Every single one of them lowered their heads and began to nibble on their fruits. Observing this, Fifi smiled once more, satisfaction evident on her face, while she let out a quiet, relieved sigh.
Now that everything was settled, they could take proper care of themselves until Orion woke up and returned home.
Once Grandma Meldra finished distributing the fruits, Fifi nodded and said, "Alright, eat as much as you can, everyone, so you can regain your energy." She ensured her words reached each of them, and she watched as they nodded in response.
Then, she collected a kalna fruit from Grandma Meldra and settled down to fill her own stomach.
As she enjoyed the fruit, she contemplated when Lyra would return with the new batch of fruits that they received daily from the Village Chief, typically around 40 kalna fruits and 10 Lipry fruits.
Though the Village Chief had framed it as payment for Orion's contributions to the village and their current pregnant condition, Fifi and the others still found it difficult to believe. To earn such an amount on her own, Fifi knew she would have to work tirelessly the entire day.
Now, she and the rest of the women could receive such an amount by simply sitting around, seemingly doing nothing.
She understood the village's care for pregnant women and ensured their well-being until they gave birth.
However, this amount of wealth felt excessive, enough to make a family incredibly prosperous if managed wisely.
Lost in her thoughts, a sudden knock on the door interrupted Fifi. Assuming it was Lyra, Fifi finished the last piece of her kalna fruit, stood up, and approached the door.
"Knock!" "Knock!"
The door sounded once more, prompting Fifi to shout, "I'm coming, I'm coming, okay!"
She extended her hand to open the door but froze in shock and disbelief when she saw who was on the other side.
Grandma Meldra, observing Fifi's unusual reaction, quickly rose from her spot and walked toward the door to investigate.
However, when she arrived, she too was rendered motionless, her legs glued to the ground as she stared out the door in shock and disbelief, unable to utter a word.
Gina, who had been slowly nibbling on her fruit after seeing that all the women present had begun to eat, noticed the strange behaviour of Fifi and Grandma Meldra, who were silently staring outside the door.
She looked around and realized that everyone else was focused on the Kalna fruits, their heads hung low in shame after absorbing Fifi's words. Curiosity piqued, she stood up and walked toward the door, eager to understand the cause of the sudden silence.
However, as she approached, Gina's brown eyes widened when she recognized the person at the door.
"Orion," she muttered.
The room was so quiet that her words echoed through it, resonating deeply in everyone's ears. This sudden utterance caused them all to raise their heads and turn their gaze towards the door.
"ORION!!" Gina cried out loudly as she rushed through the gap between Fifi and Grandma Meldra, leaping towards Orion and wrapping her body tightly around him.
"Orion, you're back!! Sniff!! You're back!!! Thank Naka, I thought you would never return," Gina said tearfully, letting her emotions pour out while savouring Orion's scent.
Orion, who had been standing awkwardly at the door, searched for the right words to say as he observed Fifi and Grandma Meldra, both of whom stared at him in disbelief. He awkwardly patted Gina's back with one hand as she expressed her emotions, while he held onto Aunt Greta with his other hand, making sure she didn't slip off.
Luckily, Grandma Meldra snapped out of her daze and went to take Aunt Greta inside so she could rest.
Meanwhile, more and more of his women appeared at the door, and Fifi slowly walked forward until she was in front of him. Before he could even realize it, she wrapped her arms tightly around him, squishing him.
"Orion, you're awake, I missed you so much, Hic! Hic!" Fifi said, her voice cracking as tears slowly drenched his shoulders.
Although he felt a bit uncomfortable despite his strength, Orion rubbed his other arm against her back, hoping to calm her emotions just like he had done with Gina.
However, it didn't seem like it was going to end there, as the women who had also just arrived at the doorway broke out of their daze and immediately rushed forward, their voices piercing through the air.
"ORIONN!!"
"ORION!!"
"ORIOON!!"
Orion, despite his strength, couldn't keep his balance as their numbers increased.
Eventually, he fell backwards, and all his women fell with him to the ground, uncaring about the commotion.
"Ouch!" Orion exclaimed, though the fall didn't hurt him much. He needed to pretend otherwise to lessen their reactions, and it worked like a charm.
"Orion are you, okay?"
"What happened? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Various voices filled Orion's ears as the women immediately realized their actions might have harmed him.
They quickly stood up and helped him back onto his feet so they could properly check his health.
"Are you still feeling unwell?" Fifi asked worriedly, concerned that Orion might not have fully recovered despite waking up.
Seeing Fifi's worried expression, which mirrored the expressions of the rest of the women around him, Orion shook his head.
"Don't worry, I'm okay. You all were just hugging me too tightly, and were squeezing the air out of me," he said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
It worked, with various smiling expressions blooming on their faces. However...
"Thud!!"
All of his women hugged him tightly once more, causing him to fall backwards to the ground, with their arms still clinging tightly to him.
"You know, we were scared that you would never wake, and we would never see you again," Reena's voice rang out in the air around them.
"Yeah, we really thought that you were going to die, and you had no chance of waking up," Grandma Ingrid's voice followed suit.
