Chapter 228 — What Ren Keeps Off the Ledger

Ren returned to Hearthfang three days after the drying-screen delivery, arriving late enough that Nia had already begun preparing the evening meal.

She heard his voice before she saw him.

Someone in the upper passage was complaining about a missing length of cord. Another man answered that the cord had been tied around the wrong bundle since morning, and Ren's familiar voice followed.

“If you've found it, stop asking where it went. I'd rather hear whether you've finished loading the cart.”

Nia smiled as she reached for the next root.

She was working at the kitchen table with a shallow bowl of sliced roots beside her and a covered bowl of yesterday's cooked stone grain near the hearth. Shen had gone to the care station to collect a medicine packet, leaving her with the meal preparation.

She had been thinking about the leftovers since breakfast, when she'd noticed how firmly the previous night's grain held together after sitting in its storage bowl. They had made browned grain cakes before, but those used grain prepared for that purpose. She wanted to see whether the already-cooked leftovers would hold together when browned in small portions.

The roots were taking longer than expected because she'd stopped twice to check the consistency.

Ren appeared in the entrance a moment later.

His dark-red hair was tied loosely behind his shoulders, with several wavy strands escaping around his fox ears. The journey had left dust along the lower edges of his clothes, though his boots looked considerably cleaner than they had after his last rainy arrival. A narrow travel bag rested against his hip, and his amber-brown eyes moved from Nia to the work spread across the table.

“Am I interrupting something complicated?”

“Not yet. It might become complicated if I keep changing what I'm making.”

His smirk widened.

“Then I have arrived at an excellent time.”

Nia set down her knife and crossed the room.

Ren barely had time to put his bag aside before she reached him. His arm came around her waist when she stepped close, and he bent to meet her kiss.

She felt him smile against her mouth.

“You're back.”

“I did promise.”

“I know. How was the road?”

“Dry enough that I could spend most of the journey complaining about other things. One of my carriers has decided the eastern shelters need better places to hang wet cloaks. He's brought it up at three separate stops.”

“Does he have a point?”

“He does. Unfortunately, he believes that means I should pay for every new hook.”

Nia laughed and kissed him once more before stepping back.

“Wash your hands. I've got food out, and I don't know what you've been touching since you left.”

“Mostly goods that other people assured me were clean.”

“That doesn't make me feel better.”

“It didn't make Shen feel better either, the last time I tried that explanation.”

Ren removed his outer layer. Nia washed beside him at the basin, then they returned to the table and she resumed cutting the roots.

He looked at the bowl of grain.

“What are you making?”

“I was going to serve the grain normally, but we had some left from yesterday, and I wanted to see whether I could brown it in small portions instead. The roots are for the rest of supper.”

“Does Shen know about this?”

“He knows I'm using the leftovers.”

“Then I suppose I'll discover whether he approved of the method when he returns.”

Nia smiled.

“He'll have suggestions. He always does once he sees how something turns out.”

Ren pulled a stool closer to the table but stopped before sitting.

“Do you want help?”

“You can finish those roots if you want. I need to check the grain.”

He took the knife she offered and moved the remaining roots onto the cutting board.

Nia watched him begin.

His cuts were clean and reasonably even, though he worked more slowly than Shen. He glanced at the first few pieces, adjusted the next cut, and continued.

“You've done this before.”

“I've spent enough time traveling to know how to prepare food. There have been plenty of evenings when everyone was too tired to make anything worth eating, and I was tired of being disappointed.”

“Did you cook for everybody?”

“Occasionally. More often, I made someone else stop arguing about whose turn it was and help me.”

Nia laughed as she carried the grain toward the hearth.

“That sounds about right.”

She added a little oil to a shallow pan and pressed a small portion of the firm leftover grain into it, leaving enough space around the edges to turn it once the bottom browned.

A small bowl of tart fruit mash waited beside the preparation board. She had set it out earlier to try with the grain if the first browned pieces held together.

Behind her, Ren continued cutting.

A pair of women passed outside the entrance, one carrying folded bedding while the other complained that her youngest husband had moved their sleeping covers before they were completely dry.

