Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Heroine Who Worries for the Nation, the People, and the World

The two eggs were for Nan Thorne’s breakfast, but she wasn’t hungry and didn’t feel like eating them. She was surprised that the man hadn’t even had breakfast at this hour, yet he still walked so quickly on the mountain path.

She had long heard that people from Wraven were especially hardworking and could endure great hardship. When they traveled with their peddler’s poles, they would take off their shoes if the roads were poor. They would either go barefoot or wear straw sandals, afraid of ruining their good shoes.

Nan Thorne glanced at the worn-out cloth shoes hanging from the pole, then at the straw sandals on the man’s feet. They were hardly any different from going barefoot. His feet were covered in bloody cuts, and he wasn’t even wearing socks in such cold weather. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. ’People really have it tough in this era,’ she thought.

Goldie Thorne hesitated. The eggs were for his little niece; he would rather give the man money instead.

“Give them to the uncle. I’ll eat candy,” Nan Thorne said.

So Goldie Thorne gave the eggs to the man. The man’s face lit up with a smile. “Eggs are a real treat! Let me give the little girl some more candy.”

“No, thank you. I won’t be able to finish it all.”

Nan Thorne refused. The malt candy was delicious, true, but it stuck to her teeth. She was missing four molars, and a few others in the back weren’t in great shape either. It was a real struggle to eat, and she’d never be able to finish what she already had.

“Don’t give her any more. My Nan was just curious to try it,” Goldie Thorne said, then asked curiously, “Why are you out so late today? The sun’s already climbing the mountain.”

It was certainly not an early hour. The peddlers he had met in the past always set out before dawn, and the sun would only just be rising by the time they reached Vessaria.

“I got a late start. Then, on the way, I ran into a girl who said she wanted to buy candy. She held me up asking questions for ages, but in the end, she didn’t buy a thing. Said she forgot her money. Sigh…” The man looked somewhat annoyed.

She was just a child, so it wouldn’t have been right for an adult like him to make a fuss. But inwardly, he was furious. ’She was holding me back from making a living!’

“What could a girl have to ask about? Don’t tell me you saw she was pretty and decided to kill some time with her!” Goldie Thorne joked, assuming the man was talking about a young woman.

“The girl’s only ten or so, younger than my own daughter! How could I have any improper ideas about a child? You shouldn’t say things like that,” the man said, waving his hands frantically.

A thought struck Nan Thorne. ’A ten-year-old girl, actively asking questions… Could it be?’

“Uncle, was the girl asking for directions?”

“She claimed to be, but she was asking about all sorts of things. One moment, she’d ask if anyone was setting up stalls these days, and the next she’d ask what they were selling. It’s ridiculous! The authorities are so strict right now, I have to sell my candy on the sly. Who would dare to set up a stall? That little girl was so persistent, pestering me for ages without buying a thing.”

The man’s tone was resentful. If she had been an adult, he would have surely chewed her out, but he couldn’t yell at a child. He could only chalk it up to his own bad luck.

As soon as Nan Thorne heard this, she was certain. The pestering little girl had to be none other than Jacqueline Spann.

’As expected of the story’s protagonist,’ she thought. ’Worrying about the state of the nation and its people at the tender age of ten. But to hold up the poor man from selling his candy for her own selfish reasons, and then not even spend a single penny… that’s just too…’

Nan Thorne couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt there was something not quite right about what Jacqueline Spann had done.

“The young lad with her was pretty decent, though,” the man added with a sigh. “He seemed quite embarrassed and even offered to buy some candy, but the girl dragged him away. Sigh… Girls these days are so shrewd.”

Seeing the sun climbing higher, the man hastily said his goodbyes, shouldered his pole, and continued on his way. He planned to eat only one of the two eggs and save the other for lunch. He had no intention of returning home until he’d sold his entire load of candy. There was no telling how many days he’d have to stay out, so every bit he could save counted.

“Mister!”

Nan Thorne slid off her uncle’s back, stopped the man, and pressed a ten-cent coin into his hand. She gave him a smile and then trotted away.

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