Chapter 2 Section 2. Formal work
A new day has arrived.
What woke Annan up was no longer the damp and cold hayloft, but the bright sunlight shining on the bed.
Getting out of the old and warm thin quilt, the slight coolness of the morning made Annan shake off his sleepiness.
The young man in the bed next to him had been sleeping since he came back last night. The sunlight shining through the window was basking on half of his buttocks. It was so hot that he would move a little. Soon after, he was exposed to the rising sun again.
He spent the next few minutes avoiding the sun in his sleep, until he fell off the edge of the bed with a muffled sound.
The young man got up as if it was an alarm clock, which made the surprised Annan make a fuss.
He looked at Annan who woke up and said something briefly. Because there was no response, he patted his chest again and repeated the word: "Martin."
Guessing that he was talking about his name, Annan pointed at himself and said, "Annan."
"Anna?" Martin muttered. "Sounds like a girl's name."
He could only understand Annan who was in front of him and corrected his pronunciation: "It's Annan."
"Shi Anna?"
After spending dozens of seconds letting Martin know his name and pronounce it correctly, Annan followed Martin who put on clothes and walked out of the bedroom.
When they came to the yard, Aunt Susan had just hung the washed pajamas on the clothesline. She was stroking the down of the pajamas and talking about something. Annan guessed that she was admiring the craftsmanship.
Martin, who found pleasure in teaching Annan how to speak, pointed at the woman: "This is Aunt Susan."
"This is Aunt Susan."
Annan greeted the woman who looked at her in surprise, and then he was hugged by the broad chest and corrected his name.
Aunt Susan gently told Annan that he could always live here. Annan couldn't understand, but he could feel the kindness in the words.
In the next few days, Annan, who could do nothing, stayed at Aunt Susan's house, learning the language of this world, and helping Aunt Susan's family do what he could.
Aunt Susan is in charge of the family's finances and all household chores. Uncle Hollin is a woodcutter. He goes to the woods to cut trees before sunrise and comes back in the afternoon. Martin would chop the old firewood into firewood in the morning and sell it, then go to the tavern to work in the evening and come back late at night.
Learning a language means requiring frequent interactions, so Aunt Susan's family became the most suitable target.
Martin is not yet an adult, but looks like a young man in his twenties. Healthy, strong, and inherited the fine bloodline of Aunt Susan, but not very smart... It's like the Creator gave too much strength when pinching people, so he skimped on wisdom.
Uncle Hollin was not as silent and introverted as he seemed, and his relationship with Aunt Susan was much better than expected. His size did not prevent them from giving birth to the child of their love, Martin.
Aunt Susan likes Annan, and this love even makes her treat Annan better than Martin. He was even worried that Annan would be robbed, so he said, "Bad guys like beautiful boys like you the most" while asking him to smear ash that made his skin look rough and dull.
Survival is the best teacher.
A week has passed since Annan came to this family, but he can already communicate briefly. On this day, Annan and Martin were chopping firewood in front of the woodshed. However, the thick ax handle had scratched his palms in the past two days, and he was chopping wood very slowly. When Aunt Susan came to check, only a small amount of the chopped firewood was piled up.
"My dear, it's okay, you need to get more rest..." Aunt Susan blew on Annan's palm distressedly, then turned around and scolded Martin, "You fucking stupid ass! It's been so long and you haven't done it yet!"
"Why do you only talk about me..."
"Annan has no experience, and you have been cutting for almost ten years!"
Fortunately, there was some old firewood. Annan accompanied Martin to take the chopped firewood to the market for sale.
"I sometimes feel that you are Aunt Susan's child." A depressed Martin muttered.
"Why are you also called Aunt Susan?"
"She thinks I'm too stupid and it's embarrassing to be her son."
"Where's Uncle Hollin?"
"He doesn't want to be thought that Aunt Susan is not his wife."
A touching story of steadfast love, but a sad story for Martin.
"Are you laughing?" Martin, who was carrying firewood in front of him, turned back.
Annan hid his smile in time: "No, I don't understand."
Arriving at the market, Martin stood on the street selling firewood, while Annan's attention fell on the noisy and lively market, appreciating the customs and customs of this world.
A regular customer bought firewood, and about 50 pounds of chopped oak core wood was sold for 20 copper coins. On the way back, Annan and Martin said, "I want to find something to do."
"Then you can work as a waiter in the pub with me."
Annan managed to figure out what Martin was saying. When he went back and told Aunt Susan, she was a little worried that Annan wouldn't understand.
"As long as you can deliver wine and clear the table." Martin patted his chest and promised that he would take care of Annan.
"All right……"
Having one more person in the family does make expenses a bit tight.
That night, Martin came back with good news: "Mr. Fast asked me to take you there tomorrow morning."
…
In the sunny morning, the aroma of wheat wafts from the bakery on the street.
Annan followed Martin to the Dawn Tavern.
Few people in the town like to come to pubs during the day, so few pubs are open during the day.
The chairs were buckled on the table in the dim tavern, and the smell of alcohol seeped into every piece of wood in the tavern.
"Mr. Fast, here we come!"
The man known as Mr. Fast was a middle-aged man with messy long brown hair. He looked slovenly, wearing long boots and a thin sword at his waist.
He looked at Annan and paused at the black hair and eyes: "I don't remember anyone with black hair in Pinglin Town."
"He's my distant cousin!" cried Martin.
"……snort."
Fast narrowed his amber eyes slightly, but did not expose Martin's lame lie. "From 6pm to 12pm, you get one silver coin every week, and the tips given by the guests belong to you. Evelin will tell you when you come to work on other nights, or ask Martin."
"Why do I only have 70 copper coins?" Martin found that his salary was the lowest.
"You're so ugly."
Annan successfully passed the interview. To celebrate, Aunt Susan specially purchased some meat and prepared a sumptuous lunch for him.
In the pleasant afternoon after eating, Aunt Susan was worried about Annan's work and patiently warned:
"He might have made a mistake in the tavern..."
"I'll take good care of him."
"If you see him stealing food or getting into an argument with a customer... tell him it's not right."
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
"That's great! Thank you, little Annan."
Annan, who had high hopes, said shyly: "You are too kind to say that."
"Alas...I'm still worried..." Aunt Susan sighed, grabbed the broom and walked towards Martin who was still cleaning the dining table. "Martin!"
In the evening, Annan and Martin came to the Dawn Tavern.
Enter through the back door of the tavern. Annan put on his apron in the kitchen and started his first job in the world.