Chapter 85: Washing Dishes
“I’ll take care of the laundry.”
With a bright smile, the butler collected the sheets and bath towels, washing and hanging them out to dry. Well, the towels are one thing, but the sheets are just sitting there since I haven’t slept here…! It’s not like I’m using them as a permanent bed!
The sheets in the house are being washed, I swear! I mean, sure, the thought of just buying new ones instead of washing them has crossed my mind!
But I can’t say any of that, so now I’m seen as the guy with a permanent bed in the butler’s eyes. Sheets, towels, and shirts flutter in the alley in front of the house.
I wonder what kind of negotiations are happening with the people from the house across the way? Is it some sort of unspoken agreement? In Kanum, the sunlight is weak, and there are many cloudy days, so maybe they just dry their laundry indoors; I hardly ever see anything hung outside.
But in warmer places, I’ve seen houses hanging laundry on lines, so it must be normal?
“If it’s a hassle, you could always ask a laundress for help.”
“Ah, yeah.”
A laundress, as the name suggests, is a woman who takes dirty laundry and washes it for you. They’re often widows with children. Some come to your house, but that’s usually for larger homes with a lot of laundry.
I might be able to ask her to take care of everything except my underwear.
“I wonder if there are any people who don’t mind listening to requests.”
“For requests, just give a little extra as a tip. As for the hassle—Lord Jean, you seem to be quite popular…”
I can only see a future where the meddling aunties bring me marriage proposals! I’ve already had a couple of candidates suggested by an auntie after just two encounters at a stall…!
“If you’d like, we could order together with ours?”
“Please do.”
Finally, I’ll be free from laundry duties! Sure, washing with hard water might make everything feel rough, but whatever. The lime dissolved in the water might leave a grayish tint on the whites, but that’s fine too. No, wait, that doesn’t sound good… I was conflicted even after agreeing to it.
For now, I’ll give it a try and see how it goes.
“Do we ask the neighbors to hang the laundry line?”
I threw the question out while watching the laundry flapping on the second and third floors.
“Yes, we ask them to tie it up at the beginning. It’s a mutual arrangement.”
“Has the neighbor ever hung laundry before?”
I couldn’t recall seeing any. Occasionally, I might spot a towel that likely belongs to Ash, but if they’re using a laundress, there wouldn’t be much opportunity to hang laundry here.
“The neighbor is currently unoccupied. They were quite worried about the demon beast outbreak concerning the Subjugation Squad…”
They’ve already moved out!
Well, my rented house came about because the city walls were broken by demon beasts, so considering that, it might be a scary place. But at least the rent is cheap.
Despite the drawbacks of not sleeping in my rented house, the request was completed without a hitch. The Subjugation Squad had also departed safely two days ago.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yeah, thanks for your hard work.”
“Thank you.”
About three hundred small ceramic bottles filled with medicine lined the underground storage. If I find a place where a disease is likely to spread, I’ll sell them off.
“Congrats on the completion of the bath at Ash’s place.”
“Thanks.”
They built a kiln just like ours, and it seems they’ve also set up a steam bath. The structure of their water facilities, including the bathroom, is almost identical to ours. I envy them a bit since their bathroom is wider due to their house being broader than mine.
“This is your reward and a little extra. I thought you might have a sore shoulder from the work, so take some time to relax in the bath.”
I handed him a bag filled with gold and three small bottles.
“What’s this?”
“Two of them are the medicines we made this time, and the one with the tag is lavender oil. I made it when I was testing the distiller, so I apologize for that.”
I made the oil but have no use for it, so it’s just extra. And it’s in the same kind of bottle as the medicine, which is a bit disappointing.
“Isn’t this quite expensive?”
“The cost isn’t that high, really.”
“It seems quite pricey.”
Apparently, it was expensive.
Once I have some free time, it might be nice to create various things to sell, but my rented house might end up smelling terrible.
“The lavender oil is good for burns, and since I don’t plan to sell it, just take it with you.”
“Thank you.”
Ash looked a bit pleased, while the butler silently bowed his head behind him.
Now, I need to take a few bottles of medicine to the Merchant Guild and promote that I can make medicine for Yellow Spot Disease. If a disease breaks out, they should come asking to buy it.
I never expected there would be a commotion at the Merchant Guild about whether there was medicine for Yellow Spot Disease!
And then, to top it off, an old man claiming to be a disciple of a pharmacist was called in, crying out, “This is indeed the medicine my master used to make…!” That was quite a hassle.
And just to clarify, I am not a reincarnation of that master. Please spare me.
As it turns out, the method for making the medicine has been completely forgotten, just as the plant is called Gold Coin Grass. I can’t help but think that the nobles’ habit of soaking this grass in alcohol to drink might have originally been for the purpose of preventing Yellow Spot Disease.