After putting down his phone, Ian was about to wash his face when he heard another voice downstairs calling for Susan.
"Hey, Small Fry," the man asked upon seeing Ian emerging from his room, "have you seen Ms. Jadeson?"
"No"
Looking as proud as ever, Ian's already foul mood worsened when he heard yet another request for Susan, prompting him to give a retort that was as cold and stiff as his stance.
Why does everybody only want her help? What about the rest of us volunteers? We might as well go home!
"Oh man, who's going to help me count for the sale of my wares if she's not here?" the middle-aged man wailed. *l'm selling all my lumber today, Small Fry! Say, are you as good as Ms. Jadeson? Why don't you come with me instead?"
"Me?" Ian wondered if his ears deceived him.
Before he could give a definite answer, the panic-stricken villager was already bounding up the stairs toward him.
"Yes, yes, you will do just fine," the man said impatiently as he tugged on Ian's arm. "Hurry up and come with me please; the driver is about to leave. What if I get scammed without an accountant present?"
Ian instinctively took a few steps back.
As was the culture within the village, every important sale necessitated an educated opinion wherever possible.
Even the sale of timber required the careful calculation of its mass to ensure equity for both parties.
In the end, Ian decided to consider it a favor to Susan by obliging the villager.
Several minutes later, his snow-white shirt caught the crowd's attention almost as soon as he arrived at one of the drying fields of the village.
Aside from his natural good looks, he had an aura of nobility emanating from his bones. Upon his arrival there, even his fellow volunteers stared at him blankly.
"What are we evaluating today?"
Pretending not to notice the stupefied glances, Ian turned to the villager who sought his help.
The man, who was a farmer, immediately pointed to a pile of peeled fir trees on the ground. "All of that,” he said. "The buyer will come and measure it. After that, please record it in my ledger and exchange the necessary documents with him."
That's it?
Ian took the paper and pen.
The buyer arrived soon after.
With a single disdainful glance at the seemingly inexperienced teenager, he took out a measuring tape and conducted his usual routine while mumbling the dimensions under his breath.
"Wait a minute. Is that all?" Ian stopped the pair of burly men stepping forward to carry the wood.
The buyer glared at him.
"Yeah. What else are you expecting?"
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