"George, I made you some winter clothes. Come try them on and see if they fit."
After dinner, Mixi suddenly smiled and handed Li Wei a rough wolf-skin robe. It was only the second time she had spoken to him of her own accord in the past twenty-odd days.
Li Wei was used to it and didn't stand on ceremony. He slipped the robe on in a few swift movements and stretched a little. How to put it? The texture was definitely poor—that was down to the material, and there was nothing he could do about it.
But it fit perfectly, which showed just how skilled Mixi was as a tailor.
"Not bad!"
Li Wei praised her. With this robe, winter would be much easier to get through.
"Mom, Sis, little brother, I made one for each of you, too. Come try them on." Mixi beamed as she handed out the wolf-skin robes. She had actually already completed her monthly Main Quest.
It was obvious, though, that Li Wei's robe had been made with more material. Lyon's had the least. There was no helping it; he was the newcomer, so he could put up with a little more hardship. Besides, they were probably running low on wolf skins.
Of course, Mixi's own robe was the best of all.
"Mom, Sis, I was planning to sew everyone a pair of boots, too, but we've run out of wolf skins, and there's nothing I can do about that. So I was thinking, once we've finished dealing with what's at hand, could we have George hunt some more beasts? If we don't have wolf skins, rabbit and fox pelts would work, too. I promise that as long as we have enough materials, I can sew a pair of boots for everyone."
At that, even Li Wei couldn't help looking up at Mixi in surprise.
Was she trying to secure next month's Main Quest in advance this way?
It didn't seem to break any rules, but there was one condition: the whole family had to agree.
As long as everyone agreed, even the head of the household couldn't change the decision.
But this was clearly a challenge to next month's head of the household.
If the matter was settled in advance, then it wouldn't count as the head of the household's contribution. There was precedent for that.
"I agree."
Phila immediately made her position clear. There was no chance she'd become head of the household next month anyway, so she was happy to see this happen.
Besides, having a warm pair of boots in the cold winter would be wonderful.
"I agree, too," Lyon hurried to say.
Penny stood with her back to everyone, working the bellows in silence. No one could tell what she was thinking.
Phila and Mixi both looked to Li Wei. This would be a huge boon to both of them.
Mixi could use the pelts from the hunt to improve her tailoring skill and gain experience, while Phila could cook the meat and organs, gaining plenty of experience and benefits herself.
In theory, Li Wei could gain hunting experience, too. But what he most wanted to do next month was turn the soil and clear new land, while also preparing for the expansion of the wall.
After all, his first profession was Professional Farmer. And after two months of stockpiling food—especially with Phila continuing to gather and store supplies next month—the family already had more than enough to get through the winter. Hunting was no longer the most urgent priority.
Then again, it was hard for Li Wei to refuse a warm pair of fur boots.
Should he make Penny suffer a little longer?
Just as he was about to decide, Penny finally spoke. "Next month, once everything's in order, I plan to go out of the mountains and visit Karh Castle to trade for some goods, especially salt. You'd better all get ready."
What?
Li Wei immediately perked up. What was Penny up to?
Karh Castle?
Was she trying to establish a trade route with the outside world?
There was nothing wrong with that. Salt was the one thing the family was most short on. Over the past two months, Phila had reduced their salt rations, and Li Wei was sick of everything tasting bland.
Salt was important—important enough that Phila hesitated for a moment, then immediately changed her tune.
"That's right. We need salt, so we should think this over carefully."
"But, Penny, will it really be safe at Karh Castle? The plague there is terrible."
"Mom, we'll have to try eventually. And it's been so long now; things might have changed."
Penny and Phila's conversation clearly touched on the previous chapter of the family's story. None of the others could join in.
Mixi fell silent, too. Only Lyon kept insisting, "But those two things don't conflict, do they? We could take the game we hunt to the market and sell or trade it, too."
"Lyon, get some rest."
Phila said this with an unreadable expression, then got up and went back to her room. Mixi said nothing more, either. As an experienced player, she had only been testing the waters. It didn't matter if it didn't work out.
Of course, there was no need to explain anything to Lyon.
Li Wei felt the same way, though he figured Lyon would understand soon enough.
Salt was extremely precious in this era, under these circumstances. It wasn't easy to come by. Trading ordinary game for it? Ha! Did they think this was their modern hometown, where everyone was used to fine rice and flour and wanted to trade for something different, like game meat?
So the only goods their family might be able to trade for salt were the iron tools Penny forged.
Iron tools could be traded for salt, or for food. That made perfect sense.
That was why Phila had changed her tune so quickly, and Mixi had backed down. It was the real reason.
So sewing boots and trading for salt didn't conflict at all. But Mixi was trying to challenge the head of the household's authority. With Penny likely to remain head of the household, any worthwhile suggestion Mixi made at this point would be the wrong one.
Because everything had to happen under the wise leadership of the head of the household...
That was important.
When Li Wei woke from a deep sleep the next morning, the sound of large and small hammers striking metal was the first thing he heard. Had Penny finished smelting the molten iron?
He went outside and was a little surprised to see Mixi wielding the sledgehammer. She planted her feet, put her back into it, and swung the hammer in a wide arc. Her form was both graceful and precise, and each blow landed with a heavy thud.
She was also able to keep swinging smoothly, one blow after another.
Good grief. Mixi must have at least 12 Strength and around 150 Stamina—slightly more than Li Wei himself.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was that this woman had come over to curry favor with Penny. Then again, it wasn't all that surprising. Even Lyon was helping out on the side, looking for a chance to pitch in.
"Kids, breakfast is ready. Let's eat first."
Phila called out with a beaming smile. Her acting was getting more and more convincing. From any angle, they looked like a loving family.
Li Wei sneered inwardly. Did she resort to this because she had no other choice?
"Mom, let's take turns eating. Forging iron is urgent. George, what are you standing around for? Go eat first, then come take over for us." Mixi called to Li Wei, as though she had transformed into his fiancée once more.
"I have other things to do today. You have enough help from my sister." Li Wei rejected her outright. The exchange of interests between Penny and him was between the two of them. What was this bitch shouting about?
Besides, he didn't want to compete for head of the household just yet. He had almost no desires at the moment. As long as he expanded the Wheat Field to around three mu, then with his Professional Farmer bonuses and the help of his Professional Hunter skills, he would have a secure place in the family no matter what.
Whether Phila or Penny became head of the household, neither would dare move against him lightly.
As long as he kept building up his strength and quietly accumulating contributions to the family, one day he'd rise to become head of the household again.
Mixi still wore a smile, her expression unchanged. The acting of an experienced player was always worth admiring.
Penny didn't react much. She was used to this, but her ambitions were probably considerable.
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