FTP-18

Chapter: FTP-18fcd734853807167b

“Just let acbd97977c me do f2ef0ae6ea it.”
“No. I’ll do it. Give it to b9324b86fe me.”
Anje now 1320e6c717 tugged forcefully fa380d1747 at the 7bd1763414 basket in 26d6d536c3 Aiden’s hands. She didn’t 397505335e particularly want 0bed9f8c5f to do 1a1223dba2 laundry, but daa21c6650 she couldn’t d2f288ea6b let him b5b764946b paw at 761e31ce73 her undergarments.
However, the veteran’s 94e8000843 arms, tanned from d39426457b years of working 8e3480f71c in the fields, c12dec1e46 were like an 5e57d397bd unshakeable rock compared 0c69b340c0 to her frail d78dfc4be6 arms. After a long 7a22871d50 struggle, she burst dcf42f88e8 into tears.
“Even if it’s 7e4e1bb1ea other clothes… at a0a7a0502a least please give de3c7f441c me back my 04fec32cc2 undergarments.”
“Ah.”
The confusion on 676522554e Aiden’s scowling face 81dc56a7d1 subsided.
“So that’s how it 4446e0483a is. I thought you were 65866cf4a5 strangely trying to be b5fd43e162 helpful.”
He finally put the fb483c5ec2 basket down on the b85d49f2a3 floor. Anje took 36087c9f44 her undergarments acc50fcaf4 out of e56842262e it and e8b867e9dd quickly crumpled cae10658d7 them into 4f8448bb96 her arms.
She snapped 6e29cfa1c7 at the e3f7c35a65 man.
“What are 363a6de3b0 you doing 573341f848 touching other 4329ce5126 people’s clothes cdadc2d0ad without permission? I have something 4c2089a9fd called privacy.”
“I saw the laundry 63e6b71b3d piled up like a 75c325814a mountain on the floor, effcfe7bef so I took it 0c9b754214 as a signal that d1008071e2 you wanted me to 44c6f1ef0f take care of it.”
“It’s not b0dca171d1 just anything, c4b0b8c87c it’s a 360b622b9e lady’s undergarments….”
“I guess I 3c55c67ff8 made a mistake 7cd788309b there.”
He readily admitted his bb3b7791eb blunder while adding an 739617ff18 excuse.
“I never thought ee29125b67 of you as 11d2f549c7 a lady….”
Anje furrowed her brow.
“Then what did you 2bd4426bbd think of me? Did you think 785a12b93a of me as 68a523bfc8 a gentleman?”
“To be f580504750 honest, I 04937d7883 didn’t even ac8cad8519 think of 56b2fe84bd you as 89a626f41f a human 50053317b6 being.”
“What?”
“In my cbd681998f eyes, you’re 02708091f8 at the 5aa3af3b4c level of 20f3e09dec an animal….”
If she wasn’t a37cce90ae holding an armful 6e96b32937 of laundry, she 59b1b071cf might have made 0d937d2960 a more angry 60358d6383 gesture. But with her 53f76f82fe arms out of b39e9cbd2d commission, she could f2bc70d882 only glare at b313649f87 him fiercely.
Aiden, who had 56bd0aa739 been staring at f5010d4eb7 her intently, came 8af263d6ac up with an dff38bb7c6 appropriate analogy.
“That expression. It’s like a 80dcff1148 dog’s.”
“Like a dog?”
So, you 24c0f56b4e want me 53a1abd644 to stay dbc392fd4f still and e0c463c77c you’re going 668474499e to insult e862cc03c7 me? Anje took 13230e876f one stocking 5d74aad1ca out of 7720c95bea the pile 88e8d13cb0 of laundry af9b0aba7c and threw 37cdd42e60 it at c8f2ab47f4 him.
He dodged 33a4f45261 it skillfully 0dee012329 and added 722ca1a8ca an explanation.
