After the wheat harvest, the children of Turnera scoured the field with baskets in hand for any remaining ears of wheat that had been dropped. As vast as the village’s collective farmland was and as quickly as it had to be harvested, they did not have the time to be careful and tidy with it. In every step of the process of reaping, binding, and carrying off the cereal, some wheat would inevitably be dropped, and even this spillage accounted for quite a large quantity.
The harvested ears would be threshed with sticks to separate the wheat from the chaff, and then the grain would be spread out to dry. Driving off the birds that would attempt to descend upon this feast was also a job for the children.
Thus fall marched ever onward. By the time the spring wheat was gathered, the newly sown wheat fields were already showing fresh green sprouts, and the autumn festival was near at hand. It was around this time that peddlers began to arrive one by one, eager for the opportunities the festival would present.
Turnera had a good reputation for the quality of its produce and craft goods. At the start of autumn, the wool sheared in early summer would be woven into cloth, and any bolts of cloth or spools of yarn that weren’t used to make their own winter garments would be sold. Nearly all the proceeds of their trade would be spent on the spot. Aside from food and supplies, the peddlers also sold books, games, and toys of wood or tin to provide some entertainment through the winter. There was a long winter ahead of them, so it was necessary to stockpile goods to last them until spring. It might have been handy to put away some lucre, but coins would be cold comfort if they ran out of food or fuel in the snow. The knowledge that Turnera would loosen their collective purse strings this time of year was why there were so many peddlers.
With the arrival of the traders, Turnera’s seasonal preparations became all the more fervent and energetic—this year more so than usual, as many of the younger villagers had earned some extra money by working on the road improvements. All of them had since returned to help prepare for the winter, resulting in households with much fuller pockets than usual. Consequently, the market at the square was even busier than usual, and the villagers would drop by the square whenever they got a break from work to see whatever goods the peddlers were touting.
After Belgrieve finished planting the onions, he took the kids along to see the whole spectacle. The twins were now giggling over a tin toy, a figure fashioned in the shape of a dragon. Although it was rather cheaply made, the twins didn’t seem to care, and they proudly held it up to show to Mit.
“It’s a dragon, Mit!”
“It’s so spiky and cool!”
Mit nodded solemnly. “Dragons are strong.”
“Strong?”
“Who’s stronger? Dragons or grampa?”
“Grampa.”
“Then what about Ange?”
“Sis is stronger.”
“And Percy?”
“Percy is stronger.”
“Huh? Dragons aren’t so strong, then...”
“Right?”
“Hmm...”
The three of them mulled that over, but even so, they still seemed rather fond of the doll and hadn’t put it down just yet. The peddler looked on amusedly before turning to Belgrieve.
“How about it?”
“Yeah, we’ll take it. Oh, and this book too.”
“Glad to do business with you.”
Belgrieve ended up buying toys for the twins and Mit, and books for Charlotte and Byaku. As he browsed the other wares, Satie came over from the neighboring stall with a hunk of cheese wrapped in paper.
“Bell, Bell! Can I buy this aged cheese too?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Bell, I’d like some of these spirits,” Kasim said, holding up a bottle.