[Sara]Is this the open-air market? [player]That's right. I take Sara and her sister to the open-air market near the suburbs. While wandering there, I see a stall selling fabrics. They are just as good as the fabrics in shops, and they are very competitively priced. After consulting the person in charge of the venue briefly, we go straight to the fabric stalls with the intention to finish getting everything we need before visiting other stalls. [Sara]Oh, this place is very well stocked. There's so much of everything. It's a great stall. [player]I'm glad it meets your needs. Take your time looking. If you don't find what you want, this whole row of stalls sells fabrics. [Sara]I think I'll need quite some time just to look through everything here. [player]We can also come again at another time. Hmm? Lilia, don't you want to come over and take a look? [Lilia]I... I don't have anything I want to buy. I'll just wait for you here. [Little Miaow]Meow. She takes a step back after talking, then she turns around and squats on the ground to play with pebbles outside the shop. Little Miaow isn't interested in anything inside the shop, so she also lies next to Lilia to bask in the sun. [Sara]Lilia, the tailor of our troupe wants to make clothes for Little Miaow, but I'm a little busy over here. Can you find a suitable fabric for her? [Lilia]For Little Miaow...? Okay, I'm coming now. [Lilia]...Little Miaow, what about this one? This one looks good too, hehe. Lilia walks back and forth between the shelves with Little Miaow in her arms and tugs on the clothing samples on the hangers every now and then with an excited and happy expression on her face. It seems that it's not that she doesn't want to explore this shop, so why did she hesitate for so long at the door and refuse to come in? And I've never seen Sara dress Little Miaow in any clothing before. Even if she doesn't know that cats don't feel comfortable wearing clothes, she shouldn't have the habit of making Little Miaow wear clothes at the very least. Then why did she... [Sara]...Excuse me. [player]Oh, sorry, my mind wandered. Did you say something, Sara? [Sara]I wanted to ask if you thought the colors of these two types of fabric are a good match. If you're tired, I'll hurry up, and we can sit down somewhere to drink something. [player]Oh, I'm alright, so you don't need to rush. I was just thinking about something. [player]Let me see... The green looks like it might be too dark, so maybe it would be better to find something brighter and lighter? [Sara]We're thinking of the same thing. I'll keep looking then. [player]...What about this one? [Sara]Oh, this is great! I'm becoming more convinced that asking you to come with us is a good idea. [player]Haha, I'm flattered. By the way, Sara, do you always choose fabrics to make your own costumes like today? [Sara]I'm not skilled enough to make clothes. Our troupe has a tailor, and I'm only responsible for picking fabrics. We manage to save money in this way. But I mainly like the process of picking fabrics and imagining what the finished product will look like because it's very interesting. [Sara]I usually come by myself. Since you're here with me today, I would like to hear more about what you think. [player]Then I'll need to think carefully. If these two are the main colors, then... After comparing several fabrics with Sara, we manage to finalize the general style, fabric texture, and color after discussing things. All we need now are decorations. Sara calls out to Lilia. [Sara]Lilia, I still need some decorations. What color do you think is better? [Lilia]The flower on your waist... Big Sis, what do you think about this one? I chose it and Little Miaow also thinks it looks good, isn't that right? [Little Miaow]Meow! [Sara]That's definitely a yes, so let's pick this one. Okay, our inspiration has done its work. Now we just need to wait for the tailor to work the magic. [player]Will you have a new dance to complement this new dress? Just thinking about it makes me excited. [Sara]You've been waiting so patiently here. You'll definitely be the first to see the dress once it's finished. [player]Yay! [Lilia]Big Sis Sara, Lilia is also... really... looking forward to it... Lilia tugs on the hem of Sara's skirt with an inexplicably sad expression in her eyes. Sara pats her head while smiling wryly, yet I can't help but notice the sorrow in her eyes. [Sara]Don't worry, I promise that you'll also get to see it, okay...? After buying the fabrics, our group of three people and one cat shop around for a little longer. As promised earlier, I buy some souvenirs and have them sent to Mahjong Soul Shrine. After a short break, I help Sara take her things and get ready to take them home. However, Sara takes me toward the suburbs instead of the direction of the troupe. [player]Sara, where are we going? [Sara]The place where I've been living recently—Lilia's home. We pass through the old city and arrive at an open space in the suburbs. The open space here at the foot of the mountain is parked full of carriages. Children are running around and playing, and adults are busy minding their own business beside the carriages. The air is filled with smoke and fire. It's obvious that this is where these people live. [Sara]We're back. A man and woman walk out from the tent in front of Sara. Lilia shouts "I'm home" and wriggles excitedly in the man's arms. Are these Sara's parents? It's a little strange. Although their complexion is quite similar, they both have light brown pupils, and Lilia does too, but Sara has unique heterochromatic pupils... [Sara]Aha, are you trying to guess what relationship I have with them? [player]You saw through me. I'm guessing that they aren't your parents? [Sara]Yeah, I met this family when we were on tour. We got along well, but I didn't expect to encounter them again here. They were busier than usual today, so they asked me to take care of Lilia for them. [player]I see. Lilia and you look so alike that I almost thought you are sisters related by blood. [Sara]Haha, that would be nice too. We're from the same homeland, and we're used to calling each other brothers and sisters even if we're not related by blood. [Sara]It's not just this family though. You can probably tell that everyone here is from my homeland. But I guess it's a little awkward to use the word "homeland" since we're all outsiders. [player]Outsiders? [Sara]Lilia, I'll show PLAYER around. Little Miaow is... sleeping. Please take care of her for me. [Lilia]Okay. I follow Sara as she weaves through the carriages in the autumn wind and listen to her story about a people who wander with the wind and sand. [Sara]People from all over the world call our people by different names. Some people say that we come from an ancient country filled with yellow sand, while others think we come from a land with black fertile soil. There are even some people who speculate that we are from the highlands and fled the snow-capped mountains because we couldn't stand the cold. [Sara]But it's all just a misunderstanding. The fact is, not even we remember where our ancestors started their journey. The only thing this group of people who travel in carriages and wander around the world knows is that they can't fit into any society, so they mockingly call themselves "outsiders." [Sara]A long time ago, my grandma got tired, so she got off the carriage with my grandpa to slack off for a while, but that short break ended up with her staying there for more than ten years. During that time, she gave birth to my mother. My mother later met my father, who was a local, and had me. That's how I ended up with a so-called hometown. [Sara]My elders got used to living a comfortable life, except me. My grandma once said that my personality and outlook on life are very similar to our ancestors, hehe... Perhaps that's why I always manage to hit it off with my brothers and sisters who live wherever I perform. Outsiders may leave at any time to embark on a new journey, so Sara cherishes these rare encounters. Whenever she knows that there is a gathering of her people near her, she will make the time to eat and live with them for a period of time to experience what life was like for her ancestors. [player]Sara, do you like this type of life? [Sara]I like it, but I might not be able to get used to it. What about you? [player]In my case...
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