As the empty vehicle drove up the gentle slope, everyone stared at the rear wheels.
The cart tracks left two shallow marks on the newly laid gravel, and the wooden axle creaked. Lin Yuan walked on the side closest to the edge of the slope, his hand never raised.
The carriage passed smoothly.
Boone crouched down, parted the sand, looked at the roadbed below, and then waved to the people waiting at the bottom of the slope.
"Load the grain! Don't pile it up so high, make two trips!"
The driver answered with an exceptionally loud voice.
Mira picked up two bags of grain and put them on the truck. Just as she was about to move more, Boone quickly stopped her. "That's enough. This is all for the first time."
"Do we even need a horse for this?"
Even if you're not there tomorrow, Ma Neng has to pull it.
Mira glanced at her hands and put the third bag back.
The grain-laden wagon went uphill again. Lin Yuan followed it through the entire tunnel, without using a single folding mechanism, only the sound of wheels rolling over the stone surface, until they reached the other end.
The convoy outside the cave was quiet at first, then someone raised a lantern high.
"It's connected!"
A chorus of shouts immediately rose from behind. Boone rushed to the cave entrance and yelled at people to line up in order, forbidding two carts from passing side by side in the narrow passage. The drivers urged them on, but they all obediently held onto the reins.
A wooden bucket filled with hot soup was quickly moved to the roadside.
Lin Yuan took the bowl and realized his hands were frozen stiff. Mira sat on the overturned toolbox, took a big gulp from the bowl, and then blew on it.
"Hot?"
"Give it a try."
She handed the bowl to him, then pulled it back before he could reach for it.
"Dream on, serve yourself."
The light snow didn't fall heavily; it disappeared into the soup. The two sat under the lantern, watching the first grain cart head towards the villages to the north. The driver turned back and waved several times before leaving.
That night, they stayed in the temporary shed at the tunnel entrance. Boone arranged for workers to take turns inspecting the scaffolding, and Lin Yuan and Mira each walked through the tunnel.
The next morning, the wooden beams had not shifted, the shutdown switch had been secured with a locking bar by the maintenance workers, and the old wiring had been dismantled and sealed away. Only then did Boone press his fingerprint on the acceptance form.
The client from town brought the final payment, along with a round bag.
"Frosty chestnuts, they grow on the nearby mountains. Boil them, peel them, and they're sweet."
Lin Yuan took the money bag and noticed that the other bag was almost half a person's height, so he couldn't help but look at Mira.
Mira had already grabbed the bag by the opening.
" Lisanna likes sweets."
I haven't said I want one too.
"Then why are you looking at me?"
"Confirm who's carrying it."
She stuffed the whole bag of chestnuts into his arms.
Boone escorted them to the edge of town, then chased after them a couple of steps to hand them back the old iron plaque. Mira waved it off, telling him to leave it for the next group of repairmen. Boone carefully wrapped it in cloth, and this time, no one joked about the words on it.
On the train back, Mira fell asleep by the window. The white scarf draped over her shoulders slid down little by little as the train swayed.
Lin Yuan helped her straighten the envelope and divided it into two. As soon as Mira's envelope was placed on the table, a hand reached over and precisely pressed it down.
"Weren't you asleep?"
"Wake up when it's time to divide the money."
She squinted at the number, didn't refuse, put it in her pocket, and then pointed to the chestnuts on the opposite seat.
"Go back and distribute them to everyone in the guild."
"Wasn't that meant for Lisanna?"
She can't finish it all by herself.
Two days later, Magnolia's guild door was pushed open by a sack.
Natsu was the first to charge.
"Landmines? Rock-Armored Beast eggs?"
"Chestnuts." Lin Yuan put the bag down.
Natsu's enthusiasm remained undiminished; he reached out and scooped up a handful. "Delicious!"
"Go outside and grill!" Makarov's voice came from the direction of the bar.
Natsu shrugged, grabbed the chestnut, and turned to run. Gray followed behind, reminding him not to burn the whole thing to a crisp. The two started arguing before they even left the house.
Lisanna ran to Mira's side, took the scarf, and sniffed it.
" Mira, did you fall into the furnace?"
"Mine."
"More or less," Lin Yuan added.
Mira kicked his shin and pulled her sister to find the basket of chestnuts. Elfman took the sack and lifted it halfway up when the knot at the bottom suddenly came undone.
Brown chestnuts rolled all over the ground.
He quickly bent down to pick them up, but another string of sacks spilled out from the other end. Lisanna ran back with the basket, and several people busied themselves around the sack.
Makarov picked up the acceptance form, saw the complete signature, and then looked at the things on the ground.
"A million J commission, and all you get in return is this bag?"
Lin Yuan handed over the receipt.
"The payment is here, and the road is open," Boone said. "They'll be checking the stent every day from now on."
The old man turned it over to the back, where there was a line of small characters smudged by handprints.
The first batch of grain trucks has passed through.
He nodded and pressed the list into the task book. Lin Yuan bent down to catch a chestnut that rolled to his feet and tossed it into the basket that Lisanna was holding up.
This bag isn't payment.
"I brought it back for everyone to eat."