Chapter 14

Explaining Miss Manfah's Status to Her Grandfather

Phraya Decha Damrongsak surveyed the house briefly. In the living room, there was a table, chairs, a television, and a telephone, which made him realize that his granddaughter was living quite comfortably.

It was clean and tidy, albeit a bit small, but more luxurious than the average villager’s home.

Somyot brought the luggage into the house and sat quietly on a chair nearby. Once Manfah finished tidying up the room, she told Somyot he could put the luggage away. Seeing the bedroom was quite clean and orderly, Somyot felt relieved.

"You should go stay with the master, Miss."

"Okay."

Manfah prepared tea and snacks for Phraya Decha Damrongsak.

"Grandfather, please have some tea and snacks."

"Thank you."

Since it was a brief interaction, she decided not to stay and chat because she had nothing more to say.

"Then I'll go take a shower first. Make yourself at home, Grandfather."

Manfah strided quickly to her room. Phraya Decha Damrongsak glanced at her small frame as the girl turned away.

"Ha! Faster than a monkey."

After her shower, Manfah's mind was still in turmoil. Why were she and Phraya Decha Damrongsak in this small garden house together?

What on earth was going on? And why was there luggage ready?

Did he plan to stay overnight?

In the novel, Phraya Decha Damrongsak was only supposed to take Manfah to the Capital of Siam. It never mentioned him stopping to stay anywhere. So why wasn't he staying at a hotel in the province? Why was he sleeping at her house instead?

It felt really uncomfortable. She couldn't just kick him out because he was Manfah's real grandfather.

Phraya Decha Damrongsak seemed like a strict person, always pointing fingers and ordering others around. Yet, if he truly wanted to take her away, he could have just had Uncle Somyot carry her to the car. But this Phraya Decha Damrongsak didn't do that.

But! But! But! He chose to sleep here, staying with her.

What the heck! What was the old man thinking?

After pacing around her bedroom for five minutes, Manfah calmed down.

Fine, if he's staying, he's staying!

She put on her gardening outfit, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Manfah rolled up the pant legs because they were too long. This was her usual everyday attire. Looking in the mirror, even though the outfit was simple, her beauty still shone through gracefully.

She smiled at herself. Manfah, why worry so much? He's just an old man. You can handle this. You were a CEO in your past life, after all. You’ve met every kind of person there is.

Phraya Decha Damrongsak wasn't a bad person. Just a stubborn old-fashioned man. Hmph!

Manfah entered the kitchen where Grandpa Puang had made pork congee for her. She wasn't sure if her grandfather and Uncle Somyot had eaten anything yet. She walked to the living room and asked the two elders.

"Grandpa and Uncle Somyot, have you eaten yet?"

Uncle Somyot replied, "Not yet, miss."

His master had been traveling since four in the morning after they learned that Pipop and Jitlada had passed away. They hadn't eaten anything, rushing out because they were worried about Manfah.

"Then, let me make something for you. How about fish congee for breakfast?"

"Let me do it instead, miss."

"It's alright. You've just arrived, take a rest first."

The petite figure headed straight to the kitchen. Manfah opened the refrigerator, which looked ordinary but was quite expensive.

Inside, she had chicken, pork, fish, duck, eggs, vegetables, and fruits.

She had taken these items out from her dimension.

Manfah decided to cook enough rice for the whole day.

Next, she scaled the fish and sliced it into pieces. She checked the fish bones again, as older people might choke on them. Their eyesight wouldn't be as good, so she had to be extra careful.

The hospital was far away, after all. If someone choked, it would be a real hassle.

Manfah turned on the gas and set a pot of water to boil. While waiting for the water to heat up, she used another stove to fry garlic. Once the water was boiling, she added coriander roots and fish heads. The fried garlic was quickly done, so she placed it in a small bowl and set it aside. Moving on to the broth, she added ginger and galangal, seasoned it with soy sauce and seasoning sauce, followed by sugar, and stirred it all together.

Manfah tasted and adjusted the seasoning until it was just right, then turned up the heat. Next, she added the sliced fish into the pot without stirring. Once it was cooked, she placed steamed rice in a bowl, arranged the fish pieces neatly on top, and poured the broth over them. To eliminate any fishy smell, she garnished it with celery, sliced ginger, fried garlic, and pepper.

Usually, meals were eaten on a bamboo platform or a mat. There was no dining table at home. Oh… what should she do?

Manfah approached the two elders. "Um... I don't have a dining table at home. We usually eat on a bamboo platform or spread a mat in the backyard. Which would be more comfortable for you, Grandpa and Uncle Somyot?"

"The master is quite old, miss. I'm afraid he might not be able to bend down to eat."

"Oh... okay."

She went to use the landline phone. "Grandpa Puang, it's Manfah. Could you please buy a foldable dining table with four chairs for me? Right now, please. Hurry over, Grandpa Puang. Yes, thank you."

Manfah turned to the two elders. "Please wait a moment."

While waiting, she went to warm up her pork porridge. After a while, the sound of a motorbike with a sidecar echoed in front of the house—it was Grandpa Puang's vehicle. Manfah quickly walked out. Seeing the expensive car parked there, Grandpa Puang wondered who it belonged to. Manfah noticed the questioning look in Grandpa Puang's eyes and explained the situation to him.

Grandpa Puang was shocked that someone of high status was staying overnight here. He felt naturally tense.

That's a Phraya!

Somyot came out to greet Grandpa Puang. "Thank you so much, Mr. Puang, for taking care of young Miss Manfah all this time."

"It's nothing, really. I'm the one being taken care of. Young Miss Manfah took me in. I owe her a debt of gratitude; she took pity on a poor old man like me."

