Andhiyur, a beautiful village in the interior of Erode! Early in the morning, Jyothilakshmi, Anjana's mom, was cleaning up the front porch of their house. Since the festival is commencing next week, all the houses need to be neat and clean. She has been asking her daughter to help her, but she never wakes up on time.

"I am going to be fifty soon, and yet I am the one who is doing all the chores in this damn house. All my fate. I have a daughter who is good for nothing." She was grumbling.

"What happened, Jyothi akka? Why are you talking alone in the morning?" Renuka, the opposite house lady, who came out to clean her front porch, asked Jyothi.

"What else can I do with this useless daughter of mine? Intha lachanathula ivala ponnu pakka vera varanga (groom's family is coming to see her). She is going to suffer in her in-laws' home."

"She is educated. Why would you expect her to do house chores? She wanted to work as a lecturer, and you stopped her from doing what she loves. How can you expect her to heed your requests?"

"Hmph, what can I do when her father is so stubborn that she can't work before getting married? I am like a drum taking hits from either side." Jyothi let out a loud sigh.

Anjana had to agree to this wedding proposal because there was no point in denying it after knowing that the groom was looking for a girl with an interest in the teaching profession, and he was a professor himself. Even if she said no, her father would ask for a reason, and she had none at the moment.

"Anju, wake up!" Jyothi pulled the blanket as soon as she entered her room.

"Jo, please!" She pulled the blanket over her head.

"Maanu! When did you come here? God! These girls!" Jyothi pulled the blanket again, this time with greater force, revealing a chubby face that hadn't lost its childishness yet.

Maanvizhi! A 19-year-old neighbor girl. 12th fail! Attempted to clear it twice and failed again. Now lost all interest in studies and roaming around the village with her group of friends.

"Ma, why ma? We slept late at night. Let us sleep a little more. You are a torturer!" Anjana sat up on the bed, irritated by her mom.

Anjana, a 24-year-old wheatish beauty! With a cute little face and a tiny forehead, she is a slender queen. A dream girl for many in her college and in her village. Youngsters in her village roam around her street to steal a glance at her whenever she comes home. At 5.4, she is an average Indian height. Her hourglass shape is enhanced in her tightly fitted salwar that she stitches for herself. Her mid-back-length hair is neatly trimmed and straightened. Her sharp nose is the most prominent feature of her face. Her thick lips are like fresh flower petals, always wet and glossy.

"When did she come here? Her father knows she is here?"

"She came at 11. We played cards and watched a movie on my laptop. We slept only at 3.30, ma. Now give us the blanket and leave. Make idlis with chicken curry. Maanu asked for it." Anjana told her mom and lay back on her bed.

"Irresponsible! Playing with a 19-year-old in the middle of the night and sleeping late. I am going to ask Raja Anna to keep Maanu at home." Jyothi threw the blanket on the sleeping girls and walked out, venting.

In all the commotion, Maanvizhi never opened her eyes. But as soon as she heard Jyothi's footsteps fade away, she opened her eyes.

"I will go home before Jo goes to my dad. Bye, Anjuka. Come to the cornfield behind the temple at 4 pm. We will be there."

"We'll see," Anju mumbled; she didn't even bother to open her eyes.

Maanvizhi pulled up her floor-length skirt, ran out of their house through the back door, and pulled out the bush that acts as a fence between their houses. They had made a gap between the bushes for easy navigation. She slid through the gap and pulled the bushes back together, hiding the gap. She climbed the stairs that led to the terrace in their backyard. She stopped midway and jumped on the sunshade that was directly under a window. She opened the window, pulled out a small stool from inside, and put it on the sunshade. She stepped on it and climbed inside the room. She put her head out and took the stool. Theirs is the only house in the village that has a first floor and a terrace. Everything else is a tiled-roof house. Maanvizhi's room is on the first floor, and that has made it easy for her to sneak in and out as she pleases.

"Happa!" She put her hand on her chest and hid the stool under her bed. She dusted herself to get rid of the leaves and twigs in her hair and shirt. When she heard footsteps outside her door, she jumped into her bed, pulling out the mosquito net that covered her bed.

Maanvizhi is the daughter of Krishnarajan, the village president. It was just Rajan, Maanvizhi, and her grandfather, Murugesan, in that house. Her mother died when she was younger, and she had no memory of her. She has never seen her grandmother. Rules don't apply to her. She lives her life as she pleases. There is only one thing she fears: her father's walking cane. Rajan is a strict father, rightfully so, because he knows how naughty and mischievous his daughter can get. Murugesan is very fond of his granddaughter. So he saves her from her father.