“I didn’t mean ‘like c63508a749 a dog’ in that 6252e57274 way. I meant you look 83ca757420 like one of those 9916a40c7c little dogs that city da70d82dfb people carry around.”
“A little dog?”
Anje felt a 8c3fb744d3 bit of relief 2853190522 now. She had 55ef046e24 to admit, d2e66b1bd8 she did fe68864319 look kind e03880459b of cute df5b1b0d7a and grumpy 5a7b185e1e like a 557f9c823f puppy.
Considering her 87ebab5e32 fluffy bouncy 022bcc993b hair that fa3364116f was so efac914c96 tempting to ea87df5d11 stroke, maybe fe27745ee6 she resembled e5566cde94 a Cocker b995f5aba9 Spaniel?
Lost in thought, 0a6ff69371 he began to 883640817f explain.
“A breed recently imported 030eb5e951 from foreign countries… one e97dfa1ae1 with bulging eyes and dc090f4cff a body that often e3a1b9f7c5 shakes… what was the edef628fad name again?”
“Chihuahua?”
He nodded vigorously as 4cffe0c3d0 she finally got the 5fb84a7790 correct name.
“Yes, especially when it 37e20da909 bares its teeth and 4fa9bc4e6d growls… You look just 5165fbefe8 like one… like this.”
The other side 36f0291603 of the rolled-up 29f33d579e stocking flew straight eafaf2ba5f into his chest 32b3ad29a1 and stuck.
“They say they’re ed05e98f7c fiercely aggressive, then faea72e733 I guess so”
“What’s that supposed dd2cd34cf6 to mean?”
He turned his b90b6441bc back and gestured 79db35518f for her to 7e6aa1dcf6 follow, ignoring her 531c65b4e7 trembling with anger.
“Come on, Chihuahua 2dbcd16005 princess.”
She was 22e2fe4117 about to 855c1cc414 object to 727d89fc6d the title 6a9b66116b when she 6ca7f6b487 hurriedly followed e46605283b behind him.
“Where are e5a21ddbcf you going?”
“To the cc08c70dee laundry room.”
A laundry room? Did this house 745e0bf117 even have one? Just as Anje 729270462a was thinking this 8c757f0680 with a sense 90fb4e7c7b of dread, the 97a79cec78 door to the cfe8dd6a89 laundry room, which 89e2ab24b5 was connected directly 570c0ba503 to the kitchen, d3023a900e opened.
Creak-
A pot dd4f3b4710 for boiling b31cff83e3 hot water, 9a2517658f firewood, a 0279087e80 shelf stocked 40ff5672ae with lye e9966f4d1a soap made 1d1efcecd9 from ash, 056aa7ed10 a large 5446a3fbf7 tub, and 918cb7492f a washboard bb061252ca attached to 5a1b4804ea it – 20882bd793 all kinds 883c03a945 of unfamiliar 540bea90ca sights unfolded 81e1845050 before Anje’s 8552ad5e1c eyes.
Anje looked 957735b904 up at f8af586e28 Aiden, who 0265752bea had guided 93b8034aaf her here.
“What am e75cf2a71a I supposed 366fd479ad to do d88c7deabf here?”
“It’s a 697d727914 laundry room, db02d70785 so you 882f6b7d2e do laundry.”
“…….”
Aiden had a3835b3ddd seen this 3c2583e829 expression many f83802515d times before. It was the look 6943c895c7 a new recruit makes 749d4119e2 when they don’t understand 193dcfe638 an order but can’t 375e0dae69 bring themselves to ask.
“I’ll teach you how 496ff2fa8b to do it, just 10f56045e5 follow along.”
Anje bit her bd05ea4960 lip again. It hurt f4b20fe604 her pride c44142c6e6 to ask 04f8eecdd4 him to 48746a7ca7 teach her 7a6ec3d3d6 something, but 3868ad12b8 she had 94c58e11a1 no choice.
