Spirit Beast Companion

Chapter 2 — A Heartwarming Home

Mulan finished cleaning the last pile of dishes until they were sparkling. Outside, the sunlight shifted from gold to a deep orange, signaling that the long day was coming to an end. She wiped her hands completely dry and walked into the shop, which was now empty of customers, leaving only "Aunt Mei," the plump proprietress, who was sweeping the floor.

"Are you finished, Mulan?" Aunt Mei asked without looking up.

"Yes, Aunt Mei. It is all finished," she replied in a clear voice.

Aunt Mei nodded before walking to an old wooden drawer and pulling out a small cloth bag. She carefully poured the contents of the bag onto her plump palm; they were ten "White Stones."

In this world, currency did not take the form of copper or silver coins, but rather spirit stones found in deep mines. These stones not only possessed inherent value but were also vital materials for forging weapons, creating talismans, or even serving as energy sources. Thus, they had become the most reliable medium of exchange.

The currency was divided into three tiers. The White Stone was the smallest unit, commonly used for purchasing daily necessities. Once a hundred were collected, they could be exchanged for one "Black Stone," which held much higher value. And if one could gather a hundred Black Stones, they could be traded for a single "Gold Stone"—something a commoner like Mulan never even dreamed of touching.

"Here... your wages for today." Aunt Mei handed the ten White Stones to Mulan. "Count them carefully."

Mulan humbly reached out both hands to receive them. Each stone was the size of a thumb's tip, with a smooth and icy-cold surface. They were a milky white color and emitted a faint, shimmering glow in the dim light of the inn. She counted them quickly... one, two, three... until there were exactly ten stones.

"They are all here. Thank you very much, Aunt Mei," she said with a graceful bow before tucking all the White Stones into a small cloth pouch tied securely at her waist. This was her precious treasure for the day.

"Go on now, hurry home. It is dangerous after dark," Aunt Mei said in a flat voice, yet her eyes held a faint glimmer of affection as she looked at the young girl.

"Yes!" Mulan replied loudly and clearly before bowing once more and immediately running out of the shop.

Her destination was clear... Uncle Wang's pharmacy!

She did not run home immediately but instead headed toward the other side of the community. Her small feet, clad in old straw sandals, stepped forward without pause. Along the path she ran, there were only smiles and greetings sent her way. Zhou City was not a particularly large town; most people knew each other well, and there was no one who did not know Mulan, the orphaned girl who lived with her grandparents in an old house at the edge of the community.

"Oh, little Mulan, where are you rushing off to!" Uncle Bai, the fruit seller with a roadside stall, called out as he held out a bright red apple. "Have this, it is a gift from me!"

Mulan slowed her pace slightly and gave a quick, respectful nod. "Thank you, Uncle Bai, but I had better not trouble you! I am in a hurry!" she declined politely but firmly before running on.

"Get home safely!" Uncle Bai's voice shouted after her.

She ran past Aunt Zhang, who was sitting and embroidering in front of her house, and past a group of children playing tag merrily. Everyone called out her name with familiarity, "Sister Mulan!" "Mulan!" to which she could only offer a wide smile and a nod in return, for right now, every second was precious.

At last, she arrived in front of the familiar pharmacy. The pungent scent of herbs drifted out to meet her nose the moment she stepped inside. "Uncle Wang! I have come to buy medicine!"

The middle-aged man with a black-and-white peppered beard looked up from a thick medical tome. He gave her a kind smile. "You have arrived, little one? How are Grandfather and Grandmother doing today?"

"Well... they are stable, but they are still coughing all the time," Mulan's face fell slightly as she spoke of her family's illness.

"Sigh... such is the way with the ailments of the elderly," Uncle Wang sighed. "Here... the same set of medicine, right? I have already prepared it for you, seeing as it was nearly time for you to come." He handed her four brown paper packets of medicine. "That will be eight White Stones in total."

Mulan nodded. She reached into the cloth pouch at her waist and carefully took out eight White Stones to hand to Uncle Wang, leaving her with only two stones remaining.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Wang."

"Take good care of Grandfather and Grandmother. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Yes," Mulan replied. She tucked the medicine packets securely into the breast of her robe before bowing and hurrying out of the shop. This time, her destination was truly the home that awaited her.

She ran until she passed the bustling community area, entering a small dirt path that stretched toward the fields at the edge of town. The air grew steadily colder, and the day's final light was about to vanish behind the horizon. At last, at the very end of the path, she caught sight of her small house sitting peacefully.

It was an old, single-story wooden house that had weathered decades of seasons. The thatched straw roof had thinned considerably. Though the house appeared dilapidated, it was kept spotlessly clean. Around the house was a small vegetable patch that Grandfather had tended before falling ill. Faint white smoke drifted from the chimney, indicating someone was inside.

Mulan gently pushed open the creaking wooden door. "Grandfather, Grandmother, I am home!"

The first sight she saw was two elderly people, a man and a woman, leaning against the wall on a low wooden bed. Both turned to look at her with eyes full of love. "You have returned, dear grandchild?" Grandmother's voice was raspy and broken by bouts of coughing.

"Are you tired?" Grandfather asked, before letting out several heavy coughs.

"Not tired at all!" Mulan shook her head with a bright smile, not wanting the two of them to worry. "I have bought the medicine. I will go and brew it for you right away. And look, I have two White Stones left over. Shall we buy some meat to make soup tomorrow?" She proudly held up the remaining two White Stones.

"Good, good," Grandmother nodded slowly. "But you must eat plenty, dear grandchild. You work hard every day and have grown so thin."

"I am perfectly fine"

Mulan did not talk for long, knowing what her duties were. She moved deftly to a corner of the house that served as the kitchen, placed the medicine packets on the table, tended the fire in the stove, added water to the clay pot for brewing the medicine, tore open one packet to pour in the herbs, and skillfully set it upon the stove.

Then she turned to take care of the household chores, gathering the dishes left over from midday to wash, sweeping the dust-gathering wooden floor, and quietly wiping everything clean. Her movements were natural and fluid, as if these were tasks she performed every day until they had become a part of her life.

She cooked rice and boiled a clear Napa cabbage soup gathered from the backyard garden. The light aroma of food and the pungent scent of the brewing medicine wafted throughout the small house, yet it was the scent that made Mulan feel most at peace... the scent of "home."

When everything was finished, she helped Grandfather and Grandmother sit up properly and fed them the medicine she had brewed until it was ready. Though the medicine was bitter, both drank it all without complaint. Then, she served the rice and soup, calmly feeding them one by one.

The sight of a small young girl tirelessly caring for an elderly man and woman under the flickering lamplight was a simple image, yet one overflowing with a love and bond so great that no words could fully describe it.

This was Mulan's entire world... a world that, despite being difficult and lacking comfort, was the world that made her the happiest... if only there was food to eat and Grandfather and Grandmother were healthy, that was enough.