Chapter 22

Brother Jon

Two hours passed, and Manfah finally felt relieved—she had made it through the day.

Her swollen head was now being treated by Somyot.

"This is more exhausting than working in the garden. I don't think city life suits me at all."

The world she left behind was much more comfortable. She wasn't Miss Thailand!

"You are the granddaughter of Phraya Decha Damrongsak and Chao Phraya Sri Suphanyaporn, young miss."

Faced with this, Miss Manfah was taken aback. The young girl playfully pretended to die, twitching dramatically as if having a seizure. Phraya Decha Damrongsak shook his head at his granddaughter's antics, while Somyot laughed heartily. Young Miss was funny once again.

Then Manfah sat up straight. "When I'm at home or in private, I want to be myself. Once I step outside, I'll transform into the noble Miss Manfah."

Mafueang teased her friend, "That's right, the noble Miss Manfah. Hehe."

Manfah shrugged. "As Miss Manfah, I can intimidate people and find business opportunities. I'm good at playing both sides. Haha, you can trust me," Manfah said confidently, her self-assurance through the roof.

Phraya Decha Damrongsak was left speechless.

Somyot chuckled. "You can do that, young miss, just don't slip up."

Manfah gave Somyot a thumbs-up. "That's Uncle Somyot for you, knowing me so well."

Phraya Decha Damrongsak rolled his eyes slightly. Her personality was truly unchangeable. If this girl ever became as well-behaved as other young misses, the world might end. No, or perhaps he'd think Manfah was possessed instead.

Mafueang couldn't stop laughing. "My friend is amazing! As long as it's about money, she can endure anything."

Manfah winked at Mafueang. "That's called thinking positively."

Later, Manfah and Mafueang rode their bicycles to the market. They went to check out the shop first. In front of the store was a large sign displaying the name "Manfah's Garden Shop." This shop sold sun-dried pork with a price of twenty baht per bag.

There was an abundance of fruits for sale, including cantaloupes, strawberries, papayas, and bananas.

But, you know, the line for buying durians was even longer than for sun-dried pork!

Manfah grimaced at the sight of the long queue. Uncle Din and Uncle Phai Khiao seemed to want to come over to greet her, but she waved them off, signaling them to continue working instead of welcoming her.

Manfah and Mafueang walked into the shop and saw Grandpa Puang sitting and counting money.

"You're really raking it in these days, Grandpa Puang," Manfah teased.

"I'm tired from counting money all day," Grandpa Puang joked.

Mafueang laughed. "Want me to help count?"

"No need, I'm willing to be tired."

Manfah pouted, and Mafueang giggled. "Grandpa Puang must have picked up the habit of joking from Manfah."

“Anyone who gets close to Manfah ends up catching her humor. Even Phraya Decha sometimes gets caught up in joking with her. Haha.”

Grandpa Puang had truly lost his fear of her grandfather.

Manfah said, “Uncle Somyot and Grandpa Puang make a great comedy duo. They could retire and still make a lot of money as comedians.”

“What are you saying, Little Man? Staying here at the shop is more lucrative. Haha.”

“Is the shop facing any issues lately, Grandpa Puang?”

“Not really, just some customers complaining that we’re selling too few durians. Now that you’re here, why don’t you conjure up some durians for us? There are fifty empty baskets inside.”

Mafueang asked, “Won’t Uncle Din and Uncle Phai Khiao be suspicious?”

“We’ll sell until nine tonight. When I send them off for a break, I’ll tell them the durians arrived then. Just make sure they stay outside and don’t come in before that. I’ll tell them I’ll give them extra pay, so they’ll hurry to take a break anyway. As for the customers, just tell them to come back at seven to buy.”

“Why not sell until midnight? The market closes at midnight anyway.”

“We should sell out before then,” Grandpa Puang replied, sipping on iced coffee from Praewa’s shop.

“People here really love durians that much?” Manfah asked, astonished.

“Some even come from other provinces. They travel far just to buy our durians.”

