A while later, he returned with several large lobsters. “This particular type of lobster is tender and nutritious. Our village is poor, and cannot compare to the city where there's an abundance of chicken, duck, and fish. You need nourishment so the child will grow up big and strong.”
Sienna was still trying to refuse when a woman from the village, who was in her thirties, happened to pass by the door and poked her head in. “Why are you refusing something that's being given for free, Sienna?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “If it were me, I'd take it right away.”
“Mitchell makes a tough living fishing, Karen, and catching lobsters must have taken a lot of effort. It would be too much if I were to enjoy the fruits of his labor without giving anything in return,” said Sienna as she pulled out two hundred from her pocket. “Consider this as payment for your wares, Mitchell.”
Mitchell became agitated. “Payment? We villagers have been living by this river since we were children, and we've been eating these for as long as we can remember. It's become most common for us. Why should you pay for it?”
At that, he whipped around in anger and stormed away.
How humiliating!
“Hey—” Sienna was about to follow him, but he was tall and burly, and she, encumbered by her big belly, could not keep up.
“Really, it's just two lobsters. Why won't you just accept them?” Karen sneered, thinking that Sienna was being haughty. She rolled her eyes and, as if remembering something, exclaimed, “Oh, right. Have you heard? Our village is about to be demolished. They're asking us to move!”
Karen loved to gossip; she had a wealth of information up her sleeve, which she did not hesitate to share with Sienna. “How unlucky to be you! You've only just settled in our village and now you're about to be homeless again,” she remarked cheerfully.
Sienna was taken aback. “What do you mean, Karen?”
“I heard that a big shot in the city wants to buy this place and build a resort! Apparently, it's because there's a hot spring in the mountain behind the village that he wants to develop. I wonder how much he's going to give us. If it's a paltry sum, it wouldn't be worth it. After all, we make our living by fishing. It's our livelihood. If we're just given a small amount of money, how are we supposed to survive later on?”
“I'm just worried about you,” Karen chattered on. “Your baby is due soon. What will you do if you have no place to live then?”
Sienna felt her heart clench slightly, but she had weathered many storms. “I'll look for someplace else when the time comes,” she said with a light smile.
Karen pursed her lips. Still putting on an act, are we?
Without another word, she turned and left.
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