Chapter 181 How could I forgive so easily?
There's a kind of misfortune called "when it rains, it pours." I was quite unlucky; I encountered a blizzard, the worst in ten years in the Eastern Territory, right after returning to this other world.
The Eastern Territory is a land with four distinct seasons, and its weather is considered quite pleasant. It's not as hot as the South, nor as cold as the North, and it also has rainy and dry seasons, resulting in consistently good harvests. The common people neither lack water nor worry about floods, and live a relatively comfortable life. However, this winter has been plagued by unusually strong snowstorms, with occasional blizzards, turning the entire Eastern Territory into a place as cold as an icebox frozen for ten years.
Almost all the shacks and thatched houses in the slums were destroyed, with only a few brick and cement houses standing. Upon learning of this, the King of the East, who was bedridden, immediately dispatched his ministers to provide disaster relief. He set up a temple on the outskirts of the city as a temporary shelter, accommodating all the homeless poor people. He provided free porridge twice a day and distributed free blankets.
The poor people quickly moved in, and Aya and I moved in too. We sat around the fire with the other poor people, listening to the howling wind and snow outside the temple, and we still felt very cold.
The temple on the outskirts of the city was rather dilapidated, with drafty roofs and walls. The temple doors were also broken and often blown open by strong winds, letting in a howling cold wind that made us shiver. Sometimes, the burning campfire would be blown out.
The porridge we drank every day was very thin, with hardly any rice in it, so we couldn't get enough to eat and it was hard to keep warm. The blankets that were sent were not thick and were very old, so they couldn't keep us warm either.
We could only huddle together by the fire, trying to keep warm from each other.
Two or three days passed like this, and suddenly some people caught a cold and had a fever. At first, it was only one or two people, then three or four, and then suddenly nine or ten. More and more people caught a cold and had a fever, and there were constant coughs and groans every day, and the sound of children crying could often be heard.
To make matters worse, Aya also developed a fever, and the high fever wouldn't go down.
There's an official doctor at the temple, but despite giving Aya fever-reducing medication for several days, her fever persists. I asked one of the temple's administrators if they could send a better doctor, since other patients are experiencing the same problem.
The administrator shrugged helplessly, saying he couldn't make the decision. The doctors were sent by higher-ups, and he was only responsible for assigning which doctors would manage which patients, but he couldn't decide who would be sent over.
Seeing that Aya couldn't sleep all night and her fever wouldn't break, I was extremely anxious. For two days in a row, civilians who had died were carried out, so I had to go out and find a doctor myself.
The heavy snowfall was intermittent, almost never stopping, and the snow on the roads was very deep. I gritted my teeth and borrowed a pair of snow boots from the caretaker. The caretaker was reluctant to lend them to me, but after my persistent pleading, and complaining that I was too noisy, he finally lent them to me. Wearing the tall, thick snow boots, I trudged through the snow with uneven steps.
I finally made it to a clinic, but the doctor's price was very high. Bringing the patient to the clinic would have been slightly cheaper, but I still couldn't afford it. I only had a little money that Aya had earned from her part-time job, very little.
"How about I stay and work for you until the debt is paid off?" I pleaded.
But the doctor ignored me completely and even had his assistant kick me out.
Braving the wind and snow, I arrived at a real estate agency and pulled out the deed to the house Ianie had given me. I'm desperately short of money right now, so I'll sell this house; maybe the remaining money can buy a smaller one.
My previous refusal wasn't out of arrogance, but because I felt my life was worth more. Is it too much to think that Ianne can settle things so easily with such a small price?
Because I needed the money urgently, I asked for a price slightly below market value. Two hours later, a buyer who had been waiting for a lower price expressed interest. After receiving the deposit, I hired a few people to help me quickly carry Aya to the clinic. I also spent some money to hire another doctor from the clinic to help the others in the temple. Of course, I also covered the cost of their medicine.
Two days later, Aya's fever finally broke completely, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Aya was lucky to be young; some older, weaker, or disabled people wouldn't have survived long ago.
The snow finally stopped, and the long-awaited sunshine peeked through the clouds. Aya and I tidied up and prepared to leave the clinic when a thin figure appeared at the ward door—it was Iani.
She looked at him with a disappointed expression. "You're so stupid! Why did you sell my house for such a low price? If you needed money, why didn't you borrow it from me instead of using such a foolish method?"
She made it sound so easy, but where was I supposed to find her? The wind and snow were so heavy I couldn't ask around, and she hadn't left an address. I didn't pay her any more attention and prepared to leave with Aya. She looked at us coldly and didn't say another word.
As I walked up to her, I suddenly stopped and said, "One house can't make up for my loss; I need more."
