Chapter 416

After a long phone call, Willow headed straight to the street corner to catch the midday ox-cart back to the village. She arrived a bit late, and a group of villagers from Five Gate were already waiting there. If she hadn’t specifically asked Uncle Scott to hold the cart for her, she might have missed it. “Sorry for keeping everyone waiting,” Willow apologized with a sheepish smile. “No worries, no worries! It’s not like we’re in a hurry, right?” The voice belonged to a village woman named Diana, known to everyone as Diana, after her husband, David Scott. She was one of the first employees at the village’s sauce workshop. Willow hadn’t interacted much with her, though she knew Diana was a straightforward and efficient woman. Diana’s words were met with hearty agreement from the crowd, and no one seemed the least bit annoyed. The oxcart creaked forward as the group fell into easy conversation. The scent of freshly harvested vegetables lingered in the air, mixing with the earthy aroma of