face. He looked so beautiful with that smile. She then realized what she had just thought and turned bright red. She covered her face with her hands to disguise it.

Ovaidel and Reylom were looking at the map and talking with each other, and they didn’t see that. But when Duza looked at Ini from between her fingers, she saw him make a slight smile. He made a slow nod with his head, like reassuring her that the secret was safe. They both watched while Ronald, Ma, and Mira were leaving the Guild, carrying some empty bags on two pushcarts.

…

At the market, Ronald went straight to the stalls with the potatoes and rice. After that, the dried meat and dried vegetables, with some fresh vegetables for the kitchen of the Guild.

While Mira was choosing the vegetables, Ronald was near Ma Yangfa and whispered at him while pointing to the Card Shop where he went in the morning with Duza: “I was told that young couples often go to that Shop, and the man buys a Light Ray Spell Card for the woman as a protection against bandits and mean men who try to harass her. What do you say? Want to give her one?”

Ma was surprised, and he looked a little awkward. “Such a thing… She might not want it if it’s me giving it to her…”

“You will only know if you try. Well, she could be so happy that she kisses you. But if she gets angry at you for thinking that she would like that, at least you will find out how she feels about you. I could be the one giving it to her, but I bet she would prefer it was you.”

Ma kicked a small rock on the floor while thinking. “I don’t know…”

“Coward…”

Ma frowned. “What did you call me?”

“You heard me, you coward. Afraid of a small woman. How can you be an Adventurer, if you are so afraid of a young woman like her?”

Ma looked at Mira, and he continued whispering, “You would also be afraid of her if you knew what she is capable of. She may not be an amazing fighter like Duza, but her level as a Mage is scary. She doesn’t like violence or fighting as much as Duza, but sometimes she helps out in a Quest if a Party needs an extra Mage.”

“I didn’t know that… But you are mistaken. Miss Duza doesn’t like fighting as much as she pretends to do. I guess she only fights because she has no choice. But you are changing topics. You want to give her that Card or not, you coward?”

Ma gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Stop calling me that, you crazy bastard! No one at the Guild would dare call me that in my face!”

“Lousy, ugly, disgusting coward… I don’t know how you can sleep at night, you coward little man…”

Ma shouted while shaking Ronald by his collar: “Stop that, you crazy! Aargh! You are so annoying!”

Mira looked behind her because of the sudden shout, and she noticed Ma’s angry face. “What’s the matter? Why are you so mad?”

Ronald shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing much. Ma was saying he wanted to go to that Card Shop to buy you a present, and I was saying you would take his head off if he dared to do that.”

Ma was opening his mouth to contradict him, but Mira turned bright red and stuttered: “I… wouldn’t… never do that… I… would be happy…”

Ma coughed and choked on his saliva. “You… would? Great… Can we go there?”

Ronald grabbed one of the pushcarts and pointed with his head to the other one. “Quick, Mister Ma, grab that and let’s go before she changes her mind!”

They all went to the Card Shop, and they placed the pushcarts on one side of the front door with Woof guarding them. When they entered, the old woman recognized Ronald. “Hello again, young man! Did you come to buy anything else? Where is that beautiful girlfriend of yours?”

Ronald made a small smile while noticing the grins on Ma's and Mira’s faces. “She had some things to take care of. But I brought a friend.”

While Ma was nodding and Mira was looking around the shop, Ronald whispered to the old seller: “Do you have another one of those ‘Light Ray’ Cards? My friend wants to surprise her, to check her reaction, and to test her feelings.”

The old woman nodded and whispered back, “I have it right here. Let me get it.”

The old woman grabbed the small wooden chest from the top drawer, and from there, she took the Card. Ma called Mira while pointing at it: “Miss Mira, do you have one of these?”

Mira turned bright red. “No… this one… Normally, a man gives it to the woman as protection… and proof of love… No one ever offered one of these… to me…”

Ma looked at the old woman very seriously. “I would like to buy this one, please.”

Ma paid for it, and with a trembling hand, gave it to Mira. “I… would like to… offer this to you. If you accept it, I would be the happiest man in the World… If not… no harm is done…”

Mira grabbed the Card and held it next to her chest. “Thanks… Ma…”

The old woman wiped a small tear that was rolling down her wrinkled face. “Young love is such a beautiful thing… My late husband gave one to me many years ago, as a proof of his love, in a Shop like this one… I never get tired of seeing this kind of situation.”

Ronald made a slight bow to the old seller, while Mira and Ma were smiling at each other. “Thank you for this. We must leave because we need to take our pushcarts back to the Guild.”

They left the shop with the old woman waving at them and wiping her tears.

On the outside, while Ma and Mira were still looking at each other with a smile, Ronald emptied the contents of both carts onto the floor, placed one cart inside the other, and piled the supplies on top of everything. He then grabbed the handles of the bottom one and pulled everything up.

