Chapter 247

Chapter 247: Autumn Leaves and Bright Moon

Three days later, on the Guflia Grassland.

The iron-rimmed wheels of the carriage rolled over the soft grass, causing the carriage to jolt as it moved across the wilderness. Five carriages were traveling on the road, three carrying cargo and two carrying passengers, heading towards the southern region.

The grayish-white wooden carriages were quite ordinary, and the drivers were all humans. If one looked closely, they would recognize these people as the same bards who had performed at the Flame Festival and invited Lolan Hill.

The young driver guided the horses leisurely. As the sun rose higher, he felt a bit hungry and called out to the back.

“Big sister, I’m hungry~”

“Find something to eat yourself,” a female voice replied irritably.

“I’m busy right now.”

“Are you really my big sister? Back then, I shouldn’t have been persuaded by you to come so far; I’m exhausted.” The younger brother grumbled discontentedly.

“Here.” The window at the front of the carriage slid open, and a teenage girl with a black ponytail shoved a piece of bread into her brother’s mouth, silencing him.

“Mumble, sis, are we really going to make it? Ugh~” the driver brother mumbled through the bread.

“There’s no problem. Our newly composed ‘Poem of the Red Bird,’ if completed successfully, will surely surpass the ‘Poem of the Kingfisher’ from over ten years ago. Then you’ll have enough money to marry a pretty girl,” the woman said excitedly, her hands still working.

From the open window, one could see a small table inside with scattered books, quills, paints, ink bottles, and more. Scribbled on the papers were sentences and sketches, seemingly trying to capture a scene.

The young woman dressed efficiently picked up her sketchbook again, flipping to another page and continuing to draw. Vibrant colors danced across the pages, quickly outlining a breathtaking landscape. It was impressive that this poetess could work effortlessly even on the jostling carriage.

“Who would have thought our luck would be so good, actually witnessing a legend firsthand.”

Recalling the magnificent scene seen that day, as the paint filled the canvas, a lush forest surrounded them, with glowing flowers blooming between the tree shadows. In the center, under the moonlight, a white-robed young lady sat on a branch, playing a lute and singing, her face indistinct but the ethereal beauty still stunning.

The recited poetry never ceased, and perhaps the stories of the past were gradually forgotten, but new legends began to emerge.

In the once rugged and fierce heart of the Guflia Grassland, a delicate and exquisite statue now stood.

A young lady stood in the wind, her sleeves and dress fluttering in the breeze.

Raising her hands high, flames seemed to bloom in the palms of her hands, while the hem of her dress and the grass around her feet flourished abundantly.

The drapery of the statue fluttered gracefully, the flames burning vividly. Only the face of the young lady was left uncarved, with just the right amount of blankness, inviting countless imaginations.

Despite the scorching sun, the statue was still surrounded by people coming to express their gratitude. They held sprigs of clover in their hands, bowed their heads in reverence, and chanted the name of Eranie, their expressions devout.

A few birds landed on the shoulders of the statue, tilting their heads as they watched the crowd below, chirping softly before spreading their wings and taking flight again. Under the rolling clouds of the sky, the vast emerald wilderness stretched endlessly, with streams of people extending far into the horizon.

—

After half a year, Lolan Hill returned to her initial small abode. With red maple leaves drifting down, she pushed open the wooden door that had been sealed for a long time, stepping under the afterglow of the sunset.

The furnishings inside the house remained the same, only covered with a thin layer of dust.

“It seems I need to clean up,” she said.

Without delay, the young lady tied her hair back with a hairband and put on a cotton dress suitable for housework. Then she took a wooden bucket from the room and went to fetch water from the small stream not far from the courtyard.

Splash—

The maple wood bucket fell into the water, then started filling with clear, icy spring water. Occasionally, a few crimson maple leaves flowed along with the water into the bucket. The young lady carefully picked them out and placed them back into the stream.

The clear stream reflected the sky filled with dense layers of maple leaves, turning the water into a captivating shade of red.

Carrying the half-filled bucket back to the maple cabin, Lolan Hill retrieved a thick white cotton cloth from the cabinet. She dipped the cloth into the water, soaking it thoroughly before taking it out, not squeezing out too much water.

Starting with the furniture inside, thanks to the excellent waterproof properties of the extraordinary maple wood and the sealing done with the magic of the Nature Sequence, there was no risk of water leakage. Cleaning didn’t require worrying about wetting anything inside.

Water dripped fine and scattered, leaving traces on the cabinets and tables. As the young lady wiped them, they gradually regained their original reddish-brown color.

She first gave a rough wipe, then changed to another cloth to clean more meticulously. For some corners and crevices, she used her fingers to press the cloth into them, carefully wiping until they were spotless.

After cleaning the furniture, it was time for the floor.

The young lady squatted down, placing the cloth on one side of the floor and pressing it slightly, then pushing it to the other side. Water marks streaked across the gray floor, revealing its original reddish-brown hue.

This process was repeated multiple times until the first room was roughly cleaned.

Then she moved on to the second, third, and all the rooms, giving each a rough cleaning.

The black wastewater was collected and poured onto a small plot of land behind the courtyard, making good use of the waste.

And then

She fetched another bucket of clear water for a second rinse. This time, when she finished, the dirty water had become much clearer.

After everything was cleaned, night had fallen.

She poured out the dirty water and put the cleaning tools back in the storeroom. Lolan Hill stood up, wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, and let out a light sigh.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t done housework properly in a long time and felt a bit rusty.

Walking barefoot across the damp floor, a cool sensation spread up from her feet. Silver moonlight spilled through the window onto the still-damp floor.

The young lady placed her arms on the windowsill and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

If Mom saw this, she would probably scold me again.

Her mother always did housework early in the morning because there were few people around during that time, so no footprints would be left as she worked. And the morning sunlight would help dry things faster.

During school days, it was hard to see that scene, but during holidays, she would often sleep until noon. When she woke up groggily, she could smell the distinctive scent of evaporating water and would be lectured by her mother about sleeping too late.

Then, she would walk carefully on the dry parts of the floor without leaving any footprints to wash up.

Her mother was a very diligent person and naturally couldn’t stand seeing her idle. Whenever there was a holiday, she would make her do housework.

Unfortunately, she didn’t do it well and often slacked off, using only one hand with the mop. She was often told by her mother to use both hands and bend down to work properly.

At the time, she thought that as long as it was clean, it didn’t matter if she did it for others or not. Sometimes, she would even stand on one foot while mopping to clean stubborn stains, thinking it was quite clever.

As she recalled the past, Lolan Hill walked into the kitchen, picked up the boiling kettle, and went to the adjacent bathroom. She mixed the hot water with some cool, clean stream water and took a comfortable bath.

Dressed in a clean white dress, the young lady moved a bamboo recliner to the courtyard.

On autumn nights, under the tall red maple trees, she lay on the bamboo recliner, feeling the gentle night breeze brush over her body, bringing a refreshing coolness.

The leaves rustled softly, and a bright full moon hung in the night sky, its silver light spreading over the mountains and fields. From the distant forest came the lonely calls of a few birds.

Thank you very much to Dustlike, Reader 20181210004135723, Su Xiaobai, Hua Suxu, Observer, Ghost Hand Lingqi, Foolish One, Goodness Like Water, Cui Xiang Super Cute, and Jimei Jiashier for your support.