Chapter 17: Materials!

Pete and Claire made their first fields and planted their first turnip seeds. With some time left before the end of the day, Pete figured he could clear up more of the farm.

Those lumber and stones. Pete crossed his arms. Claire cleared a lot of the branches and stones, leaving behind a trail of materials. It didn't sound like a good idea to leave them lying around. There must be storage around here.

Pete approached the stable at the northeast end of the farm. My old man used to have a horse. A wooden structure stood beside the stable. It had a space inside they could put stuff in… like lumber and stones!

"What's this, Pete?" Claire asked, popping up beside him.

"I think this is the shed. A storage of sorts." Pete knocked on the wooden surface. He peeked into the square opening. "We can store those materials here."

"Those materials…?" Claire turned to the fields, seeing the lumber and stones scattered around that she cleared recently. "By those materials, you mean…"

"Yeah, we shouldn't leave them on the fields," Pete said. "Here, I'll carry the–…"

"No." Claire faced her palm to his face. "Let me store them all."

"… Huh?" Pete blinked.

"I'm the one who cleared them out." She pointed a thumb at herself. "That means I'm the one who should also carry them to the shed!"

"Really…?" He raised a brow. "But there's a lot. It'd be easier if we both–…"

"Leave it to me!" She strutted to the fields and rolled up her sleeves. "It's only fair I do this. I can do the heavy lifting, too!"

"Fair, huh…?" Holding his waist, he scratched his temple. "Er, if it suits you…?" If that's what she wanted to do, he wouldn't say anything back. In that case, what will I do? He scanned the fields once more. I guess I can cut those remaining weeds. He equipped his sickle and got to work.

I'll start with the wood! Claire collected lumber after lumber, tipping them over her shoulder. Decent weight, but nothing she couldn't handle. She went back and forth between the shed and the fields. She discovered she could carry up to nine lumbers but it took every ounce of power in her legs to move. Okay, maybe I can carry a few at a time.

Pete was simply cutting whatever weeds he could find. One weed required one slash. Many boulders and stumps blocked his path from reaching other weeds. We'll have to deal with them later; I can't cut them all like this. Other branches and stones were scattered here and there. I suppose she'd like to handle them later.

"Huff…" Claire tossed the remaining lumber in the shed and dropped her hands to her knees. This… is tougher than I thought, but at least the wood is done! Only the stones were left, and they were bountiful. The sight made her heave a sigh. Come on, Claire! Don't let it discourage you! She jumped back on her feet and walked to the stone materials.

My arm's getting kinda sore. Pete stuck the sickle into the ground. Each swing made the tool feel heavier than the last time. This didn't feel as hard the first time. He waved his working arm around and exhaled. And Claire was able to clear the branches and stones. That must have required more effort on her part.

Pete cast a glance at the blonde girl. She was carrying a lot of stones back to the shed. Claire… is way stronger than she looks, huh? Granted, carrying nine stones doesn't sound like a practical idea, but the fact she could still move with that much weight impressed him. What kind of work did she do in the city?

"Mnnngh…!" Claire grunted as the heavy items began taking a toll on her body. Her legs trembled with each step she took towards the shed, her arms quivering under the stones. It's too heavy…! Her hands slipped away and the stones tumbled away on the ground. Her back fell against the shed as a groan slipped her lips. Dang, I dropped them! This is tough.

"Need a hand?"

Claire raised her head and saw Pete standing in front of her. He raised a brow and smiled.

"Maybe carrying a lot at once isn't the best idea."

She sighed and ruffled her hair. "I think I've learned that quite well."

"Here." He stretched his arm. "It'll be done faster with the two of us."

"… Thanks." She grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. "I could use the help."

With his help, Claire carried the rest of the stones to the shed. It still wasn't easy but it sufficed better. Pete didn't realize how many stones she smashed until he looked into their stockpile of materials. We carried this much…? Needless to say, they made many rounds through the field.

The farmers spent the rest of the noon gathering and organizing the materials in the shed.

…

..

.