She was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, "How can you be so greedy?"
"Am I greedy? Maybe you think your life is only worth a house?"
She choked, then asked, "What else do you want?"
"A job."
She said, "I have a son, he's three or four years old now, old enough to have a tutor. Why don't you..."
I interrupted her, "I will not be a tutor anymore."
“There’s another job,” she said. “I heard that a female teacher at a prestigious girls’ school died from a high fever and a relapse of an old illness. Perhaps you could fill the vacancy. The school provides accommodation and meals, but the salary is average.”
I agree.
We arrived at the school by carriage. It was located in a secluded palace not far from the Eastern Royal Palace, and was specifically for the illegitimate daughters of nobles. The status of these illegitimate daughters was rather sensitive; their noble fathers were unwilling to spend much money on them, yet they couldn't neglect them, so they collectively established a school to reduce the cost of their upbringing.
The school was located in a secluded spot not far from the palace so that fathers could easily visit their daughters after their business at the palace. High-ranking noble fathers were generally very busy and rarely had time to visit their illegitimate daughters; the school's proximity to the palace made it convenient for them. Additionally, some noble fathers might have separated from their illegitimate daughters' mothers, and the mothers might have new partners, making it inconvenient to visit their homes; thus, they could only meet at the school.
The main gate of this secluded palace was plainly decorated, just a common black iron gate, only guarded by a group of soldiers. Inside, the outer hall had a thick, ordinary carpet on the floor, the walls were dilapidated and mottled gray, and the corridors were narrow and cold, without underfloor heating. Only after passing through this corridor and arriving at a larger stone hall would one be greeted by a wave of warmth.
A group of little girls in matching gray dresses were sitting at a table reading, five or six of them per square table, writing furiously. A tall, stern-faced woman in her fifties sat at the highest table at the front, flipping through official documents. Seeing us, she was surprised and stood up, walking towards Iani.
Ianne was clearly familiar with her; they whispered to each other in the corner for a while, and she occasionally looked up at me.
A little while later, the bell rang, and she led us to her office on the second floor. “There will be an interview,” Ianie whispered, “but don’t worry.”
The interview felt like a mere formality. This tall, stern-looking woman in her fifties asked me only a couple of casual questions before telling me I'd been accepted. My internship would begin tomorrow and last three months. Once I passed, I'd become a full-fledged teacher and enjoy the school's accommodation and meals. Before that, I'd need to pay a small fee myself. I naturally agreed.
Aya and I moved our luggage into the dormitory on the top floor of the palace. The room was small, barely big enough for a bed and a wardrobe, but we were quite satisfied. At least the walls were thick and the windows were airtight, so no wind or snow would get in.
"Sister, will that noble lady tell Prince Bernot about your whereabouts?" Aya asked as she made the bed. Aya knew I had no intention of dealing with Bernot. Although she hadn't asked me in detail, judging from all the signs since I arrived in the Eastern Territory, I had no intention of contacting Bernot at all.
"No, just like you guessed I didn't want to contact him, she probably guessed it too." I filled a basin with water and was soaking a rag, preparing to wipe the wardrobe.
Ianne must have suffered a lot in that "prison escape" and "husband-murder" incident, and has become more cautious in her dealings with others ever since. After guessing that I didn't want to contact Bernard, she probably wouldn't dare to do anything out of line.
I had long guessed why Iani was "chasing after" me to make amends. First, she genuinely felt guilty and wanted to make amends; second, she feared my retaliation—I had once been the de facto ruler of the Great City of the Westerlands, possessing a kingdom and several men as my backers, such as Bernot and Mamboya, and she couldn't bear the consequences of my revenge; third, she hoped to reconcile with me. She felt I wielded considerable power, having escaped from the most heavily guarded prison and once commanding influence in the Westerlands, capable of causing considerable trouble. Although I had fallen to the bottom of society, what if I rose again someday? Therefore, she desperately wanted to reconcile with me, doing everything in her power to do so.
Two days later, she came to see me at the prestigious girls' school, confirming my suspicions. I remained indifferent to her, so she said to me, "I don't expect you to forgive me, I only hope that you will hold a little less resentment towards me. I was young and ignorant before, and I did make mistakes. For the sake of our teacher-student relationship, please don't hold too much resentment towards me."
Seeing that I didn't speak, she looked disappointed.
Just as I was about to leave, I asked her, "Have you told anyone about meeting me?"
"You mean tell Prince Benott?" she guessed immediately. "No, in my current status, I can't get close to anyone near Prince Benott. But just to be on the safe side, I've instructed my coachman and maid not to tell anyone about my recent whereabouts. My coachman and maid are very loyal to me."
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