Chapter 8: Tahir's Ambition
Tahir woke up the next morning and completed his morning routine. Once the first pot of food was boiling, he heard someone knock at the front door of the shop area. He went to answer the door and found Gin and Rin waiting impatiently with nervous looks on their faces. Tahir noticed their expressions and frowned. He'd hoped there wasn't any trouble following these two to his home. He gestured at them hurriedly. "Quickly, come in. Is there something wrong? Is someone following you?"
Gin and Rin rushed in and closed the door behind them. Gin then replied to Tahir, "I swear we didn't do anything wrong."
Tahir's right eyebrow raised as he noticed Gin's choice of words to be slightly suspect. "You didn't do anything wrong? Even so, why are you so worried?"
Gin averted his gaze away from Tahir's eyes. "We ran into the city lord's son on the way here. He was looking for trouble with us. He had one of his lackeys bump into Rin and then complained about her not watching where she was going. When he went to grab her, I kicked him…. you know…. there." He was pointing towards his lower body.
Tahir wanted to laugh. He knew the jerk deserved it, but he also knew that if they were followed here, trouble would come knocking on his door shortly. After a few minutes passed with no one else coming to the house, Tahir relaxed. It seemed they were followed to the house. So, he fed the two siblings and took the morning to his mother who was sitting up in her bed waiting patiently. It seemed Kali's treatment worked because he'd normally need to help her sit up in the morning. He placed the food tray on the table next to his mother's bed and handed her the bowl. "Mom, I need to go to the market today. Gin and Rin are here in the house. I'll have one of them come in to sit with you while I'm gone."
Adria had begun eating when she was handed the bowl, but she immediately paused when Tahir stated he'd be leaving for a while. "What did you need from the market? And you know that I'd be fine by myself for a little while. You don't need to have them keep watch. I'll probably just get some more rest while you're out."
"I found some herbs in the backyard of the house that could be sold. I plan on starting to sell them to some of the herb shops. I'd re-open the shop here after growing some, but we both know that might cause some issues. Besides, it's easier to just sell them to a store. I don't plan to have a bunch of people coming through our home every day."
Adria paused as though she wanted to say something to Tahir, but all she could say was, "I see." She remained silent for a few more seconds, and then continued. "You should be careful, but it shouldn't be a problem to survive if we just continue to use the resources we can get from the manor."
Tahir nodded his head in agreement. "I know, but I want to do more than survive. Mom, how long should I continue to walk around with my head down hoping that no one notices my face? How long should I keep worrying about the next time you'll be attacked? This is the chance for me to completely change our lives, and I plan to take it. We might even be able to leave this city."
"I can understand you wanting a better life, but the problem is that it's the people ruling this city who want us dead. You can't fight the government."
"We're not fighting the government. We're just trying to live. Besides, using what we can take from the compound, we can become a power ourselves. You know what I do with the orphans around here. Do you know one of the reasons I decided to offer a feeding point is that I noticed that they were going through the same things I did. Whether they earned money or stole it, most of the merchants would still treat them as though they don't deserve to be sold anything, even food? They'd even charge three times the amount and threatened to call the city guard if they didn't pay it. However, those same "upright" merchants would use that same money to purchase the stolen goods other people brought them? I know because I'd brought a couple of the stolen goods we obtained myself."
"That may be true Tahir, but we can't try to save the world."
Tahir gave Adria a solemn gaze. "I'm not trying to save the world. I'm not even trying to fix this city. I'm just trying to build my own place in it like I did with the orphans. You know why those kids come here? Because they can get food and other items at a reduced cost with little to no danger. Those merchants don't know how much money Grandmother left us. That's why they can never say I stole money, or they'd do the same thing to me they do to those orphans. So, I basically said I can teach you and make it less dangerous to survive. They see a way out of the sewers and dirty alleys if they can read and do basic calculations, and they will always remember me kindly…" Tahir scratched his head somewhat shyly. "…at least that's what Gin and Rin told me. But the point is I realized that they will do what I ask because I have what they need. One of the ways to gain power is to become the source of what people need, and I intend to do just that. I will figure out what people need in this city and make it available, for a price."
Adria was worried about Tahir's goal as she knew that quite a few higher ups would feel threatened should he start to achieve his goal. She didn't doubt he'd find a way to accomplish his goal. After all, for the last six years, since he was eight years old, he'd been finding a way to take care of her. Three years ago, once the money left behind by her mother ran out, he found a way to keep them fed and (at least himself) healthy. "Tahir, I won't stop you. In this condition, I can't stop you, but you must promise me you will stay safe no matter what. If the wrong people begin to think you're stepping on their toes, they'll start to bite back."
Tahir smiled with a sly expression on his face. "That would be true, if I planned to give them an opportunity to figure out who to bite. I said I would do business. I never said I would do it openly."
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NeverUMind
NeverUMind Finally figured out what should happen next. As always, offer your thoughts. Since a few of you asked, I'm trying to write more than one chapter at a time so I have a stockpile to post on a consistent basis. As an avid reader of web novels, I know consistency is key.
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