Chapter 11

Now She Owned a Shop

The next morning, Manfah and Grandpa Puang went to the land office. The officer advised her on the documents and transfer fees. The shop she bought had quite high fees for this era. Manfah paid a hundred baht without much thought. Then she took out twelve thousand baht and counted it right there before paying on the spot. The shopkeeper was shocked by Manfah's wealth.

"Did your parents just let you carry money around like this?"

"I don't have parents. I earned it all myself."

"What...!" the shopkeeper exclaimed in surprise.

The officer asked, "Are you Manfah, the one Village Headman Phin often comes to buy land for?"

"Yes, that's me."

"So, it's you, the little millionaire of Khao Khiao Village."

"Seems like I'm famous, huh? Haha."

"Of course, everyone here is amazed. Your gardening skills have Village Headman Phin bragging all day. By the way, do you still have durians in your garden?"

"Yes, I do. I'll have Uncle Phin bring some for you."

"No need, I'd rather buy them. I don't want to impose."

"It's no problem at all. You're Uncle Phin's friend. It's just a few durians."

"Well, thank you very much then."

"You're welcome."

The shopkeeper's doubts about her vanished completely when he saw Manfah's generosity firsthand. It was truly astonishing that someone so young could earn money so effectively. She was better at it than he was!

Manfah received the deed along with the keys from the shop and kept them safely. Then, the grandfather-granddaughter duo took a trailer to the market. Manfah and Grandpa Puang cleaned the shop and checked for any repairs needed.

"It's quite old, isn't it? We need to fix up the bathroom nicely."

After cleaning, we went to eat at the market and then headed home.

In front of Manfah's house, there were two six-wheeled trucks belonging to Uncle Pai parked. In the garden, Uncle Pai's workers were picking durians. Manfah's durian trees were so fruitful that they couldn't finish picking them all. Naturally, they didn't talk or question anything because of the high wages. They were the same workers who helped pick durians the day before.

"Uncle Pai."

"What's up? You're back already? Did everything go well?"

"Yes, I got the deed. I want a contractor to fix up my shop."

"Sure, but it'll be a different group from the one that worked on our house."

"Okay."

"The day after tomorrow, the contractor will come to work on your house. You and Grandpa Puang should stay at Uncle Phin's place," Uncle Pai said with concern.

"Alright."

Two days passed, and Manfah and Grandpa Puang moved to Uncle Phin's house. Manfah shared a room with Mafueang, while Grandpa Puang stayed with Mafai. Manfah went to the garden house in the morning and then checked on the shop in the afternoon. The contractor informed her that the shop would be ready in four days. The main tasks were repairing the bathroom, painting the walls, and laying new tiles. Manfah chose the tiles herself, and planned to buy tables and other equipment after the shop was fully renovated.

Mafueang brought her the novel she had asked the teacher to buy. The book had just arrived the day before. Manfah and Mafueang spent their evenings reading novels until late at night. Uncle Phin and Aunt Kwan were delighted to have her staying with them, saying it was lively when there were more people around. Grandpa Puang was glued to the TV, watching his favorite evening dramas. He was so hooked on them. Manfah thought she needed to buy two televisions. Oh… and having a telephone installed at home would make it easier to keep in touch with everyone.

"How much does it cost to install a telephone, Uncle Phin?"

"A thousand, including the device. Are you thinking of getting one?"

"Yes, it's more convenient."

"True, then I can call you."

"Is the call rate expensive?"

"It's quite pricey, a baht per minute."

That's more expensive than her old world!

"Most villagers don't have telephones; they only have TVs. If they need to make a call, they usually borrow my phone."

Manfah nodded, "Yes."

"Now that you have money, Little Man, this won't even make a dent in your savings. Haha."

"That's true," but she still felt it was a waste.

It's more expensive than her old world. She missed the internet and video calls. ∼

"By the way, how much does a car cost these days?"

"Over a hundred thousand."

"I could buy one then," Manfah's eyes sparkled.

"You're not old enough yet, Little Man. Plus, your legs are too short to reach the pedals."

Mafueang and Mafai burst out laughing as Uncle Phin teased her. But it was true; her legs were still short!

"Stick to riding a bicycle for now, or hop on the motorcycle with Grandpa Puang."

"Should I buy Grandpa Puang a new motorcycle? The one he's using is quite old now."