Somyot smiled. Young Miss Manfah was truly gentle-hearted, even though she was a bit mischievous.

"Let's set the table quickly, or the porridge will get cold," Manfah urged.

The table and chairs were set up in the backyard garden because the atmosphere was nice and it was close to the house. Manfah brought the porridge to the table and invited Phraya Decha Damrongsak to sit and eat. Grandpa Puang didn't join them because he felt tense, so there were only three people at the table.

Phraya Decha Damrongsak ate the porridge until it was all gone, unintentionally eating quickly. Somyot felt pleased seeing his master eat so much; today was the first day Phraya Decha Damrongsak had eaten the most, probably because he met his granddaughter.

"Your cooking is really good, Miss. It rivals the palace chefs."

"Thank you, Uncle Somyot. We finished eating right at eleven, so lunch will have to be delayed. I'll make some snacks for us later."

"I should prepare them instead, Miss. I'm a servant; it's not proper for the master to do it themselves."

"Uncle Somyot, you can cook?"

"I'm the master's close aide, so I must be able to do everything when we go out or stay overnight elsewhere. Sometimes the food doesn't suit the master, so I take on the task of preparing meals. Taking care of the master's health is my responsibility."

"Alright then. There's plenty in the fridge, Uncle Somyot. Feel free to make whatever you like. If you have any questions, you can ask Grandpa Puang."

"Are you living here with Grandpa Puang, Miss?"

"Yes, Grandpa Puang is quite pitiful. His wife and children left him decades ago. I'm living alone as an orphan, so I invited Grandpa Puang to stay with me. We never feel lonely. Grandpa Puang is honest and hardworking, so we've become like a family."

Somyot discreetly glanced at Phraya Decha Damrongsak. He knew that while his master appeared calm on the outside, inside was a different story. He was genuinely worried that history might repeat itself. Miss Manfah was not a child who could be easily controlled by the master's rules.

Grandpa Puang noticed everyone had finished eating and quietly collected the dishes to wash. She couldn't help but chuckle at Grandpa Puang's peculiar demeanor.

Even when Phraya Decha Damrongsak was just sitting still, his presence was intimidating, as if his face was a weapon.

Scary... isn't it? :)

The sound of five six-wheeled trucks stopping in front of her orchard reached her ears.

Then, the sound of a motorcycle pulling up in front of the house followed. It was Village Headman Phin's vehicle.

"Little Man, are you there? Who's here?" Uncle Phin shouted, asking.

Manfah went to greet Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai at the front of the house. She led them to meet Phraya Decha Damrongsak, who was leisurely sitting in her vegetable garden.

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai stood frozen, their bodies tense and unable to move. Manfah nudged them to bring them back to their senses.

The aura of Phraya Decha Damrongsak was truly overwhelming and powerful.

"Uncle Phin, Uncle Pai, this is Phraya Decha Damrongsak, my grandfather. Grandpa, this is Village Headman Phin, and the thin one is Uncle Pai."

The two greeted each other politely, though still visibly tense.

"Greetings, Phraya Decha Damrongsak."

"Hmm... What brings you both here?"

Uncle Phin replied, "I'm here to ask Little Man about the pig farm. Little Man is planning to open a pig farm."

Uncle Pai added, "And I'm here to pick up some of Little Man’s fruits."

"A pig farm, huh? Do you have the money for it, Manfah?" Phraya Decha Damrongsak was surprised.

"I've made quite a bit of money selling fruits," she replied briefly.

Phraya Decha Damrongsak furrowed his thick eyebrows. "Both of you, have a seat."

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai sat down on the chairs, visibly tense. Why so tense, really?

Manfah went inside to get a chair to sit with them. It seemed like it would be a long conversation.

Grandpa Puang served water to Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai, then gave them an encouraging look before quickly retreating into the house. Heh heh.

Uncle Phin cleared his throat softly. "To inform you, Phraya Decha Damrongsak, after Little Manfah's parents passed away, she has been sustaining herself with her garden. I've seen her fruits and vegetables thrive, so I suggested to my friend Prapai to sell them. The produce from Little Manfah's garden sells at high prices and is in demand in the market, so Little Manfah has accumulated quite a bit of money."

Manfah nodded vigorously. It's all true.

"Now, Little Manfah has expanded her garden significantly. She has built twenty more worker houses. Additionally, she has a shop selling sun-dried pork at the market. Currently, Little Manfah is considered a young entrepreneur in Khao Khiao Village."

Somyot's jaw dropped. Could a child this young really run such a large business?

"No wonder Young Miss doesn't want to live in the big house with the master."

Manfah smiled. "My business is doing well. I can't just leave it behind. Besides… I've already asked Uncle Pai to find workers for me. If I leave here to live with Grandpa, the workers won't have jobs."

"Regardless, you must come live in the Capital of Siam with me because you're my granddaughter," Phraya Decha Damrongsak said firmly, unwilling to back down.

"Why should I go there? I may be your granddaughter, but that's not my place. Grandpa looks down on me because my father was just an ordinary villager. If I go there, people won't like me. I'm not a patient child. If someone hurts me, I'll fight back. Do you still want to take me to embarrass you in the Capital of Siam?"

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai were sweating. This child truly wasn't afraid of anything, arguing with Phraya Decha Damrongsak like that. It was quite brave. Somyot chuckled inwardly but tried to hold it in. Miss Man was truly adorable. If she moved into the main house, life there would definitely be more colorful for the master.

"I can't have people saying my granddaughter is uneducated," Phraya Decha Damrongsak said, narrowing his eyes at her with a challenging look.

Manfah felt a chill run down her spine.

Manfah pondered deeply. "But I can't leave here. Actually, I can read and write."

"That's not enough, miss."

What should you do, Manfah?