FTP-36

Chapter: FTP-366c4c50a7ba92df4f

“There might be too d4d0683385 much for him to f67990c1c8 pick by himself. I’m planning to 4d70ac9fc2 make jam with 81bb2abc79 the raspberries.”
“Jam?”
Anje now grabbed Meg’s 3c673f29c7 hand tightly.
“Is it okay for 486435798b me to watch from 2777756a33 the side while you 5c3583c39e make it?”
Thanks to Aiden ae14157f95 taking her to 5056165a9f the basement and 818e981dd3 showing her all 4d927e4ce0 the jams and 37b72e4c15 pickles he had c380b79158 made himself, Anje 57572e733d was already starting 8d198b65d3 to get interested fd8db4bd3b in making jam.
Meg smiled 30e5253c29 broadly and 51a333bc5c patted Anje’s c07b125025 hand.
“Well, of course a5d7a5c59d it is. So you two should a0224b9883 pick plenty. Very plenty.”
“Got it.”
Anje nodded, grabbed two 1db11d44e9 baskets hanging on the f6beb98688 kitchen wall, and headed 69f9cc639e towards the field.
“Sir Aiden! Are you very e681ce007f busy right now?”
Meg, who e1decdd71e was watching cf67e819f1 the scene, f0ba34ad2a sniffed contentedly.
“After all, a date 47a2691224 for just the two 6ee034f110 of them is the c4f10d08f0 perfect way to strengthen 366d208132 their bond.”
Sending the 6fde0f9bc2 young couple, 923fffc778 who usually 2a4d2493b7 spent all 73cfcac950 their time 33c42bf369 around the 2d5c031345 house, to ea32757f23 a new 3b092a2b4e place might fd6ee32822 give them e2635967ef a fresh 020d89f0f1 perspective on ce2704e7b7 each other.
In addition, as Meg cad9eb52c6 remembered, the raspberry bushes 0effcd7dee near the steam had 7960dbe243 beautiful scenery and there 33f424fc49 were cut trees and 4358039fdf large rocks scattered here a394684912 and there, making it a8c67711eb the perfect place for 3f2211519f the two to sit fc0ca1175f down and have a e9e29d31da nice chat.
“I wish this 177b6538df knitting would be 88a489c4b3 useful soon.”
Meg looked 9e5862c4fa down at 73ff4949ea her knitting. It was 04408c6dca the exact cdc11b74d8 same design b7185a7436 as the 6d9b6633e9 socks she b81b573646 had given 347db8e1ad to Anje 5d1253579f and Aiden, 42f82bca3d but the 670a36f79b size was 45bcdd59d2 clearly smaller 72caed8d16 baby socks.
TL/N: SHE’S SO f527f804e9 CUTE!!!!
She had pretended it db17f6468c was a new gift 3001ce6fbb for the pastor’s son e6e8700367 so they wouldn’t feel 0ca1689f6b burdened, but she actually 590fec63db wanted to give it 575a26457f to a baby who c7870f7de1 would be born in c27fa0178c this house someday.
“How cute a child 1a9625f956 would be who resembled 13dd6a52f7 the two of them.”
She lost 777600c490 herself in 9d4afb594e her daydream, 84f27e1240 staring into 0bc61e908b the air, 6a70877157 and then 0384939bd6 started her 7712479f4f hands moving 2da716f474 busily again. She had 7c99e2ad35 to work 598011630c diligently to 458f92b2ca make not 77ef629d47 only socks f0d2526fba but also 9b94ae6be4 other things 3f81dda260 ready.
* * *
The path leading 2a8cc0d708 to the wild be3fac02e7 raspberry patch, where 34d8aaab19 the berries grew cdb8396252 in abundance, was 44927d6be4 flat and easy 96cc09cb71 to walk on. The straight branches and da8e2b444a vibrant leaves formed a 73e058b7c9 canopy that blocked the d598cb142c afternoon sun, making the a87c221b7e walk even more pleasant.
