“Dear Martina, how could a few cabinets and stools exchange for all the wine in your house?”
Ye Tang gently supported Martina and stuffed the key back into her hand. Martina panicked, almost thinking that Ye Tang was going back on her word.
She truly did not want her husband to continue his “business” any longer. If her husband kept stubbornly persisting, the entire family would be dragged down by his “business”! For now, she could still take on some jobs helping other households with farm work and laundry to subsidize the family. But her eyes had already developed problems. At night, she could no longer see anything. She did not know if one day she would wake up unable to see even the morning light, becoming completely blind.
Exchanging minimal money for maximal goods was not Ye Tang’s goal. The original host had entered Old Otto’s wine cellar, and the amount of stored wine inside was extraordinary, including no small number of fine brews aged over thirty years, along with a small winemaking workshop. If this extremely valuable wine cellar fell completely into Ye Tang’s hands, that would truly be trouble for her.
“What I mean is, Martina, you should select more wooden items from me. I will also take an equivalent amount of wine based on the value of the wooden items.”
“Mr. Otto’s wine cellar is the life’s work of his passion. Handing over his wine cellar so easily is equivalent to negating his entire life.”
Old Otto did not even have the energy to argue with his wife. Hearing Ye Tang speak up for him, a flicker appeared in his eyes, with hints of tears.
“Mr. Otto, please do not forget the reason you persisted. Your initial reason for brewing wine might have simply been to have a good drink for yourself, but over these many years, have you not tirelessly tended the grape fields and brewed wine to prove to your family that your idea was right, that wine could indeed make the family wealthy?”
“Please care more for Martina, who is right before your eyes, and for the children who are no longer by your side. Prioritize the feelings of Martina and the children, and only then think about the wine. Otherwise, your wine will not bring happiness to anyone.”
Martina burst into tears, and Old Otto hugged his wife’s shoulders, tears flowing from his eyes as well. The two heard Ye Tang say, “Please do not easily abandon the business you have run for a lifetime. I will also help with the wine matter.”
“Mary—”
The golden-haired, blue-eyed woman not only had wings growing from her back, but seemed to have a halo above her head as well. It was unbelievable that Ye Tang would repay kindness with ingratitude. Both Martina and Old Otto looked at Ye Tang with completely different gazes.
Xiu watched thoughtfully from the side, and Lang was somewhat moved. Ben and the twins still did not quite understand human affairs and were startled into bristling by the sudden outbursts from Martina and Old Otto.
At this moving moment, Ye Tang pulled out a sheet of parchment rolled into a tube and stuffed into a coarse cloth bag from her waist.
“Mr. Otto, Martina, would the two of you like to sign a contract with me?”
Looking at the contents written on the parchment, Lang felt his emotion gulp down by Ye Tang with a wolfish swallow—in moments when people’s emotions were fragile, pulling out a contract was something only a crafty merchant would do.
Old Otto and Martina were illiterate, recognizing only the Arabic numerals from 0 to 9. The two exchanged a glance, both wearing puzzled expressions.
And so Ye Tang began explaining line by line to the two: “Here it is written, the types and quantities of wooden items I will use to exchange for wine, and here are the vintages and quantities of wine the two of you will exchange for my wooden items. As the two of you know, storage has a great impact on the flavor of wine, and my home has no suitable place to store wine. So I hope the wine I exchange for with wooden items can be temporarily stored in your wine cellar.”
“If the two of you approve of this contract, please sign here, then press your handprints.”
Old Otto was still somewhat hesitant, but Martina unhesitatingly snatched the parchment and hurriedly entered the house. Her daughter who had married into the town was literate and had taught her how to write her own name. She was willing to believe Mary!—Even if she was tricked by Mary, it did not matter! Otto’s wine cellar and his “business” were the nightmare of their family! The farther she stayed from this nightmare, the happier she would be!
