After that, I tried to pull Lina's hands off me again, but this time I watched her face, thinking there might be some reaction. When I pulled hard, her expression turned pained; but the moment I let go, it changed back to one of bliss. I found it so interesting that I tried again.
Still, I couldn't pull free from Lina's embrace. She shouldn't have that much strength… I had planned to get up and wake her, but now I could only lie down and call to her. I grabbed Lina's shoulder.
"Lina, it's morning. Wake up."
I gently shook her, but Lina didn't respond, so I kept calling her.
"Hey~ it's morning, come on, get up."
"Mm~ I don't wanna get up."
She's actually whining and refusing to get up! And hugging me even tighter! Calm down, me! I need to free my left arm—no way I'm letting her keep lazing around.
I placed my hand on her forehead and rubbed it a little—it should help her wake up. As long as she opens her eyes, that's enough.
"Mm~"
With a stretching sound, Lina slowly opened her eyes, and for a few seconds, we just stared at each other. Then suddenly she released my hand, turned around quickly, and faced away from me. Guess she's awake now.
"You awake?"
"…Yeah, I'm awake."
I got out of bed, put on my shoes, and opened the window. Since it faced west, I couldn't see the sun, but sunlight was already spreading across the land. Turning back, I saw Lina sitting on the bed looking at me, her face slightly red.
"Lina, morning."
"Morning, Karen."
"Come on, let's wash our faces."
"Mm."
After washing up, we started making breakfast. I had Lina fry eggs—they should be easy enough—and I cooked rice and soup.
Once everything was done, we started eating. I took a bite of rice first, then said to Lina:
"Your rice tastes better than mine."
For some reason, Lina's rice always tasted better—it had a rich aroma—while mine was a bit dry.
"Really!?"
Lina froze mid-bite, clearly overjoyed.
"Really. I'd love to eat your rice every day."
It was true—I was seriously considering giving up cooking rice myself and letting Lina handle it from now on.
"…Thank you."
Lina lowered her head, fidgeting shyly as she thanked me.
Next, I cut a small piece of fried egg and ate it—another new taste. I quickly drank a sip of soup, and the Unflavor seemed to fade a lot.
Then I tried eating rice and egg together, followed by some soup—the weird Unflavor completely disappeared. I couldn't taste much of anything, but it made me realize something.
(If the Unflavor got covered up, doesn't that mean Lina's improving?)
I nodded to myself in satisfaction. I really hadn't expected it to work this well—Lina was improving fast.
After that, I finished eating, but Lina hadn't yet, so I went to get another bowl of soup. On the way back, I saw she'd finished eating, so I asked:
"Lina, do you want more soup?"
"Yes."
So I handed her the bowl I'd already filled and took her empty one instead—no need to make her wait.
"This one's for you, give me yours."
"Mm."
Since only the soup base was left in the pot, I just drank it where I stood. Then I put my dishes into the basin and turned back to Lina. I didn't sit down again, but said:
"Lina, I'm heading out to work now."
Lina was drinking soup, but when she heard me, she put her bowl down—and what I saw next was shocking. Her cheeks were puffed up—she hadn't swallowed yet.
Honestly, only kids should make that kind of puffy-cheek face. If an adult did it, they'd look like they were begging for a flick on the forehead. But when someone cute does it, it's adorable no matter their age.
After swallowing the soup, Lina's mouth went back to normal. She smiled softly and said to me:
"Mm, do your best."
"You too."
I replied with a smile, then stepped outside to start another day's work.
After leaving the house, I first took two buckets and went to the farmland to fetch water, then walked toward the ranch.
On the way to the ranch, I passed in front of the house. I glanced over to see what Lina was up to.
I saw a shiny white object hiding behind the door, peeking out quietly. I stopped and looked.
(It must be Lina. After all, she's the brightest thing here.)
Knowing what it was, I ignored it and continued toward the ranch.
At the ranch, I poured all the water from the buckets into the trough, then returned to the farmland to fetch more water. The trough was quite large, so I had to make several trips.
Once the trough was full, I also put straw into the cows' feeding trough. Then I went into the chicken coop to scatter feed and collect fresh eggs.
After collecting the eggs, I picked up a shovel, ready to clean the cow and chicken manure. I stood in front of a pile of cow dung.
"Smells awful."
It was indeed stinky, but useful for making organic fertilizer. I separated the cow dung and chicken manure into jars, and adds something, then after a few days, the fertilizer would be ready.
After putting the eggs in the storage room, I returned to the farmland to start the most exhausting work.
"So hot."
It was nearly noon, and the sun made my skin burn. Sweat poured down my back, and I felt like I was going to faint. The farmland was only halfway watered, but I couldn't hold on, so I ran to a tree to rest in its shade.
Sitting under the tree, I regained some energy and looked up at the cloudless sky, letting out a deep sigh.
"Hey~~, at least give me some wind."
No clouds were fine, but no wind was unbearable. Then I suddenly remembered straw hat. I got up and ran to another house to get it, avoiding going back home so I wouldn't disturb Lina.
After searching left and right, I finally found a big straw hat. I put it on, but my head was too small, and the hat could be blown away by the wind at any time. I tied the string tightly to fit my head, which made my chin hurt.
I returned to the farmland to continue my work. Thanks to the hat, it was less hot than before, but I was exhausted and my body ached. Still, I worked hard and finished watering the entire farmland.
"I'm dying…"
Exhausted, I sat by the irrigation ditch, tested the water temperature, and put my feet in.
"Ah~~ so good~~"
Soaking my feet in cool water under the scorching sun was like coming home after a long day's work to a cold beer. Although I hadn't experienced it before, that was exactly how it felt now.
I took out my vocabulary list from my pocket to memorize some words. Lunch time hadn't arrived yet—or so I thought.
"Karen!"
I turned and saw Lina waving as she walked toward me. The temptation of the cold water made me reluctant to get up, so I stayed still and watched her approach. When she got close, I patted the ground beside me, signaling her to sit.
"Lina, come sit next to me."
"Huh?"
Though Lina didn't understand my intention, she sat down anyway.
"Put your feet in the water."
Good things are meant to be shared, and free ones at that. Lina followed my instructions, dipping her feet into the water.
"Ah~~ so refreshing."
Lina looked happy, kicking her feet and splashing water everywhere. I then placed my straw hat on her head.
"?"
Lina looked puzzled, so I quickly explained.
"You didn't bring a hat. Your skin will get tanned."
When Lina walked over, she had been fully exposed to the sun. The sky was still cloudless, and it was almost noon—the sun was strongest. I didn't want her fair skin to get tanned.
"But if you give me the hat, you'll get tanned too."
Lina was concerned about my skin as well, but I thought hers needed protection more. If I tried to argue further, she wouldn't accept it, so I ended the topic.
"It's fine. I'll find another hat later."
Lina accepted my explanation. But why did she come to find me? Was it lunchtime already?
"Lina, did you come here for something?"
"Ah, I forgot! I came to tell you lunch is ready."
So it was already noon.
"Alright, let's go back."
Food was important, and the hard work had made me hungry.
Lina and I took our feet out of the water and stood up. Most of the water dripped to the ground, leaving just a small amount on our legs. Under the sun, it quickly evaporated.