The next morning, Juinlift woke up before the first rays of light had crept onto the windowsill. She washed up and got dressed, and then tiptoed out of the house to the small shed at the side to gather the materials she would need to weave her baskets in the city.

By the time she finished and put them down next to the door, her older sister Joem and their mother were already up and busying about in the kitchen while she could hear her brother Rult from his own room, probably getting ready himself.

Juinlift joined the two women, putting the dishes on the table before all three of them took a seat. She grabbed some food for herself before turning to Joem. “Today, I’ll come with you to the city!”

Her sister looked up and raised her brows but before she could say anything, their brother came running, sliding onto the chair next to her while nodding wildly.

“Great idea! Six hands are better than four. Maybe we should take mother along as well. That way, we’d have even more help!”

Joem glanced at him, her gaze not too friendly. “You mean I would have help. If I remember correctly, then somebody usually slinks off to do whatever he wants instead of working. So, actually, there’s only one pair of hands and with Juinlift helping, it’ll finally be four hands.”

Juinlift laughed and shook her head, ladling some more porridge into her bowl. “I’m afraid you’ll still only have two hands to sell the wares. I’ll be coming along but I’ll just weave the baskets next to you.”

Joem raised her brows. “Weave new baskets? In the city? Don’t you think it would be better to do that at home? We’ll have to bring everything there first. That seems like such a hassle.”

Juinlift smiled in response. “I guess it is a bit of a hassle but I could take a change in scenery. Also, our customers might like to see how the baskets are made. Wouldn’t it convince any naysayers of their quality?”

Her sister continued to look at her, lightly tapping the spoon against the bowl. “Are you sure there’s not more to you wanting to come along?” After all, Juinlift had never asked to do this before.

When a big occasion was coming up and they needed more hands to deal with all the customers, then sure, she’d be there without needing to be asked twice. Even their good-for-nothing younger brother would be hardworking for once at those times.

But this was different and she didn’t believe that just wanting a change of scenery was enough to explain it. After all, Juinlift could go and weave anywhere. The city really wasn’t the best place to choose.

Juinlift could only sigh. Her sister was really too observant. But then, she didn’t mind telling her either. “Well, maybe somebody invited me to the city to take a look at something. But don’t worry, I’ll stay around until everything has been woven! After that, you can immediately sell the new baskets if there’s enough time. I’ll come back after a bit anyway.” At the very least, she was sure that she would. Yes, she’d only take a short look at the painter’s house and then leave again.

Joem continued to look at her but after half a minute, she finally nodded. “Well, if that’s what you want to do, I won’t argue. Anyway, I know I can trust that you’ll do the responsible thing, unlike some other people.” She glared at Rult and then gave a huff before turning back to eat her porridge.

Their brother grumbled but there wasn’t much he could say. Out of three days, he would go out to play on two so he could kind of understand where Joem was coming from. But then, sitting on the market all day selling baskets was the most boring thing he could imagine. Even weaving the baskets seemed better but he had no talent for that. He couldn’t help but want to do something more exciting though. Ah, well, there was nothing he could do about it.

The three of them soon finished breakfast, grabbed their things, and left the house after bidding farewell to their mother. That brother of theirs at least grabbed the cart after his sisters secured the baskets on top and pulled it without complaining while the two of them walked behind, chatting idly.

“So, who exactly is this person that you want to visit?”

Juinlift had mentioned the painter a few times before but she wasn’t sure if her sister remembered. “Well, remember that painter I told you about? I found out yesterday that she’s from the city.”

At that, even her brother looked over his shoulder. “You mean the crazy woman who paints you all the time? And you really want to visit her?”

Juinlift gave him a look, completely understanding why her sister always complained about him. “How is she crazy? Anyway, a painter paints. What else is she supposed to do?”

“Well, it’s not a problem that she paints but why does she have to paint you? Can’t she behave like a normal person and paint some forest meadow with a stag?”