After Martina signed, Old Otto could only go along with his wife’s wishes. Ye Tang had Lang take his younger brother and sisters to stay and move the wooden items that the Otto couple had selected into the Otto couple’s house, while she herself took the signed contract to the Old Village Head’s home.
The Old Village Head was both surprised and somewhat delighted to see Ye Tang. Ever since he had retired from the position of village head, few people in the village sought him out for matters.
He knew a little that his granddaughter Ginny disliked Mary, but he himself held no prejudice against Mary or her mother Eva.
“Mr. Morgan, please witness this contract for us.”
“Heh heh, just call me Uncle Morgan like before.”
The Old Village Head smilingly fetched a candle, spoon, and small knife. He cut off a small segment of candle, placed it in the spoon, and heated it with a lit candle until it was half-melted. The Old Village Head quickly dripped a pool of brownish wax onto the signatures and handprints of the Otto couple, then took the steel seal symbolizing the village head from his waist and firmly pressed it into the wax.
The wax solidified in short order. The Old Village Head’s steel seal appeared perfectly on it. Nodding in satisfaction, the Old Village Head returned the contract to Ye Tang.
“Thank you! Uncle Morgan!”
Ye Tang hugged the Old Village Head.
She now had everything ready, only lacking the east wind.
When would the east wind come? Probably in a few days, arriving by carriage.
The work of moving the wooden items could not be left to her still young brother and sisters. Lang shouldered a cabinet on his left shoulder and carried a stool in his right hand. Even with his extraordinary werewolf physique, after going in and out repeatedly, he began to sweat.
Xiu could not bear to watch any longer and silently helped his brother lift a chair, walking to his brother’s side.
This silent support softened Lang’s expression. He very much wanted to ruffle his brother’s head—for his brother, who harbored hatred toward humans, helping humans move things must have been a great humiliation. But he was willing to help for the sake of their family; that was truly remarkable.
Martina, who had initially been somewhat afraid of Lang’s family, stared in a daze at the warm, wordless scene of affection between Lang and Xiu.
Did wild beasts have family bonds too? Such soft gazes were rare even among humans…
The twins were at the age of curiosity about everything. The two ran to Old Otto’s side and curiously examined Old Otto’s red nose. In the fairy tales they had heard, only reindeer had red noses.
Old Otto staggered in fright. Lang, having set down the wooden items, quickly grabbed him with swift hands, preventing him from falling.
However, in the haste, suddenly being grabbed by a massive wolf claw, seeing the sharp nails on that claw, and then seeing the adult werewolf who had spoken reveal his sharp, enormous fangs in his mouth—this was far too stimulating for Old Otto. Old Otto let out a miserable scream and forcefully shook off Lang’s claw.
Watching Old Otto flail his arms and legs desperately to shake him off in an instant, something sank in Lang’s heart.
His heart felt like it had a hole punched in it. Cold wind blew through that hole, making an empty sound.
…Humans and “monsters” truly could not understand each other or live together, could they?
Because even if he harbored only goodwill toward humans, humans would not trust him.
“Good grief! How did I end up marrying such a timid husband?”
With superhuman arm strength, Martina yanked up her embarrassing husband and, hands on hips, nagged at Old Otto: “I really wish you could be this timid when facing the household account ledger!”
Old Otto’s face flushed red, and he was left stammering.
After nagging her husband, Martina turned back and gave Lang an apologetic look.
She did not exactly believe Lang’s family, who were not human… but another kind of people. It was just that when Mary interacted with these five non-human… other people, she did not see “them” as wild beasts.
She trusted Mary’s judgment and the facts she saw with her own eyes.
She believed that the werewolf before her harbored no malice.
“Moving things must be tiring, right? Come in and have a drink. Our house doesn’t have much else, but we do have plenty of sweet grape juice.”
Martina grinned in invitation. She dragged Old Otto into the house first, telling him to pick grapes while she prepared the tools for juicing.
Lang stood frozen in place. Martina’s simple, bold, and hearty smile lit up his vision and also blew away the gloom in his heart.
