Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Big Treasure
Veena blinked slightly, tilting her head in confusion at Field's request. She couldn't understand why he would ask for this when they had already met several times before.
Seeing her seemingly unaware expression, Field sighed and explained, "Your hair covers half of your face, and your sweater collar covers the other half. I still don't know what you look like."
"So... to prevent me from not recognizing you if you ever change your hairstyle, I need to see what you actually look like, right?" Field seemed to be convincing Veena, but also finding reasons for his request.
However, what surprised Field was Veena's quick agreement. She nodded gently.
"Um."
Field couldn't help but swallow nervously. "You... you agreed?"
"Um."
"So... can I lift your hair and take a look?"
"Um."
"Don't just um, say yes."
"Yes."
"Then I'll just go ahead?"
"Um."
Several confirmations in a row, and Field's heart inexplicably began to race. Excitement hidden within, he didn't know why he felt this way. Even when he was about to return to the mercenary life, he wasn't this excited.
So much so that when he slowly reached out towards Veena, his fingers trembling slightly, even little kitty on his shoulder was affected, nervously watching.
"Coming?" he said.
"Um." Veena nodded gently.
She stood there, facing him, her small face slightly tilted up, her hands tucked into her sleeves, index fingers twining together, nervously fidgeting, quietly waiting for his next move.
But Field remained motionless.
Even though he could remain decisive and ruthless in the midst of gunfire, at this moment, he hesitated to lift her hair.
Perhaps the heavens were no longer jealous, or perhaps the wind couldn't bear to see it.
A gust of wind swept across the calm lake, darted into the alley, accelerated in the narrow passage, blew into the orphanage, and also lifted the strand of hair that Field was trying to lift.
It also stirred Field's heart.
At that moment, he widened his eyes.
She looked up at him, her face tilted slightly, from this angle, he could see her soft jawline, trailing down to her graceful neck, reminiscent of a swan.
In her peach blossom eyes, slightly tinged with redness at the corners, there were pupils like bright moons.
Her silver-gray irises shimmered with a soft light, resembling silver-gray crystals, reflecting Field's stunned expression.
She seemed a bit puzzled, blinked her eyes, and her silver-gray long eyelashes trembled slightly. Below her straight and delicate nose, was a slightly upturned cherry-like mouth.
"Um?" She hummed softly, as if asking why Field had such an expression.
And at this moment, a storm surged in Field's heart.
The wind passed, the hair fell, covering her small face once again.
It wasn't until then that Field finally came back to his senses.
He withdrew his hand, covered his mouth, turned away, and slowly squatted down, as if he had fallen into some kind of self-doubt. Not only him, even Keke jumped down to the ground and crouched beside him.
Veena looked at the two of them in confusion, not understanding why they were acting like this.
"Did you see that?" Field turned his head and whispered to Keke.
"I saw it..." Keke nodded, forgetting even the suffix, evidently also quite shocked.
"What do you think it was?" Field asked.
"That's an angel... yes, it must be an angel!" Keke replied.
"I think so too. How could she be human? Humans definitely can't look this good..." Field remarked.
"Yeah, yeah!" Keke agreed.
With that, the two of them simultaneously turned back, glanced at Veena, then quickly turned away, whispering to each other.
"I think what we just saw must have been an illusion. Do you want to take another look?" Field encouraged.
Keke nodded and ran back.
Field didn't look back, just extended his thumb, biting his nails, looking somewhat absent-mindedly at the ground.
After a moment, Keke returned and crouched down beside him.
Field turned to look at her, only to see her looking equally stunned.
"Not an illusion..." Keke murmured.
Field grinned, his lips involuntarily curling upwards.
"Hehehe... Hahaha!" Field suddenly burst into laughter.
Keke looked at him puzzled, and Veena, not far behind, was also puzzled.
After laughing for quite a while, Field turned his head, wiping away the tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes, then whispered to Keke, "Keke, we've just stumbled upon a super treasure trove. Do you know what that means?"
"What does it mean, meow?" Keke's tail swished from side to side, indicating her excitement.
"It means we have to guard this super treasure trove from now on, and never let anyone else take it away!" Field grinned, his voice low and suppressing immense excitement.
Veena didn't hear what the two were whispering about, but she felt that something was odd about them.
