novellaaa Chapter 294 Difference in Status
Chapter 294 Difference in Status
Chapter 298 Difference in Status
The day before the Autumn Harvest Festival, the streets and alleys of Chiffon City were several times more lively than usual.
There was a rumor circulating that starting from the Autumn Harvest Festival, people would have one day of paid leave every seven days.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the city in half a day, and the people initially did not believe it.
"Paid leave? Does that mean you don't have to work and you still get paid? How could there be such a good thing?"
"Keep bragging, unless the emperor rises from the west."
Some people suspected that spies were spreading rumors and trying to burn down the city in the chaos, so they reported it directly to the city defense army.
It wasn't until the city hall staff read it aloud in the central square that the reading began.
The notices about the new policy were posted at the city gate, in front of shops, in the artisan area, and in the outer city, and only then did everyone finally believe that it was true.
The whole city erupted in cheers and jubilation.
"Seven days of work followed by one day of rest! And it's paid! How amazing!"
"Chiffon has no emperor, only our benevolent lord!"
Some people have already started planning where to go for their holiday.
"I want to go sit in the bar on that magic tree. I heard that from the top of the tree, you can see the whole city. The view is amazing."
"That place is expensive! A cup of ale costs at least twenty copper coins, several times more expensive than on the street, and you have to make a reservation!"
"It's worth the price. We're not short of food right now. Besides, even if we can't go up to the Lord's Sky Castle, we can still go up to the Treehouse Bar."
"I'm not going anywhere, I'm just staying home and sleeping all day. I'm making up for all the sleep I missed this whole year!"
"Is that all you've got?"
The crowd laughed.
"By the way, where did the lord's castle go? Was it blown away by the wind along with the clouds?"
"No, my uncle said it's hidden by clouds and you have to go up to see it. He also said it's especially beautiful up there."
"Hey! I heard they're still recruiting more soldiers. I want to join too! If I join the Imperial Guard, I can be stationed there!"
"Haha! You're only 1.4 meters tall, you'd be better suited to be a horse stool for a soldier, or maybe you could stick on a big beard and play a dwarf in the theater!"
Everyone burst into laughter!
In the evening, Aaron finished work in the fields, carefully cleaned and washed himself at home, and changed into clean clothes.
He was wearing that black suit, the same one Wade wore at his wedding.
The fabric was crisp and the collar was neat, which made him look much more energetic.
"Hey! Our Silver Pickaxe is wearing that outfit again. Who is he going to see?" Ted joked as he passed by.
Aaron glared at him: "Let's go for a stroll in the city."
"So smartly dressed for a stroll in the city?" Ted chuckled, picked up a bag of grapes, and walked away, leaving behind a string of mischievous laughs.
Aaron stood there, touching the inner lining of his suit jacket, where a small deer woven from wheat straw was placed.
It's palm-sized and incredibly lifelike; he spent three nights weaving it.
People born into serfdom could easily weave a little trinket from wheat stalks found in the fields.
Rabbits, dogs, birds, women—they could make up anything. This was one of the few sources of joy during those hard times.
Aaron loved tinkering with these things, and the more he wove, the more skillful he became than anyone else.
Chiffon inner city, clothing store.
The setting sun streamed through the shop window, draping the newly arrived autumn clothes in a layer of orange-hued veil.
Ella was standing on tiptoe, changing clothes for the mannequin in the shop window.
She wore a light blue, fitted long dress, her hair pulled back, revealing her fair neck.
"Put this one on the left, and hang that one on the right."
She directed the female clerk next to her to adjust the clothes hangers, while she took two steps back and tilted her head to examine the overall display effect.
"Ella".
A greeting came from the doorway.
Ella turned her head and her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Aaron? You're here!"
Aaron stood at the door, smiling somewhat awkwardly: "I finished work early, so I thought I'd come and see you."
"Come in quickly." Ella called him into the store, then said to the Snow Rabbit female shop assistant, "Go and tidy up the back warehouse, I'll take care of things here."
The female shop assistant from XueTu nodded obediently and carried several pieces of clothing into the back room.
There were only two people left in the shop.
Aaron stood in front of the counter, took out the little deer woven from wheat straw, placed it on the counter, and pushed it away a little embarrassedly.
"This is for you. Tomorrow is the Autumn Harvest Festival, and I don't have anything nice to give you."
Ella's eyes lit up, and she carefully picked it up, examining it in her palm.
The deer was exquisitely woven, with slender yet straight legs, neatly finished at the forked antlers, and even the eyes were dotted with dark straw.
"Did you make this up?" Ella looked up at him, her eyes filled with surprise.
Aaron nodded: "I haven't had much to do these past few days, so I thought I'd make you a little trinket."
Ella turned the fawn over and over several times, her smile growing wider and wider.
