The hope that had already half-faded inside Sulwoo completely died on the spot.
He had lived in the tribe for more than twenty years and had never heard that Hayoon knew medicine...
Still, whatever. Trying it would not hurt.
He said politely, "Understood. If it works, I will give the supplies to Hayoon instead."
Minho gave a quiet hum and turned to leave.
After delivering the sulfur soap, Hayoon stopped paying attention to the matter entirely.
Right now, all her attention was focused on the two Bubalo.
Not only did she ask Minho to help her drive a new wooden stake into the ground, she also gathered dry grass to spread beside it so the calf could lie down more comfortably.
Haeun helped her cut fresh tender grass, and Hayoon fed the calf several times a day while constantly trying to grow closer to it whenever the mother Bubalo was not paying attention.
Whether the calf could understand him or not, Hayoon still kept talking beside its ear. "Being raised by me is pretty great, right? You get to eat such delicious fresh grass. Once I find some beans, I can even grind feed for you. It will smell so good you will be completely obsessed with it. So how about staying here forever..."
The calf blinked its clean innocent eyes while its thick mouth continued chewing away.
After being hand-fed several times, the moment it saw Hayoon approach, it would eagerly stand up and moo at her expectantly.
Even the mother Bubalo stopped going into the forest by evening and instead began eating the fresh grass Hayoon fed her.
Hayoon felt that her "domestication" plan was progressing extremely well.
As she gathering her courage, she carefully reached out and touched the mother Bubalo who stood over two meters tall.
Afraid the Bubalo might suddenly kick her or gore her with its horns, she deliberately stood to the side while touching it.
Thankfully, the mother Bubalo was too focused on eating to even glance at her.
The warmth beneath Hayoon's palm was comforting.
The cow's fur felt coarse and prickly, while beneath the hide were strong, solid muscles.
Hayoon narrowed her eyes happily and gave the Bubalo a few firm pats.
"Eat more and produce lots of milk!"
"Minho! Hayoon! Are you there?!"
An excited voice suddenly called out.
Hayoon pulled back her hand and discovered that the visitor was Sulwoo.
She walked a few steps closer and asked, "Do you need Minho for something? The chief called him away."
Sulwoo rushed over and grabbed Hayoon's hands tightly, his joy practically overflowing.
"No! I came to find you!"
Hayoon froze for a moment before quickly reacting with delight.
"Did the sulfur soap work?"
Sulwoo nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, yes!"
He even lowered his head to show her his hair. "I washed my hair several times today with the sulfur soap Minho brought over, and it barely itches anymore! I can feel the sulfur soap killing both the lice and the eggs. If I wash with it for a few more days, I should recover completely!"
Hayoon carefully examined his hair.
Although his gray mid-length hair had become slightly rougher from the sulfur soap and had lost some of its shine, his scalp looked completely normal without burns or damaged skin.
The lice in his hair looked like tiny black specks and after parting through the strands for a while, only one or two could still be seen.
The improvement was clearly huge.
Hayoon felt genuinely happy for him. "That is great. You are not losing hair or anything, right?"
Sulwoo quickly shook his head. "No, my hair is perfectly fine. Minho also told me not to use the sulfur soap too often."
Hayoon nodded repeatedly. "Mm, mm."
Sulwoo thanked Hayoon sincerely. "Thanks to you, otherwise the lice on my head would have kept getting worse day by day, and I would have had no choice but to painfully shave off the hair I have spent years growing. It is a little dry now, but once I stop using the sulfur soap and take care of it for a while, it should recover. Tonight I can finally get a proper night's sleep. Hayoon, thank you so much."
Hayoon smiled warmly, her eyes curving.
"You are welcome. I am just glad I could help."
Her attitude moved Sulwoo deeply and he asked seriously, "What supplies do I need to give you as payment?"
Hayoon froze for a moment. "Huh? Give me payment?"
Sulwoo nodded. "Yeah. That is what Minho said."
Hayoon immediately waved her hands. "The materials for making the sulfur soap were all provided by Minho. How could I possibly take your supplies? You should give the payment to him instead."
Sulwoo became troubled. "But..."
"What are you two doing?"
A deep magnetic male voice came from ahead of them.
Hayoon turned her head and saw Minho standing several steps away.
Dressed in silver-colored linen clothing and gray trousers, he stood tall and straight. His narrow red eyes calmly swept over the hands Sulwoo was still holding.
Sulwoo's grip instantly loosened, and Hayoon smoothly pulled her hands back before smiling and asking, "You are back? Is everything finished?"
Minho gave a quiet hum and walked over to stand beside her.
His tall figure towered nearly a head above her.
Meeting Minho's gaze, Sulwoo quickly explained why he had come.
"...So that is what happened. You told me to give the supplies to her, but she told me to give them to you instead. So who am I actually supposed to pay?"
Minho and Hayoon answered at the exact same time.
"Give it to him."
"Give it to her."
Hayoon: "..."
Minho calmly said to Sulwoo, "The materials themselves were not worth much. The important thing is the method for making sulfur soap. Just give the payment to her."
Then he looked toward Hayoon. "Do you not want to build a house? You need supplies more than I do, so accept it."
Hayoon still felt embarrassed about it and asked, "Then how about we split it equally?"