After leaving the restaurant, the sky was still bright.
Clara took Adam to the western market where vendors set up stalls, planning to sell the little white squirrel.
This kind of "frivolous plaything" held no appeal for the average commoner, who wouldn't spare it a second glance.
Clara could only hope for some luck—that perhaps a butler or maidservant out shopping for their master's household might take a liking to it, and buy it to please some young master or lady.
The little squirrel had refused to eat the day before because the food Adam fed it didn't suit its taste.
Now, Clara bought a small handful of peanuts from an old auntie at the neighboring stall for two copper coins. As soon as the squirrel caught scent of them, its eyes lit up, and if it weren't for the twine around its foot, it might have leapt straight into Clara's arms to snatch them.
Adam set it down and took the peanuts Clara handed him. The little squirrel immediately hugged them and started munching away—its chubby-cheeked nibbling made it look especially adorable.
Watching this, Adam felt a twinge of reluctance.
But he also understood that their family's current situation wasn't suitable for keeping a pet. All he could do was hope a kind buyer would take it and treat it well.
The revived squirrel was quite eye-catching. When Clara spotted a few women dressed like house butler and young housemaid approaching the corner of the street, she immediately began calling out.
She had no sense of embarrassment whatsoever. Her hawking echoed down the whole street—it was impossible not to notice her.
A senior housemaid and a young attendant approached out of curiosity to ask the price.
Clara held up six fingers. "Six hundred copper coins."
The two drew in a sharp breath. For this thing? That was outrageous!
One look at the mother and son's tattered, beggar-like clothes had the young attendant curling his lip. He scoffed and walked off. But before he got far, he still had to sneer back over his shoulder:
"Barely enough meat on it, and you want six hundred coins? You must be mad with greed!"
He thought that would put some shame on their faces.
But neither of them even spared him a glance. The boy continued feeding the squirrel with single-minded focus, and the woman was already chatting with the senior housemaid.
Faintly, one could hear her saying things like "rare white coat—only seen once in a hundred years," and "gentle temperament—young masters and ladies would love it."
"This kind of squirrel with pale fur and a delicate face can't be found outside of the deep mountains," Clara said, absolutely serious. "Just six hundred coins—it's a steal."
The senior housemaid considered it, then smiled. "Alright, I'll take it."
The young attendant, who hadn't gone far, froze. He hurried back, wanting to buy it too.
"Sorry, there's only one. First come, first served," Clara said, shooting him a contemptuous look that screamed you clearly have no taste, and then gently placed the squirrel into the senior housemaid's woven basket.
"It won't escape, will it?" the housemaid asked.
"No," Clara said, pulling her aside to explain a few tips on taming small animals.
Getting post-purchase care advice too—what service! The senior housemaid looked down at the white squirrel munching peanuts in her basket and liked it even more the longer she stared.
With six hundred coins in hand, Adam's reluctance melted away instantly. Now he was just thinking about what they could buy for the household.
Clara then found a carpenter who specialized in making carriage compartments and ordered a custom build.
The carriage wouldn't be ready until mid-October, but Clara didn't mind. After all, her design wasn't standard—it was a bit complex.
She requested a foldable table be installed inside the carriage, one that could be stowed away when not in use but easily unfolded when needed, with some built-in storage space too.
As for the rest, given the limited space, she wasn't too particular for now.
In her mind, she was already thinking ahead to carriage axle research—perhaps someday she could make a four-wheeled cart.
But without alloy materials, that would be difficult.
A clunky four-wheeled cart might not even be as agile as the current two-wheeled ones.
The carriage needed quality materials, and the wheels were metal-rimmed. All told, she spent five taels of silver in one go.
Adam walked beside his stepmother, watching her hand over that much money without even blinking. He had never seen so much silver in his life and was a little overwhelmed.
But when Clara mentioned that the carriage was for their trip to school next year, he was instantly and thoroughly moved.
So moved, in fact, that he completely forgot he had a father living in the town's academy.
Clara also bought some fabric and shoe soles, and picked up a kilogram of pastries and 2.5 kg of meat.
Passing by a general store, Clara suddenly thought of toiletries. She wondered if they sold soap pods.
As expected—none. The only cleaning product available was something called "soap powder," which foamed when wet and was said to be made from boiled pig pancreas.
Clara was intrigued and asked the price.
The shopkeeper looked her up and down, eyeing the bow and the cloth-wrapped blade on her back, and barely concealed his disdain. "Twenty coins per 50g."
"Per 50g?" Clara thought she'd misheard the unit. "You sure it's not per 500g?"
The shopkeeper, with a face full of I knew you'd say that, snapped, "Per 50g! That's right!"
"Forget it. Let's go, Adam." Clara turned on her heel. Can't afford it? She'd make it herself!
Thanks to that general store, she suddenly remembered that soap-making process they taught in middle school chemistry.
She went back to the butcher and bought some pork fat.
Unfortunately, it was a bit late in the day. There wasn't much left at the stall, and she only managed to get 2kg.
Fat cost more than belly meat—50 coins per kg. A hundred coins total.
A kg of fat produced 500g of oil, so 2kg would yield 1kg of oil—enough for ten bars of soap.
After this whole shopping spree, Clara had eighty-one taels left from what Manager Fan had paid her. Combined with her previous savings, she now had a total of 184 taels of silver.
Who would've thought a short hunting trip could turn out so profitable?
Thinking about how she could now afford a few more acres of fertile land, Clara's spirits lifted. Her fatigue melted away.
Adam, on the other hand, was barely holding up. They hitched a ride on an ox cart for the return home, and he slept the entire way.
At first, he leaned against the rail. But as he drifted off, his head slowly drooped… until it landed on Clara's back.
By the time the driver stopped in Riverbend Village, Adam had somehow ended up sprawled across Clara's lap.
She shook him awake, and the poor boy blushed bright red.
The sun was already nearing the horizon. They had to hurry if they wanted to reach Liew Clan Village before dark.
Clara carried her weapons on her back and both hands full of goods.
Adam had his own little bundle and his practice weapons, and he was hugging the fragrant pastries.
They'd eaten braised pork noodles at noon, but that had long since digested. The scent of the pastries drifted up with every step, and Adam's battle between self-control and temptation was real and painful.
Fortunately, before night fell, the pair finally reached Liew Clan Village.
After days crawling through the mountains—no baths, no clean clothes—they looked every bit like beggers.
The villagers relaxing by the well didn't recognize them at first. Not until Ben, Chad, and Deb came running over with excited cries of "Mama! Big Brother!" did the others look up in astonishment.
That beggar-looking woman was Clara?
Rosie and Ryder ran ahead, and the moment they burst through the door, they shouted, "Third Aunt's back!"
Inside, the family had already eaten dinner and were mending farming tools. All eyes lit up at once.
(End of Chapter)
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