Town

There is something unique about laying in a basket, being carried by a man on top of his head, and watching the scenery pass by.

The houses look cheap, just a little better than the workplace I was in not long ago.

I see a lot of plants and trees all around me, and can even see some mountains in the far land. There seem to be one all around me.

I wonder if I'm in a valley of some sort.

"Are you going to the market big brother?" A man carrying an axe asked the man under me.

"Yes, gotta sell these flutes," the man said. Did he only sell flutes I wonder? Does he have the talent to make other items as well?

"Keep working hard, then. I will too," the other man said while showing his Axe. I wonder if he's a woodcutter. Was he there to cut me last time? I can't remember.

"Uncle! Can I get a flute please?" A little kid asked the man below me.

"I will give you one if I don't end up selling some, okay?" the man said.

"Okay!" the kid happy ran away. So fast. How is that kid so fast? Is he a so-called cultivator as well.

Damn, I would've loved to be a cultivator back on earth. But now that I'm a bamboo… I can't really cultivate very fast, can I? That's what the Helper said.

The man takes me through this… town? Village? The village seems more accurate. He knows everyone here. They all know him too. I wonder if he's a prominent figure in this village, or if the villagers are just that close.

They seem poor in money, but not of the heart.

I've left the village and walked a while, well the man did and reached a slightly better-looking place.

But still, this place looks ancient. What type of design is that? The corners of the roof are all curved and pointed upwards. They also look somewhat Chinese, although I wouldn't really know that a lot.

Also, I see a lot of the color red in this town. Red wall, red clothes, red banners, and such. Even the string hanging from me is red.

"Brother with the flutes, can you stop?" a man wearing a blue… bathrobe stops the guy below me.

The man stops and pulls the basket down from his head to put it in front of the man.

"I need a few flutes for the people in the tavern that will sing tonight," the man explains and starts looking through us.

"Hmm, why is this one so green?" he asks. Green? What does he mean green? I look around and don't see anything green at all. Not even the basket itself is green really.

The man suddenly reaches out his hand and grabs onto… me. Why is he grabbing me? Am I that much better looking than the rest? Oh gosh, I'm going to blush now.

"Did you not dry it long enough?" the man asks as he's looking through me. Hmm… what do you mean not dry it long enough? I stayed up on that roof for… god knows how long.

I should be perfectly… wait, when he said green, he couldn't have meant me, right? No way! I'm not green, am I? I can't see myself.

"This one looks weird," the man said as he put me down.

Well, fuck you too. Your head looks weird. Your eyes look weird. I bet your entire family looks weird, you fucker.

Hmph! How dare he say I look weird.

The man proceeds to choose 3 other flutes aside from me. Fuck! It's not like I wanted you to choose me either.

The man picks up the basket and takes us along with him through the entire town. I hear a lot and see a lot along the way.

The whole thing is a unique experience for me too. I'm hoping the people say the name of the town or something, but they don't say it at all.

That makes sense though. Why the hell would these people randomly speak the name of their town in a day-to-day conversation. Still, I hope to learn something.

I look at the writings on the wall that must be the names of the stores. I wonder what they say. Those words, are they even Chinese, or are they a different set of alphabets from the earth?

Even though the world is similar to China, not everything is the same... right?

For one, they are passing around silver coins like it's nothing. Back on earth, that shit would've been expensive.

That also reminds me. Is the language the same? They are definitely not speaking English, and yet I can somehow understand them. I wonder… why? Do I suddenly know Chinese now? No way.

As the man takes me and the other flutes through the valley, many come and buy from him. Of course, these fuckers never pick me at all.

If I could move, I would've slapped them on the face. But I'm a humble man, so I will let them be.

The man finally reached a group of people selling stuff in the street. I see clothes, weapons, books, food, utensils, and a lot of different things.

It's like a small market right here. The man sat on an empty spot and put the basket down in front of him. So… people are going to come to buy me now? They are, right?

No way is every single person out there going to skip me just because I'm green.

The sun slowly goes down, but no one is still picking me up. All the other flutes around me get picked up, but not me.

Dammit, I don't want to be handed back to that snotty brat from the village.

Just then, a young man in full black clothing walks up to the man and looks at me directly.

"How much for the green one?" he asks.

Heck yeah! I am finally getting chosen. So long, suckers.