Both Sera and Eli ran back home. Earlier, when they were searching for money in the cabinets and rooms, they had already noticed where everything was placed. There was still some time before the villagers gathered to go to the forest, but they had to hurry, grab their things, and return to the shop area so they could join the others.
In her previous world, Sera always carried a small notebook with her. However, their poverty here did not allow her to buy one. So she simply took a few pages from Mily's notebook and cut them into smaller pieces. She then tied them together from one side, creating a tiny notebook. After finishing it, she slipped it into her pocket.
The sisters quickly gathered their tools and left the house to join the villagers.
As they passed through the houses, they noticed an old grandmother weaving a basket. When Sera saw her, an idea suddenly appeared in her mind.
She walked forward and greeted her politely.
"Hello, Grandma."
The old woman looked at her and smiled, as if asking what she wanted. Eli stood beside her, confused about why Sera had approached the old woman.
Sera returned the smile.
"Grandma, may I ask how much this basket costs?"
The grandmother told her the price. Unfortunately, it was far beyond what the sisters could afford.
The light in Sera's eyes dimmed slightly, but she still hesitated and spoke again.
"Grandma… we don't have money right now. But we can bring wild food from the forest. In exchange, could we buy one basket?"
The grandmother smiled gently but shook her head.
"My son and daughter-in-law also go to the forest to gather food. We already have enough."
However, she did not want to disappoint the girl. After thinking for a moment, she offered another idea.
"Why don't you collect the necessary leaves and materials from the forest? I can teach you how to make a basket."
Sera's eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? Thank you, Grandma!"
She thanked the old woman repeatedly before saying goodbye. The sisters continued walking.
Eli looked at her curiously.
"Sis, why do you need a basket?"
Sera replied calmly,
"Eli, we can't go to the forest like this every day. And we also can't stay in this village forever. We must continue our studies."
She paused before continuing.
"I know we weren't the top students in our previous world, but our results were still good. Here, there is no work at all. And we don't know when our real parents from the novel might find us."
Eli nodded slightly, listening.
"So we need to carry enough food from the forest for at least a week. Every Sunday we can go with the villagers again to collect more. That way, we won't miss school, and the food problem will also be solved."
Eli smiled.
"That's a good plan. You always think ahead."
Sera smiled back.
While walking, she also wrote down the types of leaves the grandmother had mentioned in her small notebook. The old woman had told them that her son and daughter-in-law would help them identify the correct leaves since they were the ones who usually gathered them.
When the sisters reached the shop area, the villagers did not look angry, which meant they were not late. After a few minutes, everyone began walking uphill toward the forest.
There were many children around Sera and Eli's age, so the sisters walked with them.
Climbing the mountain was extremely tiring. Thankfully, they had brought water. However, Uncle James reminded them to stabilize their breathing first before drinking.
"Always calm your breathing before drinking water," he instructed.
Sera and Eli obediently followed his advice.
When they reached the area where wild food could be collected, Uncle James and the other villagers explained which mushrooms and berries were poisonous.
Sera immediately began writing the details in her tiny notebook.
The villagers laughed lightly when they saw this.
"Look at the little scholars," Uncle James joked.
Everyone laughed.
The food hunt was both educational and exhausting. But the elders always said something important:
"Always make your food sweet before eating it."
It meant that one must work honestly and hard for their food so that it would taste sweeter.
Since Sera and Eli did not have baskets yet, they carried their food in plastic bags.
Eli looked like a wild bird finally freed from its cage. She climbed trees, helped others, and enjoyed herself freely.
Sera watched her sister with a gentle smile.
In their previous world, Eli had always been a free-spirited person. But every child still needed their parents' love.
Eli often acted like she did not care, but during exams she studied extremely hard. That was the only time their parents attended school meetings. When their teachers praised them, their mother would show them a little love.
Even if it felt fake, it was still love.
At home, however, their mother barely looked at them.
She always bought beautiful dresses for their older sister who was already married. She also bought clothes for their brother. Even though the brother did not like her choices, it still showed that she cared.
For Sera and Eli, their father simply gave them money and told them to buy whatever they wanted.
Inside the house, Eli often acted like a lifeless doll. But at school she joked, laughed, and played.
Sera knew she only did that to make her sister feel happy.
The two sisters always tried to protect each other's hearts. They never shared their grievances because they both understood the pain the other carried.
But now Eli truly looked free. The smile on her face was real.
After collecting enough food, the villagers rested.
Sera turned to Eli.
"Let's go meet the grandmother's son and daughter-in-law."
They had now remembered the grandmother's name from Lily and Mily's memories.
