One More Step

Kyra opened eyes when she heard neighbors rooster. The light darkness outside was an indicator that the sun was about to rise. She pinched Anna's rosy cheeks to wake her up.

Anna slightly pouted and was about turn around when Kyra started to tickle her.

''Stop... hahahhahahaa... Stop it.... hahahahaa. fine... I will stand up .... hahahahhaa.'' Suddenly giggles and laughter resounded in the room in the early morning.

The girls quickly put clean clothes on them and washed up with cold well water. That waked them up.

''I will quickly warm up our soup and we shall eat it with a bit for bread. Today, when we come back home, let's not cook. When we passed the last time city I saw big dumplings sold on the street. Two for one bronze coin. We can buy a dozen and save some for later. We don't have to cook anything right away.'' Kyra said while lightning teh fire.

She was trying to be careful, as not to get dirty before they leave. After all, accept the other clothes they used for their work and outside, only normal clothes they had, were already on them.

Luckily fire quickly was lit and they warmed the soup just lightly so they have something warm in their stomach for a while.

''Anna lets talk about money. I plan to hide some of the silver here in the house. We have two bags. Each of us will take five silver and 40 coins. Just in case someone steals money from one. You never know how many long fingers are there.''

Anna listened to her words and nodded. ''Let's do that. We need to leave now.''

They quickly washed their bowls and pan and walked quickly towards Chief Jafar's house.

Luckily Osman was already outside keeping a look for them. He smiled brightly as he saw them. ''Good, you are on time. He hates to wait for people for free. hahhaha. Just a joke.''

Suddenly they heard something behind them and a small carriage appeared in front of them. The horse had as it seems good master. Its mane looked soft and its hair started glistening in the rising sun.

Osman greeted a thin man on the carriage. ''Hey Chen. These two girls plan to go to the city. Do you have some appointments today or can they rent you for a day?''

He looked seriously at girls and nodded. ''Indeed I have something to do in the city. But after I am done I will wait for you at horse station. After you are finished with what you want to buy, come tome me and I will help you carry it.''

The two girls looked suspiciously at his two thin arms and he started laughing. ''Don't worry. I look thin but I can lift quite a weight.''

Osman joined his laughter. ''Indeed. I know Chen so long and his strength is amazing.''

As they joked and laughed with each other, Chief Jafar came out of the house.

''It's time. Osman, you take your brothers and clear as much land as you can by their house up to the forest. I will take your two uncles to take care of the plots. We need to do this as long the earth is still soft and plowable. If the sun comes, it will become hard and if the rain comes it will become mud. so now is perfect timing.''

He turned to the girls and smiled. ''Should I let my eldest grandson travel with you?''

They shook their head in refusal. ''Sorry, but better use all the workforce for the fields. We plan to walk today a lot, that kind of thing is not very interesting to boys.''

He just said ''Oh'' and shrugged. ''As you wish. Chen will bring you girls back home.''

Osman and Chief Jafar went back into the house as they started making plans to start their work. the girls just sat down on the carriage and were delighted that tehy choose not to walk.

The reason? The path was not bad, but the city was not that near as it seemed. Even with a carriage that was not even slow, it took them almost two hours to arrive.

Chen let them down from carriage at carriage station just outside the capital. ''Girls, when you are ready to buy stuff, do not carry it in your hands, come pick me up and I will put it inside the carriage.''

''What if we come to take you somewhere and it's sold before we come back?'' Anna feared that they would lose the deal if they find something they liked.

Chen chuckled lightly. ''It seems no one told you before. When you buy something, just ask them to leave it for you in the storage and they will give you a receipt for what you bought. After you girls buy everything, just pick em up and we will go from store to store and gather everything. No need to carry it in your hands.''

''Ohhh. That is nice.'' The girls exhaled as they just felt their c.h.e.s.t stiffen about the situation. Now they can just walk through the city and buy all they need.

''Um, mister Chen, when should we come back for you?'' Kyra needed to know that so she wouldn't aimlessly wander around.

''I will be back in midday. I will wait for you here after I finish what I came for..'' He bowed his head and urged his horse towards army camp near the city.

Why was army camp there, who cares... They didn't, so they held hands and cheerfully entered the city.

On gates stood squadron of soldiers and just seemingly aimlessly stared at people that passed the gates. The two girls held hands and looked at the bustling street of the capital.