“He said the sun had been on them all morning,” the woman said. “I told him the underside was still damp.”

Her companion answered something about men believing sunshine worked through three layers of cloth.

Their laughter faded along the passage.

Ren looked toward the entrance.

“I heard almost that exact argument at a northern shelter last season.”

“About bedding?”

“Woven mats. The seller insisted they were dry because the upper one was warm. I took the stack apart, and the lower three still smelled damp.”

“Please tell me you didn't buy them.”

“I bought the upper two after making him separate everything.”

Nia checked the grain.

“Of course you did.”

“The mats were good. His drying judgment was less impressive.”

Ren moved the finished roots into the waiting bowl, washed the knife, and returned to the stool.

His travel bag rested near his foot. As he sat, he pulled out a narrow ledger and opened it across one knee.

Nia glanced toward him while she loosened the edges of the browning grain.

“You just got here.”

“I know.”

“And you're already working?”

“I need to check one figure before I forget why I disagreed with it.”

She looked at the ledger.

“Is somebody trying to cheat you?”

“Not this time. One of my buying houses sent a count that doesn't match the amount its carrier reported. It's probably a copying mistake, but I want to know which number is wrong before the next load leaves.”

He ran one finger down the page.

Nia turned the grain carefully. The browned underside held together, though the edges broke a little when she moved it.

She lowered it back into the pan.

“You have people doing that for you, don't you?”

“Yes. And they're both convinced they're right. The carrier has already sent me two explanations, neither of which accounts for the missing amount.”

“That would annoy me.”

“It has annoyed me. Soren can settle it when the next message reaches him. He'll be near that buying house before I am, and he knows the workers well enough to work out where the count went wrong.”

Nia moved the first browned grain cake onto a plate.

“Soren?”

“My younger brother.”

She turned toward him.

“You have a brother working in the business too?”

“Two. Lucien is older than I am, and Soren is younger. Both have spent most of their lives around the family trade.”

Nia looked at the ledger again.

“I didn't know you had brothers.”

“I don't suppose we've spent much time discussing my family.”

“No. I've met Kael's parents, and Shen has told me things about his work before we met. But I hardly know anything about where you grew up.”

Ren closed the ledger over one finger to hold his place.

“There were a great many goods to count, if that's what you're wondering.”

Nia gave him a look.

“Ren.”

He smiled, then opened the ledger long enough to finish checking the disputed entry.

“My family has been trading for generations. Most of what I learned as a child came from watching the adults manage the business. It wasn't unusual for one of us to be sitting beside a seller's table, listening while somebody explained why the price he'd agreed to yesterday was no longer reasonable.”

Nia returned to the hearth and pressed another portion of grain into the pan.

“That sounds like a complicated childhood.”

“It could be entertaining. Especially when two people thought they were getting the better end of the same bargain.”

“Did your parents make you work?”

“We were expected to learn. They didn't send young children off to manage dangerous routes alone, but if we wanted to accompany the adults, we had to be useful. Carrying messages, checking counts, watching how goods were handled. That sort of thing.”

He moved the ledger onto the table.

“Lucien liked being treated as though he knew more than the other boys. He was older, and he usually did know more. Unfortunately, he never saw a reason to be modest about it.”

Nia smiled at the pan.

“Sounds like somebody else I know.”

“I hope you're not comparing me to him.”

“You're the one who brought him up.”

Ren leaned back on the stool.

“We do have a few things in common.”

The admission came easily enough that Nia looked at him again.

“When I was younger, I used to follow Lucien around the markets,” he continued. “He was already good at bargaining. I learned quite a bit just by watching him, although he wasn't always willing to explain what he was doing.”

“Did he mind you following him?”

“Sometimes. Other times he made me carry his purchases. He claimed he was teaching me how to judge a load.”

“Was he?”

“Partly. He also enjoyed having someone carry his things.”

Nia laughed as she turned the second grain cake.

“He sounds like an older brother.”

“He was an excellent one whenever he wanted something done.”

Ren went to the basin to wash his hands after handling the ledger, then returned and moved the bowl of finished roots farther from the edge of the table.

