Chapter 38: That’s Why I Drink Milk
Well then, oysters. I picked some after using [Appraisal] to ensure there were no noroviruses. They probably don’t eat them raw around here, so it should be fine, but I’m totally in the mood to eat them fresh.
I also got a few small but fatty sardines and anchovies for processing. I already have some in the pantry, but when seasonal goodies are right in front of me, I just can’t resist buying them.
I washed the shells with a brush, scrubbing off the dirt. I really wish I had some work gloves.
Since I don’t have a thin oyster knife, I used a short knife to pry open the shells, sliding it along the hinge. It takes a bit of strength, but I can manage that now. Of course, since these aren’t farmed, I don’t want any worms saying hello, so I rinsed them in saltwater to remove the slime and debris.
Squeezing some lemon over them makes them taste divine. Ponzu sauce and grated daikon radish—delicious.
I prepared a mixture of sea urchin, white miso, mirin, and a bit of mayonnaise. Grilled oysters, grilled oysters. Wait, how do I toast the top?
…
I arranged the oysters, propping them up with stones, and placed a grill over them, topped with glowing red charcoal. The aroma of the sea urchin miso wafted through the air. I want to grill the miso, but the oysters are good raw, so I’ll go for half-cooked.
The leftovers will be smoked and preserved in oil. I’ll burn the shells later, grind them into powder, and sprinkle them over the planned spinach field.
I filled my belly with oysters early in the morning and made some oil-preserved ones. I still have to process the sardines, but taking advantage of the [Storage] I have, I decided to relax a bit with Rishu while watching the snow pile up in the garden. Maybe I should make a lounge chair or a fainting sofa for lounging around.
I teleported back to my rented house.
I usually come out on the third floor, but it’s freezing down here! Of course, it’s cold since there’s no fire, but it’s way too cold.
I hurriedly lit a fire in the stove. While I was at it, I also started a fire in the workshop’s fireplace to boil some water and began gutting the sardines. Ideally, I should do this at the well to avoid the mess, but it’s too cold, so I brought water from the house using [Storage].
It’s a cheat to pull out just the amount I need whenever I want, like a water supply. I want to make the sink enamel too.
One good thing about the rented house is that I can dispose of kitchen scraps through the toilet hole. I plan to dig a hole in the garden to compost the scraps, but I’ll do that when it warms up. Oh, Pig-kun, eat up before someone else does.
Anchovies and oil sardines. Before soaking the oil sardines in olive oil, it’s best to soak them in saltwater for an hour or two to enhance the flavor. The amounts of thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, garlic, and chili pepper can be adjusted to taste.
For now, I’ll just salt the anchovies. Since they’re a fermented food, it’ll be a while before they’re ready.
After my hands got fishy, I washed them thoroughly and cleaned the kitchen. I opened the window, but it was too cold, so I retreated to the workshop—no, back to the house.
Rishu came running, looking dissatisfied as she started sniffing her fingertips. I petted her as she took a step back and looked up at me, playing with her a bit. Once I entered the warm room, my chilled fingertips tingled.
I had a water hot pot I prepared before heading out for lunch. I’ll make udon with the leftover broth for dinner. I brewed some coffee and relaxed until it was time for my appointment. In the afternoon, I planned to pick up the items I had ordered from the potter and foundryman.
For casting, I need to prepare a mixture of sand with clay, set up a frame to hold the sand, take a mold of what I want to create, pour melted metal into the hollow part, and once it cools and hardens, I’ll have the desired metal product.
Well, I’ll have to shape it afterward, but that’s the gist of it.
I want to do some smithing too, but I’ll wait until I build another windmill. I don’t want to be hammering and filing metal next to where I’m grinding food.
Right now, I’m busy gathering materials. I found some brass, so I think I’ll use it for the lanterns and lamps. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and it’s commonly found in five-yen coins.
The cushions made from the white goose sold for a good price, and the fees for the structures I registered with the Merchant Guild were more than I expected. Thanks to that, I won’t have to suffer through the cold and go hunting during winter.
Maybe I’ll weave some baskets by the fireplace using olive branches and reed stems? I’m also sewing and knitting underwear and socks.
When I visited the workshop, it seemed like the bathtub and toilet seat were coming along nicely. Not just the workshop I first inquired about, but the whole town was buzzing with prosperity. It seems they had to distribute work to other workshops in town to meet the deadlines imposed by demanding nobles.
I worry that if they spread themselves too thin following trends, it could backfire when the trend fades. But it seems that not only enamel but also pottery has gained a good reputation and is starting to establish itself as a brand, so the potter and foundryman both assured me it would be fine.
In the end, it looks like the foundryman and the potter I first spoke to are collaborating on various projects. The foundryman’s furnace can’t handle the size of an enamel bathtub.
“Oh, I’d like the sink to be made of enamel too. And a washbasin.”
“Sure, that should be fine!”
I was playfully patted on the back as they laughed.
“Oh, you’re pretty well-built for someone so slender.”
The potter, impressed by my unyielding stance despite being thumped by the foundryman’s muscular arms, remarked.
It felt painful, but I’m not actually that slender. The foundryman is just muscular, and the potter has a bit of a belly. …I think I’ll drink some milk when I get home. Should I drink it more than just in the morning and evening?
With that, I happily returned home with the iron kettle, teapot, and pot for the fireplace that I had ordered. Until now, I had been brewing green tea in a teapot, but now I can finally relax. The teacups are ready too.
Now, while I’m at it, I should stop by the Adventurer’s Guild. Just looking at the request board gives me a sense of the seasonal demand, allowing me to gauge the local norms without having to talk to anyone.
I’m definitely not going there to find some convenient exercise to build muscle. I’ll say it again—I’m normal. By Japanese standards, I’d say I’m more of a lean muscle type. It’s just that the residents of this world are all so muscular and big.
“We should investigate deeper into the forest again!”
Once I entered the guild, I heard a blonde man passionately speaking at the tavern. He’s an adventurer, yet he’s wearing a frilly shirt, and his long blonde hair is tied back with a blue ribbon. —And he has a cleft chin. The combination of frills, ribbons, and his square face with a cleft chin looks quite unbalanced.
Alright, I’ll pretend I didn’t see that. I thought I caught a glimpse of Dean at the same table, but it must have been my imagination.