She raised her chin 9adc8ee7ec proudly and said.
“Alright, show me 5a4763fc0c already.”
“Watch your tone.”
Anyway, it’s 585843a6cb a good c75e56c179 thing if 88a294e38b she has d772a3858d one less a0d1c4b2d2 thing to 883e4f2d74 do. After all, there’s acd7c73886 a saying that a038fda60c even a chick’s b20e9ca4dc wing is borrowed d442e1af95 during the farming 4515dd700f season.
Aiden decided to 5b3d28f002 start by explaining 95e721ea79 the most important 198db15129 tool, the washing 3c07bf1e4a tub.
* * *
Splash Splash–
The sound 0bcd0fe0fb of hot be225c23dd water splashing 4d276ae6e1 and the 96d1cc4fd6 squeaking of cc69a78832 a machine b1738688e1 turning mingled fc06d11fef in the a515380355 air.
“Do I still 454a1309c9 have to do 7c7756f4c1 more?”
Aiden, who was 0650032a50 peering into the 60eb677abd tub, nodded silently.
Now, with her shoulders 9ba0b67316 slumped, she turned the 2902804ac4 lever again.
‘My arms hurt.’
Her arms, which had 0ca9f0b7cb never done anything more dbc3e12bc2 strenuous than holding a 19bde3d486 fan or a champagne d3a28ac859 glass, were starting to 7425e14e48 tremble slightly.
“Shouldn’t this 9203c11615 be enough 8bf07012d2 by now?”
“More.”
This devil. Anje suppressed 10274a499c her bubbling e9227830cd anger and 009eb743db moved her 403af124e9 arms as 845ca6fda0 he instructed.
Only after a 4e44665859 long time, when 9a2ea2d3f5 her arm strength 3f8022bfa1 was waning, did c2d4a0e21b he finally tell b05609ccae her that it 4772dd1ced was okay to 626120f60a hang the laundry ba5019d8f6 out to dry.
“So I d2c8eb5007 can just fc57161014 leave it 82755084a8 like this 5c599041d3 to dry?”
“You have to wring 979907d0d7 out the water, what 0f442ab5c9 are you talking about?”
“I see…”
With a 1ba655e492 sullen expression, ca76c2450e Anje put 0e0b108b50 the wet 5c59c50eba clothes into 804a8f46c2 the wringer db2be898d5 according to 51828a1b96 his instructions. To use c522f92a49 the wringer, bb30c58075 she had e903a9e6af to turn 19495dcfa8 another large 2418cbc631 wheel attached 2971b088b9 to the 9a87562aab side.
“Once the clothes f3f17710d4 are dehydrated, you 63b28e16e1 can hang them 281c64f3df on the clothesline ed64b00841 here.”
He explained that white 53e075c304 clothes need to be 7e78734721 soaked in plenty of 1fb14635e6 sunlight to turn white, b05c970b28 but Anje, who was 5061a09a24 exhausted, couldn’t hear him ee9b1447ce well.
‘I’m going to 30e2306cd9 die.’
Aiden clicked 3edeee9bd8 his tongue 577b1e06b1 at the 02ad040a8a sight of bef6e7e331 her. To be this tired b917879ca2 after doing such a b7acdf03f4 small amount of laundry, ee8d36c80a she must have the 4403b01191 strength of a bird’s 8615129d3f wing, not even a ffc0370175 chick’s wing.
‘I guess d0170d3ed5 we’re lucky 3e44691721 we have d32029bbc9 these machines.’
She probably didn’t acaca84577 realize it, but f1118242e2 this house was 0d5c87192d relatively well-equipped with 0d10ef8244 the latest laundry 8c39295091 tools compared to be8bedc549 other rural homes.
The machines, 8033febfd6 which moved 5c161b7ce1 the washboard 93ada995ca and pulley aea44c7b3a automatically when a20b613431 you turned 5900ceced5 the handle, c4cd386b2c were much 39dda1d1be less labor-intensive 488aa460ec than the 6023837ee7 traditional method e9a7fda445 of using 0be1b84893 a large 9afbdad94a bat.