Her name was Grandma Maria.
Her son was John, a thin but hardworking man, and his wife was Christine, a very talkative woman.
Christine was friendly, but she was also the kind of person who could not keep secrets.
The sisters approached them.
Christine happily allowed them to join because she was the one who usually collected the leaves used for basket-making.
The three of them walked deeper into the forest searching for the necessary materials.
Eli carried a knife in her pocket and held a sturdy stick in her hand. They left their plastic bags with the other villagers while they rested.
As they walked, Christine kept chatting endlessly.
Eventually, they reached the place where the leaves grew.
While cutting the leaves, Christine suddenly asked,
"Oh Mily, do you remember Aunt Rose?"
Sera thought for a moment before nodding.
Christine laughed lightly.
"You know, she said she wants to choose you as a bride for her son."
Both Sera and Eli froze in shock.
Eli's anger immediately flared.
"Aunt Christine, who gave Aunt Rose the right to decide that my sister will marry her son?"
Christine looked embarrassed.
"Well… you two are alone now, and Aunt Rose's family owns vehicles to transport vegetables to the city. Her son is only twenty years old, so we thought it wasn't such a bad idea…"
Eli looked ready to explode in frustration.
Before she could say anything harsher, Sera quickly spoke.
"Aunt Christine, if this is a joke, we might ignore it once. But please don't repeat it. My sister and I can take care of ourselves. We do not need anyone to decide our future."
She paused and added calmly,
"Please convey my message to Aunt Rose. We do not appreciate such jokes."
Christine nodded awkwardly.
"Yes… yes, of course."
Sera did not say this directly to Aunt Rose for a reason.
Christine was famous for spreading news quickly.
Sera knew that if she told Christine, the message would reach not only Aunt Rose but also the entire village.
She wanted everyone to understand clearly that the sisters did not need anyone to take care of them.
And child marriage was absolutely unacceptable to them.
They continued gathering leaves.
Eli began pulling leaves at incredible speed, still angry.
After finishing their work, they returned to the resting villagers.
It was already past lunchtime, so everyone filled their stomachs with wild berries before beginning the long walk back to the village.
While walking, Sera and Eli noticed Christine whispering to other women.
The news had already started spreading.
Both sisters exchanged knowing looks.
When they finally reached the village, the sisters thanked the villagers for their help.
They walked home with John and Christine since their houses were close to each other. John kindly carried some of their food bags in his basket.
When they arrived at the Muller house, Grandma Muller welcomed them warmly.
Sera showed her the basket materials.
Grandma Muller nodded.
"Put them here. Go rest first. Later I will teach you how to make baskets."
Sera thanked her.
Grandma Muller then asked Christine to help the girls store their food using the underground hole behind their house.
Christine agreed.
The three of them walked to Sera and Eli's house. In the small backyard, Christine showed them a hole with a large, tightly sealed lid.
When she opened it, the inside was clean and dry. Even the rainwater from yesterday had not entered it.
"This works like a fridge," Christine explained. "Food doesn't spoil here, even during summer."
After explaining, she left.
Sera and Eli were amazed.
They had already been worried about storing their food, and this underground hole solved the problem perfectly.
But Eli had not forgotten Christine's earlier words.
She finally exploded.
"See? Some people are always waiting for an opportunity! That Aunt Rose thinks she can just marry you off to her son as if she's doing us a favor!"
Sera nodded.
"That's why I told you we cannot stay here forever. From now on, we reduce our presence in the village. Only school and Sunday forest trips. No unnecessary going out."
Eli agreed.
After resting for a while, the sisters returned to the Muller house.
Grandma Muller was still weaving baskets.
They sat beside her and began learning.
She patiently taught them the technique and suggested making two smaller baskets instead of one large one since they would not be able to carry a big basket.
The sisters agreed.
After learning the skill, they even helped Grandma Muller make a few extra baskets as a thank-you.
By the time they finished, the sun was setting.
The three of them sat quietly in the hall, watching the sunset.
Suddenly, Sera felt something strange — as if something important was nearby.
But the feeling disappeared quickly.
Soon after, they said goodbye and walked back home.
On the way, Sera told Eli about the strange feeling.
Eli looked confused.
"What could it be?"
When they reached home, they prepared dinner and cleaned everything. Their food supply was still small, so they planned to return to the forest tomorrow to collect enough for the entire week.
Suddenly—
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
It was already dark outside.
The sisters walked toward the gate together, holding each other's hands tightly. Eli also carried a stick.
"Who is there?" they asked cautiously.
From the other side came an elderly voice.
"It's me."