C-Demnovel Chapter 717 - Visiting the in-laws: Port City of Hurley (Part 7)
Chapter 717 - Visiting the in-laws: Port City of Hurley (Part 7)
The first thing I did was to lean in and whisper in my husband’s ear to announce that we have brought gifts. I can see Xenos’ eyes widen as he looked at me in realization. I was correct that he most likely forgot about this fact since he was so nervous about meeting his grandmother and father after more than a decade of being apart.Xenos coughed nervously as he told his grandmother and father that we have brought gifts since it was our first in-law visit after the two of us got officially married in Hoffen City. The two elders nervously tried to say that we did not need to bring any gifts and meeting us was all they needed but of course, nobody can say no to my husband when he starts speaking.
I chuckled as I waved my hand towards one side of the living room where 4 huge boxes appeared. The first one was filled with fresh fruits that are in season. The second one was filled with fresh vegetables that are available in the city but are scarce in an area such as here which was near the sea. It was a very thoughtful gift as the land near the port city of Hurley has high salinity, making it hard for plants to grow.
As for the rest of the boxes, third one were condiments and spices from my general store. He has always been vocal about wanting to let his family taste the best food that he has eaten after he started being with me. The last box were full of medicinal herbs from my alchemy shop since he said that growing herbs must be hard as well and his grandmother is already advanced in age.
Knowing that this guy would surely prepare gifts in kind, the gift I prepared will just be in form of helpful advise and suggestions in managing the businesses of the barony and a monetary investment instead. I will again describe it as a dowry since I married the son of their family and tell them that is part of my culture to give it so that they can’t refuse. This is the reason I have been using for the last 2 in-law visits I made and it has proven to be effective so far.
The baroness and my father-in-law looked at the boxes that was opened excitedly by Xenos one by one as he proudly told them of the things that he brought. They eventually looked at each other and smiled helplessly since they surely won’t have the heart to decline Xenos’ goodwill. As for my gifts, it could wait for now. There will be a right time to give it to my in-laws.
After the short interaction on the gifts, the conversations became less awkward. I kept silent most of the time and only answered when I am asked or directly talked to. I want to give the trio a chance to catch up on the several years they have been apart.
There was of course, a meal afterwards and then it was my turn to be bombarded by questions and Xenos to be the observer on the side. All in all, it was lively and light. I do not know if it was because we only have to be with grandma and father-in-law and no extra relatives that made all of this enjoyable.
As expected, Xenos and I will stay in the mansion during our stay in the Port City. The mansion technically has only two masters and everyone else was just part of the staff so we don’t really have a reason to find another place to stay in.
The next few days were filled with tours around the territory as well as ocular visits on the businesses owned by the Gale barony. There was also a meeting between the baroness, father-in-law, me, Xenos and the store representatives that take care of each establishment to see what issues they have and what other ways we can improve the way things are done. The goal is to make things efficient and the businesses more profitable.
The Gale Barony have a bunch of shops near the port area. There was a pub where workers can dine and drink. There was an inn which targets customers from the working class so the rental fee was on the affordable side. There was also a more formal restaurant for diners.
Other businesses they have were clothing shops (similar to stores that sell Ready-To-Wear (RTW) clothing), footwear store and some food stalls that serve breakfast and then snacks in the afternoon. There was also an agency where people can apply for temporary work in the port area especially during peak seasons.
The Gale barony also had some warehouses but it is more for goods that aren’t highly perishable which I personally think is a waste. In the modern times where I came from, it is normal to have warehouses that have cold storage to store harvests from the sea. Some even have their processing plants right by the sea to ensure that food items are at their freshest state.
On the other hand, I also noticed that there were no souvenir shops here. Maybe because most of the people here are workers and there aren’t many visitors. Honestly, this place just doesn’t have anything that may attract tourists. There seem to also be no bank in the area or shipping providers so I do not know how the people here send money and gifts to their families living far away.
With all that I have observed in the almost whole day of walking around the territory of the Gale Barony, I have already made a detailed plan on where to start with the improvements. Xenos and I did not make any comments out loud during the tour since we do not know if there area any spies around. We did not miss talking to each other via telepathy though, sharing our thoughts, ideas, negative comments and possible solutions. It was just like any other brainstorming activity that we had whenever I visit the palace in Hoffen City.
Finally, Xenos and I agreed to discuss our thoughts to the baroness once we are back in the mansion and are in a more secure place. Our goal is to start several plans of improvement at the same time during our short stay here to ensure that our visit would not be for naught.