Tuscany was a county located in the northern part of the Kingdom of Lorraine. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Although it is a county, it is rich in products and close to the sea, and trade is very prosperous.

As a result, the lord of Tuscany, the Count of Frambold, played the role of a vassal in the court of Rollin for many years. This remained the same even after Renard regained control of the court.

However, although Tuscany was more prosperous and richer than other places, this prosperity did not bring any benefit to the average peasant. On the contrary, they were more frequently oppressed and exploited by the aristocracy.

Irelia is an ordinary peasant girl. At only twelve years old, she was very thin, and her brown hair was somewhat dry and messy. A gray linen dress was not clean, but it was neat. Her favorite was the creek on the east side of the village. Because whenever she puts her little feet in the creek, the clear stream flows over the surface of her feet and slips through the gaps in her toes. Then she would feel that the brook had washed away all the dust that had been on her body when she herded the sheep.

On that day, after she had driven the sheep to the appointed place at her mother's command, she went to the brook as usual, and put her two beautiful little feet into the water.

Call!

Irelia sighed comfortably and lay on her back on the grass behind her. Today's weather is good, the sun is not dazzling, and the white clouds in the sky drift by, leaving shadows on the ground. The warm wind blowing on the body not only does not feel cold, but a little warmer.

Irelia reached out and spread her fingers towards the sun, which shone through her white palms, illuminating the edges of her fingers red.

Jingle bell ~ Jingle bell ~ The bell rings regularly, getting louder and louder.

Irelia sat up and looked in the direction the bell came. In the distance, four people were leading a few donkeys in her direction. And the bell came from the dangling bell that hung around the donkey's neck.

The men wore wide robes, and each carried a package. Even the donkey on his hand was carrying a few bags of goods.

Their attire was familiar, and Irelia knew it was the norm for many traders. But she was puzzled that no merchants had ever arrived in her village. The merchants all went to the city, and there were only about 20 households in their village, and there were no merchants willing to come to such a small village, even if they passed by, it was rare.

Are they also passing merchants? Irelia thought. Doesn't that they have all those gadgets in the city? And that yellow thing, called sugar!

"Please bless them to stay in the village for a while, so that I can exchange the multicolored stones I have collected for some candy to taste." Little Irelia prayed to the Light.

Born into a peasant family, Irelia only learned from the gossip of the adults that the city's aristocrats often consumed a condiment called sugar. This condiment is very expensive, but it is very tasty. As for the taste, it is sweet.

Thinking of this, Irelia took out a cloth bag that was tied tightly with straw rope from the front pocket of her dress. Carefully open it, then gently take a thin object out of the cloth bag. If you look closely, it's a cup of petals.

Irelia re-tied the bag and placed it securely in her breast pocket. Then put the petals in your mouth and chew them slowly. Her movements are very gentle, as if she is really tasting a peerless delicacy. For a long time, when she felt a hint of happiness coming from the base of her tongue, she held her face and closed her eyes and smiled.

Jingle bell~

"Little girl!"

Irelia was awakened and hurriedly opened her eyes. It turned out that a group of people in the distance had already walked up to her and were bowing their heads to ask her.

"Ahh Hello! Irelia replied as she quickly got up.

Looking at Irelia's cheeks, which were flushed with shyness, the group laughed happily. One of them, who had just spoken to Irelia, smiled and asked, "Is this a Tuscan territory?" ”

"Yes ... Yes! Irelia was laughed at by the crowd even more shyly, and her voice trembled a little.

The leader nodded to those behind him, then smiled at Irelia, "Thank you, little girl. After saying that, the group stopped asking questions and continued to lead the donkey away.

Irelia looked at the group in the distance, and stopped talking. She wanted to go up and ask them if they had any of the legendary sugar, but she was a little scared. Looking at the group as they walked farther and farther, Irelia was anxious. In the end, she still didn't shout, and the tears silently slipped down her face, fell into the stream, splashed some tiny splashes, and then quickly disappeared into the stream.

The sun began to set in the west, and the yellow sunlight gilded the earth with a layer of golden sand. The sheep around him, bleating, were calling friends and set out on the way home in groups. The whip flicked back and forth, and Irelia followed the flock in frustration.

"What if... If.... I can be braver. ”

"Hey... I don't know when I'll meet the merchant next time... ”

Irelia pursed her lips in remorse, annoyed that she hadn't left them alone. Her village was far away from the city of the noble lord, and if the people of the village wanted to enter the city, they had to catch up with the road for two or three days to get there. And her mother wouldn't let her go into the city alone with the village convoy.

The village in the distance was a little more peaceful in the reflection of the setting sun. Curling smoke rose from the chimney of the house and drifted slowly into the sky. From afar, it looks like a small snake writhing in the sky.

However, today's village is a little different from what it used to be. Normally, the women of the village were already preparing dinner at home, and the streets and alleys were empty. However, as Irelia drove the sheep home, she saw many women gathering in groups and whispering to each other. And every time Irelia walked by, they were silent, as if they were afraid that others would hear their conversation.

Twelve-year-old Irelia was a little puzzled, but she didn't care. She just wanted to go home now, and then sleep hard and forget all about the day.

After putting the sheep in the sheepfold, Irelia pushed the door open. The fire in the fireplace was not very big, but it provided the necessary warmth to the house. Mother is not in the living room, and at this time she should be in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"I'm back!"

Irelia hung the whip on the wall of the fireplace, then patted the dust off her body and shouted into the house. (To be continued.) )