“Do people want forest meadows with stags? I wouldn’t know but she said that people liked seeing her paint beauties so I doubt it.”

Rult pulled a face at that. “Then why is she painting you?” He shook his head and faced the front again while his sisters glared daggers at him.

Juinlift didn’t bother about him further and instead turned to her older sister. “Anyway, that sounds as if you know who I mean.”

Joem nodded. “I do. I’ve actually seen her around a few times. She’s called Stiwa and shouldn’t live far from the market. We won’t pass by her house on the way there but I can show you when there aren’t many people around. Well, if somebody stays to take care of our stall for the time being.”

She glanced at their brother’s back but didn’t wait for him to say anything before she turned back to Juinlift. “Actually, she comes by our stall quite often. She seems like a nice young lady. Very polite and not just to me.” Yes, she had seen Stiwa talk to others on the square and her impression wasn’t a bad one. If this was who Juinlift wanted to go and visited, she really didn’t mind.

On the other hand, Juinlift couldn’t help but feel surprised by what her sister said. Not just that she had finally heard the painter’s name for the first time, but that description also made her perk up her ears. “Polite, is she? So does she buy any of our baskets?”

“Oh, all the time. I wonder what she’s even doing with so many of them. To be honest, I’ve never taken a closer look at her house. Buying paintings and such things, let the rich people from the city do that.”

Juinlift chuckled. Joem was really too harsh. That poor painter, if she had told her this openly, she might’ve been crying in her sleep about it. That probably wasn’t what she wanted to hear. But then again, she also couldn’t imagine hanging up a painting in their small house. It just didn’t seem to fit. “I guess nobody would expect us to either. As for that painter …” She hesitated but then couldn’t keep herself from asking. “Do you know anything else about her?”

Joem thought for a bit but had to shake her head. “I’m afraid not. As I said, she comes by every now and then, greets me, has a look at our wares, and sometimes buys something. Other times, I see her buy something else on the market. She seems to get along with everyone but that is about as much as I can tell you. I wouldn’t even know whether she has any family in the city. Did she not mention anything?”

Juinlift shook her head. “She didn’t but then, I didn’t ask either.” In fact, they hadn’t talked about much at all if she thought back now but she didn’t mind. When she went over today, she’d find out more anyway. Had Joem known anything, she’d only have found out a little earlier.

“Well, anyway, it doesn’t matter much. I’ll just go and take a short look today. I’m quite curious after seeing her so often and it’s probably going to be an experience but we shouldn’t take it too seriously.”

“Sure. If you want to take more time though, that’s alright as well. You’ve been working hard these days. Taking one day off won’t be a problem. We have enough baskets to sell for today and tomorrow. In the worst case, I’ll help you catch up in the evening. Mother could also weave one or two at least.”

Juinlift nodded even though she wasn’t quite convinced. In their family, the one who had been the original basket weaver had been their father. He was the one who had taught her and her siblings all about it in the hopes that it would help them sustain themselves in the future.

Well, it had not worked out exactly as he had imagined but their family still managed to make a living out of it. They simply shared all the tasks so that it was enough if one person did most of the weaving while the others took care of something else. In fact, it might make matters easier than they had been when it had only been their parents.

When the three of them made their way to the city, Juinlift couldn’t help but look around curiously. She had been here a few times before even though she didn’t regularly accompany her siblings. She had never taken the time to look around though.

Usually, she only came here if the others needed help or if there was something that she needed. Either her sister or their mother would be with her so she would just follow their lead, take care of the tasks at hand, and then leave again. She never took a stroll through the city or paid much attention to anything else. All her thoughts were focused on what lay ahead of them. To come here for an idle visit … it didn’t feel quite like herself. But then, she really was curious about that painter called Stiwa.

The three of them made their way over to the market and rushed to one of the spots that were still left empty, hurriedly setting up their stall.

When they finished, Joem pointed to one of the side streets. “That’s the one you need to go to later on if you want to find Stiwa’s house. It’s about halfway down the street but you really can’t miss it so don’t worry too much.”