“For years, he assumed he'd eventually direct most of the business. He was capable, and nobody doubted that. But I started managing my own routes, and the returns were better than anyone expected.”

Nia looked toward him.

“Better than Lucien's?”

“On some routes. Not all. He had more experience, and he understood several markets I hadn't visited yet. But I could see opportunities he dismissed because they were smaller or took longer to develop.”

A man passed the entrance carrying a bundle of split kindling. A younger boy followed him, insisting he could manage part of the load. The man stopped long enough to hand him three short pieces before they continued toward the lower rooms.

Ren watched them pass.

“One year I started working with sellers who couldn't supply the larger buying houses regularly. They had good goods, but their quantities varied too much. I arranged smaller collections along the same road, and eventually we had enough reliable stock to make the route worthwhile.”

Nia lifted the second browned portion onto the plate.

“That sounds smart.”

“Lucien thought it would waste time.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“Repeatedly.”

She carried the plate to the table.

“And when it worked?”

“He wanted to know why I hadn't told him earlier that the returns would be that good.”

Nia sat beside him for a moment.

“You two must have driven each other crazy.”

“We still do, occasionally. But he understands the business, and I trust him with work that needs doing. If he thinks one of my decisions is foolish, he tells me. Once we've settled the matter, he doesn't undermine it behind my back.”

Ren picked up a loose grain cake edge that had broken off when Nia moved the plate.

“His complaints are usually rather detailed.”

Nia watched him eat the piece.

“Is he still upset that you're in charge?”

“He doesn't enjoy being wrong. Neither do I. But he has his responsibilities, and he handles them well.”

Ren looked at the plate.

“You could brown these a little longer.”

Nia glanced down.

“You think?”

“The outside tastes good. I'd like to see whether the edges become crisp if you leave them in the pan another moment.”

She picked up one of the finished portions and examined the underside.

“I was worried they'd break if I tried turning them again.”

“Then don't turn them. Leave the next one alone a little longer before you lift it.”

Nia considered that and returned to the hearth.

“I'll try it.”

Ren followed her with his eyes as she pressed the next portion into the pan.

“Lucien would have liked that answer.”

“What, because I listened?”

“Because you didn't spend half the afternoon defending the first attempt.”

Nia smiled.

“Some things are worth defending. A grain cake isn't one of them.”

Ren laughed and reached for another loose edge from the plate.

“Then you're already easier to work with than most of my family.”

Nia let the grain brown while she returned to the table for the roots.

“You make your family sound like one long business meeting.”

“Not always. We ate together, went hunting, visited relatives, and argued about ordinary things. We just weren't a household where everyone spent much time discussing how they felt.”

He said it without resentment, sorting a few stray root pieces back into the bowl as he spoke.

“When I took over more of the business, we had a family meal after the next buying meeting. Soren brought a box of sweets from a seller he'd visited. Lucien arrived with three agreements he wanted me to examine.”

Nia stopped beside the table.

“He brought you work?”

“He'd discovered a problem with one of the agreements. He wanted it corrected before the next departure.”

“During your celebration?”

“We ate first. He waited until after the meal to bring them out.”

Nia shook her head, smiling.

“At least he let you finish eating.”

“It was a good meal. Soren found something I hadn't tasted before, and everyone stayed longer than they usually did after a buying meeting.”

Ren picked up the last broken grain edge.

“Lucien and I argued about the agreements afterward. I made him take one of them back because he'd already negotiated the original terms.”

“Did he?”

“Yes. He complained that I was becoming difficult now that I had more authority.”

Nia returned to the pan before the grain browned too far.

Ren watched her lift the next portion, which came free more easily after sitting longer against the heat.

“That one looks better.”

“It does.”

She placed it beside the others.

“Your family really doesn't stop talking about business, does it?”

“Not often. Soren tries to make us discuss other things. He usually knows who has married, which households have new children, and whether anyone has been ill. He's much better at keeping up with those things than Lucien or me.”

Nia brought the finished grain to the table.

“You sound fond of him.”

“I am.”

