As for A-Ping, she also knew her boundaries. After cooking the meal, she went back to eat her own millet, buckwheat, and beans. However, she was quite pleased - Harano not only gave her money for daily grocery shopping but also handed over all the fabric to her, asking her to help make clothes for four people. Meanwhile, she was also tasked to make a few pairs of large shorts and quilts for him and Meng Ziqi. The leftover fabric and cotton could be hers as processing fees; she could sell or use it as she pleased.
When purchasing the fabric, Harano calculated meticulously that A-Ping would make a profit, which in some sense counted as a gesture of goodwill and rent.
After finishing dinner, Tao Liulang and Jing Qilang were so stuffed they couldn't move. Each had consumed at least three pounds of rice, and this was only because Harano noticed something was off and urgently stopped them. Otherwise, perhaps these two adolescents would have overeaten themselves to death.
After confirming that these two hadn't overeaten to the point of illness, Harano told them to go home and sleep. Tao Liulang and Jing Qilang looked at each other in dismay since Harano's place was now their home. Where else could they go to sleep?
They planned to sleep in the earthen floor room, but Harano needed to copy the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" using his phone at night. It wasn't convenient to have someone indoors. So, in the end, these two had no choice but to sleep in the cowshed with the donkey - the Yayoi family didn't own any cows but had a cowshed. After all, the village rented cows every year, and they were usually housed at their place, thus requiring a makeshift shelter to protect the cows from wind and rain.
It was a bit cold, but they could pile on straw and hug the donkey for warmth, they thought they could probably manage.
After Yayoi attended to his washing and left, Harano took a deep breath, turned around, and took out an Electric Stick from his backpack, silently checking the battery charge. The gentle smile he usually wore gradually faded, becoming calm and unperturbed, while his gaze grew increasingly profound.
Never enter a room alone; never look into a well with two people; never lift heavy objects with three people—this is an old saying.
When traveling alone, remember never to enter a room just at someone's invitation. Once inside, the light changes suddenly, your vision blurs, leaving you defenseless against blind spots. This is when it's easiest for someone to hit you over the head or stab you;
Two people should never look into a well. As you peer in, someone could grab your legs and push you down, even the greatest skills won't save you then;
Three people shouldn't lift heavy objects together. If the two on either side harbor ill intentions and suddenly let go, you might not die but you'd end up paralyzed, left at their mercy.
The prime minister lived a life of caution; anywhere he went, he always believed that careful sailing secures a lasting voyage.
Harano's childhood was fraught with hardships. His alcoholic father treated him terribly and often got into fights with outsiders. As a child, Harano was frequently forced to tangle with claimants demanding compensation, and he had sought help only to receive much disdain and cold words from relatives, bearing many undeserved grievances. Even his uncle sent him to Japan to study mainly in hopes of keeping him away from these troubling matters, ensuring they wouldn't ruin his life.
Thus, he had witnessed the darker side of human nature and was by no means a naive young lamb.
Additionally, another factor was Japan's Warring States Period's infamous "Samurai Hunt," where many famous Samurai, when found alone, were tragically killed with dung forks by villagers. Who could guarantee he wouldn't become one of them?
He had been wary of the Jiulang family before, hesitant even to eat first last night. Only after Yayoi tasted the food without issue did he dare to try it himself. Now that he had scratched together a small sum, though it wasn't much, seemingly not enough to provoke murder and theft, modern Japan witnessed robberies leading to murder even for a few thousand yen at gas stations. Who was to say it couldn't have happened in ancient times too?
One should not harbor intentions to harm others, but one must always be wary of others, especially when he now bore two lives!
Whether he could stay here long-term depended on tonight.
In chaotic times, one must overcome hurdle after hurdle!