Mafueang teased her friend, "Show-off."

Manfah raised an eyebrow playfully. Well, she was rich now!

The house was renovated in four days as promised by the contractor, but she and Grandpa Puang had to move back to their old house on the eighth day. It was the same house but bigger and more beautiful. The bathroom hadn't changed because it was already the most impressive part of the house. The entire house was plastered, painted, and floored with expensive tiles. Her and Grandpa Puang's bedroom was much larger. Naturally, she requested an additional bedroom.

Her house now has four bedrooms, built with the idea of Uncle Phin's family staying over. The kitchen is spacious and fully equipped with household furniture. She chose all the furniture from the city center, discarding the old items because she preferred new ones.

Uncle Pai took Manfah and Grandpa Puang to the city. They ordered so much that the staff were all smiles, thrilled to earn their commission. Grandpa Puang was used to seeing Manfah spend money freely.

Well, you can't stop her!

Most importantly, her house now has two TVs and a landline telephone.

Wow, it's quite luxurious. Haha∼

Grandpa Puang even has his own personal TV in his room, catering to his love for soap operas.

The store delivered the furniture, but it hasn't opened yet because she's waiting for the house to be completed before continuing with the shop.

Manfah and Grandpa Puang have moved back home, and they feel delighted. This morning, Manfah went to the garden as usual. Uncle Pai arrived early to pack vegetables and durians again. Uncle Pai secretly arranged the baskets for her, and she quickly filled them with vegetables and fruits. There were three hundred baskets in total, with two hundred mostly filled with durians. Oh, it looks like Uncle Pai brought more baskets.

Why do the people of Siam eat so many durians? No matter how much is sold, it's never enough. The sellers are baffled!

Manfah gave Grandpa Puang water from the sacred fountain in the dimension to drink, hoping it would strengthen him. His knee and back pain would disappear, and his skin would look more youthful. Manfah drank it every day, though she hadn't noticed much change in herself yet. However, Grandpa Puang drank it every day, and the results were far more noticeable. Manfah felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Manfah sat on the bamboo bed, gazing absentmindedly at the garden, while her mind was busy checking the garden through the system. Everything was going well. She decided to water the plants tonight.

Speaking of which, our province only has two pig farms. The foreigners have set so many rules for pig farming that people don't bother with it due to the high investment costs.

System, can I bring out machinery for processing ham and sausages?

System: You can, as long as you have electricity. The price is twenty gold bars per machine.

Manfah exclaimed, "What?!"

Uncle Pai and Grandpa Puang heard Manfah's loud voice and rushed over to her, concerned.

"What happened, little Man? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why are you shouting, dear?"

"Grandpa Puang, Uncle Pai, I can bring out machinery to produce ham and sausages," Manfah said excitedly.

Uncle Pai was thrilled as well. "Really?!"

"But, it costs twenty gold bars per machine."

Uncle Pai and Grandpa Puang took a deep breath.

Manfah asked, "Is gold really expensive these days?"

"Of course, it is. It's a hundred thousand per machine," Uncle Pai replied in a high-pitched voice, almost making Manfah's ears hurt.

"But the quality is outstanding. It's more advanced than the cars we have now."

"Is it really that good?"

Manfah nodded. "It's truly great."

Grandpa Puang asked, "Why do you want to buy it?"

Manfah explained, "I want to start a pig farm. The system has a lot of pigs, and raising them outside would be better. The meat is tastier and firmer. Plus… people won't be suspicious when I sell sun-dried pork.  Having my own farm would make things easier. Since I'm going to do it, making ham and sausages along with it wouldn't be bad. I already have the marinade recipe in the system, and the taste is guaranteed to be good."

Uncle Pai scratched his head. "This is a big deal. Are you sure you want to do it?"

"Yes."

"Then, how about we invest together, half and half?"

"Sure, I'll cover half the cost, and the pigs are in the system. There's already plenty of food in the garden."

Uncle Pai could only give a dry smile. "For you, Little Man, everything seems easy. Sigh… But we'll have to wait until next month to build the pig farm. This month, we need to build the workers' quarters first."

"That's fine, Uncle Pai," she could wait—of course!

Manfah said, "Grandpa Puang, let's go."

"Where are we going, dear?"

"To buy more baskets."

"..." Grandpa Puang