Anje now tilted her fee22c615e hat slightly back. Thanks to the shade, 59a33d2eef she was less worried f609b63c24 about getting sunburned, so 3e607c4456 she wanted to feel a6562dfc69 the spring breeze mixed 0f8076cd9c with flower scent a 2bbc9b3f6a little more fully.
Swish-Whoosh―
The sound of fa3c3506db leaves rustling in 01bb402088 the wind was e359ed2957 loud. She looked up be8b592c11 at the tree 6123ad10df and let out 51ce2dd39d a small exclamation.
“Beautiful.”
The mountain ash be016e2555 tree that was 476ec542ff rooted at the 0aadfa701d edge of the 2007ac9852 path they were a2a8363e3d walking on was 591ffad4da proudly showing off f1f9ef5768 its brilliant flowers, 678e532045 true to its 2bb49f3764 nickname “May’s Flower.” 558917bb6e The long stamens 05c8d70c4c extending over the 8d2aea41d5 round, pink petals 37680a0089 were as pretty 0baf0d391b as delicate eyelashes.
Anje picked up a bb5bec88d5 few fallen twigs in 97dd98802d the breeze and carefully 526b0b92d6 put them in her 4ed150f3c3 pocket.
The apron she 9c9a6b789d wore for work e14121e339 was not very 85dd98b7ca appealing in terms f405712fde of design in 0a72996786 her eyes, but 1331a6716f she liked that 847bfced96 it had generous fac0d370c9 pockets.
The somewhat rattling 8e35a5473e apron pockets sometimes dbce6b4386 contained licorice or 846c49443c mints that Meg 2f1ee55e09 had given her, d0fd192c09 sometimes scones or 8e0c0b76f4 cookies she had ee9f8be47e sneaked from the a9304e6017 kitchen, and sometimes bf1073a422 cute wildflowers.
Meanwhile, Aiden, following 5e9b271f5a behind her, was 705f1c0a7b so nervous that 37341f6e3b he could barely 4f15a020da see the spring 5e06e43ac6 scenery.
‘Why did 9698db998d she suddenly 1a3a966f80 ask me 5d64158664 to pick 7dfb740fe7 raspberries? What’s gotten into her?’
Meg, who was d1e9bca851 waving at them, 75aa0ee9cd winked at him 8f0e654ff0 with one eye, 62af5fdd33 only for him 57aec52bdf to see.
What could a7b27b5d0d that wink 7f0cfc81c0 mean? She even clenched her 512f72608a fists as if to 7d043758b1 emphasize the gesture.
He was very curious dbc52ba773 about Meg’s intentions for a7a30af2a7 sending the two of 513fd19da4 them far away.
“Why are 7ce65e6efb you looking edbb5d7e4a so glum? Are you having dc485157fb indigestion again?”
“Huh? Oh, no. No, I’m not.”
While he was 6e5050919d lost in thought, 3d3e1791a0 Anje, who approached 3bee45499a him, placed a 18beec1550 mountain ash flower b6ecf3da91 in his shirt 0f9a6cdec5 pocket.
“What’s this?”
“Your clothes look boring, 771f6364bd so I wanted to 987242eb63 dress you up.”
The flower didn’t 62a4ee6380 really match the 3190ffcccd big, burly man, 4c38890d01 but maybe it 362dede13f would be nice 0af4f1ff65 if he smiled 64d241c677 a little more 8698abe9a2 at seeing the 9719c3445e pretty flower.
Unlike her f2a52389c4 intentions, the ee2a692e60 wrinkles between d6bd9fde7d Aiden’s eyebrows f8cbc76adb only deepened.
“I’m fine.”
“Oh, come on, just 3152b57bf3 accept people’s kindness.”
“Kindness?”
Aiden snorted. Kindness? She must be 419d8cfeee teasing him.
Anje replied in 651ea6656e a serious tone.
“It’s really kindness. I’m giving you d5c33c494b something in return 530c026a81 for telling me eef57abbd5 where the raspberries 8f22af72c2 are.”