Rajan came into the room only to see his daughter peacefully sleeping. "Maanu! Dear! Good morning! Wake up! It is already 6 AM. Isn't it your duty to take care of this house? Go, dear. Freshen up and show your drawing skills on our front porch. Everyone's house has beautiful rangolis already. Come on, get up!" He woke her up.

"Good morning, Pa. I will be out in ten minutes." She pushed the blanket away and smiled at her father.

"Good girl! Here, your boost!" He placed the milk cup beside her bed. "Don't drink it before brushing your teeth," he said as he walked out.

Maanu sat like a good girl until she heard him get down the stairs. She picked up the milk cup and started drinking it, enjoying the right temperature and right taste! She was not sleepy anymore. She freshened up and went down to see her father cooking in the kitchen and her grandfather chopping up onions in the dining hall.

"Good morning, thatha!" she chirped as she walked out to the front porch with a bucket full of water and a broom. When she was done, it was already 7.30 AM. Her beautiful peacock rangoli reached the opposite house's small kolam. She poured water on the small kolam and finished her peacock, starting a street fight.

"Maanu! How many times have I told you not to erase my kolam? You are doing it on purpose." Manjari, her enemy from the opposite house, came out screaming at her.

"Kolam? Oh, you mean the one that you scribbled on the road? Achacho! I thought you spilled the rangoli powder by mistake. I didn't know that was your kolam!" Maanu spoke sarcastically.

"Wait here, I will show you who I am!" Manjari went in and came back with a bucket full of water.

Maanu pulled her phone out and showed her a picture! "How... delete that picture, Maanu." Manjari was shocked to see it.

"You behave yourself and don't fight with me. This will remain a secret. If you cross my path again, I will show this to your mom. She will chase you around the streets with a broom." Maanu threatened her.

"God! Ok! Ok!" Manjari retracted.

"That's good! Besides, I am doing you a favor, Manju. If anyone sees that ugly drawing of yours, no one will come to marry you. Now, see, your front porch is also beautiful. Now go in like a good girl."

Manjari huffed and walked into her house without a word. It was not that big of a deal. Manjari tried on a pair of jeans and a sleeveless top at the expo that came near their little village. Maanu was also there with her friends and happened to see Manjari with her friends. Manjari's mom is very strict, and she instantly knew that Manjari was there without her mom's permission. When she came out and showed her outfit to her friends, Maanu took snaps of it to blackmail her later.

Manjari and Maanvizhi were thick friends once upon a time. Manjari is a beautiful girl with wide eyes and thick eyebrows. She uses kajal to highlight her beautiful features. She is a little taller and slimmer than Maanvizhi. When they became big girls, Manjari felt proud of her changes and started teasing Maanvizhi about her height and weight. That created a gap between the friends and has now turned them into sour enemies.

"Raja anna!" Jyothi came to Maanu's house.

"Jo, please, Jo. Am I not your sweet little girl? Don't say that to my Hitler appa. Please!" Maanu came running to Jyothi.

"I am not here for that, vaalu (naughty)." She hit Maanu's head lovingly. Jyothi is a mother figure to Maanu.

"Uff! Then come in!" She pulled her into the home.

"Come in, Jyothi. Sit down!" Murugesan came, wiping his hands. Rajan also came out of the kitchen, hearing her.

"Appa, we have a possible prospect for Anju from her father's side, a distant relative. They are big people. Since it is festival time, Anju's father has invited them in advance. If you don't mind, can you accommodate them for ten days, until the festival is over? We have planned for a formal meeting at the end of the festival."

"Oh, of course, Jyothi. You don't have to ask or hesitate! You know that. We have no issues with housing the groom's family." Murugesan said heartily.

"Thank you, appa. Only the groom and his mom will come to the festival. Their family will come only for the function. We can ask them to stay in our house. But I don't think it is right to let the bride and groom stay in the same house for ten days without a proper engagement. That's why I came here."

"You don't have to explain anything, Jyothi. You are taking care of Maanu as your own child without any expectation. We owe you more than this. We are happy that we get a chance to repay our debt." Rajan said, making them all emotional.

"Appapa! Enna Jo, enga veeta kanneer la moozhgadikalam nu kalangathalaye keambi vanthutiya (have you planned to drown our house with tears, is that why you came early in the morning, Jo)?" She came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea.

"Vaalu!" Jyothi took the tea from her with a teary smile. "Thanks, Anna. Thanks, appa! They will come in three days."

"We are ready!"