Cornflower Witch

Chapter 11 A Brief Period of Stability

The next day, Hilti went to the Apothecary Guild to buy a guide to identifying medicinal herbs. The shop assistant even gave her a hemostatic medicine recipe as a gift. The Horticulture Guild, on the other hand, was very basic. Scorched Stone City was not a very wealthy place, and not many people cared about growing flowers and gardening. They only sold common flower seeds, not cornflowers, and the books on gardening knowledge were also quite thin.

A wooden chair was placed in the small courtyard behind the house. Hirutiya sat down and then opened the book "Guide to Identifying Medicinal Herbs" on her lap to read it.

The courtyard was exceptionally quiet in the afternoon. A little sunlight shone into the courtyard and fell on the open ground at her feet, bright but not dazzling.

The yellowed pages, the clearly printed text and herbal illustrations, and the faint scent of ink when opened make one feel that the high price is indeed justified.

For nearly ten days since arriving in this world, Hilti has been encountering new things almost every day, stepping into one unfamiliar and strange environment after another. Only now can she relax a little, lean back in her chair, and spend a peaceful afternoon.

The sunlight in the courtyard slowly shifted, initially unable to reach her, but gradually shining on Hilti's calves, bringing waves of warmth.

Her delicate fingertips gently traced the pages of the book, turning one page and reading the introduction to another chapter. Then, Hiltiya looked up at the sun-drenched courtyard, a faint sense of lightness and happiness rising within her. She longed to take a nap in the gentle afternoon breeze.

She marked this page in the book, placed it on the small table beside her, pulled her legs back a little, lightly stepped on the crossbar under the chair, then rested her head on the side of the chair back and closed her eyes.

In such a tranquil and relaxing setting, a few strands of hair gently swayed on the side of her cheek, without disturbing her nap. Her eyebrows were relaxed, and her soft face showed a touch of cuteness and childlike innocence in the afternoon light.

The insects chirped in the trees as always, and beneath the tender green and pale yellow leaves, the young girl slept soundly as time slowly passed.

……

Several hours later, the sound of a door being pushed open after the key was turned echoed through the house. A lively and bouncy figure walked in, circled around the house, and then found Siltia taking a nap in the backyard.

"Tia~ I'm back." Taliel came to the sleeping Syldia, rested her hands on the armrests of the wooden chair, and looked at the girl with curiosity.

The sleeping Sylvia wasn't as intelligent as when she was awake, but she had a different kind of charm, Thalys suddenly thought.

Then the girl beneath her opened her eyes, gently shook her head and hair, and sat up.

"Taliel is back." Her soft voice carried a hint of languor, exceptionally sweet and gentle, as if this was the tone it should have been.

"Mmm, get up, Tiya~" She helped Xilutiya sit up, and then ran back from the living room to bring a light green melon, the size of which was similar to the watermelon in Xilutiya's memory.

"This was given to me by Uncle Hook. I was helping out there this morning." Hook used to be a resident of Linden Village, but now he sells fruit in Jiaoshi City and does other small businesses.

"I immediately thought of Tia, so I brought her back to eat together." Talil said that she is a good friend and would not forget Tia.

"Thank you, Taliel," the girl replied with a smile. Taliel's unpredictable enthusiasm dispelled her anxiety and nervousness at arriving in this unfamiliar world.

"Let's cut the melon, it won't taste good if it's left out too long," Talil said impatiently.

“Hmm.” Hilti thought for a moment, found a kitchen knife in the kitchen cabinet, and the two of them simply washed the melon rind with stored water in the kitchen before cutting it open.

After the light green melon was cut open, the inside was tender yellow flesh and a lot of white seeds. The two of them picked up the melon segments and went to the backyard to eat them. Since there were no outsiders here, they didn't need to be too particular.

After biting into the melon, the sweet juice overflowed, instantly energizing Hiltiya and making her much more awake.

It's delicious! Although it's not as sweet as watermelon, it has a different kind of woody sweetness that leaves a lasting impression.

"What kind of melon is this?" she couldn't help but ask.

“This is ‘Mongye Melon.’ It’s grown on the sunny slopes around Jiaoshi City and sold in the city. However, it spoils very easily, so it’s hard to find in other places.” Taliel knew that Tia would be interested in this, so she asked Uncle Hook before leaving.

"Huh?" Tia tilted her head slightly at Taliel's quick answer, but quickly understood why.

The child must have prepared the answer in advance. "Thank you," she replied, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead, a gentle warmth flowing through her heart.

"Hmph." Taliel proudly patted her chest, indicating that she also played a significant role.

"Let's go, there's still a lot left to eat. Uncle Hook said this can't be kept for long, it's best to finish it today." The two went back to the kitchen to cut the melon.

"Sigh, but I'm a little full."

"No, you have to finish it." Taliel pushed the helpless Sylvia forward.

In the end, the two still couldn't finish their meal and decided to save some for later that night.

In the evening, the two went to Winnie's house again, and Winnie had expected this and prepared a sumptuous dinner.

During dinner, Ancher told the group about the results of his inquiries at the Chamber of Commerce that day.

"There is a job in the Chamber of Commerce as a liaison and messenger. The job is to deliver various letters, items and notices in the city on a daily basis. The salary is not high, only 2.4 silver coins, but it is relatively easy."

“Ah, I like this!” Taliel raised her hand.

Winnie and Anchel were not surprised at all; they knew Taliel would like this kind of work.

"Then there's Edson Bachelor's program. Unfortunately, he said he couldn't find the time to teach, but I also received another piece of information: Edson Bachelor's professor, Mr. Hyde, who had previously retired, will probably resume teaching next month and instruct a group of students."

"Oh, Mr. Hyde is teaching again?" Winnie covered her mouth in surprise.

“When I graduated, my teacher said he would enjoy his retirement and stop teaching. Why did he change his mind this time?”

"I don't know, there might be other reasons."

"Now that Maester Hyde has resumed teaching, it should be the best opportunity for Miss Tia. He is the most learned man in Scorched Stone City, and there is no better tutor than him."

“It won’t be until next month. I can ask the teacher if there are any restrictions on this year’s enrollment,” Winnie thought for a moment.

"In the meantime, I'll help Miss Tia check her basic knowledge."

Although she had received an education in her previous life, she was still quite unfamiliar with this world, and Hilti quickly agreed.

“Okay, starting tomorrow, you two will both have to come to my place to study every morning.” Winnie held up her finger.

“Oh, do I have to come too? Didn’t my brother-in-law say he found me a job?” Taliel protested.

“We found it, but there are still a few days before you have to go to work, so don’t even think about sneaking around.” Winnie brought out her authority as the eldest sister.

"Uh, I didn't sneak around playing. I even went to help Uncle Hook yesterday," Talil explained.

"Yes, but as you know, we can't be as willful as children now."

“Okay.” Knowing that her sister was doing it for her own good, Taliel could only lower her head and agree.

Hiltya found it amusing and heartwarming to see Taliel repeatedly getting the short end of the stick with Winnie, and it reminded her of her childhood friend.

Are they living well now?

　Thanks to YouxieQ, xxxxds, Xitian, and Fenqi.
　　Salted Fish Cuisine, Star Trail, uNight Tide u, Ballad of the Stars, Dream Without Awareness, and Don't Part Amidst Idleness are among the book lovers who have donated.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)