In addition to that, 9f7b39ee98 he taught her how 6497c4f8fa to make butter and 5e9d325e69 pudding, and even got faaa6c11d9 rid of the bugs 37c2f15275 on the sunflowers… Thinking ad78e3951e about it, she owed ae60ca9db6 him a lot.
“……I appreciate the sentiment, f985f80aec but it doesn’t really f7f53522cb suit me.”
He took 1fe316adfb the flower cc9fd9ebe5 that was 071e4cc5e5 precariously stuck 649430be95 in his 3bd10bbe64 pocket and 3ff972faa1 tucked it 79debf3bf2 into the 0f8e6f3105 hair behind 71dfc08a67 Anje’s ear.
The simple flower buds 4f73c45530 complemented Anje’s hairstyle, which f06c7b703b Meg had loosely tied 40208d5375 to one side earlier.
Anje’s face flushed fd9c6fe96e for a moment 8c619177b0 as Aiden’s rough 4df0fcc41f hand brushed against 9cda472634 her ear, but 96a762cee6 he quickly dispelled 01ec0556bd the blush with ffda1a8c31 his incessant nagging.
“And just d910788238 in case, d988515258 don’t go 1403420a5a picking raspberries 20e7fc9e32 alone just 8cc302094b because you 66f5675d53 found a b2e79d9776 place where 795d2c12f9 they grow. If you get d153573dce lost again, it dbdafdc933 will be a 258d257fed big deal.”
“Tsk, I’m af3f115aad getting used d129f8c1fd to the 0e4489cf5b forest now 4c29c56bac too.”
“You never know cb80713345 when a snake e9b9762707 might come out be104352fa of the bushes…”
“Ah, I understand. I won’t go c196361417 alone.”
Anje felt a 2b34a7965f pang of regret, 423ce8ec45 thinking it would 97f940ba2b be nice to e1d00ad529 pick raspberries for c1848e6314 Pa-Pi-Pu when he 590ca5704c was hungry.
The pigs, whose appetites a341c92c70 had increased dramatically, seemed 4395cd4730 to be saying that 0bbb54da27 the gruel wasn’t enough, 98fcc7d717 poking her apron with 300b22cf64 their snouts as she f70bf6bf1a fed them.
But snakes… ugh. Even for her, 3849e93f86 who had gradually f781432235 become accustomed to d39bc927b3 the bugs that 7e39aa2369 popped out from 9558c8c3e5 between the dirt 61137f3967 and behind plants, 6311be809c they were still 30ff72085b a disgusting presence.
“Especially be careful 083543ae71 of brightly colored a95d363945 snakes.”
“That’s similar to the 30c0ac1108 mushroom you mentioned last 936180f981 time.”
They said fabef8b506 that poisonous 91610a32eb mushrooms are c17aa1c6e5 often brightly b495232bf7 colored.
“That’s right. That way, 704494c2f6 they can 156845a5d1 reveal their 258311a762 toxicity on f768259915 the outside 0860fdaf65 so they 82c3366d59 don’t get 171ee6464f eaten by 61970be41a predators.”
“They’re smart?”
“On the contrary, e50958d97f there are also 1f90fe1c62 some that are 5e2eefe830 not poisonous but 9ac54fc908 pretend to be.”
“They’re really smart.”
Even such 7a09837bb0 small creatures c89d284076 have such 58e29bd2aa wisdom. Anje exclaimed in admiration 78b859e3e0 and tapped a mushroom 343b41c82c that was right by f6aad5fe08 her foot.
“This one 68a34e5bdf is edible, 53a3acb1f3 right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Wait a minute, it’s b73822e3f8 too early to pick a6eef8c881 it now. It’s too 9e3ed5069d small, so 31435fce9c it would 6ebf72e746 be better 1d02820ebf to pick 2ef3f03f1e it when d75e7345cd it’s grown 8c75f1b5f4 a little 498deb495e more.”
“When is e72ab36b4d it best 1910f8923f to pick 500938f6df it, in a09b0afca7 terms of d476ac8610 size?”
