New World with Four Husbands
Chapter 38: Shocked by age

Chapter 38: Shocked by age

"I’m going out now." Coco said, her voice ringing out inside the shop to alert the married couple of her departure, "Thank you for your service today! The two of you did an amazing job!"

"Thank you as well, Mrs. Hughes! Oh, and take this please!" Jacques exclaimed, rushing to her side with a small sack where her husband put the ham of the flying pig and a small pouch in her other hand.

"What’s in this one?" Coco asked, taking the sack from Jacques and the pouch.

"It’s a fenugreek powder." Jacques smiled at Coco, "Its benefits relate to digestion. I highly recommend drinking it as a tea after your meal."

"Oh." Coco blinked and was silent for a moment, which made Jacques shift in her spot, scared that she may have crossed the line on her first day, but Coco smiled, easing all her worries.

"Thanks, I didn’t know you’re knowledgeable with this kind of thing. Did you grow this fenugreek yourself?" Coco asked, tilting her head slightly as she put the pouch inside of her pocket.

Jacques nodded her head with the previous pretty smile on her face returning, "Yes. I grow herbs in our house and I sell them occasionally if people need it."

"That’s actually smart and nice." Coco murmured, her voice quiet and small.

"Are you going to grow herbs, too, Coco?" The garden fairy asked, settling herself on Coco’s shoulder and patting Coco on the cheek, "I can grow them for you if you want."

"Anyways, I’ll be going now." Instead of answering the fairy, Coco perked up and smiled at Jacques, "Thank you, again, for the fenugreek. I really appreciate it."

"Have a safe trip." Jacques said as she returned the smile wholeheartedly.

Coco opened the door, struggling a bit as she did so, and walked out of the butcher shop with the sack of ham in her right hand and the bag of money slung around her waist, the sound of coins clinking resonating in the air.

"Close the door, please! Thanks!" Coco called out, rushing out of the shop and making her way towards the old man whom she bought some things for the equivalent of one gold coin.

She heard the door closing behind her as she walked away, the soft click of the lock reaching her ears.

"How much did we earn today, Coco?" Lala asked, now that they’re out of the shop and there aren’t that many people on the street with the sky as dark as it can be, people won’t be able to see if Coco responds to her.

It seems like Coco thought the same thing because she answered the garden fairy this time, her voice low and small, just in case people go near her and hear her.

"Thirty five gold coins, but I gave the ten coins to Renaldo and his wife so it’s just twenty five coins now." Coco hummed out, her eyes staring at the path ahead of her to avoid herself getting tripped over nothing.

"Why would you give them that much? I feel sad now." Lala puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, digging her heels on Coco’s shoulders to stop herself from falling.

"I don’t know how to butcher meat or cut them proportionally, but Renaldo can. I also can’t tell if they’re exactly a kilo or two just by lifting them up, but Jacques can." Coco said with a look of admiration on her face, "They can, but I can’t, which means they’re both valuable."

"Valuable?" Lala asked, curiosity streaming through her veins, even though she’s upset, she’s still curious by what Coco meant.

"Yes." Coco nodded her head and smiled, "Valuable people need to be paid for their labor. Renaldo butcher anything and everything I will give him while Jacques will work on selling them— they’re valuable because of their skill."

Lala’s eyebrows furrowed and puffed her cheeks out, "I don’t get it.."

"Well.. Take your sister, Lulu, and your brother, Kiki, as an example. They’re both a fairy with their own specialty, right?" Coco decided to use Lala’s siblings as an example to make her understand and Lala nodded her head to answer her question.

"However, your specialty is different from theirs." Coco pointed out the obvious, "If you were to hire and pay your sister, Lulu, to do something she’s specialized in, that means that she’s a valuable person in the business."

The garden fairy blinked rapidly, "But we don’t pay each other to help us."

"Yes, well, this world is different from yours." Coco chuckled out and perked up when she saw the old man’s store in the distance, "Looks like we’re here."

As soon as she said that, the old man saw her and waved his hand with clear enthusiasm in her way, "Child!"

The old man called out to her, making the passerby look at his way with mild curiosity. When they saw that he was calling out to the village trash, all of them started whispering to each other.

"Old man." Coco greeted him with a small, polite smile.

The old man was happy and excited when he was waving her over, however, since she called him with an offending name, he couldn’t stop his face from scrunching up in disdain and disgust.

"Old man? Who are you calling old man, child?! I’m still young! Call me Josh! I can’t believe you’ll call someone as young as me an old man.. The nerve of you, child!" The old man was fuming, his face flushed with irritation and offense.

"You’re young?" Coco asked, genuinely confused and curious, "How old are you?"

"I am young." The old man huffed and glared at her, "I’m only a hundred and forty three so stop calling me an old man."

What the fuck..? Coco’s eyes went wide.

People barely reach a hundred years old on Earth, but the old man in front of her just told her that he’s way past a hundred years old.

How in the world..?!