“She said there was a roof over the entrance.”

Her sister nodded at that. “There is. It’s quite spacious as well. From what I’ve seen when I’ve passed by, it seems she usually has one of her paintings set up on an easel below it. Sometimes, they’re ones she has recently started working on so a kind of work in progress. Other times, they will be finished. On those days, she will usually stay close by. She’s probably worried somebody’s going to swoop in and steal them.”

Juinlift chuckled. “Well, people like us don’t want to pay for them. I guess stealing them would be the only way we had if we wanted to get one. Anyway, if she comes over to our stall, does that mean she just leaves the house without anybody to look after it? I’d be worried about that as well.”

Joem pondered while making sure that the baskets were arranged so the potential customers could see them well. “I’m not too sure about that. It’s not like I’ve been there often and I’ve never asked her either. I guess she might just put them inside and lock the door for the time being? She often comes very early in the morning or just before we close anyway. Or maybe she has somebody else working there as well. I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was the case. With that house, it’s unlikely she’d do everything on her own.”

Juinlift nodded again, feeling that no matter which way Stiwa did it, she certainly wouldn’t just leave her paintings unattended. From what she had seen yesterday, that painter was really good at her job. Even though she hadn’t painted what was in front of her, it had been a beautiful painting that captured the essence of what her life was about. It was simply a bit exaggerated. Actually, maybe it was precisely this exaggeration that made the painting as beautiful. Something that she had put so much time and effort into, she also wouldn’t want to lose it.

Since her sister didn’t know more, the two of them dropped the topic and only focused on their preparations. Soon enough, the first customers came by as well. Juinlift picked up the materials they had brought along, starting to weave at the side. She only focused on her task, not interacting with the customers at all.

Her sister and their brother who had actually stayed around for once took care of that though. In fact, while her sister was answering the questions some of the customers had, he made sure that the others handed the money to him and wouldn’t just take one of the baskets and run off.

With the three of them each handling their own task, time flew by. Soon enough, the materials Juinlift had taken along had been emptied while a couple of freshly woven baskets were standing next to her, ready to be sold.

Juinlift rubbed her hands and stretched her fingers to relax them after the continuous weaving. Then, she waited for the customer currently talking to Joem to leave before she leaned over to her. “I’ve finished up all the material so I’ll take a break and go look for Stiwa’s house first. If you need help here at the stall, just send Rult to get me.”

“Will do!” In fact, Joem didn’t intend to call her back at all. She usually only manned the stall with their brother and with how often Rult simply took off without even saying anything, she was able to take on the task of manning it by herself just fine. Why would she need additional help?

When it came to her younger sister, she was working hard the whole time anyway. How could she have the heart to make her work more when she finally had some time to herself to explore the city and make some connections here? It just didn’t seem fair. No, she would manage to do this by herself today and tie her brother to her side if need be. She absolutely wouldn’t allow Juinlift to be disturbed.

Thinking of that, Joem smiled brightly at her. “Do you remember the way? It’s that street over there.” She pointed over again, almost ready to shoo her out if Juinlift didn’t leave immediately. If she took too long, their brother would just try and take advantage to slip out himself.

Juinlift nodded. “I do. Don’t worry!” Her sister might not have said anything about wanting her to hurry but she did see her glance at Rult. Noticing that glare, she almost laughed out loud but held back at the last moment.

Nodding at her sister and brother, she rushed away from the stall and over to the street her sister had pointed out to her. It wasn’t far away. In fact, between their stall and the street, there were only a dozen steps or so.

She turned the corner and first took a look around. It seemed she had never come here before. At the very least, the street didn’t seem familiar at all. But then, this wasn’t a surprise considering it wasn’t in the direction they’d come from when they left for the city.

Juinlift smiled to herself when she realized this. It seemed that even if things didn’t turn out as expected with Stiwa, she’d at least have gotten to see more of the city. Maybe she should even take more of a look around before she returned to the stall later!