Capital itself could never be compared to the big cities Kyra visited in past life, but it was still quite big.

The peddlers from both sides of the street prised their wares in the stores as they walked. They would enter the store and ask about prices of rice, wheat flour, or any other kind of flour, oil and other simple ingredients.

But the prices were similar. One jun of rice mostly is about 5 bronze coins. One jin of wheat flour was 15 bronze coins. Now girls realized that to buy large amount of flour seemed to be not very wise. They still asked for the prices of other flours.

Rice flour is 1 jin - 7 bronze coins, Rye 1 jin- 5 bronze coins, Bucweat flor was 3 bronze coins per jin, and then some strange mixtures were still quite cheap.

Oils were around 10 bronze coins per sheng. Kyra held her head. Then salt? 1 jin salt was 5 bronze coins. She sighed.

Anna tugged her sleeve and motioned to leave the store. the store manager that was quite accommodating to them thought that they didn't have enough money and ushered them out. ''When you have money, come back.'' He turned around and saw another customer entering his store and changed his attitude quite fast. ''Dear costumer...''

Anna smiled at blinking Kyra. ''Didn't Linxian say that there is a store that gives fair prices and good quality. After all, there are some other stores nearby that we need.''

''Thank you for reminding me. It almost slipped my mind.'' Kyra gratefully gave her a hug.

''Let's go before the crowd doesn't become even bigger.'' Anna was quite worried about the money they had. It almost burned her body as it was around her neck. Truth to be told, she hoped to spend all of it today and have full pantry of food so they don't have to worry the next few months until their food grows.

Kyra could almost read her mind as the girl uncomfortably always checked wit her hands is the bag there.

''Don't worry. We will in this time use first your money as you do not feel comfortable.''

Anna breathed deep in and smile in anguish. ''Looking at the prices, with this money we can buy many things for our home. Let's just spend it. Please.''

''Sigh. Ok next time we come to the city you will keep some bronze coins for some smaller stuff and I wil carry bigger amounts, will that make you happier?''

Seeing Anna's face getting relaxed after that sentence made Kyra laugh heartily. She pinched her cheeks and laughed. ''Fineeee. Just let me carry the burden all by myself. But Anna, if I get sick you need to do that by yourself . Will that be fine?''

Anna knew that such a thing could happen so she pouted her small mouth. ''We better not get sick and we should just live happily and enjoy our life.''

They held hands as tehy squeezed between people walking on the streets.

Suddenly everyone made a path and stood by the side with bowed heads.

Kyra was curious and as they stood with bowed head as well, she whispered to an older woman next to her. ''May I ask who it is in the carriage?''

The woman glanced at two foreigner girls and whispered as she found them cute as tehy respectfully bowed. ''It is His Highness, the Crown Prince. He goes once a day outside with his friends.'' She scoffed lightly when she said ''friends''.

Even if there is more to the story the girls didn't want to get involved so they just stood still until the procession passed and people started crowding on the street.

The old woman looked at girls and smiled. ''Be careful on streets. There is a strange rumor going in the town. Many people mysteriously disappeared. Do not stay late on teh streets, then the thugs and lowlifes are on the streets. Except when there are festivals. then you can come even at night time and have fun. Bunch of soldiers protects everyone then. So there is not much to worry about at that time.''

The girls were grateful for her considerate words. ''Thank you very much.''

The older lady wanted to bow towards them but four small hands held her straight and two pairs of innocent eyes stared at her with shiny eyes. ''No elder. We are grateful for your care, so please accept our bows.''

The girls walked one step back and bowed deeply with respect.

''Let's hope Lady Destiny will let us meet again.'' The old lady patted their heads and smilingly turned around to leave.

Anna and Kyra stood in a daze for a couple of moments and then snapped out of it.

They held their hands and quickened their pace. Soon they found the stores they looked for.

The first thing they did was to enter the medicine store. An older woman with a kind smile saw them enter. ''Good morning girls, how may I help you?''

''Actually, we need your help. Could you tell us if one of these plants are healing plants?'' the girls slowly unpacked the flowers they gathered the day before and smiled at the woman.

The woman carefully looked trough the plants and smiled. ''All plants can be used as medicine. We just have to learn how. Anyway, most of these plants are everywhere so you wouldn't get much if you sell these. These two might give you some worth. ''

She held five stalks of summer blue sky colored plant and fice stalks of the plant that she never saw before.