He started to walk in the direction of the Guild, and he spoke to Ma while leaving: “Mister Ma, buy some food and tea for Miss Mira; I can take care of this. Don’t you dare come with me and waste this opportunity to be alone with that beautiful woman!”

Ma pointed to the full pushcart that Ronald was pushing without any kind of effort. “How are you able to take all that? That’s…”

But Ronald interrupted him. “Are you really wasting time with me while Miss Mira is right there next to you, looking so happy? You are not only a coward, but you are also stupid! Take care of her, moron! Do I need to smack your head to put some sense in that thick head of yours?”

Ronald ducked and started to run, with Woof following him, to avoid one of Ma’s punches. Mira tilted her head, looking at him leaving. “How can he run while pushing all that weight?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even have time to react yesterday when he grabbed me at the Guild and pushed my head against the table. He is way faster and stronger than he looks.”

“Yeah… What was that about, yesterday? That surprised me!”

“He said he just did that as a warning to the others. He chose the strongest fighter in there to make a point. I was a little angry with him at first, but after he explained his motives while looking so worried about what I could think of that, I understood why he did it. He even offered to pay for my drinks for an entire week as an excuse.”

“So that’s what happened… Yeah, I can understand why my sister is so amazed by him. He does things like what he just did with us, as if it was the most natural thing in the World!”

Ma nodded and turned a little red. “Yeah… if it weren’t for all that he said to me yesterday and calling me a coward today, I wouldn’t have the courage to give you that present.”

“Really? Well, it took you a lot of time to gather some courage. I was waiting all this time and thinking you didn’t like me!”

“Sorry… But, I also thought you didn’t like me… It was he who warned me yesterday that I was taking too much time to do something about what I felt…”

Mira opened wide her eyes. “He said the same thing to me! How did he know?”

Ma slowly shook his head and pointed to a nearby stall. “I don’t know, I thought I was hiding it very well… Do you want to eat some cookies from there?”

Mira held his arm with a smile. “Yes, please.”

While Ma and Mira were happily eating and talking, Ronald arrived at the Guild with Woof and the supplies. A servant opened the back gate, and he dropped the contents of the carts in a corner, pointing to the supplies that Mira bought for the Guild so that the servant could take them inside.

When he was leaving again to buy grain for the horses, Duza came from the back door and saw him. “You are back so soon? Where are Mira and Ma? I didn’t see them inside. You lost them?”

“No. I kind of convinced Ma to go to that old woman’s Card Shop and offer a Light Ray Card to Mira. I left them in the Market, all alone. Don’t worry, Mira was very happy.”

“You… you did what? But I thought you also liked her…”

“What are you talking about? You didn’t know they liked each other?”

“I did! Well, I knew Mira liked him, and I noticed Ma looking at her a few times. But she is very beautiful, and a lot of guys are always looking at her. I didn’t think…”

“And what’s that about, saying I also liked her? Woman, you are crazier than I thought! I don’t offer special Spell Cards to every woman I meet! Stop saying crazy things and come with me; I need to buy more stuff.”

“But… I can’t leave the front desk all alone. I must wait for Mira, so that…”

“Find a servant for that. Or the Guild Master. Damn, woman! I’m trying to find an excuse to be all alone with you again; the least you could do is help me out! I was going to look for a private place to grab you and kiss you, and you are trying to escape? I really should have tried my luck with Miss Mira… Okay, stay here then; I will go with Woof. We will have more opportunities during our travel.”

When Ronald turned his back to go away, Duza grabbed his right arm. “No, wait! I… can go with you… to help! Not the grabbing and the kissing! I will be right back. Let me find someone for the front desk.”

Duza ran to the Guild through the back door with her face a little red. Ronald smiled and spoke to Woof: “She is rather funny, isn’t she? What do you think? I am pushing a little too much, and I should be slower? Yeah, maybe you are right. I don’t want to spook her. She may be a strong Adventurer, but with me messing with her so much, it might cause her to start avoiding me. Okay, I will do as you say; thanks for the advice.”

Woof was tilting his head sideways for the entire conversation, trying to understand what that strange Human was saying. He could more or less understand him, but everything that Human just said didn’t make much sense.

Riattus was laughing near them, thinking that Ronald was indeed a funny distraction.

Duza returned a few moments later with a list in her hand. “These are some things the guys asked if you could get. I can guide you to some of these places, considering you don’t know this City very well.”

Ronald looked at the list, frowning. “Arrows, daggers, some big water canteens, thick blankets, pots, pans, and tableware… Yeah, we need this, alright… Okay, lead the way, then. Don’t worry, I am not going to grab you or push my luck anymore. I don’t want you to hate me. I want to conquer you, not annoy you. Shall we go?”

Before she could say anything, Ronald pushed the cart with Woof walking at his side. She mumbled to herself when he couldn’t hear her: “I wouldn’t mind much, with a little grabbing and a small kiss… What I am saying… Calm down, Duza; you will scare him or make him think badly of you…”