The fur sold for fifty pennies, and the herbs for eighty pennies. That means I earned one hundred and thirty pennies total—one silver crown and thirty copper pennies.
I’ve never seen silver in Lang Village, and I haven’t spotted any in Carlton either.
Considering a meal costs ten pennies, I earned a fair bit. Plus, Maggie’s father might be able to sell my magic stone for me.
I’ve never had such full pockets before. In Lang Village, we mostly bartered.
It wasn’t long since I went broke spending everything on that farming hoe and seeds. So naturally I’m excited about getting what feels like a fortune!
While I’m busy cheerfully pondering, Maggie has to focus on stocking up on used clothes.
“What should I buy?” she wonders.
“I hope there are some cute dresses!” I exclaim.
Maggie looks troubled. “I need to buy adult work clothes instead of children’s clothes. Summer means more farm work and logging, so people need extra changes of clothing.”
“Ugh, that’s boring,” I complain. The children in Lang Village all wear hand-me-downs from other village kids. Including me, of course.
“You won’t buy any new fabric?”
New clothes would be amazing!
Maggie replies, “That’s Hannah’s department at the tailor shop. We run a general goods store. We do have some fabric, but it’s mostly for wheat sacks and potato sacks. We got sheets and bedding fabric too. But Mother handles the fabric purchases.”
Ah, right! Since Lang Village has Hannah, fabric goes through her. The general store handles everyday used clothes, while Hannah’s shop deals with fancier secondhand clothes and new items made from fabric.
“Since you earned money, Zoe, you should buy some used clothes if you find something you like!”
Devilish temptation! The used clothes I’m wearing are for girls, but they’re pretty ragged.
Maggie’s clothes are secondhand too, but in much better condition. She’s wearing a pale pink dress—probably because this is her going-out outfit. Usually she wears a light brown used dress.
Most villagers wear basic gray or light brown used clothes. Hannah wears a grayish-blue skirt—so stylish!
Selina’s witchy black robes actually cost quite a lot because they use so much dye, according to what Hannah told me during sewing lessons.
Nobles and wealthy merchants wear brightly colored clothes made of silk.
Common people wear wool in winter and linen or cotton in summer. Since they don’t use much dye, everything’s gray or brown.
My used clothes are hand-me-downs from Lang Village children—meaning they’re secondhand clothes from Carlton’s secondhand clothes.
They were probably light brown originally, but stains and washing have turned them grayish-brown. Plus they’re covered in patches.
“Right! I can buy used clothes!”
Maggie smiles and gives me advice. “You should buy summer clothes. I’m planning to stock up on summer items, so the shopkeeper probably has them ready.”
Exactly! Besides, last summer’s clothes have gotten too small for me.
“Maggie, thank you! I want to buy summer clothes, so please give me advice!”
“Sure. I’m buying adult work clothes for the store anyway. Nobody in our village would buy clothes your size.”
Ouch. The kids in Lang Village are either smaller or bigger than me. The age difference is two or three years.
When you’re an adult, a few years don’t matter much, but as children, it’s huge.
Maggie and Matthew are both half a year older than me. Since they turned eight at New Year’s, they act a little big-sisterly and big-brotherly toward me.
Common people age up one year at New Year’s—that’s the custom around here. I read in novels that nobles celebrate actual birthdays, but I don’t know if that’s true.
I was probably born in autumn, but I think it would be fine to age up with the other kids at New Year’s. Then I’d be the same age as Maggie and Matthew.
But Selina lived in the western kingdom, where they counted age by birthdays. How unfair!
“I’m a foundling, so I don’t know when my real birthday is. So when the new year comes, I’ll be eight!” I protested, but it didn’t work on Selina.
“I made the day I found you your birthday. That’s also when I named you Zoe,” she stubbornly insisted.
Well, Matthew was born in spring and Maggie in summer, so they’re a tiny bit older brother and sister. But anyone else would count us as the same age! Hmph!
Moments later though, I forgot all about my age complaints when I saw the mountain of used clothes.
Maggie’s scanning intently with sharp eyes, trying to buy the best condition used clothes possible with the money from selling fur and herbs.
I’m looking for my own summer clothes.