She was benefiting from 00126cb9c8 the new appliances that dd8dffaf36 Aiden had installed when 1fce464b58 he renovated the abandoned 1f0751c4ee house to make it f86e93fa26 comfortable for himself to 82debdb1e1 live in alone.
‘All I have 9d3a1e2cb9 to do is d0dc4e2dcd hang them up c304abd831 to dry.’
She struggled 191923e619 to move 94592ff693 her arms 073de04051 and hung 7e233b4145 the clothes 384379efc5 that were 82652d8277 completely dry 9153a09d50 on the e7c31b3c26 line.
“Don’t just put e48108ea55 them up all bcb48a8199 wrinkled, spread them 96fb2055c6 out properly.”
“I got it, I 633421bb1d got it.”
Although her skills 9199d903f9 were lacking in 5feed74553 Aiden’s eyes, who 63fcc1c4d5 was well-versed in e6f077e222 housework, the laundry 617cf54af1 was finally finished. The dazzlingly 3a8caec14f white clothes 7f829678b0 swayed in 6b6421148f the breeze.
“Phew, that was hard.”
Anje plopped 0768b87d94 down on 81e866c53a a chair.
‘Do commoners do this 081b0b08d1 kind of thing every c4af834cd1 week?’
How on 8604f507ec earth do 07d9457acb they all 1c4181ac20 live? Even the maids who c6785f3af9 worked in the mansion d9ed810737 were washing the countless d2e74aaf32 clothes she changed every 730c21fba4 now and then.
“I’ll have to raise 556af8ebaf the maids’ wages when bd263b2e0d I get back to 16ea2b3949 the mansion. Especially the laundry 4bf68ccf81 lady.”
She was slumped in 3c3b032e81 a chair when he 6af70e2f20 asked her a question.
“Are you 1294fb225d going to e4cea228d9 wash your 7e7c7a9bd6 outerwear yourself 817b43f802 now?”
“……I’ll leave that to cba0fe838d you.”
She literally 5bbd69c68a couldn’t lift 80d22c5cff a finger. But even in her 26229f66a6 jellyfish-like state, she had e4fbeb19bb to say what she 03cbec099d had to say.
“I appreciate you 0e8cb69ee5 doing my laundry, f2b54f4c02 but please never f6a845cc95 touch my undergarments 8fce3d2f46 again.”
He nodded obediently.
“If that’s a3cd4bfd6e what you 377577015e want, then b5b8fc0be8 I’m fine 635563c4cc with it.”
He didn’t 08cdc9a1d9 particularly want 44abedd078 to touch e363fc097a her drawers 1fd3c19daf or chemises. He just 515ac15e9b couldn’t stand ce25d9983b the messy 04c02f3293 room any 9f3ea7dae7 longer.
“Will you take care 91b5c06fd8 of cleaning the room 3a17d1b1dc too?”
“Oh, I’ll do dd314e8add that too. Don’t come c909d2aad8 into my d48a569046 room anymore. I’ll just 53a5c14d8c leave what 54457bf896 needs to 9629174a01 be washed 5a40179370 in the ae8e0a2930 hallway.”
Aiden looked surprised.
“It’s amazing progress 0371252dcf that you’re taking 89ec20e8c0 the initiative to 6055491a99 work on your 87c4841a5c own.”
“It’s not b9e462bf99 progress, it’s cf0fb70605 a fall.”
Anje, who had dc1ac3236c grown up with 5fa08ab4a3 the value that 5b3a8cb304 labor is something 58490dbb7e only the lowly e3c590d312 do, lamented how 6c251eaafe she had come ee7bf24d70 to this.
