Renovation
After leaving Jo Company early, I sent a message to my mother. Then, after stopping by the Merchants’ Guild again to take care of some business, I headed to Gan’s family home.
(Big Sis, where are we going?)
“Ah, to Gan’s family home. His father and older brother run a woodworking and carpentry workshop.”
(And what are we doing there? You looked like you had an idea at the shop.)
“Smart, Pearl. Yes, I had an idea. I’m going to use the patent usage fees to renovate the shop.”
((Renovate?))
Gan’s family home was near the entrance to the commoner district.
“Hello!”
“Hi there… welcome…”
The first person to come out was a young craftsman I hadn’t met before, followed by several others.
“Umm… Daniel, is he here?”
“Huh? Ah, y-yes. Please wait a moment… Oh, B-Boss! A customer’s here!”
“Ah? Who is it?”
From the back, Gan’s eldest brother, Daniel, appeared.
“It’s Joan! Daniel, long time no see.”
“Oh! It really has been a while, Joan. Ah, congratulations on your debut.”
“Thank you. I came to consult about something… By the way, are the master carpenter or Camaro around?”
“Both of them just got back. Shall we go to the house?”
“Sorry to trouble you. Yes, please.”
Daniel led me toward the house. Only Pearl and Meteor seemed to notice the young craftsmen watching me with dazed, almost feverish expressions.
＊＊＊＊＊
“Master carpenter, Camaro, long time no see.”
“Oh, Joan. You’ve grown into a beauty, like your mother.”
“Truly. And in the knight course? The men can’t be ignoring you, right?”
“No, not at all. Nobody really sees me as a girl.”
(Sigh~)
Pearl let out a sigh listening to our conversation. Seeing that, Daniel and the others chuckled knowingly.
“So, what’s this consultation about?”
“Yes, I’m thinking of renovating the shop. It’s been over ten years since it opened, so the building and furniture could use some improvement.”
“Ah, that long? I see. My mother mentioned the fittings had been getting worse recently.”
“Exactly. Also, the shop behind the store was vacant, right?”
“Ah, the old standing bar.”
Camaro seemed to frequent that standing bar.
“And?”
“I bought it.”
“‘‘‘Huh?’’’”
“So I thought we could expand the shop and… just bought it.”
“‘‘‘Ha—!?’’’”
“No, no, no… bought it….”
“Thanks to the patent usage fees, I could pay for it. I didn’t know Daniel or Steve had been filing applications too—sorry about that.”
I bowed my head as I spoke.
“J-Joan, please lift your head. We just followed your ideas to create it. Filing it as if it were your own makes it seem like we lost credit as craftsmen.”
“If Daniel or Steve had tried to file under their own names, I would have beaten them myself as a parent.”
If the master carpenter hit me, a bump would be the least of my worries…
Truly, I’m blessed with good people around me.
“So, for the renovation, what’s the plan?”
“Well, for the image… like this, and here… like that…”
I explained my renovation plan to the master carpenter and Camaro, and consulted with Daniel about shelves, tables, and benches.
“Got it. We just finished other work today, so we can start tomorrow.”
“Then, please proceed.”
“For the furniture, are you sure it’s okay to have just the young craftsmen?”
“Yes, of course, Daniel will do the final check. But it’s also good practice for the young craftsmen.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure they work hard even if I have to kick their butts.”
The painting and small tasks will be handled by the children from the orphanage. Partly because helping here could shape their future.
Orphans study reading, writing, and arithmetic at the church, not the academy. But simply being from an orphanage often makes it hard to find work. In the Lampail territory, our household leads by example in employing orphaned children, so fewer people here look down on them. Those who do their work well are given opportunities, even from the orphanage.
Once the shop is renovated and expanded, I plan to hire several orphaned children. My mother has already approved this. For now, I need to find people to help with the renovation…
From Gan’s home, we headed straight to the orphanage.
“Hello~!”
“‘‘‘Hello~!’’’”
The children playing near the gate greeted us energetically.
“Is the director or a sister around?”
“Wait a bit! I’ll go get them!”
“I’ll come too!”
“Me too!”
After a short wait, the children brought the director along.
“Director, it’s been a while.”
“Oh my, Joan? You’ve grown so beautifully. Please, come in.”
“I came to discuss something…”
In the director’s office, we discussed the shop renovation. We also talked about the children helping out and being employed as staff.
Anyone can help with the renovation, but staff need basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Staff members’ food, clothing, and lodging will be provided.
“Well, with such good conditions, anyone would want to do it.”
“Then, could you select three to start with?”
“Understood. We also have a request from our side…”
“A request?”
“Yes, actually…”
What the director said next wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear…
What do you think about this chapter?