"Oh, boy…" Panting, Pete plopped on his back, exhausted to stand. We're finally done…

Claire collapsed beside him, staring into the orange gradient of the skies. "We aren't used to this, are we?"

"… Nope." Pete took off his cap and fanned his face. "But we'll get the hang of it."

"Hehe, yeah!" Claire grinned and closed her eyes. She let out a deep sigh.

Pete craned his neck and observed their slightly improved fields. It's only been a day but… the field looked more presentable. Fitting for a farm. He estimated they cleared a very small percentage of the fields already. How would we be able to do this alone…? He couldn't imagine that.

"It feels easier to breathe now, don't you think?" Claire rested her head behind her arms. "It doesn't look like a tornado tore through the farm anymore." For the most part. The field was less cluttered for her liking.

"… Yeah." He hummed.

The two farmers silently gazed into the skies after a long day. Calm winds blew through the skies and caressed their faces. The waves of the river echoed in the distance. The moment was… peaceful. Basking in the serenity of mother nature was a nice closing activity. When they first arrived here, Pete thought it was impossible that he could raise the farm together with a random stranger from the city. Claire had reservations about taking over a rundown farm with a surprise housemate of the opposite gender.

And here they were, gazing into the skies with their tired bodies and battered breaths, alone in their own world. Everything felt… okay.

"Aren't ya two lovebirds just cute together!"

"Huh?" Pete and Claire pushed themselves up and turned to the voice.

"Hey!" Zack stood beside their shipment bin. "You didn't forget I was comin' by again later, did ya? It's 5 PM!"

"It's 5 PM already…?" Claire stared at her wristwatch. Time flew by so fast!

"I didn't realize it was that late." Pete rubbed his neck.

"You two must have been workin' hard already." Zack looked around the farm. "Time flies by when ya work hard!"

Pete and Claire stood up and walked to the shipment. Zack opened the shipment, taking a look at its contents.

"Been busy foragin', eh?" Zack grinned as he sorted the contents and placed them in separate bags. "Not bad, not bad!"

"Just to clarify, Zack…" Pete folded his arms. "You'll be coming here every day at 5 PM to pick up the shipments?"

"That's right." Zack nodded. "If it's a holiday, I'll come by the next day as usual."

"I see." Pete hummed. Will he pick up everything we ship? Then again, I suppose those muscles of his aren't just for show.

"And of course…" Zack tossed a pouch. "Here's your cut o' the day."

"Woah!" Pete caught the pouch in his hands. Is this our payment?

"I'll be seein' you two tomorrow." He grinned. "Keep up the good work!"

Zack waved at them, then turned around and left the farm. The farmers exchanged glances with each other, then looked at the pouch.

Pete bounced the pouch on his hands. "What do you know… it's our first payment."

"We'll be getting paid daily…?" Claire asked. "Am I understanding that correctly?"

"Right." He peeked inside the pouch. These are gold coins, for sure.

"Huh." Claire held her waist, tilting her head.

"You seem… surprised." Pete raised a brow. "That's what Zack told us this morning, too."

"No, it's just…" Claire rubbed her chin. "This feels jarring after my experiences in the city."

"Oh?"

"See, I had to work tirelessly to make ends meet." She sighed, dropping her shoulders. "All for the sake of getting my paycheck at the end of each month." But I needed the money, so I didn't have much of a choice.

"Ah, I get you." Pete nodded in understanding. She did mention how she had to work multiple part-time jobs. Shifting from that kind of environment to this would feel out of place.

"But if we'll be getting paid every day…?" She clenched her fists, her eyes sparkling with delight. "That motivates me to work a lot harder!"

"It's certainly nice to have our efforts rewarded." He smiled. "Don't get too greedy, though."

"Oh, I would have spent 10,000 gold for this experience." She stuck her tongue out. "I'll be as greedy as I like."

"Fair enough." He chuckled. I didn't expect her to be self-aware.

"And now, I'm starving…!" Claire stretched her arms upward. What a day it has been! "What do you say to getting dinner at the inn?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"And then I'll head to the hot springs for a warm nightly bath!"