Chapter 8: Young Girl Anna

You could go work at the blacksmith shop in town and pick up some ironsmith apprentice experience along the way!

But…

According to the original memories, the blacksmith and shop owner, Boris, was a stingy man.

Unless you were a skilled assistant, learning any trade from him required paying a hefty apprenticeship fee—was it five or ten silver coins?

There was no way Rein's family could afford that kind of money right now.

Looks like I'll have to figure out another way!

"Mrs. Sima, good morning."

"Little Rein, good morning. After working as a page for a week, I feel like you've grown more spirited and sturdier!" Mrs. Sima greeted Rein warmly. She and Rein's mother were close acquaintances.

*Oh, really?*

At first, Rein assumed Mrs. Sima was just saying polite things.

But when he flexed his arms and looked at his formerly wiry limbs, he saw the faint outline of muscles, especially his biceps.

Rein immediately lifted his shirt to check his abdomen—there was even a vague appearance of an eight-pack forming.

To be fair, thin people often develop abs easily, but this body never had abdominal muscles before—not even a shadow of them.

Now, with just a bit of exercise, the abs might become quite visible.

*It seems adding that bit of strength really works wonders!*

Rein stopped in front of a two-story house with a triangular roof.

The roof was slanted and covered with thatch; while the exterior walls were built out of packed dirt, other parts of the house were made of wood.

In front and behind the house were small patches of land where some green onions and vegetables were planted.

A woman, bending over to weed the patch, noticed someone approaching and straightened up.

"Rein—is that you, Rein, coming home?"

Looking at the woman's kind and graceful face, memories bubbled up like a spring, flashes of warmth flowing through Rein's mind like slides from a projector. He blurted out, "Mother, it's me! I'm home!"

"Let me take a look—just a few days away, and Rein, you've grown stronger. Seems like the manor didn't skimp on food for their pages." Emma smiled warmly and hugged Rein.

*At that moment, Rein felt an inexplicable wave of emotion.*

*He couldn't quite discern whether the feeling was the body's natural response…*

*…or simply a deeply ingrained human instinct.*

But he knew that the emotion was genuine, coming from the depths of his soul.

This woman had been the mother to his predecessor—and was now his mother too!

"Brother! Is that you, big brother coming home?" A little girl with long hair dashed out from the backyard, clutching a bunch of freshly-picked green onion blossoms.

In that instant, Rein's memory of a girl named Little Bo He perfectly merged with the scene before him.

This was Bo He—his little sister!

"Bo He!" Rein picked her up and spun her around, prompting peals of laughter that echoed from her.

Not long after, Rein's father arrived—a rugged, burly man with a square face. His forehead, crisscrossed with wrinkles, hinted at constant worries.

Upon seeing Rein, he cracked a faint smile, clapped Rein's shoulder with his callused, sturdy hand, and said, "Rein, you've grown stronger—and even taller!"

"Father, thank you for everything!" Rein gave his father a firm embrace.

Though Old Rein couldn't quite fathom why his son suddenly turned so sentimental…

...he still chuckled while returning the embrace warmly!

That evening.

The four of them sat cozily around a wooden table, sharing dinner together.

Dinner consisted of salted pork, a big plate of mashed potatoes, a few slices of rye bread, and a bottle of milk.

For an average family, this was already a feast!

Evidently, it was because today marked Rein's homecoming.

Normally, Old Rein was reluctant to splurge on meals like this.

But Rein scarfed down his portion and found himself only half-full.

His body was rapidly developing; naturally, he had an enormous appetite. There was an old saying in his previous life: "A growing boy can eat a father out of house and home."

Moreover, Rein had recently added a point to his physical strength attribute, which seemed to have drained the last bit of stored nutrients in his body. Over the past few days, he felt unusually voracious.

His mind kept circling back obsessively to the thought of eating meat!

After finishing his own portion, Rein couldn't stop himself from swallowing hard as his gaze lingered on the remaining food.

Emma noticed immediately. "Rein, are you still hungry? You can have my two slices of salted pork; I'm full," she offered.

"Brother, I'm still little, so take my mashed potatoes." Bo He pushed her bowl towards Rein.

"Rein, I've got…" Old Rein began to say.

"I…"

Moved deeply by the scene unfolding before him, Rein felt a surge of gratitude!

*If Rein's efforts until now had been motivated by his desire as a transmigrator to change his circumstances and his longing for the Extraordinary World…*

*…then from this moment forward, his drive would carry the weight of something much more profound!*

Ultimately, Rein accepted Emma and Bo He's pork and mashed potatoes but declined Old Rein's bread.

He understood that his father, who performed physical labor, needed the nutrition even more than he did.

That night, Rein slept soundly.

The next morning, Old Rein gently turned down Rein's offer to help in the fields and left the house early, while Emma headed to the town inn for work.

That left Rein home alone with Bo He.

Hearing his sister's voice, Rein followed her into the little courtyard. There, he found Bo He planting carrots alongside a young girl.

"Brother, you're up! I'm planting carrots with Sister Anna," Bo He greeted him cheerfully.

Anna?

Oh right—she was the neighbor.

A quiet, reserved girl who had moved to Flashgold Town with her mother.

A year ago, her mother had mysteriously gone missing.

Now, she lived alone in the wooden house next to their family's.

The girl turned her head, revealing a delicate profile marred by a sickly pallor. Her malnourished frame was evident, with her yellowish-blonde hair dry and splitting at the ends. Only her deep brown eyes radiated a sense of strength and resilience.

"Re… Rein… hello," the girl greeted timidly, her head bowed in both shyness and restraint.

It seemed Rein was a few months older than her.

In his memory, Anna had always been this scared, skittish presence.

"Anna, hello!"

Just as Rein was about to join them, the sound of his friend George's voice came from the doorway: "Rein, come on! Let's go gather some nuts."

"Brother, I want to go too!" Bo He chimed in excitedly, hearing of Rein's plan.

From the corner of his eye, Rein thought he spotted a flicker of yearning in Anna's expression.

Still, Rein hesitated and decided against it. After all, they were heading to the Habsburg Manor's woodlands with George, and taking others along would be inappropriate.

So, Rein shook his head and said, "Bo He, stay home with Sister Anna. I'll bring nuts back for you both."

"Alright…" Bo He replied pitifully, reluctantly but obediently accepting his decision.

*Truly, the children of poverty grow up fast.*

*Despite her young age, she was already considerate beyond her years!*

Rein patted Bo He's head affectionately, then left with George.

After walking for some time, George suddenly said with a peculiar expression, "Rein, what's up with your sister spending time with Anna? Haven't you heard? She's bad luck."

"Bad luck?" Rein asked in confusion.

"I overheard my father mention it once—apparently, Anna's mom didn't just disappear; she might've been taken away. But that's all I know," George replied, looking around cautiously before lowering his voice to speak confidentially.

"Don't go telling anyone, alright?"

"Taken by whom?" Rein pressed, still puzzled.

"I really have no idea!" George admitted, unable to provide more details.

"Oh, and Rein, did you hear? Two kids from peasant families disappeared recently in the northern part of town! Make sure Bo He doesn't wander off too far."

"What? This happened? Weren't the child disappearances limited to other towns? Flashgold Town was supposed to be safe—has it spread here?" Rein asked, surprised.

"Beats me…" George said, scratching his head. Yet another topic outside his realm of knowledge.