For now, she didn’t take the time to do that though. Anyway, she had promised she’d come over and she didn’t think that she should idle around or Stiwa might wonder if she even intended to come at all. Finishing her work first was one thing but since that was done, she shouldn’t let the painter wait further.

Juinlift didn’t need long to find the house Stiwa and Joem had described. Not many houses had a roof over the entrance in general. Not to mention that this one was even more obvious because of the easel that stood beneath as if it proudly wanted to announce that this was, in fact, the house of a prolific painter.

Juinlift walked over and stopped below the eaves of the roof, scrutinizing the painting there. Once again, it was that of a beauty. This one wasn’t weaving a basket though and was instead crouching at the edge of the river, washing her hands.

She wore a coarse green dress, a strap that might have been leather or some kind of rough fabric straining over her shoulder as if she was carrying something on her back. From this perspective though, only the rim of something in a color that reminded her of ebony could be seen. The most eye-catching was the smile on the beauty’s face and how her auburn hair danced in the wind, catching a few stray rays of light.

Juinlift laughed after looking at the painting and slowly shook her head. The face of the beauty was a bit different from the one in the painting Stiwa had shown her yesterday and they both differed from her own but it was clear as day that she was the one who had unwittingly modeled for the painter again.

She wasn’t sure why Stiwa had changed the faces. Maybe it was simply to make the paintings differ more from each other or to enhance certain parts of them. Maybe she also wanted to protect her identity so she changed things here and there so that finally, nobody would be able to say exactly what the original face looked like. Seeing as she might be the main protagonist of a whole row of paintings, that might be a necessary precaution.

Juinlift wasn’t really worried. At most, she’d be a bit embarrassed if somebody ever asked if she was the woman in Stiwa’s paintings. But then, if Stiwa wanted to paint women weaving, who else would she look at if not a weaver girl? So really, there was not much to it.

She didn’t think about it any further and instead used the opportunity to take a closer look at the house. Since she was already at the entrance, she first looked at the wooden beams holding the roof that Stiwa had described to her yesterday. They were indeed carved. At a glance, most of it seemed to be leaves and flowers with an animal hidden in-between but there were also some winding decorative lines leading from one part to the other.

Juinlift reached out and stroked one of the leaves, surprised at how smooth it was. She gave a hum and then wandered off to the window to her left. The entrance wasn’t actually in the middle of the house. Instead, there was one window to the right and two of the same size to the left, almost like dividing the house into four parts.

Looking in through the window directly on the left of the door, the first thing she saw was a shelf almost as high as her chest with a polished wooden plate on top. Some knickknacks had been placed on top while there were more stored on the shelves beneath. She tried to make sense of everything and finally realized that these had to be Stiwa’s utensils for painting, as well as whatever she needed to sell to her customers.

Juinlift pursed her lips, not too interested in this. She didn’t look any closer and instead raised her gaze to look at the rest of the room. Not surprisingly, she found several paintings hung on the wall, and just as unsurprisingly, they featured several more beauties.

Somehow, she started to suspect that Stiwa was painting nothing else but beauties. But then, they weren’t monotonous at least. Even though she couldn’t see as well from outside as she likely could have if she stood directly in front of the paintings, she could already tell that the women they depicted came in all shapes and sizes.

Clearly, she wasn’t the only person this painter had used as inspiration. In fact, it almost seemed as if every woman she passed by on the street could end up in one of her paintings one day. And every woman, no matter how she looked, whether she was blonde, black-haired or a redhead, with green eyes or blue ones, with light or dark skin, her body thin or chubby, tall or short, they always looked beautiful. It seemed that in this painter’s eyes, every single woman was beautiful and deserved her place on her canvas.

Juinlift smiled brightly, her good feelings for Stiwa lifted higher, and made her way back to the entrance, finally walking into the house to see the person she had come to visit.