The Cornflower Witch Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Brief Stability

The next day, Hylial went to the Apothecaries’ Guild and bought a Medicinal Herb Identification Guide. The clerk also thoughtfully gifted her a Hemostatic Potion Recipe. The Gardeners’ Guild, on the other hand, was rather rudimentary. Burntstone City wasn’t a very wealthy place, and not many people cared for flowers and gardening. Only common flower seeds were sold there, with no cornflowers, and the gardening knowledge books were quite thin.

She placed a wooden chair in the small courtyard behind the house, sat down, and opened the book “Medicinal Herb Identification Guide” on her lap.

The afternoon courtyard was exceptionally quiet. A few rays of sunlight streamed into the courtyard, falling on the empty ground by her feet, bright but not dazzling.

The yellowed pages, with clearly printed text and herbal illustrations, emitted a faint smell of ink when opened, which made her feel that the expensive price was indeed somewhat justified.

In the nearly ten days since coming to this world, Hylial had encountered new things almost every day, stepping into one unfamiliar environment after another. It was only now that she could finally relax a little, lean back in the chair, and enjoy a perfectly peaceful afternoon.

The sunlight in the courtyard slowly shifted. At first, it didn’t reach her, but gradually it shone on Hylial’s calves, bringing intermittent warmth.

Her delicate fingertips gently glided across the pages, turning one over, and after finishing a chapter, Hylial looked up. Facing the sun-drenched courtyard, a faint feeling of lightness and joy rose in her heart, and she really wanted to take a nap on this breezy afternoon.

She marked the page in the book, then placed it on a small table beside her. She drew her calves back a bit, resting her feet on the crossbar under the chair, then leaned her head against one side of the chair back and closed her eyes.

In such a tranquil and relaxed state, a few strands of hair gently swayed by the side of her face, not disturbing her nap. Her brows were relaxed, and her soft face showed a hint of cuteness and childishness in the afternoon glow.

The chirping of insects in the trees continued. Under the tender green and goose-yellow leaves, the girl quietly slept soundly, and time slowly passed.

…

Several hours later, a door creaked open after a key turned in the lock, and a lively, bouncy figure walked in. She looked around the house before finally finding Hylial napping in the back courtyard.

“Lia~ I’m back.” Talil came to the sleeping Hylial, resting her hands on the armrests of the wooden chair, her eyes curiously examining the girl.

Hylial asleep wasn’t as smart as when she was awake, but she had a different kind of cuteness, Talil suddenly thought.

Then the girl below her opened her eyes, shook her head and hair, and sat up.

“Talil is back,” she said in a soft, lazy voice, especially sweet, as if this was her true voice.

“Mmm, get up, Lia~” She helped Hylial sit up, then scurried back from the living room with a light green melon, similar in size to a watermelon in Hylial’s memory.

“Uncle Hook gave this to me. I helped him this morning~” Hook used to be a resident of Linden Village and now sells fruit in Burntstone City, also doing other small businesses.

“I immediately thought of Lia, so I brought it back to eat together.” Talil indicated that she was a good friend and wouldn’t forget Lia.

“Thank you, Talil,” the girl replied with a smile. Talil’s carefree enthusiasm dispelled her unease and nervousness about arriving in a strange world.

“Let’s cut the melon. It won’t taste good if we leave it for too long,” Talil said impatiently.

“Okay.” Hylial thought for a moment, then found a cleaver in the kitchen cabinet. They used stored clean water to quickly wash the melon skin in the kitchen, then cut it open.

After the light green melon was cut, the inside was pale yellow flesh with many white seeds. They held slices of the melon and stood in the backyard to eat. Since there were no outsiders, they didn’t need to be too particular.

After biting into the flesh, sweet juice overflowed, invigorating Hylial and clearing her mind considerably.

It was very delicious. Although not as sweet as a watermelon, it had a different woody, sweet taste that left a lasting impression.

“What kind of melon is this?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“This is ‘Downy Leaf Melon’. Some people grow it on the sunny slopes around Burntstone City and bring it to the city to sell, but it spoils easily, so it’s hard to find in other places.” Talil knew that Lia would be interested in this, so she specifically asked Uncle Hook before leaving.

“Huh?” Lia tilted her head slightly at Talil’s eager answer, then quickly understood why.

This child must have prepared the answer beforehand. “Thank you,” she said, smoothing the hair in front of her, a faint warmth flowing in her heart.

“Hmph hmph.” Talil proudly patted her chest, indicating that she was also very useful.

“Come on, there’s still a lot left. Uncle Hook said it can’t be stored for long, so it’s best to eat it all today.” They returned to the kitchen to cut the melon again.

“Oh, but I’m a bit full.”

“No, you must finish it.” Talil pushed a reluctant Hylial forward.

In the end, they still couldn’t finish it and decided to save some for later that night.

In the evening, they went to Winnie’s house again. Winnie, having anticipated their arrival, had prepared a sumptuous dinner.

During dinner, Ancel told them about what he had found out at the Merchant Guild today.

“There’s a contact and messenger job at the Merchant Guild. It involves delivering various letters, items, and notices around the city daily. The pay isn’t high, only 2.4 Silverleaf Coins, but it’s relatively easy.”

“Oh, I like this!” Talil raised her hand.

Winnie and Ancel weren’t surprised by this; they knew Talil would like such a job.

“Then there’s Scholar Edson. Unfortunately, he said he couldn’t spare the time to teach, but I did get another piece of news: Scholar Edson’s former teacher, the retired Mr. Hyde, will likely start teaching a new batch of students next month.”

“Oh, is Teacher Hyde teaching again?” Winnie covered her mouth in surprise.

“When I graduated, he said he would enjoy his retirement and wouldn’t teach anymore. Why has he changed his mind this time?”

“I don’t know, maybe there’s another reason.”

“Since Scholar Hyde is teaching again, it should be the best opportunity for Miss Lia. He is the most knowledgeable person in Burntstone City; there’s no better tutor than him.”

“It’s next month. I can ask the teacher if there are any restrictions for this enrollment,” Winnie thought aloud.

“During this time, I’ll help Miss Lia check her basic knowledge.”

Although she had received an education in her previous life, she was still very new to this world, so Hylial quickly agreed.

“Okay, then starting tomorrow, both of you must come to my place every morning to study,” Winnie said, holding up a finger.

“Ah, do I have to come too? Didn’t my brother-in-law say he found me a job?” Talil protested.

“Yes, he did, but you still have a few days before you start working. Don’t think about slacking off,” Winnie said with the authority of an older sister.

“Uh, I wasn’t slacking off. I even helped Uncle Hook yesterday,” Talil defended herself.

“Yes, but you know, you can’t be as childish and willful now.”

“Alright.” Knowing her sister meant well, Talil could only lower her head and agree.

Hylial found Talil’s repeated submission to Winnie amusing and heartwarming, reminding her of friends she had grown up with.

Are they also living good lives now?

Thanks to YouxieQ, xxxxds, Xitian, Fenqi

Xianyu Cooking, Xinggui_trail, uYexiuu, Xingxing de Geyao, Huanmeng Wujue, Dengxian Móbieli and other friends for their generous tips~

(End of this chapter)