The best-selling item right now is durian, followed by potatoes, cantaloupes, avocados, and then the essential Thai vegetables like morning glory, coriander, spring onions, garlic, and chili peppers that every Thai kitchen needs.

Customers from various restaurants in the capital have been placing orders non-stop. Uncle Pai's market strategy is truly impressive. He uses the quality of her produce to advertise and challenge people to taste it, showcasing its deliciousness and freshness. The stores even carry all the fruits and vegetables from her garden.

Well, Uncle Pai owns the store, so of course, her produce is featured there.

Manfah thought that this world wasn't much different from her previous one, just a bit more old-fashioned.

Because there's no internet here. Sigh...

After she conjured up some durians for Grandpa Puang at the shop, she and Mafueang rode their bicycles to Sister Prae's shop.

She hadn't visited in a long time and had only been sending cakes through Grandpa Puang to deliver to the house.

She missed her too.

As soon as they opened the door to the shop, Manfah was shocked to see it filled with blond and red-haired foreigners.

Manfah held Mafueang's hand. She noticed Mafueang was tense, encountering foreigners for the first time.

She led her friend by the hand and asked them to move aside, using her own accent,

“Can I walk, please? Let me go, please!”

Manfah's translation: Make way, please! Let us through, please!

The foreigners stepped aside to let the two small girls pass.

Mafueang looked at the foreigners with curiosity. Were they giants or just people?

The two stopped walking when they heard voices arguing. One voice spoke Siamese clearly, while the other struggled with the language, sounding awkward. Without seeing the faces, they knew Praewa was arguing with a foreigner.

"John, can you stop bringing people to invade my shop? Other customers are scared to come because of you. Don't you want me to run my business like everyone else?"

"I'm helping you here. My people buy from your shop, every one of them."

"I don't want customers like yours. Stop bothering me."

"If you agree to be my wife, I'll stop doing this. I've been pursuing you for two years now."

"I will never be your wife. How long will you keep pestering me?! Even in the Capital of Siam, I'm already fed up with you because those women of yours keep harassing me nonstop."

"I know I'm wrong. I should have protected you better," John looked guilty.

"If you just become my wife, you won't have to work hard anymore. You can just stay at home, and I'll take care of you."

Praewa trembled with anger, her face flushed. "I've never thought of being your wife. Stop imagining things! If I wanted to just sit at home, why would I have opened a cake shop?!"

Praewa huffed, and then a little girl's voice interrupted them.

"Sister Prae, hello."

"Manfah!" Praewa exclaimed, surprised to see Manfah visiting her today.

"It's lively here," Manfah teased.

"Mafueang's here too," Mafueang waved her hand.

Praewa walked over to the two girls and crouched down. "How did you get here? Are you free today, Manfah?"

"Yes, I'm free today. Mafueang invited me to go clam digging early in the morning," Manfah glanced at the young man who had been arguing with Praewa earlier.

The young man looked at the two girls curiously. "Who are these two, Praewa?"

Praewa didn't answer, ignoring John and continuing her conversation with the girls.

"What would you like today? Eat as much as you want; I'll give you a big discount."

"Won't you go bankrupt like this?"

"Ha! I've been making a lot of money lately, so much that customers don't even need to come to the shop," Praewa's gaze shifted to John's crew.

"That's great, making money easily," Manfah said enviously.

Mafueang giggled, "That's nice."

Oh... I haven't heard that phrase in a while. "That's nice!" My friend is starting to master the art of smooth talking.

Praewa rolled her eyes. "Go on, go on, pick any cake you want and let me know."

Manfah and Mafueang walked past John without paying him any attention.

The moment Mafueang saw the cakes, nothing else mattered. She was ready to order!

"This one, this one, and this one! And a strawberry milkshake, please."

"Still eating a lot, I see," Manfah teased her friend, then turned her attention to the cake display.

"I'll have the coconut cake and an orange juice."

Praewa beamed with a business smile, feeling happy as she prepared to serve them. Finally, she had some regular customers again.