“Hm? Did something good happen? You look very happy.”
Ye Tang asked upon returning from the Old Village Head’s house. Lang hurriedly turned his head to the side: “No…”
“No what? No good thing happened? Or you’re not looking happy?”
Ye Tang teasingly pressed, forcing Lang to raise one arm to cover his face, which kept heating up.
“…Mrs. Otto invited us to drink grape juice.”
“Then let’s go drink some.”
Ye Tang unceremoniously walked ahead, loudly calling out: “Martina, is there a share of grape juice for me too?”
Lang grew even more awkward from Ye Tang’s shout. But he still stepped forward and entered the human dwelling.
Ben glanced at his eldest brother and Ye Tang ahead, then at his second brother Xiu beside him. He did not quite understand why Xiu’s expression looked so pained and conflicted, like his stomach hurt terribly.
The male villagers lurking downwind with shovels, hoes, hunting rifles, and ropes were even more baffled.
They had been farming in the fields that morning. At lunchtime, as they prepared to head home, they encountered Nora, whom Ginny had sent to deliver the message. Nora said that Ginny had seen a wolf enter the village—a demon giant wolf that walked on two legs and spoke human words. Ginny wanted all the men to arm themselves, return to the village to slaughter the wolf, and after informing the men of the wolf in the village, have Nora go find the hunter Old William living on the mountain.
Old William’s hunting skills were known to all. With him there, even if ten giant wolves were in the village, those ten giant wolves would all die under his arrows.
Thinking of the demon giant wolf harming their families, friends, and neighbors, the male villagers could not wait for Old William to arrive in the village and charged aggressively toward the supposed location of the giant wolf.
Who would have thought that what they saw and heard was two-legged giant wolves helping the Otto couple carry furniture, and the lady of the house, Martina, even inviting the giant wolves into her home for grape juice.
After Mary appeared, the scene grew even stranger. The two little wolf cubs ran behind her, their playful laughter spreading happily around. The largest giant wolf entered Old Otto’s house, then came back out, picked up the other big and small two wolf cubs by the scruffs of their necks, and brought the two cubs into the house as well.
“It’s sweet!”
“Tasty!”
The voices of little girls rang out in Old Otto’s backyard, followed by Martina’s booming laughter. Old Otto seemed in good spirits too and began to sing.
Mary egged someone on from the side to sing this song passed down from bards together with Old Otto. Soon, a beautiful baritone sounded. A slightly deep, magnetic, and faintly husky voice began to slowly sing like a love ballad the story of a beast who wanted to be friends with humans.
【Long, long ago, in a vast forest, there was a beast. He wanted to be friends with humans, so he learned the human language—】
【Finally one day, he met the first human. He asked the human: “Can we be friends?” The human said in disgust: “Get lost!”】
【The beast walked for a very, very long time and met many, many people. He asked everyone he met: “Can we be friends?” But the humans’ responses were always the same. “Get lost!” they said to him. The beast sadly shed tears. He was clearly “he,” not “it.”】
【The beast wanted to give up.】
【At that moment, a girl came walking toward him.】
【The beast thought, this was the opportunity fate had given itself; it should ask one last time.】
【“Can we be friends?”】
【“Sure, cute one,” the girl answered.】
“How could something that could sing such a song possibly be a beast?”
Old William, the hunter who had hurriedly arrived, shook his head and slung his bow back onto his back. He had come after hearing that a man-eating giant wolf was in the village.
“But…!”
The villagers tried to stop Old William.
“I don’t know who instilled in you the idea that you must shoot beastmen on sight. But I know that anyone who has such an idea definitely isn’t a good person.”
Beneath his white sword-like eyebrows was a pair of shrewd and sharp eyes. Old William made the villagers blocking the road step aside with just one glance.
“Use your heads and think about it properly. If this werewolf wanted to kill and eat people, it could have completely snuck into the village under cover of night. What need was there to make such a grand show of chatting and laughing with humans?”