The news of Henry and his nephew's return was known to almost the entire village, but after the initial curiosity of the first two days, everyone gradually got used to it.
They are more concerned about how much they will have left after the harvest, and recently the lord's Tax Collector has been asking for more and more.
" Henry, what brings you here? Where have you been all these days? I thought you had died out there. I never imagined you would come back alive." A middle-aged woman with her hair wrapped in cloth asked outside a simple thatched hut.
"Yes, we went to Grey Castle Territory in the south. I never thought I would come back alive," Henry answered the woman's question.
" Henry, now that you're back, focus on farming and stop running around. What brings you here?" The woman looked at the man with pity.
"It's like this, I wanted to find you..."
" Henry, I know you just got back. But we don't have any extra. You'd better go look for someone else!"
The woman interrupted Henry before he could finish speaking; she seemed to know what he was about to say. Meeting her at this time probably meant trouble.
"Madam, excuse me, could you please let me finish? Would you like this? This is from Grey Castle Territory, the people there gave it to me, saying it's for washing clothes and the body. I don't think it'll be of much use to me, but it might come in handy for you. Try it first, and if it works, just give me a piece of black bread."
As he spoke, Henry took out a piece of rose pact and handed it to the woman.
The woman looked curiously at what Henry had taken out: a square object wrapped in something white, with what appeared to be a small red flower on it.
She didn't move, so Henry pushed it forward again, and the woman finally took the strange object.
The moment she got her hands on it, a pleasant scent wafted over, and she instantly fell in love with it.
"Madam, peel off the outer paper, wet it with water, rub it on your hands, and then wash your hands as usual. Try it, and if you like it, give me a piece of black bread and it's yours."
Henry's voice seemed to have a magical quality; the woman couldn't control her legs, and a voice in her mind kept urging her: Do as he says, do as he says.
"Wait here," the woman said, then turned and went inside.
"Okay." Henry smiled and watched the woman walk into the house.
His choice to give the items to this woman was not random; she was considered a well-off family in the area.
Not long after, the woman who had gone inside came out, but this time she had a piece of black bread in her hand.
" Henry, I think this thing is still somewhat useful. You can take this black bread."
The woman handed the black bread to Henry. By this time, her hands, which had been holding the bread, were much cleaner and whiter.
"Thank you, madam." Henry took the bread and prepared to leave. He had achieved his goal.
The woman withdrew her hand from the bread she was offering. She looked down at it, a slight smile playing on her lips, and placed her hands below her nose. Unconsciously, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Ah!"
" Henry, wait, do you have any more of this? I think one piece might not be enough. If you have any more, I'd be happy to give you a few more black breads."
Hearing this, Henry turned around and said with a smile:
"I'm sorry, this was given to me by the people at Grey Castle Territory. There's only one piece. If you want it, you'll have to go there to take a look."