Chapter 237 — Three Orchids

Shen returned to the household before evening with a small bundle of clean medicine cloths tucked beneath his arm.

He found Ren at the washing basin, rinsing the cups Nia had used during the afternoon. Nia sat nearby, carefully arranging the neckline of her tunic.

Ren looked up when Shen entered.

“Welcome back.”

Shen's gaze moved from Ren's face to Nia's shoulder.

The edge of a fresh fox mark was visible where the cloth had shifted away from her neck.

“May I see?” Shen asked.

Nia moved her collar aside.

The mark lay at the junction of her neck and shoulder, exactly where Ren had bitten her. Its fox-shaped lines were distinct, and the surrounding skin was still slightly red.

Shen examined it without touching.

“Does it hurt when you move?”

“Only when my collar rubs against it.”

“I'll find you a softer wrap.”

He kissed her cheek before crossing to the storage area.

Ren set the final cup on the draining surface and dried his hands.

Shen returned with a light inner wrap that fastened below Nia's shoulder. He handed it to her so she could check where the upper edge would sit.

“This should stay clear of the bite.”

Nia ran her fingers along the fastening.

“It will. Thank you.”

Ren approached while she folded the wrap over her arm.

Shen noticed the orchid partly visible beneath the open collar of Ren's tunic.

“May I look at yours?”

Ren loosened the upper fastening.

The orchid's pale petals rested above his heart. The mark had lost the glow it carried when it first formed, but its shape was clear.

“Any tenderness?” Shen asked.

“A little if I press against it.”

“Then give the skin time to settle.”

Ren closed his tunic.

Shen rested a hand briefly on his shoulder.

“I'm glad you're both well.”

Ren caught his forearm.

“Thank you.”

Nia smiled at them before going to change into the softer wrap.

Kael returned while Shen was checking the remaining water near the hearth.

Dust clung to the lower edges of his clothing, and he carried a rolled route sheet beneath one arm. He set it on the worktable, washed his hands, and came to find Nia.

She had just returned from the inner chamber.

Kael kissed her, then noticed the new fox mark above her lowered collar.

He looked closely without touching it.

“Is it sore?”

“A little. Shen checked it.”

Kael rested his hand at her waist.

“Good.”

Ren came from the washing area.

Kael clasped his shoulder.

“Congratulations.”

Ren returned the clasp.

“Thank you.”

Kael released him and returned to the worktable, where he unrolled his sheet.

Ren followed to ask about the western drainage inspection.

“The cut held,” Kael said. “The northern edge needs more stone before another heavy rain.”

“Will it affect the next eastern loads?”

“Not if they keep to the lower branch. I'll give you the changed markers before your carriers depart.”

Ren nodded.

They examined the sheet together while Nia helped Shen prepare supper.

From the kitchen, she could hear Ren asking about a narrow turn his drivers sometimes used. Kael showed him where the patrol had moved the boundary marker and explained which section still needed repair.

Nia glanced over once as Ren leaned across the table.

He was several steps away, plainly visible. Yet she could also recognize his direction through the new bond.

She returned to the greens Shen had given her to trim.

The following morning, Nia woke and found Ren's place beside her empty.

His covering was folded back, and the bedding had lost most of his warmth.

For a moment, she looked toward the doorway.

The new bond gave her a sense of Ren nearby, somewhere beyond the inner chamber. She felt no distress from him.

Still, she wanted to see where he had gone.

Kael was dressing beside the storage alcove.

“Looking for Ren?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“He's at the water basin with Shen.”

Nia sat up and pushed her curls away from her face.

“I could tell he was nearby. I still looked for him.”

Kael smiled slightly.

He approached and kissed her forehead.

“How's your shoulder?”

“Better. I didn't roll onto it during the night.”

He checked that her collar was clear of the mark, then let the cloth settle.

“I have to inspect the eastern marker before the carriers arrive. I'll be back by midday if the work goes smoothly.”

Nia caught his hand before he turned away.

She leaned up and kissed him.

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

Kael left her to dress.

Nia chose the softer wrap Shen had brought the previous evening, then went into the main chamber.

Ren was standing beside the water basin with his travel bag resting on a low work surface. Shen was examining the stitching around its worn fastening.

“I thought you intended to repair that before your next journey,” Shen said.

“I do.”

“The old binding is fraying farther along the edge now.”

Ren held the strap steady while Shen showed him where the stitches had begun pulling through the leather.