The answer was immediate.

Ren looked down at the plate as she placed it beside the roots.

“Soren makes it easier to go home after I've been away for months. He remembers which people I haven't seen and usually finds a reason for us to share a meal before I leave again.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It is. He's also the one most likely to tell me when I've neglected something outside the business. He doesn't do it in front of everyone, which I appreciate.”

Nia settled onto the stool beside him.

“Do you get to see him often?”

“When our routes overlap. We exchange messages more frequently than we meet. He sends me news about the family along with his work reports, and I usually find out which relative I've disappointed before the next visit.”

Nia smiled.

“Does Lucien send you family news too?”

“Lucien sends me complaints about sellers, roads, and prices. Occasionally he remembers to ask whether I've been eating properly.”

“Does he?”

“He usually phrases it as a complaint about merchants who become useless when they neglect themselves.”

Nia laughed.

“That still sounds like concern.”

“It is. He would deny that he meant anything personal, but he's been saying things like that to me since I was young.”

Ren rested his elbows on the table and examined the finished grain cakes while Nia checked whether the remaining pieces needed more time.

“When I was younger, I spent a lot of time around other children,” Nia said. “We weren't all related, but we lived close enough that we were always getting into each other's things.”

Ren turned toward her.

“Were you close to them?”

“Some of them. Others I could barely tolerate. There was one who used to take whatever I was working with and insist she only wanted to borrow it.”

“Did she return it?”

“Usually after I'd spent half the day looking for it.”

Ren smiled.

“That would have irritated me.”

“It did. Especially when she acted surprised that I wanted my own things back.”

Nia picked up another grain cake and checked the crisp edge.

“There were children who stayed for years and others who weren't around as long. We didn't all grow up together the way you and your brothers did.”

Ren listened without interrupting.

“I learned how to look after myself,” she continued. “I also learned that living around people doesn't automatically mean you'll get along with them.”

“That much sounds familiar.”

Nia looked at him.

“You really didn't have any trouble with your brothers besides work?”

“I wouldn't go that far.”

His smirk returned.

“When I was young, I once sold a small lot of goods for less than I should have because the buyer refused to negotiate with me.”

Nia turned toward him fully.

“He refused?”

“He kept speaking to the older male standing behind me. I was the one carrying the goods and handling the sale, but he decided I was too young to know what I was doing.”

“What did you do?”

“I carried everything across the market and found another buyer.”

“Did you get a better price?”

“A slightly worse one.”

Nia stared at him.

Ren laughed at her expression.

“I was young and rather proud. I wanted to prove I could conduct the sale myself, and I was willing to lose a little coin to do it.”

“Oh, I would have been mad.”

“Lucien was. He found out how much I'd accepted and spent the walk home explaining why the second buyer had been perfectly happy to take advantage of me.”

Nia leaned against the table, laughing.

“Please tell me he didn't let you forget that.”

“He reminded me for several seasons. Usually whenever I was preparing to disagree with him about a price.”

Ren reached for the cup Nia had placed beside the grain pot and drank.

“It was an expensive lesson, but I've never forgotten it. These days I know the difference between refusing a bad bargain and refusing one because my pride has been injured.”

Nia settled back onto her stool.

“I still think I'd have been annoyed with the first seller.”

“So was I. Lucien agreed that the man had been insulting. He simply thought I should have made a better decision afterward.”

She nodded.

“That makes sense.”

Ren set down the cup.

“He was right. I didn't particularly appreciate hearing it from him at the time.”

They continued talking while Nia finished the last of the grain cakes. Ren told her about a route he had once followed because a small settlement supposedly had a seller with exceptionally good dried fruit. The seller had good fruit, but the road was miserable, and the journey had taken longer than the goods justified.

Nia wanted to know whether he'd at least brought some of the fruit home.

“I did. Soren liked it enough that he asked me to bring more the next season.”

“Did you?”

“From a different seller. I wasn't taking that road twice.”

Nia smiled as she placed the final browned portions onto the plate.

The meal was ready for Shen to finish when he returned. She covered the grain and brought the bowl of roots nearer the hearth, then sat beside Ren again.

