Su Li hadn't caught what they were saying, but judging by Saina's expression, it probably wasn't anything decent.
Dinner had been made personally by Aunt Martha.
There was a huge pot of stewed wild boar, half a roast chicken, and several coarse flatbreads.
It counted as a farewell feast.
Old Buck drank with his head bowed, not saying a word.
Aunt Martha, on the other hand, had plenty to say. She pulled Saina aside and chattered on about all the things she needed to watch out for while traveling. Elena sat in the corner, elegantly gnawing on a coarse flatbread, her expression strained.
What delicacies from land and sea had she not eaten in her life? In the Iris Family, they wouldn't even feed this kind of rough grain to horses.
Yet she forced herself to swallow it bite by bite.
After dinner, Old Buck stood and walked over to Su Li.
The old man's eyes were red. He slapped a huge hand onto Su Li's shoulder so hard that Su Li nearly lost his footing.
"Take good care of my daughter."
"Don't worry."
Old Buck nodded, shouldered the wine jar, and went back inside. Aunt Martha followed behind him, but at the door, she turned to look back at Su Li. Her gaze was filled with a mother's concern.
The door closed.
Only three people remained in the courtyard.
The night wind drifted over, carrying the scent of earth and grass. Su Li stretched.
"Alright, make do in that room for the night. We leave at daybreak tomorrow."
He meant the rundown house at the village entrance that Elena had bought for five gold coins.
The three of them walked to the door.
Su Li pushed it open and swept his eyes over the room.
One bed.
A narrow,