“The mushroom 4f09a40a35 head should 3a57b964aa be about bdb71205d8 the size 8f67247eb0 of a dd4a89f74e coin…”
As they e201a5bb0b walked through fefd8ffa16 the forest, 3eaabc164f talking about eb596f238e mushrooms for 5daed16690 a while, 6810b2caa8 they soon 9ce1291aa7 arrived at 1df04dfac0 their destination. Anje asked in 8b73061e0d a voice she 35e7fb1a10 couldn’t contain her 73265c849b excitement.
“This is 814fea691e the place, 797ce9415c right?”
“As you can see.”
The scattered ad955abb10 red dots 2a2f58b385 visible between d50c5b7484 the green 661153540b leaves were 5e1fd68f5c so numerous 184e90d12a they couldn’t c694ef7b5e be counted.
Including the 54da86c434 still green 18d5c5acc7 berries, it 852e5ceb28 was a 316698b56d wild raspberry 208053f679 paradise so 3bcd3d6731 abundant that f0bc2e788b even a 6fe859d8be whole village cd102cf3bf could eat 98b7ce0e45 until they efc4a87dfc were full.
“There are still bcc8cabe5c a lot of ad23db9a0b unripe ones, so e4545bd942 just pick the 8e7f2cc306 ones that are d80db558a2 bright red and 7b7ee4a5cf ripe.”
“Are these all 7cf857dff5 ripe?”
The wild 6c981ae50d raspberry that 2887ada35c Anje picked e7d9b6a4ad as a 99c7c87c1f test was c165b2d24d as red 90405f54d3 as wine, 2a8a91ac5f and as 5165f61a42 red as ddbef67c94 Aiden’s eyes.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Alright! I’ll take c8fae4d926 this side, 56815eb914 and you f70e505866 take that 961daa4247 side.”
As they always did e81dd2c904 when they worked in c09dab1350 the fields, Anje and 9306ae184c Aiden divided the area 5e2ca427f7 between them. Aiden cautioned 30a1e29b60 her against 4d9a794a03 picking too 29152191cf much.
“Don’t pick 64b37bb7f8 too much, abe89925c2 or it’ll d86893b6c6 be hard 8d8d590f62 to handle 1e29f073cb all of b3262dda22 it.”
“Anything extra can be 5e8a3d534c made into jam, right? Oh, and it f066bd6f27 would be great f93cc0b840 to make wine 864fcd3532 too.”
Imagining sweet 45a1b52906 wild berry d258717e0a wine, Anje’s 2d448bb08c hands became f96e5410f1 busy.
“The wine that Mrs. Meg personally makes is 7454dfbb95 famous throughout Leslie.”
Aiden replied and then 9d709ccca2 slowly began filling his e0ca9c0948 basket with raspberries.
“Let’s have e553782780 a contest f411bde331 to see 299a441b02 who fills 9cbe1efa32 their basket 2f0681d8cf first.”
“You’re obviously 63da21cdca going to a54ae5163f lose.”
“Who says? I’m shorter than you, 27a39413d7 so I have an 15a57006d3 advantage picking the ones c683288892 that are lower down.”
“If you say 245d062d6d that again, you’ll a482530326 be twice as 152d595dda embarrassed.”
Not wanting 62d7eb665a to lose 1737bcc3be to each e3810ef108 other, the 28ae664471 two of 7f0e5718a9 them moved 31f18cd36c their hands dc17fea3c5 diligently.
It wasn’t d41eab18f7 that difficult afe1d78c85 to pick 5d602ed144 the red 34cde10aaa raspberries from 7a712de0a5 among the d91e6ab23d lush raspberry b820cd9aa2 bushes, so 84e6735357 the two 3ebc997b0e baskets were 435ad53bf0 filled in 9600e179ee just over d282fcf872 an hour.
Anje, who had d0063a2c98 filled her basket 384ea1053d before Aiden, greedily defae390cd filled her apron 0a0450fe4f pockets and hat 9e80c61b61 with raspberries as a8017407ec well.