''These two plants are good for everything. From inner heat to cold from the skin to her insides. I will buy all the plants at a fair price. These three plants are per stalk 1 bronze coin and these specials are per stalk 10 bronze coins. You have here 40 stalks of common healing plants so we will give you 40 bronze coins and these 10 stalks you will get 1 silver stone for it. Is that fine with you?''

The girls were amazed by the amount they will get. They were satisfied. Kyra looked at the woman and politely asked. ''Is there a chance to get some kind of book of herns and their healing proprieties?''

Happy smile appeared on a woman's face. ''Not many women lately want to learn medicine. Good, I will sell you two books. One is about the medicinal plants and the other is use of plants for smaller illnesses. If you finish these you can come back and I will sell you other books if you are still interested.''

The girls smile at the woman and promised to come back. Unfortunately, the books seemed to be quite expensive. They had to pay one silver stone for both books, but they were still quite happy.

Both of them loved reading, getting such precious books seemed to give them more energy.

Luckily not far from the medicine store was the store they looked for.

Even before entering they could see the crowd coming and leaving the store. They held tightly their hands as not to be separated by so many people and slowly entered the store.

Inside was actually quite big and airy. A couple of young men run around and heaved the heavy bags with all kinds of grains, pots with as it seems something liquid and even large amounts of seeds.

Suddenly one of young men stood in front of them as he freed himself from last costumer.

''Hello ladies. How may I help you?''

''What kind of grain seeds and flours does this store have? What else do you sell?'' Kyra at first wanted to know what they sold.

''From grains, we have corn, wheat, rice, rye, barley, sorghum, millet and all kinds of beans. We have as well olive, almond, sunflower, sesame, soya and linen oil. From simple seasonings, we have salt, sugar and bean paste. We have many plant seeds like potatoes, sweet potatoes, then all vegetable seeds you need or want.'' he calmly recounted the whole list. '' The prices are bronze coins per jin. Rice 1 jin-5 coins, wheat 10, corn 7, rye, barley, sorghum and millet are 5 per jin. All beans are the same price 5 per jin. Potatoe seeds are 1 bronze coin per seed. Both normal and sweet. Vegetable seeds are 10 bronze coins for 20 seeds. Oil is 8 coins per sheng. Salt is 4 coins per jin, sugar is 30 coins per jin and bean paste is 7 coins per jin. The flours are one coin more than seed price. Please make order.'' He then stood quietly as tehy recounted.

''We don't need that much right?'' Anna understood now that they really needed money, but saw Kyra smiling.

''Would you let me buy?'' Seeing Anna's nod she looked at waiting man.

''Let's start with basics. Give me 50 jin rice for cooking. Give me 10 jin of wheat flour. 20 jin of beans. 10 jin of salt. Five shengs of sunflower oil and five of almond oil. Give me 50 seeds of potatoes and 20 of sweet potatoes. Five jin sugar please and for today its enough.''

He nodded and wanted to leave but Kyra stopped him. ''Could we come back later? We will come with the carriage.''

He smiled lightly. ''Yes. You will get a receipt for all this. Come please to our manager.''

The girls smiled back at him and followed his lead. On back of the store sat an older man and wrote receipts. He just picked up his head and expressionlessly looked ta girls.

''Sir here is the list of things these girls ordered, could you give us receipt so we can move it to the warehouse until later?'' the young man showed quite fear and respect toward teh sitting man.

The only thing he did was just nod head and then wrote everything they ordered. He took out the box a heavy object and pressed it on the paper and then gave it to them. ''If possible take your goods until evening. We close the store by sunset.''

''We understand.'' Said Anna while emptying the whole bag with money.

He counted it and then nodded. ''We hope to see you again.''

But Kyra had a question. ''Sir, may I ask just one tiny question. Are there many different kinds of rice?''

He nodded. ''Yes. But here in store, we sell only the best rice we can buy in our country. If you by chance don't buy in our store, be just careful and sit next to the trader as they measure your bags. They will or give you bad rice or the amount will be... oh well.''

Kyra nodded in understanding. ''Thank you sir for your advice. We shall be back.''

Even if he seemed a bit cold he was kind enough to warn them at the possible outcome.

The girls put the paper receipt in Anna's empty bag and saw something they needed. Cloth store.

The dream of any normal girl... But the problem is, these two are not normal... at all.