His ledger remained open on the table.

She glanced toward it.

“Are you finished with the missing count?”

“For now. Soren will send me the correct figure once he's checked the buying house.”

Ren closed the ledger and ran his thumb along the edge of its cover.

Nia rested one hand on his arm.

“Do your brothers know you're courting me?”

Ren looked at her.

His habitual smirk returned, though he didn't answer immediately.

“They know I've been spending more time near Hearthfang.”

“That wasn't my question.”

“No,” he admitted. “It wasn't.”

Nia waited while he turned the ledger over and placed it beside his travel bag.

“I haven't told them much yet.”

“Why?”

Ren looked toward the open entrance.

“My family would have questions. Lucien would want to know whether I'm changing my routes, how long I intend to remain near Hearthfang, and whether I've considered what courting a chief's wife might mean for my obligations.”

“That sounds like Lucien.”

“He's perfectly capable of discussing a courtship as though it's another agreement that needs examining.”

Nia smiled.

“And Soren?”

“He'd probably ask about you first. Then he'd spend the next several days making sure I hadn't forgotten to answer Lucien's questions.”

Ren's expression eased.

“I'll tell them. I just haven't wanted to bring the entire family's interest into something I've been enjoying on my own.”

Nia looked at his hand resting beside hers.

He had brought her gifts and spent time with her away from business, but his family still knew very little about the reason Hearthfang had become such a frequent destination.

She understood wanting a little privacy.

“You can tell them when you're ready,” she said. “I'm not asking you to make some announcement.”

“I know.”

He turned his hand beneath hers, linking their fingers.

Nia leaned a little closer.

“Do you think they'll like me?”

Ren looked at her for a moment.

“Soren will probably like you. He tends to enjoy people who can hold a conversation without turning everything into an argument about work.”

“And Lucien?”

“Lucien will have opinions before you've finished greeting him. I'd advise you to eat before visiting.”

Nia laughed.

“That bad?”

“He's an excellent merchant and a difficult dinner companion when he has something on his mind. He usually has something on his mind.”

She shook her head.

“I think I'll manage.”

“I suspect you will.”

Ren's thumb moved slowly across her knuckles.

Nia looked toward the travel bag beside his stool.

“Are you happy with the business?”

He considered the question.

“Yes. I enjoy the work. I like finding good sellers, opening routes, and seeing what people in different territories can make. There are days when the disputes wear on me, but I wouldn't want someone else managing everything for me.”

“I can tell. Even when you're complaining about it, you sound like you enjoy what you do.”

“Most days I do.”

Ren glanced at the ledger.

“Occasionally I'd like to travel somewhere without arriving to find three people waiting for me to solve problems.”

“You could take a trip just because you want to.”

“I could.”

Nia smiled.

“You don't sound convinced.”

“It's difficult to stop looking for useful things once you've spent most of your life doing it. I'll go somewhere intending to rest, and then somebody mentions a good seller or an unfamiliar route.”

“That's how you ended up with the goldheart.”

“The goldheart was worth finding.”

“It was. Kael liked it too.”

Ren looked pleased.

“Then I'm glad I brought enough for him to try.”

“Kael said it was sweet, and the texture was softer than he expected. He reached for another piece after tasting the first.”

“I wish I had seen that.”

Nia shifted closer until her shoulder rested against his.

For a while, neither spoke. Outside, several workers returned from the lower water stand, talking about preparations for the next market. Their conversation carried briefly through the passage before fading as they continued uphill.

Nia listened until their voices receded.

“You know you don't have to bring me something every time you come,” she said.

“I know.”

“I like the gifts. Especially the bracelet.”

His fingers moved lightly over the polished river-shell bead with its blue-green streak, set between the reddish-brown beads on her dark braided bracelet.

“But I like it when you come just to see me too.”

Ren looked at her hand.

“I like that part myself.”

Nia lifted her head.

His smirk had faded, and he was watching her with an openness she didn't always see when he was speaking with sellers or workers.

She reached up and brushed a loose strand of dark-red hair away from his cheek.