“If you reinforce it, leave room for the fastening to bend,” Shen advised.

“I remember.”

Ren looked up when Nia approached.

His expression brightened.

“Good morning.”

Nia kissed him.

“Good morning.”

His hand settled at her waist, and he kissed her again before releasing her.

Shen finished checking the fastening.

“Don't load the bag heavily until you've repaired it.”

“I won't.”

Ren set it beside the entry bench.

Nia glanced toward the hearth, where a pan was already warming.

“What's for breakfast?”

“I've changed the grain cakes a little,” Shen said. “I'd like you to try them while they're hot.”

Shen had made the cakes from leftover cooked stone grain.

Earlier versions had spread across the pan before the centers could firm. This time, he had used less water and shaped the grain into thinner cakes that held together as their surfaces browned.

He lifted one with a flat wooden tool and placed it on Nia's plate.

Beside the cakes were pieces of browned bird meat and a small dish of tart fruit mash.

Nia broke off an edge.

It cracked lightly beneath her teeth. The center remained tender, but it held its shape instead of turning soft and heavy.

“Oh, these are better.”

Shen smiled.

“They browned more evenly. I wasn't sure whether the centers would stay soft enough.”

“They did.”

Ren took a cake and tasted it without any accompaniment.

He examined the browned edge, then tried another piece with bird meat and a little of the fruit mash.

He paused.

“What fruit did you use?”

“The same tart fruit we had with the earlier cakes,” Nia answered.

Ren took another bite.

Shen glanced at him.

“Too sour?”

“No. It works with the meat.”

Ren broke off another piece, pressing a little meat against it before adding the mash.

He ate it, then reached for a second cake.

Nia watched him.

“You like this version.”

“Very much.”

“The cakes or the fruit?”

“The combination.” Ren looked at the plate. “The crisp grain, browned meat, and sour fruit belong together.”

Shen had already returned to the pan.

“Then I'll make another batch before I clean it.”

“Please do,” Ren said.

Nia smiled at how readily he answered.

Shen cooked the remaining cakes, leaving several covered for Kael, who had eaten earlier.

Ren took another serving when the pan was finished. He kept the fruit mash beside his plate, using a little with each bite rather than covering the cakes.

Across the table, Shen spread a sweeter preserved fruit over his own portion.

Nia tasted a piece from Ren's plate.

The tartness brought out the browned flavor of the meat and cut through its richness.

“That is good.”

Ren nodded.

“I'd eat this again.”

“I think you will,” Shen said, setting the empty pan aside.

Ren smiled and returned to his breakfast.

After the meal, Ren carried the serving bowl to the washing basin while Nia gathered the cups.

Shen brought the pan from the hearth.

They worked together, with Ren rinsing the bowls and Nia drying them. Shen scraped the browned grain left in the pan and set it to soak.

Ren reached for a cloth.

“Use the rougher one for the pan,” Shen told him.

Ren compared the two cloths beside the basin.

“They're nearly the same color.”

“The rough one has a coarser edge.”

Ren felt along the hems until he found it.

“This one?”

“Yes.”

He put it beside the pan and took the softer cloth to dry the remaining bowls.

Shen checked the water while Nia returned the dry cups to their shelf.

By the time the last bowl was put away, the hearth had been cleared and the pan was soaking.

Ren hung the drying cloth where Shen indicated.

“I need to go down to the trade shelter,” he said.

Nia looked toward him.

“Have the carriers arrived?”

“Not yet. Soren needs an answer about the next receiving visit, and I want to repair the bag before I load it for the journey.”

“Will you be gone long?”

“I shouldn't need the whole morning.”

Nia dried her hands and approached him.

Ren leaned down to kiss her before she could ask.

She caught his tunic and kept him close for another moment.

When they separated, he brushed his thumb across her cheek.

“I'll come back when the work is finished.”

“Good.”

Shen had gone to the storage passage. He returned carrying a small wrapped medicine packet.

“Could you take this to Sera when you pass the care station?”

Ren accepted it.

“Does she need anything explained?”

“I've marked the comparison on the wrapping. Tell her that the older sample changed more slowly when we warmed them under the same conditions.”

“I will.”

Ren checked the wrapping before placing it in a clean outer pocket of his bag, separate from his clothing.

Then he lifted the bag by its sound strap and adjusted it so the worn fastening carried less of the weight.

Nia watched him test it.

“Don't forget Shen's warning.”

