At the river, Calista watched as Mammy Lena instructed the two younger maids who ca with them to set up the rocking chair. She recently fell in love about five ters away from the spot she was planning on fishing.
Calista simply laughed it off as she waited for the other to finish what she was doing. After all, since she couldn’t step into the river, soone else needed to do the deed for her.
However, as she waited, a few boys, she used to give part-ti jobs to co to her. These kids were no longer spending the day dirty like vagrants but knew to groom themselves well.
When they ca to her, Calista welcod them with open arms. As long as they were clean, she didn’t have any problems with them.
"Madam Solace, are you really fishing?" the eldest, Arnold asked curiously as he looked at the four fishing baskets on the rocks.
Calista nodded in response, though the answer was obvious.
Arnold grinned upon hearing that and glanced around. His gaze stopped at the servants who were still preparing Calista’s resting area before shifting back to Calista and asked, "Do you want us to help you set the baskets?" his eyes twinkling with anticipation.
Upon hearing that, Calista’s eyes brightened as well.
Letting these won who had never fished into the river was pointless. They would wet their legs and shoes in the process. Would that be efficient?
However, the boys were different. Anything goes. The river was their playing ground, anyway.
"Sure, you help and I will reward you greatly later!" Calista agreed to Arnold’s suggestion.
The boys cheered upon hearing that, making Calista chuckle with amusent.
The noise they made alerted Mammy Lena, who walked towards them and inquired what was happening.
When she heard what was transpiring, she found it even more appropriate: she urged Calista to cast the nets as soon as possible.
With Mammy Lena’s urging, Calista had Arnold give her the small box with the fish bait she had prepared, which was mainly leftovers of pap sprinkled with so special dicine, the kind she had always used to lure the fishes up every ti.
She was no fishing god, so how could she be able to attract them all the ti?
Of course, her koi physique played a great part in this, but at tis so external help was required as well.
With the baits placed in the baskets, Arnold and his friends carefully lifted them, walked into the river and set the baskets at the spots that Calista had ntioned.
At this mont, several pairs of eyes were watching. Honestly, even after five years, they still wondered how she did it.
As long as she goes to the river with a fishing basket, she leaves with sothing. And yet, if it’s their turn, they can’t even forage anything. How could they be so different?
With the baskets set, Calista didn’t have a reason to remain standing there anymore. Under the watchful gaze of Mammy Lena, she resentfully walked toward her favorite chair, sat down and watched as Mammy Lena covered her with a warm blanket before she was satisfied.
Watching all that happening, the other won felt envious and found the whole thing funny.
When had they seen Calista eating such a loss?
It was simply satisfying.
"If I do like her, I can see myself packing my bag and getting kicked out of the house!" another woman comnted as she looked at Calista with a complicated expression.
"You are not alone there."
"Only people like her deserve sothing like this."
"That’s true. I didn’t see it before, but she is hard-working."
"When she feels like it, yeah."
"She used to be lazy."
"Haha, and it made us so furious we would talk about it all the ti."
"I am glad that she changed."
"Yes, and we are benefiting."
"To think that I can now write my na. I feel proud just thinking about it."
"When I visit my maternal place, I will show them how their daughter in old age did it!"
The ladies were enthusiastic as they chatted, doing their laundry in the process.
In an era where there was no entertainnt, gossiping was the best solution to all boredom.
anwhile, on Calista’s side, she was reading a book, the one she got from Ian and it was so insightful. It was a traveling guide, and through it, she was learning a lot about the places she had never visited before.
The more she read, the more eager she beca to travel. However, the baby in her belly didn’t allow her to do much. She didn’t want to risk it. She wasn’t omnipotent and definitely not a deity.
"Ah~~~~!"
As she flipped the page, not sure how long she had been reading, Arnold suddenly scread in excitent, startling Calista in the process.
’What’s wrong with this kid?’ she wanted to lash out at the other.
Nonetheless, she still looked at where Arnold was and, seeing the other excitedly running towards her from the river, she had an inkling why he was like that.
Pasting a grin on her face, Calista waited for the excited young boy to arrive.
"Huff .... Huff...." Panting as he reached her, Arnold didn’t give himself a chance to breathe properly before he excitedly announced the good news that she knew automatically from his reaction earlier, "Madam, the baskets are full already!" a bright smile on his face.
Despite knowing what was going to be said, Calista still bead brightly at Arnold as she responded, "Perfect. Bring the baskets over and put the fish into the barrels. We still have a long way to go!" looking towards the sun, which was still nowhere from setting.
It wasn’t even noon yet, so how could she go ho?
When the villagers heard that the baskets were all full and it wasn’t even long before they were set, they all stopped what they were doing and zood in as they watched the boys carrying the baskets from the river.
The baskets were dium-sized and yet at this ti, the spectators could only swallow enviously, seeing how the baskets were full to the brim.
’Are these fish fools to pack themselves like that?’ it was simply unbelievable and yet there it was.
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