It started from when they saw her face.
So she hesitated, fidgeted with her hands, and finally walked behind Field, gently tugging at his sleeve.
Field turned around to look at her, his face full of smiles.
But Veena didn't see it, because she was currently lowering her head, looking somewhat crestfallen.
"I... I'm not good-looking, please don't mind..."
"I won't reveal my face..."
Hearing her filled with self-doubt and unease, Field slowly bent down, his large hand stroking her hair, gently rubbing it.
She trembled slightly, her words stopping abruptly.
"Lift your head."
Veena lifted her head obediently.
This time, Field didn't rely on the wind, but actively moved aside her hair.
That angelic face appeared before him once again.
No, it still had flaws.
There was a scar on her nose bridge, as if something sharp had grazed it, very shallow, barely visible without careful inspection.
But to a mercenary who wore scars as badges of honor, that wasn't a flaw, it was the finishing touch.
Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Field smiled brightly.
His fingers passed through the strands of her hair, lightly pinching her cheek.
His fingertips felt soft like jelly.
"Silly girl, you're very beautiful."
"You're the prettiest mushroom I've ever seen!"
With that, Field chuckled, then turned and walked towards the house.
"Let's go, it's time for dinner. I can already smell the food!"
Veena watched his back, then hesitantly touched the spot where Field had pinched.
"I'm not a mushroom..."
Her voice was small, and Field didn't hear it.
"Why are you standing there? Grandma Luenra called for dinner," Field's voice came.
Veena quickly snapped out of her daze and followed his footsteps.
A gentle smile flashed in the eyes hidden under her hair.
And Field didn't notice the single white hair hidden among her chestnut-colored short hair.
"This is too sumptuous!" Field exclaimed with delight as he looked at the table full of dishes, then smiled at Grandma Luenra, "Grandma Luenra, it's a pity you're not running a restaurant with these skills!"
"Hehehe, I'm too old to be busy like that anymore, as long as you all enjoy it," Grandma Luenra said happily.
"How about this," Field glanced at Veena, his eyes lighting up, "I plan to stay here in the future, but I'm not good at cooking. So, I want to give you a thousand gold coins every month. You can arrange our meals with a bit of effort, what do you think?"
"Oh, that's too much," Grandma Luenra quickly waved her hand, "Just wanting to eat what Grandma makes for you is enough, no need for money..."
"That won't do," Field shook his head, "I have a big appetite and need to eat meat at every meal. I can't let you bear the cost like this."
"But..." Grandma Luenra wanted to say something, after all, in her opinion, eating meat at every meal shouldn't cost a thousand gold coins a month.
But Field waved his hand decisively, "Let's settle it this way. Any extra can be used to supplement the nutrition of the little girls."
"Girls their age shouldn't be so thin."
At these words, Grandma Luenra nodded in agreement, looking at Field with warmth in her eyes.
She knew that Field was doing this to help them.
This meal was quite lively.
The group of little girls, including Veena, obviously rarely ate meat. Now with the table full of meat and fish, they couldn't wait any longer. They ate until their cheeks bulged, looking very cute.
Field, on the other hand, ate while observing Veena.
During the meal, Veena would sometimes fold down her collar, revealing half of her face. She ate in small bites, and Field noticed that after taking a few pieces of fish tail meat with a spoon, she didn't touch the meat again.
Seeing this, Field couldn't allow it.
So he directly picked up a piece of beef with his fork and put it into Veena's bowl.
Veena was stunned, turned to look at Field, and saw him with a serious expression, "Eat more meat, you're too thin, like you're malnourished."
"Researchers of the Institute of Magic need to ensure adequate nutrition to keep their minds clear!"
At his words, Veena looked at the meat in her bowl and nodded gently, "Okay."
Seeing her starting to eat the meat in small bites, Field began to eat with satisfaction.
But every time he ate for a while, he had to add a piece of beef or fish to Veena's bowl, or even a chicken leg.
"Too much, too much..." Veena said nervously.
"Too much? That's because you have too small an appetite," Field said.
"Um..." Veena looked somewhat at a loss as she looked at the beef that occupied most of her bowl.
Seeing that she couldn't finish it, Field simply handed his bowl over, "If you can't finish it, give it to me."
