Chapter 42: Dinoss Family
I was tanning the hide of a Giant Lizard and dyeing it. Dyeing cow and horse leather is tricky, while deer hide is easy, and it seems lizard leather depends on the type of dye used. However, since the colors that take well tend to be dark, it’s hard to tell if that’s due to the lizard or the Demon Beasts.
This time, I decided to use indigo dye on the leather, layering it with black indigo leather made from soot and glue.
—Please don’t say it’s because I failed at blue. I completely understand why light novel protagonists often wear black coats. As I darkened the color to hide the splotches, it ended up almost black.
The leather from the Giant Lizard with two horns doesn’t stretch as much as that from the three-horned variety, but it’s lighter, so I’ll use it to make a cloak and a sheet. First, though, I need to oil it for waterproofing, and then I’ll have to stretch and dry it repeatedly to soften it. It’s going to take a while before it’s finished.
Other things I need to prepare before it’s too late include dried tomatoes, dried shiitake mushrooms, and other dried vegetables and fruits for cooking. I also plan to bring candied apricots, dried scallops, smoked bacon, and cheese.
Since I want something sweet, I’m thinking of making brandy cake and nut bars coated in caramel. I’ll make those right before we leave, so for now, it’s just a plan.
As I continued my preparations, I took an early morning walk with Rishu, played tag with the Spirits in the forest after breakfast, and found a large Spirit to rest with until noon. In my free time, I worked on production, and at night, I did Spirit Naming at home.
If I got bored, I’d drop by the workshop or visit the Adventurers or the Merchant Guild to chat with people while selling my goods.
“Dinoss, are you free?”
“Glad you came by.”
Today, I visited the Dinoss Family. Unlike others, the Dinoss family greets you with hugs, so I returned the gesture.
Dinoss, his beautiful black-haired wife, their adorable daughter, and twin sons were all there. It seems that having six or seven children is normal, but the Dinoss family currently has three. The three kids greeted me with kisses on the cheeks.
“Here’s a little something for you.”
When I visit, they always welcome me with various treats, but while the Dinoss family is relatively well-off as farmers, they’re not exactly overflowing with resources.
In the fall, I helped with tasks like splitting firewood and harvesting in exchange for what I consumed, but that’s not possible in winter. So, I always bring food as a way to return the favor.
I brought five White Geese, a wineskin, and a fruitcake. Sometimes I also bring salt and sugar, but this time it was a rabbit pelt. While consumables are fine, I’m cautious about bringing anything too valuable that could attract the tax collector’s attention.
I’ve used quite a bit of firewood, but I should be fine since Dinoss and I split a lot of it together in the fall.
“Sorry for always imposing.”
“Thank you so much!”
Dinoss smiled as he accepted the gifts, but they were quickly snatched away by his wife. She’s particularly protective of the wine.
“Oh, how fleeting…”
Dinoss feigned disappointment, shaking his head dramatically.
His wife completely ignored him, while the kids surrounded her, excitedly trying to get their hands on the fruitcake.
“…”
“What were you doing?”
“Shelling beans.”
It seems he was shelling dried beans with the kids. It’s cold outside, so they were likely working by the fireplace or fixing farming tools.
I borrowed a chair from the kids and joined in on the bean shelling. As we chatted lightly, a wooden plate with fruitcake was delivered, skillfully maneuvered past the kids’ hands.
“Here you go, good job, dear. Thank you, Jean.”
Though she handled it carelessly, his wife always offered Dinoss the first pick of everything.
They’re a close-knit couple and a happy family. I sometimes visit to learn about farming here and to experience the warmth of a normal family. My own family was anything but ordinary, so this was a welcome change.
“Jean, thank you~!”
Tina, the eight-year-old eldest daughter of the Dinoss family, hugged me while I sat.
“The cake is delicious~!”
“So yummy!”
The twins and his wife were all smiles.
“Ahhh!! I won’t allow this, Father!”
Only Dinoss was flustered, which was due to Tina declaring that she would marry me the last time I visited.
“Oh, that’s fine. He’s got a good living, and you’ll be happy~.”
“Tina said she would marry me when she grows up… she said… she said…!”
“Stop being so stubborn.”
“No, I’m not planning to get married at all.”
There’s no way I’d consider that.
“Not yet!? What don’t you like about my daughter?!”
Dinoss jumped in, trying to defend his daughter against his wife’s cheerful encouragement.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to send her anywhere? Don’t complicate things!”
“I’m going to marry Jean!”
“Me too!”
The twins, clearly swayed by the promise of snacks, joined in and hugged me. What is this, a binding spell?
“Then I’ll just go too!”
“Not happening!”
I stopped Dinoss, who was trying to hug us all, with my foot.
Today was quite chaotic, and his wife was laughing the whole time.
On my way home, I received some dried corn flour. The corn here only has eight rows, which feels strange, but I wonder how it tastes?
Time for a taste test.
I chopped some onions and sautéed them, then added minced garlic and mushrooms. After pouring in chicken bone broth and bringing it to a boil, I added the corn flour. As I stirred with a wooden spatula, the mixture thickened, absorbing moisture and making the spatula heavier.
Next, I mixed in butter, cheese, salt, and pepper, spread it in a tray to cool, and once it set, I cut it into pieces and baked it.
I tried one while it was still hot. It didn’t have the strong sweetness of Japanese corn, but it reminded me that corn is a grain. It had a rustic flavor, so I sandwiched it with tomatoes, prosciutto, and basil for even more happiness.
Yeah, I’ll definitely bring some of this along.