“I won't load it heavily until it's repaired.”

She kissed him once more.

Ren left along the upper passage.

Nia stood near the entrance while his footsteps receded.

Through the fresh bond, she could still recognize his direction as he moved farther away. She watched the passage for a little while after he was out of sight.

Then she returned to Shen.

He was measuring dried herbs into a shallow bowl.

“Need anything?” she asked.

“The clean cover from the upper shelf, please.”

Nia fetched it, and Shen secured the bowl before returning to his measurements.

Ren finished his work at the shelter before midday, but the repair took longer than he expected.

The worn stitching had pulled through more of the leather than he had noticed at home. He removed the damaged thread and added a narrow reinforcing strip, keeping it clear of the bend Shen had warned him about.

Soren checked the fastening when Ren finished.

“That should survive the next journey.”

“It will still need watching.”

“It always did.”

Ren lifted the bag and tested the strap with the clothing he had brought. The reinforced section held without twisting.

He left the tools with the shelter's repair supplies and gathered the remaining receiving notes.

Soren had already spoken with the two sellers expected for the shorter visits. Neither had objected to dealing with him under the existing terms.

“The second seller wants to discuss a larger load next time,” Soren said.

“Then hear what he wants and bring me the figures before you promise anything beyond the agreement.”

“I will.”

Ren left the records in Soren's care.

He stopped at the care station to deliver Shen's packet, placing it in Sera's hands and repeating the comparison note. Sera thanked him and returned to the preparations waiting on her work surface.

When Ren reached the household, Kael was already home.

He stood beside the worktable, cleaning dust from his hands after inspecting the eastern marker.

Ren entered with the repaired bag.

“How did the inspection go?” he asked.

“The marker is sound. The lower approach still needs gravel before loaded carts use it.”

Ren set the bag on the entry bench.

“Then I'll keep the carriers on the marked road.”

Kael nodded.

Ren glanced toward the inner passage.

Nia was not there.

Through the new bond, he could sense her farther away from the household, though he felt no distress.

He looked toward the entrance again.

Kael noticed.

“Nia went to the care station with Shen. They had a covered preparation to deliver.”

Ren smiled slightly.

“I was wondering where she was.”

“Did the bond tell you?”

“Her direction. Not what she was doing.”

Kael folded the cloth he had used to dry his hands.

“Shen said they'd return before the next meal.”

Ren nodded.

Kael brought the route sheet from the worktable and unrolled it beside Ren.

“The patrol confirmed which eastern branch is firm enough for your carriers. The soft section near the lower approach is still marked off.”

Ren studied the revised line.

“I'll give the drivers the change before we depart.”

Kael pointed to the junction where the old path met the safer branch.

“Tell them to keep to this marker. The other turn looks passable until the ground drops away.”

Ren traced the revised line with one finger, then moved his hand clear so Kael could roll the sheet.

“I'll make sure they know.”

They finished comparing the marked route as footsteps sounded in the outer passage.

Nia came in carrying an empty covered vessel. Shen followed with the folded carrying cloth over one arm.

Ren looked up.

Nia smiled when she saw him.

“You're back.”

“I finished the work.”

She set the vessel on the nearby surface and went to him.

Ren drew her close and kissed her.

Shen carried the used cloth to the washing area, leaving them together for a moment.

Nia noticed the repaired strap on the bag.

“You fixed it.”

Ren lifted the strap so she could see the new stitching.

“I replaced the worn thread and added a strip behind the fastening.”

Nia ran her fingers along the reinforced edge, then let it go.

“That feels stronger.”

“It holds better now.”

She looked up and kissed him again.

Kael returned the route sheet to the worktable.

“Ren knows the changed eastern route,” he said to Shen. “The carriers will keep off the soft lower section until the gravel work is finished.”

Shen nodded.

Nia took the covered vessel to the basin and rinsed it.

Ren came over to help her. He dried the vessel when she passed it to him, then returned it to the storage shelf she indicated.

Kael gathered the route sheet and loose work materials from the table.

Shen joined them after washing his hands.

Nia finished drying the basin's edge and hung the cloth to dry.

When she turned around, Ren was standing near the table with the last of the loose materials in his hands.

“Where does this go?” he asked, holding up a narrow wooden marker.

Kael pointed toward the work basket.

“With the others.”

Ren placed it there, then turned back toward Nia.

She approached him and rested a hand against his back as they moved toward the seats.