At the crack of dawn, Clara was still in the backyard doing her morning exercises when Adam and Ben grabbed their bamboo baskets and dashed out the door.
Chad and Deb were left behind in the house, screeching in protest. Their older brothers had snuck out without them, and Deb was so mad her little cheeks puffed up like steamed buns. Pouting hard, she sulked all day.
Clara reached out and tapped her nose. "Tsk, you could hang an oil jar on that lip."
The little girl let out a mock howl and tried to bite Clara's hand. When she missed, she clung to Clara's arm and pleaded, "Don't talk to Adam and Ben tonight!"
"Why?" Clara asked, feigning ignorance.
"They didn't take me and Chad along to play!" Deb huffed, arms crossed.
Clara looked at her puffed-up expression, then glanced over at Chad who was sitting on the doorstep, staring wistfully in the direction of the village's eastern hill, his little face full of longing. She nodded solemnly. "Alright then, we won't play with them. We'll go to town by ourselves. How about that?"
Chad's head whipped around, eyes lighting up like sparks in a stove.
Deb blinked in disbelief. "Really? Mama, are you really taking us to town?"
Clara nodded. The sky was still early blue; most families had just finished breakfast. There was plenty of time left in the day. If they rode into town now, they could be back by dusk.
The carriage compartment she had ordered, as well as the tiger head specimen Manager Fan helped her acquire, were ready. She needed to pick them up.
And while she was in town, she could stock up on household supplies. The weather was only going to get colder, and it was best not to go out if it could be helped.
It was called "winter hibernation" for a reason—Hiding was the only way to survive winter properly.
The surprise came so suddenly that Chad and Deb scrambled to get dressed at Clara's urging. They needed to bundle up or they'd freeze along the way.
Clara also readied a thin quilt to wrap them in for warmth. On the return trip, the wagon compartment would offer shelter, and a quilt laid out inside would make things more comfortable.
The two after-sales apprentices staying at Clara's house had already left early for the watermill workshop. Clara saddled Old Yeller, locked up the house, lifted the twins onto the horse's back, and led the horse toward the mill to hand over the house keys and leave instructions.
Once done, she mounted up, spread the quilt over the two giddy little ones in front of her, tugged the reins, and shouted, "Hyah!"
Old Yeller, cooped up for days, bolted forward with a burst of enthusiasm.
The sudden speed startled the kids into shrieking.
Clara pulled up the scarf around her neck, covering her face and hiding the grin at the corners of her lips.
The three of them galloped all the way into Willowridge County Town. Chad and Deb, already excited when they set out, were even more thrilled now.
Clara glanced down at the two rosy faces poking out from the quilt. Their big, grape-dark eyes stared at her, still craving more thrills.
"Your butts not sore from all the bumping?" Clara teased.
The twins shook their heads hard, almost shouting, "More, more!"
Chuckling, Clara told them to sit tight, dismounted, and led the horse through the city gate.
When they reached the carriage yard, she lifted the short-legged siblings down—one on each side—and walked with them to the carpenter's shop.
Sure enough, the carriage compartment was ready. It was made of solid wood and quite heavy.
While the adults talked business, Chad used the chance to sneak a hand out and tried lifting one edge of the compartment. He used every ounce of strength, even let out a grunt to cheer himself on, but the thing didn't budge.
Deb watched wide-eyed, curious, and joined him. Both of them tried their hardest—but the carriage remained unmoved.
They thought their antics went unnoticed, but the adults had seen it all. No one said a word, just found it amusing and endearing.
Clara finalized the deal with the shopkeeper, and a young apprentice helped haul the compartment to the city gate and install it on the carriage.
Old Yeller was visibly uncomfortable, stamping his hooves in agitation at the added burden. But after some coaxing from Clara, he finally calmed down and let the apprentice finish mounting the frame.
Clara looked at the brand-new wagon and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
Once the apprentice left, Clara brought Chad and Deb into the carriage to try it out. The interior was compact, just under two square meters.
Three sides had seats. The back seat was fixed and had storage space underneath. The side benches could be folded up and latched against the walls, freeing up room inside.
If more people needed to ride, they could spread out a mat and sit cross-legged.
In the middle was a small, fixed storage table that Clara had specially requested.
Like the side benches, the table could fold down. When collapsed, it only rose five centimeters off the floor—still leaving a flat surface. When upright, it became a square table about thirty centimeters wide. The tabletop opened to reveal a compartment for small items.
The carpenter even gifted her a small stand for a coal stove. It was ventilated with openwork carvings to allow heat to escape and keep the fire safe.
The more Clara looked at it, the more she loved it. She folded down the side benches and table, then lay flat on the floor. Counting the space between the front bench and the shaft, it was just long enough for one adult to lie down.
"Chad, Deb, what do you think? Like it?" Clara asked with a smile.
The twins rolled around on the quilt-padded floor and nodded excitedly. "Mm-hmm!" They loved it!
When Clara mentioned they'd use this wagon to send their older brothers to school next year, Deb's eyes lit up with envy. She clutched her mother's arm and sighed like a little adult. "Why can't I go to school too?"
Clara's smile faltered for a second.
Yes… why couldn't girls take the imperial exams?
She coughed twice to change the subject. "Let's go get the tiger head, hmm? Weren't you both excited to see it?"
Kids had short attention spans. Deb immediately perked up, grabbed her brother's hand, and followed Clara to pick up the tiger head.
Clara didn't know what to expect from a taxidermy specimen in this era and wasn't hoping for much.
But Manager Fan gave her a surprise.
The tiger head looked just as it did when she handed it to him—lifelike, fierce, and almost too real. It looked less like a specimen and more like a freshly severed head.
Only the cut where the neck was severed had been sealed with a special wax. A wooden base had been added so it could stand upright on a flat surface.
Chad and Deb had never seen anything so big—its head was larger than both of theirs combined. They were shocked and scared, hiding behind Clara.
Clara encouraged them to touch it. Chad shook his head so hard it nearly came off, on the verge of tears.
Deb was slightly braver, but only dared to peek. No touching.
Manager Fan, ever the mischievous sort, deliberately made a noise, startling Deb so badly she jumped behind Clara and pressed her face into her mother's backside, trembling.
Clara gave Manager Fan a glare. He rubbed his nose sheepishly. "I'll get you a sack for it—don't want to frighten the townsfolk on your way home."
Still, before turning away, he couldn't help but ask, "You really don't want to sell it? I've got people offering a good price. Sure you don't want to reconsider?"
Clara's face was firm. "Not for sale."
Manager Fan sighed. "Alright then."
(End of Chapter)
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