Waking up, Ling Ye slowly rose from his bed and stretched his body, easing the lingering stiffness from his limbs and as he stretched, he began to think about what he should do today.
A few moments later, he came to a simple conclusion, he had absolutely nothing to do, the sword is still with Jiao Man, being restored. Bai Da was handling the carriage arrangements and there is little else in Green Path Village that required his attention.
With that thought, Ling Ye nodded to himself, today would be a day for him to rest.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he left his room and made his way out, but as he walked and arrived before the counter, he saw nobody there.
With nobody there, Ling Ye stood there before he then decided to sit down at the nearby standing chair and waited.
His original intention had been to speak with the old innkeeper for his breakfast, but the old man is nowhere to be seen, maybe still sleeping, so with that in mind, he decided to wait, starring outside the window
Then as he waited and simply looked out of the window, he saw the village is still being quiet.
The morning sun had already risen, and the streets were far from crowded, as Ling Ye saw nobody there. Yet as the minutes passed, Ling Ye watched Green Path Village slowly become alive.
One by one, villagers emerged from their homes and are walking around the streets, some carried empty baskets, while others pushed small carts or prepared goods for the day, even some children could be seen helping their parents, while merchants began opening their stores.
The village gradually became more lively as time began to pass.
Seeing this, Ling Ye found himself somewhat surprised, as back in his own village, it is customary for people to wake the moment the sun rose above the horizon and although Ling Ye had not been born there, after becoming the village head, he had naturally adopted the same habit as everybodyelse.
Farmers woke early, to servants, Merchants, with the officers working under him rose with the sun and even Ling Ye himself is no different, because of that, seeing people begin their day at a slower pace felt strangely unfamiliar to him.
It is a small difference, yet one he had noticed immediately and as he watched the village gradually come to life, memories of the past surfaced in his mind, memories from before he had become the village head, back when life had been much simpler for him.
Ling Ye continued to watch the village awaken, lost in thought as the morning slowly passed.
Without realizing it, quite some time had gone by.
At some point the villige began to became like the yesterday and with that Bai Da too had woken up and come sitting at a chair as well, as he already found Ling Ye sitting there, so he joined him and waited, as he too became hungry, but unlike Ling Ye, Bai Da's endurance didn't last long.
"I'm hungry," he complained for what felt like the tenth time.
To this, Ling Ye could only sigh.
"Endure a little more," he replied flatly to the tenth time and so Bai Da became silent once again, though judging by his expression, he clearly isn't happy about his flat reply.
The two sat there in silence, occasionally glancing toward the counter. It seemed that the old innkeeper had not yet come out of his room, but Luckily, they didn't have to wait much longer.
Before long, a door at the back of the inn opened, and the old man finally stepped out and the moment he entered the main hall, he immediately noticed Ling Ye and Bai Da sitting there.
Seeing them waiting, the old innkeeper visibly tensed and before he could even speak, Bai Da stood up.
"Finally!" he exclaimed. "Old man, when are you going to bring us breakfast?"
His tone wasn't truly angry, but after waiting so long on an empty stomach, his irritation was obvious and after a few moments passed, the old man could understand the situation, with a nervous smile appeared on his face.
He glanced toward Ling Ye several times, as if worried that he too might be dissatisfied, but seeing Ling Ye remain calm and silent, the old man quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he bowed slightly toward Bai Da.
"My apologies, sir," he said respectfully. "Perhaps the two of you are unfamiliar with our customs, but breakfast is usually served a little later here."
He straightened himself and continued, "That is the normal routine in Green Path Village. Most villagers begin their work later in the morning, so the inns and restaurants have adapted to that schedule as well."
The explanation eased some of Bai Da's frustration, though not all of it.
"So you're saying I've been starving because of village customs?" Bai Da grumbled.
The old man immediately shook his head.
"No, no, sir. I simply mean that the food is already being prepared. It will be ready shortly."
At those words, Bai Da's expression improved considerably.
"Good," he said with a satisfied nod. "As long as there's food soon coming!"
Ling Ye watched the exchange from his chair and couldn't help but shake his head slightly and though that sometimes dealing with Bai Da is truly simple.
"Tsk." Bai Da clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had already understood that long ago and wasn't particularly interested in hearing something meaningless again, afterall he would still need to wait and he just wanted to release his frustation.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he said, waving his hand impatiently. "But when can we finally eat?"
The old man immediately bowed once more.
"My apologies, sir," he said respectfully. "It should not take much longer. The bakery will surely arrive soon. We simply need to wait a little while longer."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his expression brightened,"But until then, I can bring the two sirs some fresh water."
Though Bai Da was still hungry and slightly irritated, he wasn't about to refuse free water.
"Fine," he muttered. "Bring it over."
The old man nodded and quickly disappeared into the back of the inn and soon returned only a short while later, carrying two freshly filled water pouches. One was handed to Bai Da, the other to Ling Ye.
Both accepted them without complaint.
As Ling Ye took a sip from his pouch, the cool water easing some of the dryness in his throat, the front door of the inn suddenly opened.
"Creak." The sound immediately drew his attention.
Ling Ye looked toward the entrance with mild surprise, as he had assumed the inn's doors would remain still closed until business hours began. Yet it seemed that isn't the case.
Curious, he shifted his gaze toward the newcomer, wondering who would visit the inn so early in the morning.
A young man stepped into the inn.
The moment the old innkeeper saw him, his face brightened with a friendly smile. Leaving the counter, he walked over and greeted him warmly.
"Haha, brat, good to see you!" the old man laughed. "How's your old man doing these days?"
The young man chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Haha, nothing much has changed. He's still healthy enough to yell at me every morning, so I guess he's doing well."
The old innkeeper laughed heartily at that response, "Good, good! As long as he's still yelling, he'll probably outlive us all."
The two exchanged a few more friendly words before the young man finally got to business.
"Anyway, Uncle Zhao, how much bread do you need today?" The old innkeeper rubbed his chin for a moment.
"Give me seven, no, make that eight loaves."
The young man nodded, "Alright, I'll be right back."
With that, he turned around and left the inn and only a minutes later, he returned carrying a large basket filled with freshly baked bread. The warm aroma immediately spread through the inn, causing Bai Da's eyes to brighten.
The young man carefully placed the eight loaves on the counter, with The old innkeeper counted out a few coins and handed them over.
"Thanks, Uncle Zhao."
"Take care on your way back."
The young man waved and left the inn once more and as soon as the door closed, the old innkeeper picked up the bread and looked toward Ling Ye and Bai Da.
"Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes," he said with a smile. "The two of you may return to your rooms and rest until then. I'll bring the food to you when it's ready."
Bai Da looked tempted to grab a loaf immediately, but after glancing at Ling Ye, he reluctantly held himself back.
With nothing else to do, the two returned to their rooms.
There, Ling Ye sat quietly and waited for breakfast to arrive, while the smell of freshly baked bread drifted through the inn and made the wait feel even longer.