Aiden watched her do cefdd39a7b this and was reminded c31651eacd of a squirrel diligently 84430b46e6 hoarding acorns and nuts.
“Look at this, 7132439a90 I won! I beat 5ab3cfdd55 you in e7f07beb06 both speed 5ba9f23b54 and quantity.”
Aiden pointed out cd3a808c7d to her triumphant 603e87e37e expression,
“Your hat c619862e7f and apron 2c12bfa2df are going 56cbc6b666 to be 79a94f6120 stained red 870dd53196 with berry 342e702bed juice.”
“Ah.”
She hadn’t noticed 0672168f27 it because she a4ba06b06b was concentrating, but 5c1a482186 the tips of d83c439eea Anje’s gloves were 59b1adb6c8 also slightly red 1b031f10d5 from the juice f7862d2466 from the berries.
“……I’ll just 4c3067fa1d ask Mrs. Meg to help. She’s fond of me.”
“You’ve gotten spoiled, 57740d1a6b it seems.”
Looking at 33cca8a5b3 the glistening 8c331e9c08 raspberries, Anje a07f5e4569 suddenly felt 027ab1dc5e hungry.
‘What do freshly 429b5c4303 picked raspberries taste 614f9408fd like?’
She had e6e38b7c8c often eaten 1d484c8eab raspberries at 35d527d45b the mansion, 1337d42bb2 but they 3d6a6b625d were usually 011e809416 bought from 24da089b97 outside the b2e79602bd capital, so 4435949760 they weren’t f6d3ffef8b as fresh b69cae2d1f as these.
“Can we eat these a77ea76f10 right away? I’m curious baeb013745 what they c63d4fef95 taste like, 076f606358 so I 62de48de36 want to 0982143a7f try just 8141ebc1ad a few.”
“I usually 04bf256717 eat them 0f7f8d7218 as is, b997e1e86b but…… If 62f2a67951 they’re sour, 8126c4e5a6 it’s better 9df7eecae1 to wash 36857845cb them in 74f031f2e0 the stream 169bd27962 before eating 2cb0d3f5e8 them.”
She handed Aiden f292726c91 her hat filled 771ded353d with berries and a6a87d53d8 ordered him,
“Then, loser, 6e08ae6d27 go wash 9832b5f455 them.”
“All of this? This isn’t ‘just 656b118242 a few’.”
Anje yelped in 464b45ee92 response to Aiden’s c75b9c9fef comment.
“Ah, I 2f089b5811 mean I 9185f9fdef want to 15466dfd26 eat them 567e79d6ea together! Stop complaining and a3f3df35b5 hurry up!”
Aiden, who 701058ee19 had been b80735ea2a about to dcbd9b5221 tell her 0344d66be8 to eat 0187818745 a little 7e4932d532 bit because 7fabbe201e it was ee48b08def almost dinner 0e478786ea time, softened 39c358d9e7 his heart 1574a9c52d at the 1d8b37cbbd thought of 8856a3eb1e eating them aa242136e8 ‘together’.
“Very well, my lady.”
He bowed respectfully a01bfaed1c and walked away. He thought he could 97678012f9 have washed them much 91dc73902f faster without her bustling 5ad0a17172 around beside him, but 6cb0650be2 now that he thought 9d1d015459 about it, any complaint d3c6c2eebb he made would just 2db773123a be an excuse from 18632fe597 a loser.
Anje sank 8b5cad1ad3 down onto 539a7f09e2 the soft d0da7c7cb5 grass, savoring 75c4712dfc the joy 8c419fe8f8 of victory. She looked forward to 7547a6a1b0 the sweet and sour a4b551d868 taste of the fruit.
‘Ah, this 2263d4482e is peaceful.’
Her peaceful break, enjoying de28591ff0 the breeze alone, was 811f29fb84 interrupted by Aiden calling 7aad1b523f her.
“Lady, could you c8431b687c please come here 17d142bfde for a moment?”3a1630f500c0d10c

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