Natalia hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. Then, she underwent such a thrilling event. From the dark sky outside and the torch the woman was holding, she could tell that it was already evening.
No wonder that she would feel hungry.
Thinking of this, Natalia licked her lips with embarrassment and patted her growling stomach, asking, "Would that be too much trouble?"
"No, not at all. The food is ready. Come on! If you have the strength to get out of bed, I'll take you to the central room to eat."
Natalia nodded. Though every part of her body was still aching, she managed to crawl out of bed with all her might.
Following the middle-aged woman, she slowly edged out of the room and came into the central room. This room was still shrouded by darkness. The kerosene lamp on a table was the only light source.
The middle-aged woman led her to sit down at the table and said, "Wait a sec. I'll get you some food."
After that, she went off to another room.
Sitting there, Natalia looked around by the light of the dim kerosene lamp.
It was not a large room. The floor was not even a cement floor, but uneven mud. The table was wooden, coated with something black and sticky. Most of the red paint on the table had come off.
There was also a large cabinet beside the wall. The cabinet looked very old. By the weak light, she made out some sundries and daily necessities inside.
She had no idea where this place was. But judging by what she had observed, this was perhaps a poor, underdeveloped village in the mountains.
People here were still using kerosene lamps. They probably had no access to electricity.
Realizing this, Natalia's heart sank to her stomach.
The middle-aged woman soon came out with two bowls.
One held some boiled potatoes, and the other carried some tomatoes and a few slices of meat.
Smiling, she said, "These are some leftovers from dinner tonight. Hope you wouldn't mind. Just eat some so you won't stay hungry."
Natalia beamed. She took over the fork and said, "Of course not. I'm glad I can have these."
In this circumstance, she certainly couldn't act spoiled. Even though she had never had boiled potatoes, and the dish didn't look tasty either, she still chose to be grateful.
She knew that the harsher the environment was, the more important it was to eat and preserve her energy.
Plus, this meal was offered to her as a gesture of kindness.
Seeing that Natalia was finally eating something, the middle-aged woman was relieved. She then sat on a stool by the table and fetched out two knitting needles and some knitting wool to knit a sweater.
Natalia watched her work. After moments of hesitation, she still couldn't help but ask her, "May I know where I am?"
The middle-aged woman looked up at her and said with a smile, "This is Horn Village. It's small and remote. You probably never heard of it."
Natalia searched her memories and was confirmed that she never heard of such a place before.
Helplessly, she asked, "Are we in Tacitus?"
The middle-aged woman nodded and replied, "Yes. But we're in the far south, bordering Africa. Further south, war breaks out quite often, so everyone is having a hard time. Life is very difficult."
Natalia puckered up her brows.
"This place borders Africa? Then it's far astray from the flight route back to Ambario!"
But she soon figured it out.
Someone on that plane must have secretly changed the route during the flight. It was just the passengers didn't notice.
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