AWDC Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Grandma Ilse

The next morning, I asked Grandma if there was anything I could help with.

It wasn’t just about repaying her kindness for a meal and a bed, but I thought it was too cheeky to just eat and stay for free just because I was a child.

“Well then, could you fetch some water?” Grandma said, and taught me how to draw water.

First, I was taken to the village’s communal well.

“Good morning, Grandma Ilse,” “Yes, good morning,” There were three village women literally having a well-side chat.

“Who’s this child?” one of the women asked, pointing at me.

“Due to some circumstances, I’ve decided to take care of this child for a while. Now, greet everyone,”

“I’m in Grandma Ilse’s care, I’m Toma. I’m not familiar with this place and I might cause trouble for you all. Please treat me kindly,” I said as politely and clearly as I could.

“Oh my, what a well-mannered child. So different from my brat.” A large, red-faced woman praised me.

“This child offered to help with fetching water. Could you fill the water bucket for me?”

“He looks small and skinny, are you sure he’s alright?” Saying this, the red-faced woman exposed her thick upper arms and handed me a bucket full of water.

The water bucket was indeed quite heavy, but I didn’t feel it was that heavy.

When I walked with the water buckets hanging from both ends of the carrying pole, the buckets swayed from side to side, making it difficult to balance and walk.

“It’s easier to walk if you hold the rope of the bucket,” “If it’s too difficult, carry them one by one,” the kind women advised me.

When I did as they said, it became easier to walk, and I was able to walk swiftly with light steps.

“Wow, even though he’s small, he’s still a boy. He’s quite strong,” the women were impressed.

“Don’t push yourself, take breaks while walking,” Grandma Ilse said worriedly, staying by my side.

But I didn’t feel the buckets were heavy. I even felt like I could handle bigger buckets.

My steps were even lighter than Grandma, who was carrying nothing.

Grandma stopped halfway, patting her knee and taking a rest, but I wasn’t even out of breath.

The water jar was almost empty. Probably, fetching water was not easy for the elderly Grandma Ilse, and she could only fetch a little water each time. Yet, she had used up almost all of it for me yesterday.

“Grandma Ilse, I’ll fill the water jar, so I’ll go fetch water again,” I said, and ran towards the well again.

I wanted to help Grandma. I decided to do what I could.

After filling the water jar, I spent the rest of my day weeding the field.

“I’m so grateful you came,”

“Grandma, is it okay for me to stay here?”

“Yes, stay here forever,”

It seemed I had been accepted by Grandma.

After talking to Grandma Ilse, I decided to take on the heavy work of fetching water and working in the field. Grandma started spinning wool and knitting during her free time.

Grandma was over 60, which was considered quite old in this world.

She had lost her only son, who was about my age, to illness. After that, she lived with her husband for a long time. However, her husband passed away two years ago, and she had been living alone since then.

Her body had become weak, and heavy work like fetching water was already at her limit. She was able to manage somehow because the neighbors were kind.

My living with her was a good thing for Grandma too.

About three days after we started living together, I started knitting wool.

Seeing Grandma knitting, I felt like I could knit something too.

Just like when I carried the carrying pole, when I held the knitting needles, I somehow felt like I had experienced it before.

“It’s strange that a boy is interested in knitting,”

Saying that, Grandma gladly lent me the knitting needles and wool.

When I picked them up, my fingers naturally became familiar with the knitting needles and yarn. I was able to start knitting the wool skillfully, almost without being taught by Grandma, to the point that I was surprised myself.

“Oh, you’re quite skilled. What are you knitting? It’s a very narrow piece of cloth,”

“Hehe, you’ll find out tomorrow,”

The next day, I asked Grandma to show me her legs.

“Grandma, does your knee hurt?”

“Yes, it hurts when I bend my knee. Not only can you knit wool, but you also know about my leg condition?”

“When Grandma walks, she seems to be in pain because her knee hurts,”

I wrapped the cloth I had just knitted around both of her knees.

“Now, please try walking,”

Grandma slowly took a step.

“Oh, it’s much easier to walk, and my knee doesn’t hurt,”

What I wrapped around Grandma was what was called a supporter in my previous world.

By knitting it with elasticity, it protected the knee when bending and stretching, and also reduced pain by dispersing the force on the knee.

“This is a great help. If I wear this, I can even go on a trip,”

“I’ll wrap it for you until you get used to how to wrap it. Also, please don’t overdo it,”

Grandma was probably very happy, as she went out into the garden and started walking to the neighbor’s house.

Seeing Grandma’s happy face, I felt a sense of déjà vu.

I have a memory of wrapping a supporter around the knee of someone who had knee pain and alleviating the pain.

I can’t remember when, where, or who I did it for.

But I’m probably sure that I had a similar experience in my previous world.

It seems that I remember things that I experienced in my previous world when I encounter similar things in this world.

If that’s the case, then will I remember things from my previous world as I live in this world?

I found hope in that.