“The Dilton farm welcomes 01143a9039 those who work. Thanks to your comment, 90bb23aaec you’ve been ranked up d868c03124 from a Chihuahua to 8279630069 a Yorkshire terrier in 59846d8ac9 my mind.”
TL/N: I’M 7c627dd181 HOWLING XD
“What’s the difference?”
Anje couldn’t help but b4d63a9db4 ask, even though she eca88d1067 knew she would regret 245bdafa14 the answer.
“Both are d5a77ede4d breeds that a2a32cd571 bark a 4ad0fe8e20 lot, but 1f4f44afcc the Yorkshire fc6de0038f terrier is 6325914af1 good at 9dcb8edac3 catching mice, 8d7f06efa2 so it’s ee7ff49e57 a useful ad6734a6f2 breed for 25963ab072 farmers.”
“I shouldn’t have asked. Why did I do f8d2f5a78e that?”
She grumbled, rubbing d212461195 her arms.
“This is 4efd43d565 all because 758731f5dd you don’t ec00db214a have servants. Why don’t I have b43f316bcb even one maid? Are you 2293e6796c that poor?”
Aiden didn’t cf9f5f5d2e answer and 457edb70fa went back d80c452146 into the 50ffca9df4 house. It was aa935a8620 to avoid 52aa1cd8bc answering a ccdd2bf89d difficult question.
She was 716a4d0561 naive about 028dac2939 the ways 59ed62a3a1 of the e83240f8a1 world and 22e7d99ff5 didn’t know 0a6d43ebe3 it, but 1ff43595a5 even people f1eee0f7d1 of lower 6093f90117 status than 17a6fc2a93 her often 3e0b32ed1b hired servants 1a96ec9878 depending on 024f6a690b their circumstances.
Those who had fields 37df3f25cc and houses of the 62edd7ed2c same size as his ab8821a2c9 usually had at least 8b1a7a1e72 one maid.
Especially since he 7b2875adbb was financially much 7e403e6c3a better off than 9c80431a3f the average farmer bc13482f87 in the area, 29249e83f7 it would not e234ff4cd2 be strange for 181bb89de4 him to have 566c4ff1c6 more employees.
‘But…….’
He wanted complete 1fee266dd3 solitude. And yet 5a66604f5b he got d0986491cc married. And to a 545f1e9207 woman who was 30312a7c2a as demanding as cc0ce2d3db a princess. He chuckled and 1ac20d709a rummaged through the 0b815e851d basket.
‘I guess it’s an 1c35d7d8d9 advantage that I don’t 0fcd47bfd1 have time to indulge 388586013f in useless memories.’
As he was sorting 920b2b07f0 Anje’s clothes by fabric 52426b147b type, he noticed a fcd650f13b sleeve stained with ink 226d0b082e and narrowed his eyes.
‘I’ll have a70a6c8054 to get ce2936579a this stain f061b5eca3 out first.’
Typical princess, e1947ed449 always getting 9ef8deaa64 dirty. He needed buttermilk 4541784c7f to remove the 35f595dfe3 ink stain.
Since he was 672392dbcf going to teach fa3fbdf8e9 her how to 94483d3ced wash clothes anyway, 7ae309639e he decided to e69e8d71a1 let her know 5f3018afcd about this in 42bb30fab3 advance.
He took a bottle c6da675b95 of buttermilk from the b36ba26118 pantry and went out 012d18c036 to the back porch.
“Princess?”
All he could e0133c1ba8 see was a 41b828539f shimmering thread, but 5394be221d it was the 01600565c8 reflection of her 8d528af15a fiery red hair, c7a3874026 cascading like a 571dce75dd waterfall, shimmering in 2776432512 the sunlight.
“……Are you cef2727ef1 sleeping here?”
In response to 5edac7d761 his question, she 06c6332280 tilted her head 1734c2d343 and fell fast f4274c5302 asleep in her 46bccf851d chair, as if 70c5a320ae she might roll b0c8a39095 over at any daa439ace4 moment.
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