"I'll go notify the villagers right away and have them bring their children over. Sit down and rest for a while. Have some water."
Old Jack was about to get up as he spoke, but Cinderella reached out and pressed a hand to his shoulder.
"Grandpa Jack, there's no rush. Tomorrow will be fine. I just got back today, so I want to rest first."
Old Jack froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead.
"Look at me, getting muddleheaded in my old age. You traveled such a long way. You should rest. All right, tomorrow it is. I'll notify them first thing in the morning."
Cinderella nodded and sat down in another bamboo chair in the courtyard.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the old locust tree's branches and leaves, falling over her with a pleasant warmth.
The distant sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking mingled with the wind, softly echoing by her ears. She leaned back in her chair, half-closing her eyes as she looked at the sky overhead, broken into fragments by the canopy.
Cinderella closed her eyes and listened to the wind, to Old Jack rummaging through boxes and cabinets inside, and to the faint, intermittent sounds of children playing in the distance.
She ate lunch at Old Jack's home.
Old Jack's cooking was still the same as ever. The rice was a little hard, the dishes a little salty, but everything was hot. Cinderella ate a bowlful and scraped every last grain of rice clean.
Old Jack looked at her empty bowl and smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits. "Eat more, eat more. Look at you, you're so thin."
Cinderella set down her bowl and chopsticks, accepted the hot tea Old Jack handed her, held it in both hands, and took a sip.