After hesitating for a moment, Veena picked up the beef in her bowl and put it into Field's bowl.
Taking it, Field immediately devoured it.
Swallowing the meat, Field said, "From now on, you have to take the initiative to eat meat yourself, don't wait for me to cut it for you, otherwise you won't be able to finish it."
Veena obediently nodded, "Okay."
Field: "Say you understand."
Veena: "I understand."
Grandma Luenra watched this scene while eating, her eyes full of smiles.
On ordinary days, it was rare for Veena to eat meat, and she basically didn't eat it. At most, she would scoop a little meat juice onto her rice and leave the meat for her and the children. She had advised her, but Veena only symbolically ate a small piece and then stopped.
Grandma Luenra knew that Veena didn't dislike eating meat. On the contrary, she liked it very much. Every time there was meat, she would secretly drool.
But meat was a luxury for this family.
When Field wasn't there, this family would eat meat at most twice a month, so this obedient and pitiful girl would always leave the meat for the younger children.
Even though she herself was still a child.
But this time, under Field's "threat," Veena ate several pieces of meat. Although she seemed calm on the surface, one could tell from the slightly trembling feet under the table that she was very satisfied and happy.
Finally, they were full.
Field lay back in the chair, looking satisfied, and let out a contented belch. The little cat mimicked him, sprawling on the chair and purring softly. Meanwhile, Veena was helping Grandma Luenra with the dishes. However, when she was about to start washing them, Grandma Luenra pushed her out of the kitchen.
"Leave these to Grandma, you go rest in the living room," Grandma Luenra said with a smile.
Veena looked at Grandma Luenra with confusion. Usually, she took care of the household chores because Grandma Luenra was old and frail, and her sisters were still young. But today, Grandma Luenra insisted on taking over her tasks, leaving Veena unsure of what to do. However, Grandma Luenra was resolute, so she nodded and went to the living room.
Grandma Luenra smiled happily at Veena and Field before going to wash the dishes. She hoped Veena could spend more time with Field and become a bit more cheerful. As long as Veena improved, she would be satisfied.
In the living room, Veena started knitting a sweater, while Field watched her knit without doing anything else. Kiki went outside to play with Tena and the others, leaving only Field and Veena in the small cabin's living room. It was quiet but not awkward, rather peaceful and serene. Field hadn't felt this way in a long time. He enjoyed the madness of gunfire and swords, but sometimes, too much madness required a bit of seasoning. The tranquility here was perfect, and he liked it a lot. Eventually, as he watched, he started feeling drowsy and decided to lie down on the big wooden chair and fell asleep.
In the room, there was only the faint sound of Veena knitting and Field's breathing. After a while, Veena stopped knitting. She stretched her neck and then turned to look at Field, finding him fast asleep. She paused for a moment, then got up and went into the room, fetching a blanket and gently covering Field with it. Her movements were light, and Field didn't wake up.
Normally, mercenaries slept lightly, easily awakened by any movement or sound. But this time, he slept deeply, even dreaming. So deeply that even in deep sleep, there was a faint smile on his face.
Veena quietly watched the smile on his face, and her lips couldn't help but curve upwards into a gentle arc. Grandma Luenra came out of the kitchen and saw Veena standing in front of Field, staring at him without moving, like a wooden doll. As an experienced person, she knew what was going on. So she just smiled kindly, quietly went into her room, and didn't disturb them.
She stood there, watching him for a long time.
Veena only came back to her senses when she heard the children's laughter outside, along with Hollan's voice.
Field also made a murmuring sound, as if he was about to wake up.
Veena suddenly felt a bit flustered, looked around, saw the nearly finished sweater, and quickly went back to her seat to continue knitting.
At this moment, the door was pushed open, and the children, Kiki, and Hollan walked in together.
Field also opened his eyes, stretched lazily, and yawned.
"It's such a sound sleep," Hollan chuckled.
"Yeah." Seeing Hollan, Field also smiled. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed the blanket on him and turned to look at Veena.
Veena was still sitting in the same position, slowly knitting the sweater, as if nothing had happened.
But Field smiled.
Because he noticed that the progress of the sweater didn't seem to have advanced much since he fell asleep.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone