Accompanying maid (5)
Mi was also pondering what she could do. These merchant ships and cargo ships all had buyers, and even if they didn't, Mi had no capital. Business was out of the question, and working at the docks was even less realistic. Was venturing out into the world the only option? Mi frowned, deep in thought. She still had a few marigolds. Marigold coins had given Mi a noble status, a blessing but also a problem. In the Flower Kingdom, marigold coins weren't everyday currency; they were more of a status symbol. She couldn't pawn a marigold coin for every little thing, nor could she use them to pay Anna's salary. Bertram wasn't feeling well, so she couldn't leave yet, at least not until Bertram finished drinking that lunchbox of water and recovered. Mi walked from the docks all the way towards Sun City. Since entering the Witch Forest, she had completely forgotten that as a human, she needed to work, earn money, and eat.
"Let's find a place to eat," Mi said to Fried when they returned to the East City. "A small shop will do."
Mi followed Fried northwards into the bustling city. Beyond the shops were restaurants of all sizes, from three-story mansions to tiny shops. Different kinds of shops coexisted, catering to all budgets. The grand mansions had waitresses in fitted dresses beckoning customers at the entrance, while the small shops didn't even have signs, probably only catering to regular customers.
At lunchtime, the entire street was filled with the aroma of charred food. The pungent smell of grilled meat mingled with the sweet scent of meat, tantalizing the taste buds of every passerby. Taverns with their blue and white flags were open, and people were already drinking heartily in broad daylight. Every now and then, a deliveryman carrying a tray would call out, "Excuse me, this is Sun City's takeout!" Since the Queen issued her decree, selling alcohol required a license. Not only were the sales rights strictly controlled, but the tax rate was also extremely high. As a result, some small restaurants could no longer offer alcohol. Taverns, however, could still order takeout from restaurants. Most taverns had familiar restaurants, making it a win-win situation. Sun City also had a strange rule: taverns were not allowed to take out alcohol. What did this mean? Taverns had to ensure that the alcohol purchased by customers was consumed within the tavern. This was why only restaurants offered takeout.
"Isn't anyone going home to drink?" Mi had seen quite a few drunken figures emerge from the tavern. These people were so drunk they were staggering, clinging to any tree they could find, whether they were out of their minds or had forgotten the way home.
“Twenty years ago, it was still possible,” Fried explained. “I heard that the Queen’s father would come home drunk and beat her mother, but when he sobered up, he would cry and beg for forgiveness, saying that he was just drunk and acting crazy. So the Queen issued a decree that said that it was impossible for someone to walk home when drunk.”
"Is this supposed to solve the problem of domestic violence?" Mi thought the policy was absurd.
"What is domestic violence?" This was the first time Fried had heard the word, and he even wanted to take out his pen to ask how to write it.
"It's violence within a family, such as a husband beating his wife, or a wife beating her husband, or parents beating their children."
“In the past, it was normal for husbands in Sun City to beat their wives. The Queen wanted to prohibit husbands from beating their wives, so she enacted a very strict law. Any husband who beat his wife would be exiled to the border.” Fried shuddered. “I heard there are man-eating monsters on the border, and no one exiled to the border has ever been heard of returning.”
“That is indeed a bit harsh, but a husband who beats his wife cannot go unpunished, and the Flower Kingdom doesn’t have prisons.” Mi didn’t know what the situation was like at the border. “Since men like to beat people, what’s the point of beating the defenseless woman at home? It’s better to go to the border and fight the enemy.”
“But the wives didn’t want to lose their husbands, so they defended them, saying that it only happened when they were drunk. Your Excellency, you know that when people are drunk, they have absolutely no control over themselves.” Fried had seen many tavern fights. “That’s why the Queen issued this decree.”
“I see those nobles still holding balls, and every household has wine.”
“Nobles have their own wine cellars, and the wine in these taverns is also transported from noble estates for sale.” Fried shrugged. “Ordinary people don’t have wine at home.”
Mi couldn't discuss this with Fried, so she asked, "Has the domestic violence problem in Suncity been solved now? I mean, is this decree effective?"
“There’s definitely no more beatings that leave you bruised and battered,” Fried suddenly rubbed his ear. “But no one cares about spankings or ear-pulling. When my mother and sister started pulling someone’s ears, there was no escaping it, and my father was afraid of that too.”
"No more husbands beating their wives?" Mi thought this bill seemed unrealistic no matter how she looked at it.
Fried looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "It's definitely not going to happen in the face anymore, but it's impossible to stop wife-beating. The Queen has already enacted laws, but there's nothing that can be done about women who are beaten protecting their husbands."
"There are women like this?" Mi couldn't believe it. Who would defend the person who hit her?
“Of course there are! My second sister is one of them,” Fried said angrily. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She comes home crying after being beaten. I’ve advised her several times to report her husband, but she won’t listen. Once I reported her husband, but my second sister insisted that she had accidentally fallen and hurt herself. It really made me furious.”
"Is reporting it useless?"
“Unless I catch him hitting my second sister on the spot,” Fried said dejectedly, “but my second sister won’t admit it, and nobody can do anything about it.”
Why did your second sister cry when she got home?
“In order to get things from home, every time she cried, my mother would give her food, clothes and other necessities to comfort her.”
"Didn't you consider bringing her home?"
"How could there not be? Whenever my second sister's husband comes, the two of them close the door and talk for a few minutes, and then my second sister goes home with him. I really don't understand why my second sister would do that?"
What does your second sister do?
"What are you doing? Second Sister is Second Sister."
"You said your mother and eldest sister go to work at the market during the day, but what about your second sister?"
“She does nothing,” Fried shook his head. “Mom gets angry whenever she stays home too long. My second sister can’t even cook stew properly; she burns the pot every time she cooks. Mom doesn’t dare let her into the kitchen, for fear that she might accidentally set it on fire.”
"So she just does nothing and waits to eat?" Fried's second sister was quite peculiar. "Is your eldest sister married?"
“My eldest sister got married. My second sister has never been good at anything and only causes trouble. I’ve been with my third sister since I was little. She also likes to go to the market. I grew up in the market and I know all the good stuff there.” Fried shrugged. “My second sister got married a long time ago, and my eldest sister got married not long after. Now there are my third sister and my youngest sister. I need to save up for my third sister’s dowry.”
"You really like Third Sister?"
“Yes,” Fried nodded, “My father isn’t as strong as he used to be, and the family income isn’t as good as it used to be either. I also love my little sister and want to save up for her dowry.”
How old is your little sister?
“Eight years old.” Fried scratched his head. “That’s the little girl dancing at the market the other day. Isn’t my little sister pretty?”
Mi had no idea which one she was referring to, so she could only nod and say, "Yes, it looks good."
A few days ago, Mi was in a daze, but she still managed to visit quite a few places with Anna. The western part of the city was mostly inhabited by artisans; if you didn't start as an apprentice, you had to take a skills exam at the guild. Women mostly took exams like tailoring, but Mi's sewing skills were terrible; even Joe could sew better than her. There was another job that didn't require an exam: being a maid. When Fried heard her question, he was terrified: "My lord, no nobleman would work as a maid! Nobody would dare hire an adventurer nobleman as a maid!" Fried didn't tell Mi that even as a maid, you needed a guarantor. Who would vouch for an adventurer? What if the adventurer committed murder?
There were no beggars in Sun City, Mi asked Fried. Fried looked horrified: "Beggars? You want to just sit around eating without working? You want to be sent away?" Sun City would send away any beggars or homeless people they found, and no one knew where they were sent, only that they would never return. Mi thought of the perpetually understaffed Acropolis; she still had to take care of Beatrice and wanted to see the Long-lived Race. She didn't want to be sent back again.
Mi realized for the first time how useless she was. In the special circumstances of Weicheng and Lincheng, there was only a shortage of population; the concept of finding work never existed. Children were assigned jobs by the city lord's mansion from birth, and the distinction between the poor and the rich only arose in Taiyangcheng.
Mi walked along, observing the flow of people. Large restaurants and small taverns were interspersed, all noisy and chaotic. As soon as Mi entered, she was overwhelmed by the various sounds and emotions. Finally, she chose a small restaurant that looked relatively clean. It was quite crowded, mostly with women dressed as waitresses.
"Why are there so many women here?" Mi ordered two stews and wheat pancakes.
“Ahead are Theater Street and Flower Street.” Fried hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the south of the city and said, “The east and south of the city are where there are the most women. Many small inns don’t provide food, so they have to eat out.”
Mi sat down. The women around her were eating quietly, their chewing sounds barely audible. The stew was served, and Fried frowned after one bite. He silently finished the stew, even dipping the flatbread in the broth at the bottom of the bowl and eating it all. Was it really that good? Mi looked at the girls around her; most of them ate slowly. The biggest drawback of being a witch was the lack of self-awareness. Mi released her consciousness, thinking, "Disgusting," "Disgusting," "So disgusting." Mi watched the men and women eating quietly in the restaurant, her ears filled with angry screams. Mi extended her consciousness to Fried. Fried had finished eating and was putting the remaining flatbread into a bag. Mi had noticed that Fried was very frugal with his food. He kept muttering almost profanities in his mind: "How could it be so disgusting? It's a ***!" "What a waste of such good beef! It's so ***!" "How could someone make something even worse than my second sister? ****!"
The people in the restaurant were very polite. People from the Flower Kingdom don't talk while eating; at least, no one in this restaurant spoke. Even two people who clearly knew each other sitting face-to-face would only occasionally exchange glances, smile, and then continue eating. Mi finished her stew and came out. She noticed that the girls would carefully finish their food, then let out a long sigh as they left the restaurant, as if they had completed some arduous task.
"Is it hard to eat?" Milfrid asked.
"It's alright, the food at a restaurant like this won't be too bad." Fried shook his head, and if Mi hadn't checked his consciousness, she would have believed him.
What good food is there in Sun City?
Fried said somewhat awkwardly, "Then we'll have to go to a grand restaurant." Fried pointed to a two-story restaurant and said, "Those places cater to adventurers and merchants, and the food is much better than these places, though of course, it's also much more expensive." These small eateries cater to waiters, so the ingredients aren't very good, and the taste isn't very good either.
Mi suddenly had an idea: she could be a chef! After all, she came from a culinary superpower where food is paramount. Most importantly, she had a cheat code—she knew exactly how to make the dishes that Sun City liked.
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