Russ came to visit the next morning sporting a rather prominent black eye, sealed to the point that he could barely peek through the swelling and Leon felt aggrieved for him.
"Your d-d-dad?" He wondered whether to rummage around in his pouch for a blood pill, eventually deciding to do so later and more discreetly as he also noticed the other boy was having difficulties getting about.
"It's no' so bad," Russ lied as he tried not to limb over to his friend.
Leo and Jin Li had made plans to head to town to purchase some things for his grandfather's home and also to help the old man get by this winter. There was also the new year to celebrate. Leonard could cook basic things, but around this time, most villager would eat more festive foods. Those with chickens would find people asking if they could exchange sweet potatoes or herbs for eggs and those with pigs would find people asking if they could spare a trotter or snout from their annual feast in exchange for dried peppers or pickles. Leonard usually relied on the spare bronze he'd saved all year round and most of the villagers accommodated him, selling him dumplings and meat filled steamed buns, pickles and eggs for his and Leo's New Year's Day. After all, he was a man of letters and to be respected. In turn, they'd give a few of these bronze coins in red envelopes to the children under ten in their families as a new year's gift.
Russ had appeared at the wall of the courtyard as Jin Li saddled Wu Ye. Wu Ye was just about big enough to ride and it was more than strong enough to carry it's human and the other one, just that Jin Li did not like to ride it anymore than Wu Ye liked to carry others. Their tactic understanding had them working side by side to hunt and ignoring each other at most other times. However, it was a good couple of hours to ride to town in a carriage, let alone walk by foot. Jin Li had no trouble with it, but his small alchemist could be inconveniently weak at times.
"D-did he st-st-steal all of your earnings?" Leon's memory on something's were much more clear now. Things that involved his grandfather and Russ were more easily remembered, with his aunt as well, but those memories with her mostly involved matters he didn't care to recall.
Russ glanced over his shoulder before leaning forward to whisper; "I managed t' keep some from him. I give it to me ma." He grinned brightly and Leon couldn't help but return the smile, not noticing an increasingly darkened expression behind him. "What are ye up to?"
"G-going to town," Leon replied. "Wanted t-t-to b-buy some supplies."
"Eh, I'll go with ye!" Russ declared and shivered thinking he needed another layer of clothing, the temperature was definitely lower than yesterday. "Me sister's and me ma go' some cold growin' herbs t' sell and I need t' buy flour and oil. Grandma didna think our lo' needed i' seein' as I were away."
Leon frowned; "Not even for your d-d-dad?"
"Ye know tha' big aunt is me grandma's favourite," Russ scratched his scruffy hair as he spoke. Leon nodded, that woman had given birth to two sons, no daughters and was also the wife of Russ' eldest uncle. "So big aunt cooks for grandma and me da' and uncles an' by doin' so gets the best stuff for her sons and sneaks a bi' for herself. So grandma gives her mos' of th' oil and flour and tha' while me other aunts and me ma can only ge' a wee bi'."
"Based on n-number of g-grandsons?" Leon guessed with a heavy sigh. He felt it was really strange when a woman suppressed other women in favour of the males in her family. She had once been in their position after all, why insist on hurting them so? He shook his head. Everyone had family members who were not nice people, but if he had to choose, he'd suffer his horrible aunt who lived in another household than Russ' biased grandmother who made his mother and sisters suffer under her roof so badly.
"Aye!" Russ said without a shadow of defence in the old woman's favour. "I'll go saddle up Bol' then we can ge' goin'!"
Leon nodded and watched as his friend half ran, half limped away. Two fingers pinched his chin and forced his head to turn around. Leon found himself glancing up at a very unhappy lover. "W-what's the m-matter?" Leon asked completely oblivious.
"Why are we waiting for him?" He demanded to know, sullenly.
"Is it th-that m-much of a p-problem?" Leon questioned, still confused.
"This Lord expects you to make up for it later," Jin Li told him and finished dealing with Wu Ye's saddle, leaving Leon feeling as if he had missed something.
*****
Bol' or Bolt was an ugly looking, wall-eyed donkey that belonged to Russ' second uncle. This uncle was a mild mannered man, who while did not agree with his mother's ideas, (mainly as he also had three daughters and not yet any sons thus his household didn't receive much from the family pot) was also not the sort of man to stand up to his oppressive mother. He owned the donkey and a small wagon and would earn money by taking villagers or herbs and other things to and from the village. But it was winter and there was less demand, so he currently only travelled once or twice a week now rather than every day, so he was fine lending his nephew the wagon and the donkey for the day.
It was naturally not Wu Ye's opponent when it came to speed, so the beast, which was carrying a small alchemist on its back, was a bit cross that it could not stretch its legs and had to actually wait for the inferior creature. Li Ming, on the other hand, didn't really care and curled up in the wagon base in amongst the small sacks of herbs, to nap for a bit.
On the way, Leon passed Russ a blood pill which would heal his inner injuries, such as the majority of the bruising. Any surface wounds, cut and scraps, would remain, so no one would think that Russ hadn't taken a nasty beating, but Russ would no longer be in pain nor limp from it. Russ took it, more out of good will than thinking that it would be of use. Naturally, he trusted his best friend, but he didn't understand much about medicine. Despite the beatings over the years, he never got sick and although his sisters had once or twice, their old grandmother never spent the money on medicine for them. He was very surprised when his eye opened, the swelling practically gone and the aches and pains eased until he no longer felt them. It made him even more certain that that he was right to make that agreement with Leo in the past! He talk to him about it later, when they returned home.
While Russ went about his business, Leon bought some dried meat, potatoes and pickles to increase the food stores at home. Next was candles, soap, salt and oil as well as a small lump of ink. He then found a store selling cheap hides, such as oxen and bison. Many people raised these animals for milk and heavy chores, their fur was a bit on the rough side, so their hides were not as valuable as some wild animals and much less than wild beasts. Leon bought four that were reasonable in size and quality, thinking of the warmth they'd provide at night for him and his grandfather. It would be nicer to have a duvet, but these tended to be filled with feathers or wool and sewn by the women of the house, it was not so easy to find one for purchase. Leon definitely could not sew.
Lastly, he purchased a new broom and two sets of plain, but new, hemp clothing for his old grandfather as well as a cloak and boots. He suspected the old man would attempt to refuse him so much new clothing, so he would gift them for new year, when it was considered inauspicious to reject. People believed doing so was not a good sign when ushering in a fresh year. Jin Li suggested that they split the packages into two, with himself gifting the cloak and boots in order to further give the old man less reason to refuse the good intentions. Leon agreed that it was a good idea.
With their purchases tucked away, they waited on Russ, who rushed over with the oil and flour he had bought and the three began to make their way back to the village. They entered Herb village just as the sun was a couple incense worth of time above the horizon and the houses were darkened by the long shadows of their neighbours. "Leo," Russ began as they reached Leon's grandfather's home. Li Ming jumped down from the wagon bed and rushed over to Wu Ye's side. "D' ye remember the promise we made before ye wen' away?"