Chapter 4

At the Market

Uncle Phin took Manfah to the bustling market in the provincial capital. This area was quite developed. Shops and street vendors crowded the streets with busy pedestrians occasionally bumping into each other. Manfah looked around with interest, her eyes darting from one sight to another as Uncle Phin held her small hand tightly, cautious not to let her get lost.

Singkhon Province, where Manfah now resided, was an agricultural hub, serving as a central point for distributing fruits, vegetables, and other raw materials to neighboring provinces.

The capital of the country was also named Siam, but we call it the capital city of Siam.

Thinking of her grandfather, who lived in the capital city of Siam, made her head ache. She didn’t know how to manage staying here without her grandfather interfering. According to the novel’s storyline, her grandfather was difficult and traditional.

He even pressured her parents into hardship here. She thought it was a bit too much.

Wouldn’t it be enough if they just lived separately?

Back to the market—Manfah asked Uncle Phin to take her to see some plant nurseries. She had ordered some fruit seedlings to be delivered to her house and also bought several bags of vegetable seeds to plant as a ceremonial gesture.

She planned to use fertilizer from her dimension to ensure the quality remained high.

Next, the pair stopped in front of a fan shop. Manfah purchased two fans and a few long extension cords. The shop owner handed over the fans, already boxed, and Manfah carried one while Uncle Phin handled the other.

"You're all smiles today," Uncle Phin teased.

"I'm just happy. I only have to endure the heat tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll have electricity. Let’s go buy a gas stove next; the one at home is so inconvenient."

"With money, suddenly everything becomes inconvenient, huh?"

"Haha, Uncle Phin, your house still uses a gas stove too, and yet you're teasing me about it."

Both of them rode back to Manfah's house. She unlocked her home to wait for the delivery she had ordered. After a while, a three-wheeled cart pulled up in front of her house.

The gas stove and cylinder were delivered first, followed by the plants that Manfah had ordered.

"Everything's delivered, Little Man. Let's go eat at my house. Aunt Kwan has prepared a lot of dishes."

Naturally, she didn't refuse. She rode pillion to Uncle Phin's house without hesitation. She was dead tired.

She didn’t feel like cooking either.

Upon arriving at Uncle Phin's, Manfah closely followed behind him into the house. Aunt Kwan, Uncle Phin's wife, was delighted to see Manfah.

"Little Man, come quick, join us for dinner. I've cooked plenty."

"Hello, Aunt Kwan."

"Hello, dear. Come, sit down," Manfah sat down properly on the chair.

Ready to eat them all!

Uncle Phin sat next to her, then shouted to call his twin children out.

"Mafueang, Mafai, come out and eat."

"Okay/Okay." Both kids, around the same age as her, came out from their room.

"It's been a long time, Manfah," Mafueang, the older sister, greeted.

"That's right, Manfah. You should stay with us. Dad is worried about you every day; he complains about it daily," Mafai added.

Manfah laughed dryly. "Well, I need some time to accept it. When my parents were gone, I looked around the house and eagerly took care of the garden by myself. I just realized that I don't have much money left."

"You can ask our father for some," said Mafueang.

"No need, my dear. Your Manfah is rich now."

"Oh! Really?" The twin sisters were shocked.

"Well, Little Man sold a lot of vegetables and fruits today. And she got a good price for them."

Mafueang moved her chair closer to her and hugged her affectionately.

"In that case, you can buy us some snacks, right? Hehe."

"Sure," Manfah shrugged and looked up proudly, as if to say... I'm very rich.

All three of them laughed out loud. Manfah looked very amused.

"It's good to see you cheerful again," said Mafai, happy to see her friend smile.

"Yeah, thanks for everyone's concern. I can support myself now. I'll be stable from now on."

Mafai noticed that Manfah used to be a bit silly. Now he likes Manfah the way she is. Mafueang was also surprised by her friend's very different attitude. But since it was for the better, she didn't wonder why. She thought her friend was being strong. As for her, she had a duty to support her.

Aunt Kwan brought many dishes to the table. On the table were tom yum pla, omelet, stir-fried morning glory, and stir-fried pork belly with salt.

"Come on, eat up. Don't just swallow your saliva."

Mafueang served rice and gave it to everyone.

The four people in the house ate until they were full. Aunt Kwan told Manfah to sleep at the house tonight. Manfah couldn't refuse because Mafueang and Mafai also wanted her to sleep there.

"Sleep here. There will be electricity tomorrow. You can sleep with me, Man."

Mafueang brought her clothes for Manfah to change after taking a shower.

Manfah smiled. Alright, she could sleep here.

Later, Mafueang was doing the homework she had left unfinished.

"Manfah, are you going to go to school again?"

"I don't think so. I don't have time. Where would I find the time to study?"

"That's a pity. Education will help us progress and have a better future."

Mafueang said regretfully that her friend couldn't go to school.

"As long as I can read and write, that’s enough. I don't need to study much. I'm a gardener. I don’t need a high education."

"It's not easy for ordinary people to study. I just feel sorry for you."

"Knowledge is not just in books. Otherwise, how would the older generations live? It's not that I think studying is useless. It's just that my situation doesn't allow me to study."

When she was in the other world, she had already graduated. She thought she didn't need to study.

"Then, when I'm done studying, I'll come and teach you. Okay?"

"Just bring me some novels to read. Ask your teacher to order them for me."

"They're very expensive."

"I have money now. Just find them for me. You want to read them too, right?"

"That way, I'll be taking advantage of you. I should pay half."

"But you don't have any money. Your father does."

"Well... yes."

"We're friends. I am not overthinking. If I have money, I have to use it. I can't use it when I die. Your father is very kind to me. I don't think small."

"Slap your mouth right now. You're talking about something unlucky. Why are you talking about death?!"

"Yes, yes. I slapped myself." Manfah slapped her mouth lightly, but her eyes didn't show any remorse.

"Sigh... I'm worried about you, Manfah."

Suddenly, it became dramatic. Mafueang was very worried about Manfah because Manfah had lost her parents and was living alone.

At the funeral, Mafueang saw Manfah's condition. Manfah looked like she had really lost all hope.

She was afraid that Manfah would do something crazy.

"Oh, oh. Don't cry. I'm here now. Don't worry. Tomorrow, my house will have electricity. You can come and sleep with me. If you don't mind that my house is small and shabby."

"You keep emphasizing the electricity. Your house must be very hot."

"It's hot. It's the hottest." Manfah nodded very seriously. Mafueang laughed at her funny expression again.