Once Manfah and Mafueang found a seat, they waited patiently. John, upset because Praewa was ignoring him, came over to sit at their table, looking back and forth between the two girls.

"Are you two close with Praewa?"

Mafueang replied. "We're regulars."

"Oh, has any guy been bothering Praewa lately?"

"No idea," Mafueang shook her head.

Manfah sighed, "Doing this, Sister Praewa won't like you, uncle."

"Call me Brother John like Praewa does. I'm not that old."

"I was being respectful," Manfah grinned mischievously.

John grumbled, "Call me Brother John."

"Okay, Brother Jon."

Mafueang burst into laughter, and John's face turned crimson from his neck all the way up. He'd just been teased by the girls.

Praewa brought their orders over and sat down next to Manfah.

"Brother Jon, is it? That's a cute name."

Manfah tilted her head slightly. "I think so too."

Praewa giggled.

Mafueang was the first to dig into her cake, not waiting for anyone else. She was all in!

"Mmm∼ It's delicious. This is what you call the taste of nostalgia."

"Heh heh, nostalgia for cake."

Manfah sipped her orange juice, glancing at Brother Jon, who had just been given a new nickname moments ago. John saw Praewa smiling and laughing happily. He didn't dare say anything, as she was the one he liked.

He might be called by a strange name, but he was willing to let it slide to keep Praewa happy.

Manfah thought to herself that this foreign guy didn't seem too bad. He genuinely seemed to like Sister Prae.

"Hey, Brother Jon, did you follow Sister Praewa from the Capital of Siam?"

"Yes, we met there."

"And have you been trying to win her over like this all along?"

John cleared his throat, his face turning red. He could still feel shy.

"Yes."

Manfah shook her head. "Brother Jon, if you keep trying to woo Sister Prae like this, you'll never succeed in this lifetime. You're bound to fail."

Mafueang asked, "What does 'fail' mean?"

"It means to miss or not succeed."

Praewa laughed. "Are you planning to teach John how to court me, Little Man?"

"My method is more effective and better, whether or not you ultimately choose Brother Jon as your partner. At least it's better than courting like a lunatic."

John was displeased. "I'm not crazy." His language skills were quite good.

"How can a kid know more about this than an adult?"

"I'm a woman, you know. Courting is about getting the person you like to like you back. But you're doing the opposite. You're an adult, yet you don't understand this simple thing."

"Why wouldn't she like it? Women love this kind of thing—staying home without having to go out and work hard. I only want what's best for Praewa, so I want her to be as comfortable as possible."

"But is that really what Sister Praewa likes the most?"

Manfah raised an eyebrow, then turned to look at Sister Praewa for confirmation.

Praewa shook her head.

John was at a loss. "Why not?"

Manfah asked, "Hey, hey, Brother Jon, do you know what Sister Prae likes the most? What's Sister Praewa's dream?"

John furrowed his brow, and Mafueang raised her hand. "Let me answer. Let me answer."

"Go ahead! Miss Mafueang."

"The thing Praewa likes the most is cake. Her dream is to have customers enjoy the delicious cakes she makes." Praewa smiled sweetly and gently patted Mafueang's head.

"I love the cakes Sister Prae makes the most. She makes them with love. I know Sister Prae is always improving her cakes. As a dessert lover, I know this well."

"Thanks, Mafueang. It's only you and Manfah who truly understand me."

John looked at the scene before him with surprise as Manfah continued speaking.

"Brother Jon, loving someone sometimes means letting the person you love do what they love. Telling Sister Praewa to close her cake shop is like taking away someone else's love and life."

John looked at Praewa, who was hugging Mafueang.

"I understand now, Praewa. You hate me, don't you?"

Praewa stopped hugging Mafueang and turned to speak to John.

"I've never hated you, John. You just don't understand me, that's all. And I'm a bit annoyed by your bad behavior, not to mention tired of your constant selfishness."

Isn't that basically saying you hate him, sis? If you're going to put it like that!