42 Boiling the frog

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, my life changed. I was working in the forge for a few days a week, and helping Yí Rán in the market, for the remainder.

I became known for my ability to re-grind kitchen knife edges for the women, repair favoured hair pins, make simple ones and of course, new knives suitable for the everyday use. 

Yí Rán sold vegetables from her garden and the simple clothes she made from fabric she bought on the market. 

I went hunting and killed a deer or two which we butchered and sold. I kept the skins, tanning them for my own use.

Second Master showed me other ways of tanning which made the skins last longer. I made bags, pouches and leather straps to sell.

I was starting to see how money worked.

I had found Xin Li and we had caught up with news. 

She had looked for me but I had moved and after seeing the remnants of Alpha, she lost heart.

Her brother had joined up and was training. She'd not seen him for a while. As to the other one? No idea. She was in another town some distance off and little news came through.

Hao Yang had visited a few times and we had spent a lot of time together at the house. He was able to tell me something of the woman I'd buried too.

The lady was an eccentric who lived by herself and spoke to few. She'd come into town for provisions and always paid, never asked for credit or help in any way. Some said she was a disgraced concubine from a rich house who'd thrown her out. Others said she lived off the savings of her dead father. No-one knew, but she always had the money to pay and nobody argued with that.

I started to gather cooking pots, spoons and ladles. I cleared my furs of 'visitors' with lavender oils and made up a bed I could sleep in comfortably. 

Hao Yang never stopped past a certain time, dictated by his ability to see his way back to his brother's place.

We muddled along like this for some time.

Then the next change happened.