“You should come hungry next time. I'll make enough for you to eat with us.”

“I've already learned that this household takes feeding people very seriously.”

“You haven't seen Sera when she thinks somebody skipped a meal.”

“Shen has warned me.”

“She'll still catch you.”

Ren laughed.

“I'll remember to eat before I encounter her.”

Nia leaned in to kiss him.

His hand moved to her waist as he returned the kiss, slow enough that she could feel him settle more comfortably against her. When she drew back, he touched his forehead lightly to hers before releasing her.

The sound of approaching footsteps reached the entrance.

Shen returned carrying a small wrapped medicine packet and a basket with several clean cloths.

He stopped when he saw them sitting together.

“Ren. I thought you might stay on the eastern road another day.”

“The buyer finished his inspection earlier than expected. I came back with time to spare.”

Shen placed the medicine packet on the household storage shelf, apart from the food, and set the clean cloths beside it. He washed his hands at the basin before approaching the table.

“You've been helping.”

“I cut roots. Nia has been managing the difficult work.”

Nia smiled.

“He did fine. I've also been trying something with the leftover grain.”

Shen examined the browned cakes.

“You used yesterday's grain.”

“I wanted to see whether the leftovers would hold together in the pan. The first one broke a little around the edges, but I left the next batch against the heat longer, and that worked better.”

Shen picked up one of the smaller pieces and examined the browned surface.

“The grain was firm when you took it from storage?”

“Yes. I shaped it without warming it first.”

“That helped it hold together.”

He tasted the piece.

Nia watched him.

“Well?”

“The inside is good. The edges are a little firmer than I would want if we served them without anything else, but we can adjust that next time.”

“I was thinking of trying a thinner version.”

“That might help. We should see how much the grain spreads once it's warm.”

Ren looked between them.

“I can tell the two of you are going to spend another evening discussing this.”

Nia pushed the plate toward him.

“You can help by tasting it.”

“I've already had some. The longer-browned pieces are better.”

Ren washed his hands and returned to take another small portion. He tasted it with a little of the tart fruit mash Nia had set beside the board.

“That goes well with it,” he said.

Nia tried the same combination.

“The sourness helps. The grain is rich enough that I wanted something sharp beside it.”

Shen tasted a little of the mash with one of the smaller browned pieces before setting the rest aside for supper.

He returned to the roots waiting near the hearth.

“Kael should be back soon. I'll finish these while you put the grain away.”

Nia rose to help him.

Ren remained at the table long enough to finish his portion, then put the ledger he'd left beside his travel bag away. He washed his hands and came to stand beside Nia.

She looked toward him while Shen began heating the roots.

“Did you finish what you needed to do?”

“For now.”

Nia reached up to straighten the loose fastening near his collar. His hair had caught beneath it, and she freed several strands before smoothing the fabric back into place.

Ren held still until she finished.

“Are you staying for supper?” she asked.

“I can. My workers know where to find me if something needs attention.”

“Good. You can help me set the table.”

He bent to kiss her cheek before collecting the waiting bowls.

Shen was speaking from the hearth about how much longer the roots needed when Kael entered from the upper passage.

Nia turned toward him.

Kael kissed her before looking past her shoulder at Ren, who was carrying the bowls to the table.

“You're back.”

“Yes. The eastern buyer was satisfied with the delivery.”

“Good.”

Kael removed his outer layer and went to wash.

Ren finished setting out the bowls while Nia brought over the browned grain cakes. Shen carried the cooked roots to the table and sat beside Nia as Kael returned.

Supper began with Kael tasting the browned grain and reaching for the redneedle oil. Shen took a portion of roots while Ren added some of the tart fruit mash to his own grain.

Nia looked toward Ren when he took another browned piece.

Ren caught her looking at him and offered her the plate.

She took another piece, then passed it to Shen when he reached across the table.

Kael asked whether Ren's eastern journey had been difficult. Ren began telling him about the seller who had changed his delivery arrangements after losing a carrying animal, and Kael listened while adding another small measure of redneedle to his food.

Nia reached for the tart fruit mash as Ren continued speaking.