After they got home, the two of them cleaned the animals they had caught. They salted and smoked the meat so it wouldn't go bad.
Luckily, they were all small animals, so it didn't take long to finish.
For a while after that, everything went on as usual. During lunch one day, Sienna asked, "Honey, when will Mom and Dad be able to visit? What did they say last time on the phone?"
"They said they'll come after they're done with work. I guess it might be around New Year."
"Alright then."
"If you get bored, you can go visit Meilin or Teacher Yuxia. Or go to the town with them."
"Okay, I got it."
After lunch, Rowan carried Sienna to the bedroom for a nap. Training in the afternoon had just started when Rowan went home to pack. At that time, Sienna was still asleep.
"Honey, what are you doing? Weren't you training?"
"Sweetheart, I have to go on a mission. You stay home and wait for me."
"I want to go with you. I want to protect you."
"Be good. I don't need you to protect me. Just stay home and wait. There won't be any danger, don't worry."
After saying that, Rowan hugged Sienna, kissed her lips, and left without looking back.
Not long after, Meilin came over.
"Knock knock. Sienna, are you home?"
"I'm here. What brings you over, Meilin? Come in and sit."
"They all went out on missions. Your husband was worried you'd be lonely, so he asked me to check on you."
"Thank you, Meilin. I'm doing fine, really. But I'm happy you came. Next time, bring your kid over to play with me."
"No, it's more like keeping me company. I like that."
"Alright. Bring him over tomorrow then. That little guy's tough. He can handle anything."
Meilin didn't think much of it. Back then, she had the kid because she was bored and had no job. Brandon actually wanted to wait a few more years before having kids.
"Thanks, Meilin."
"Come to my place, Sienna. Right now it's just my kid at home. I don't feel good leaving him alone. Let's eat together. While our men are away on missions, we'll live together. Teacher Yuxia is coming over too."
Sienna thought for a moment and agreed. "Okay, just give me a minute."
"You can just call me Meilin or Mei, no need to be so polite. Our families are close."
"Alright"
Sienna packed some vegetables and took a bit of rice and flour with her. Rowan had told her that every household had a fixed amount of food.
"Why are you bringing those? I won't let you starve."
"I'm going to your place. No point leaving the food at home."
"Alright then, let's go."
During dinner, Teacher Yuxia said, "We don't have work tomorrow. Let's go to the county town."
"Sounds good, we don't have anything else to do."
The two of them turned to Sienna.
"What do you think?"
"Let's go. I haven't been there yet. This is perfect."
"Sienna, the bus leaves at six in the morning. Meet at the camp gate. Don't be late."
"Okay."
After dinner, the three of them sat and chatted. Actually, it was Teacher Yuxia and Meilin who were talking, while Sienna played with Meilin's child, Harren. She held the little boy on her lap and kept pinching his chubby face. The baby, who was just over a year old, drooled, but she didn't stop.
Sometimes, she gently swung him and smiled at his happy little face. Sienna found it amazing why wasn't he crying?
Meilin found Sienna's actions funny. It was like two kids playing together. But she wasn't worried the baby might fall. With Sienna's skills, it was safe.
Early the next morning, Meilin and Teacher Yuxia came with their kids to wake Sienna. They were afraid she might oversleep, so they came a bit earlier.
"Sienna, are you awake?"
Hearing their voices, Sienna quickly opened the door. "Sisters-in-law, why are you here so early? Isn't the bus at six?"
"We were just afraid you'd oversleep, so we came to check on you."
"Come in. I'm all ready. We can sit for a while before we go."
"Okay. Sienna, help me carry this little rascal. He's so heavy."
As soon as she heard that, Sienna quickly took Harren. Then she turned to Teacher Yuxia and said, "Sister-in-law, give me Orin too."
"It's okay. I'll hold his hand and walk with him. It's not too hard."
"Ah, but the kid must be tired."
Then Sienna stepped forward and picked up Orin too. One in each arm, she carried them both inside.
The two women looked at how easily she handled the kids and were full of envy. If they could carry one child in each arm like that, life would be so much easier.
When they got to town, they went straight to the supply store. Sienna looked at all the snacks and treats. She bought whatever she could. Then she saw a long red dress. She asked about the price, and without hesitation, bought it.
"How much is that dress?"
"Fifty yuan."
"Let me see it."
The woman behind the counter showed it to her. Sienna really liked it and paid right away.
After becoming human, she loved pretty clothes especially bright, eye-catching ones. The shop lady noticed how quickly she bought the dress and began recommending more.
"Miss, take a look at this dress. It's also a new style and only thirty yuan."
Sienna glanced at it. She didn't like it, so she shook her head and got ready to leave.
The shop lady showed her a few more outfits, but she didn't like any of them, so she left. Meilin and Teacher Yuxia had been shocked when Sienna bought that dress. It was really beautiful, and they liked it too, but it was expensive. One dress cost as much as their husband's monthly salary.
"Sienna, that dress is too expensive. Maybe think about it again?"
"No need. It's beautiful."
"But Sienna, won't Old Gao be upset?"
"Sister-in-law, why would he? He gave me the money. Isn't it meant to be spent?"
"Yes, but that's a full month's salary. We still need to save, send money to our parents, and help our siblings. What about when you have kids?"
"Oh, I understand. But we don't need to send money home. When we married, we split from the family. My parents live by themselves, and we just send them a bit for support."
After hearing that, both women were a little jealous. Sienna didn't need to support a big family, so buying a dress was no big deal for her. For them, it was different. Every month they had to send money back home.
At first, Sienna didn't really get what they meant, but later she understood. Still, this dress was a reward to herself, paid for with her bonus.
Once they finished shopping, they continued walking around. They didn't have anything they needed to buy. They were just out enjoying the town.