“Ma’am, may I look for clothes for myself?” I ask.
Since I’d been standing quietly behind Maggie this whole time, the shopkeeper seems a bit surprised.
“Oh, this is a clothing store, so buy whatever you like, dear.”
Don’t mind if I do!
But everything displayed here is adult-sized. I learned sewing from Hannah, so I can hem things a little, but clothes big enough for two of me would be too much to handle.
“Children’s used clothes are over there,” the shopkeeper points out.
The children’s clothes are piled in the corner of the shop. Images of new clothes hanging on hangers in stores from my past life flashed through my mind, but here everything’s just stacked on shelves.
They’re kind of sorted by size; toddler stuff over here, bigger kid stuff over there. Summer and winter clothes are supposed to be separate too, but it looks like some earlier shoppers mixed everything up. Now it’s a bit of a jumble.
Of course, the shop also sells better used clothes. Those are hung on wooden hangers on the wall behind the counter. Those are mostly adult sizes though.
So I need to pick from the children’s used clothes on the shelves—summer clothes for girls that are a little bigger than me. Plus I have to check that they’re not too dirty or torn!
First, size eliminates half the options. There are more boys’ clothes. Maybe because some children wear pants?
But the boys’ used clothes tend to be more torn and dirty. Kids my age help with farm work.
Girls help too, but like Maggie, it’s mostly garden work or helping inside the house. Their clothes don’t get torn as easily, so there might be fewer used clothes available.
I’d really like at least two sets of summer clothes. I mean, I need to be able to wash them! Maybe if I were as good at Purification as Selina, one outfit would be enough…?
But no, I just don’t like that idea! Ever since Selina awakened my past-life memories, I’ve become particular about cleanliness.
That’s why I want to get way better at Purification. Still, that’s a whole different issue from this other thing—I’ve started getting these annoying cravings for actual baths.
In winter, we just heat water and wipe ourselves down with a cloth, but my past-life memories go, “Ugh, gross!” every time.
As I mulled all that over, I picked out a once-off-white cotton dress (now covered in stains) and a hand-me-down boy’s outfit that wasn’t too shabby—a light brown shirt and gray pants (with a tear at the knee).
“Ma’am, how much for these?” I ask the shopkeeper.
For secondhand clothes, the fabric on both wasn’t bad at all. No fraying, at least!
The dress was pretty stained, sure... but if I asked Selina while she was in a good mood, I bet she could zap those stains away. Or maybe I could just level up my Purification skills enough to do it myself. I wanna believe I can!
As for the ripped knee, that should be fixable with a little mending. I’ll wear these when I’m working the fields in the Great Forest!
“Hmm, the dress isn’t torn, so fifty pennies. As for the shirt and pants together, another fifty copper pennies is fine.”
Oof. I can afford it, but isn’t that a bit pricey? Or is that actually normal? I have no idea.
While I was quietly agonizing over it, Maggie, who was picking out a little mountain of clothes from the secondhand pile, spoke up for me.
“C’mon, missus, can’t you give her a bit of a discount?”
Oh! So haggling is normal here! I’d never seen Selina bargain before, so it totally caught me off guard.
Now that I think about it, Maggie was haggling with the shopkeeper earlier too.
“Well, all right. Since you’re buying two sets, let’s call it eighty pennies.”
What?! If I hadn’t said anything, I would’ve overpaid by twenty whole pennies!
Selina, you don’t haggle at the general store… but doesn’t that mean you’re getting ripped off?
My brain started spinning in every direction—but then I remembered: Selina buys books with gold coins in the capital. She probably doesn’t even blink at paying a few extra copper pennies for flour or veggies.
And besides, the herbs from the Great Forest fetch a good price.
Selina makes plenty selling magic stones and healing potions. She’s just not the type to sweat the small stuff.
Yeah… she probably grew up in a noble or rich household. She’s hopeless at chores, too.
While I handed over eighty pennies and packed my new clothes into my basket, Maggie had already stuffed three whole baskets with her mountain of finds and was paying for them.
“I’m going to drop these off on Father’s wagon!” she calls out.
Whoa—Maggie finally gets her free time, and she looks thrilled.
I’m starting to feel excited too!