Chapter 724 Naive
Uncle Jasper and Aunt Emma were talking furtively in low voices.
Clarissa could not hear what they were saying as she was standing on the other side.
The small hill where Clarissa was had lots of flowers, and she was picking flowers of various colors.
As Uncle Jasper watched her, he scoffed at her naivety and remarked,
"What a naive little lady. She is still picking flowers under such circumstances."
His words sent a chill down Aunt Emma, but she remained silent.
When Clarissa had picked a big bunch of flowers, she ran over and chirped with a smile, "Uncle Jasper, Aunt Emma, don't you think these flowers are beautiful?"
Uncle Jasper broke into a big smile and answered, "Yes, indeed."
"Can I take them back and brighten up the living room?" Clarissa asked innocently.
"Sure, it's up to you," Uncle Jasper replied.
They thought that it was only natural for Clarissa, a young lady, to like flowers.
Little did they know that these flowers would be useful in Clarissa's plans.
Each of the flowers was carefully chosen for their special properties.
When mixed and blended, these flowers would emit an intoxicating scent.
She learned about these techniques while on a mission abroad. On that mission, she passed by a garden, and it was Jara who taught her how to use flowers as a weapon.
For most ordinary people, they were just flowers.
Only when mixed then these flowers could be put to a different use.
The situation Clarissa and Nora were in was complicated, and Clarissa had to put in more thought.
No doubt, Nora was confident that she could take out this old couple.
However, since Nora was nursing an injury, it was best not to have a physical fight.
Besides, Clarissa's martial skills were half-baked.
Even though these farmers were not skilled in martial arts, one thing for sure was that they had great strength.
Should the situation turned bad, Clarissa was not sure if she could protect herself as well as Nora.
So, she was making preparations before the situation took a turn for the worse.
In other words, She would rather prepare for the worst than trust in luck.
The flowers that she picked would be secretly dried, then ground into powder. The resulting powder could cause a person to be temporarily dizzy and disoriented.
The limited resources made it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the powder. But this was better than having nothing.
In the worst scenario, the powder could be used to blind the adversaries.
The thought spurred Clarissa to pick more flowers.
As Aunt Emma watched Clarissa happily plucking flowers, she felt guilt in her heart and sighed.
In Aunt Emma's heart, she felt pity for Clarissa, knowing that Clarissa had two children at home but would probably be trapped in this mountain village for the rest of her life. Aunt Emma wondered what would happen to the two children then.
Sympathy rose in Aunt Emma's heart as Clarissa's cheerful manner reminded Aunt Emma of herself long ago.
After all these years of frustrations, all Aunt Emma had left was only a shallow sort of sympathy.
She could only sigh in pity, but to tell Clarissa the truth and help them to escape...
That would be impossible!
She had tried to escape many years ago, so she knew how hazardous the mountain was.
It was near impossible to pass through the mountain without a local guide.
For about thirty years, she had lived in this mountain village, yet never once had she passed through the mountain and had only left the small village just once.
Over the last few years, Uncle Jasper no longer kept a wary eye on her.
The local customs forbade women to go out, so she did not have the chance at all.
But, her child was already in his twenties, and the villagers were mostly old.
She had thought through, accepted her fate, and accepted that she would be in the village for the rest of her life.
So, she no longer had the desire to escape. Now looking at Clarissa and Nora, she found herself feeling sorry for them, but there was nothing she could do.
Aunt Emma was going through these thoughts as she waited for Uncle Jasper to finish his lunch. Then, she walked over and called out to Clarissa, "My dear, we are leaving soon. Have you plucked enough flowers?"
With a big bunch of flowers in her hand, Clarissa rushed over and chirped happily, "Yes! I have enough flowers! Aunt Emma, look how beautiful these flowers are. We'll place flowers everywhere in the house. They will be beautiful decorations."
From a short distance away, Uncle Jasper ridiculed her efforts, "What's the use? Flowers can't feed the family."
But, his voice was so soft that Clarissa did not hear it.
Aunt Emma made an effort to smile as she looked at the delicate flowers and agreed, "Yes, they are beautiful."
Then, Aunt Emma handed over the basket in her hand and said, "Put the flowers inside, and we'll bring them home together."
Clarissa nodded and put the flowers into the basket. Then, she picked up the basket, turned around, and waved goodbye to Uncle Jasper, "Uncle Jasper, we're heading back now!"
Uncle Jasper nodded in acknowledgment.
On the way back, Clarissa memorized the route again.
Carefully, she made mental notes of the terrain, landmarks, distinct trees, and the open fields.
Not too far away was a range of rolling mountains. Out of curiosity, Clarissa asked, "Aunt Emma, that mountain range there looks interesting. Have you been there?"
Aunt Emma looked up towards the mountains and shook her head, "Never been there."
"Aunt Emma, do you know that we are here to travel through the countryside? When we travel, we like to visit the mountain ranges. Climbing the mountain is exhilarating. If there is an opportunity, can you please take us there to have a look?" Clarissa asked Aunt Emma.
Aunt Emma thought over for a moment and replied, "No one lives there, and we can't cross over."
"Really?"
Clarissa was surprised at her answer.
Aunt Emma seemed uncertain for a moment, then she changed what she just said, "I am not sure either. I heard from others that there are only forests there. Can't you see that the mountain is covered by forest? There are wolves in the forest, and no one can go there."
"Oh, I see. How about Uncle Jasper? Has he been there?"
"No, he hasn't."
"Oh, where do you go for a trip then?"
"We don't have time to go for a trip."
Clarissa's suspicion was aroused as Aunt Emma began to sound grumpy.
Perhaps Aunt Emma realized that she sounded unfriendly, so she paused before explaining, "What I mean is that there is too much work on the farm. How can we make time to go for a trip? We are not like city folks who have the time to visit other countries, climb mountains, and so on. Survival is hard enough for us."
Hearing that, Clarissa acted like an ignorant pampered young lady as she replied with an "I see".
Then, Clarissa launched into a description of the world outside, "Aunt Emma, if you have the time, let me take you on a trip. The world outside is full of wonders. The cities are full of villas, parks, and entertainment parks. By the way, Aunt Emma, have you seen an ice sculpture?"
"There is an ice sculpture festival every winter in our place. There are all sorts of sizes and shapes like Snow White or the Seven Fairies. It's like a kingdom full of fairy tale characters."
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