>>514188955
As he left the tools with the worker, he wondered under his breath
>a weeks food per season? am I a fool?
The birds sang and the crickets hummed, and only a slight breeze that was already blowing as the day grew long was felt. It appeared he'd have to wait to see how the magic worked.
So every day for the rest of that season, the young lord went to every corner, and his tools twice. And as the crops came in that summer, he was near giddy as he paid his bills and workers, and had a small profit for his bride!
He delivered the promised sum to the Witch, who raised an eyebrow and warned him that the magic was powerful, but he must never open the lid, nor forget every corner and his tools twice.
The next season things went even better, his profits had doubled, and he was so busy he sent the witch her share by the hand of a worker.
All winter he shivered to walk the corners, his new fiancé wondered of his time away from courting, but he promised it was necessary, and he was bringing her gifts and stories of the tools he had bought at an estate sale, and how they would allow him to hire another man for the rows.
It was many years of successes, before the young man realized he wasn't young any more, and his children were getting old enough to be sent away for school which his crops would easily cover. He'd grown his family estate, was renting an operation near the capital which had allowed him to meet and feed the Prince, who ordered 20 cart loads a year for a fine coin, and was certainly financially able to cover all his expenses.
He looked at the jar, and smiled.
>What a good investment I made.
As he got older, he gave more and more of the care of the Estate to his oldest, married two daughters to Royalty, sent a son into High Seas Trade, sent another son to a provincial capital, who was likely to be set as Mayor. His wife was grey and her laugh lines crinkled her face when her pout belly jiggled at her grandchildren.
He decided to thank the witch...