"You're so skillful." She placed the deer on a small dish on the counter, then took two steps back to look at it. "This is perfect; I can see it every day."
Aaron scratched his head, his ears turning slightly red.
"Actually... I came today to ask if you're free tomorrow."
"The trail along the Zhouxue River has been repaired, and many flowers and maple trees have been planted. The scenery is quite nice. I'd like to... invite you for a walk."
He didn't dare look Ella in the eye when he spoke, his gaze fixed on the edge of the counter, his voice growing softer and softer, as if afraid of being rejected.
Ella looked at him and chuckled, covering her mouth. Just as she was about to speak, another voice came from the doorway.
"Ella!"
They both turned their heads at the same time.
A young man dressed in the standard armor of the city garrison stood at the door, carrying two bottles of wine.
Keller.
The city defense squad leader, whose father was a veteran of the Imperial Guard, is a "second-generation military officer" with impeccable revolutionary credentials, and like Ella, he is a citizen of Chiffon.
He had clearly just come down from the training field, his gear still on and sweat still on his forehead. When he saw Aaron there, he paused for a moment, but quickly smiled back.
"Aaron is here too."
He nodded as a greeting, then walked straight to the counter and gently placed the two bottles of wine on it.
"It's the autumn harvest festival, and I was thinking of bringing you a couple of bottles of wine. How about you do me the honor of coming to the Treehouse Bar with me tomorrow?"
Ella's eyes narrowed slightly.
Venus Wine!
Each citizen can buy one kilogram of Venus crops per month, which means that Keller used up two months' worth of his quota.
"Keller, this is too expensive." Ella didn't reach out to take it. "You saved up your quota for two months just to give this as a gift?"
"It's worth it." Keller smiled, his gaze falling on Ella's face. "It's the harvest festival, it only comes once a year."
Aaron stood to the side without saying a word.
He looked at the two bottles of Venus wine. The glass bottles reflected the setting sun, shimmering and sparkling. The gold ribbons tied into bows on the necks of the bottles were exquisitely crafted.
He glanced down at the straw deer he had placed on the counter.
Not even worth a copper coin...
Citizens can buy 10 kilograms of Silver Star crops and 1 kilogram of Gold Star crops per month, while resident citizens can only buy 2 kilograms of Silver Star crops per month.
In other words, he wasn't even eligible to buy Venus crops.
The two bottles of wine that Keller gave him were not something that could be bought with money; they represented status and privilege, a privilege reserved for citizens.
And what about himself?
Born a serf.
Although I've been promoted to a free citizen and have a monthly salary of ten silver coins, a salary is a salary, and status is status.
The difference between citizens and subjects is not just money, but also that hurdle.
Who will Ella choose?
Isn't it obvious?
She was not only a citizen, but also the niece of the commander of the Imperial Guard, making her an exceptionally high-ranking individual.
Aaron suddenly felt that wearing this suit today was a joke, and that he had been overthinking things.
"Ella, I'm leaving now." Aaron forced a smile and turned to walk out.
Unexpectedly, Ella called out to him.
"Wait a moment!"
She quickly walked around the counter to Aaron, tilted her head up, and looked straight at him with her bright eyes.
"You just said you wanted to ask me to go for a walk by the river tomorrow evening?"
Aaron was stunned. He subconsciously looked at Keller, whose expression didn't seem very good.
"Yes...yes..."
"Okay." Ella smiled, then turned to Keller and said, "I'm sorry, I already have plans for tomorrow, so I can't go."
Keller froze, looking at Ella, then at Aaron, and murmured, "Ella, I..."
'
"Keller," Ella interrupted him, her tone calm, "you're a good person, but I've said it before, we're not right for each other."
Keller remained silent for a moment, then sighed, said nothing, and turned to walk out of the shop.
The shop was quiet again.
Aaron's mind went blank; he hadn't yet realized what had happened.
Ella went back behind the counter, pushed the two bottles of Venus wine aside, and said she would return them when the store was empty.
Then he picked up the deer-shaped woven bark from the dish pillow, held it in his palm, and twirled it around, a smile on his face.
Aaron has finally woken up!
Ella actually accepted his date request and rejected Keller!?
"Ella, you...he...why?"
When Ella heard him stuttering, she burst into laughter.
"Aaron," Ella suddenly called his name, her tone earnest, "Do you like me?"
These words made Aaron blush.
When he saw the expectant look in Ella's eyes, he didn't know where the courage came from, but he straightened his back and shouted, "Yes, I like you! Ella, I really like you!"
Click.
Suddenly, the door to the pillow in the clothing store opened a crack, and a pair of rabbit ears peeked out, curiously staring at the two of them.
Ella's face flushed, a mixture of joy and shyness in her eyes. She whispered, "Why are you shouting so loudly?"
After saying that, she chuckled and her face immediately lit up with a smile.