Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 1.3

3

“Well then, I’ll cook next!” Rimee Ruu proclaimed as she darted over to the pantry, then returned with the ingredients she needed. She had taken the initiative when I’d asked what sort of sweets they ate in the Ruu clan.

“There isn’t much time, so I’ll make chatchi mochi instead of pudding! I’ve started using karon milk lately instead of water!”

“Ooh, that sounds tasty.”

Chatchi mochi was a simple sweet akin to warabimochi that I had prepared for the dinner party in the castle town. The name came from how it used (what I believed to be) starch extracted from chatchi, which were like potatoes. I had come up with it based on the potato starch mochi my mother had made when I was young.

Though it took some time to extract the starch from chatchi, the steps after that were simple. You boiled the chatchi starch with sugar in water, and once that cooled off, it was good to go. But Rimee Ruu boiled it in karon milk rather than water.

On top of that, she added two additional ingredients alongside the sugar: crushed ramanpa nuts that reminded me of peanuts, and a powdered version of that cinnamon-like herb.

“It’s real tasty if you pour that sweet panam honey stuff over the top too, but Mama Mia Lea said it’s expensive so I shouldn’t use too much. That’s why I added lots of sugar instead!”

Since I had aimed for something like the glaze on mitarashi dango for flavor when I made them, I hadn’t added too much sugar to the mochi themselves.

Once the chatchi mochi cooked enough, she added it to a pot of water, and as soon as it solidified she started tearing bits off in the appropriate sizes. Before long, there was a pile of jiggling milky-white chatchi mochi atop a plate.

“You sure did make a lot. I doubt we’ll make it through all of them just by doing a taste test.”

“No worries! Just leave half of them!” Rimee Ruu said with a grin as if she was plotting some sort of prank. Still, the older members of the Ruu clan didn’t seem to be questioning it, so I didn’t pursue the matter any further.

“Well then, thanks for the food.”

After it was portioned off onto separate smaller plates, I went ahead and brought a chatchi mochi to my mouth.

Since she had used a minimal amount of the powdered herb, it only provided a light aroma. Still, that alone was enough to make the sweetness stand out even more.

The chatchi mochi really had quite a pleasant texture too, not so much sticky but nice and chewy. And the addition of the occasional solid bit from the peanut-like ramanpa nuts gave it the same sort of accent that Toor Deen’s sweet had.

On top of that, the karon milk provided a wonderful flavor. To me, it felt like a unique mix of Japanese and western sweets, made using milk, nuts, and cinnamon.

“Um...I think this is just as tasty as the chatchi mochi Asuta prepared,” Toor Deen timidly chimed in.

I offered her a smile. “That’s for sure. Even if I provided the basis, this is still a wonderful adaptation. I’m sure being so fond of sweets is why you two were able to improve so quickly, Rimee Ruu and Toor Deen.”

“Are you perhaps not that fond of sweets, Asuta?” Reina Ruu questioned.

“Not exactly,” I replied with a shake of my head. “I’d say I do enjoy them, but I don’t have all that strong of an interest in trying to improve on this kind of taste. And back in my home country, I was always the one tasting sweets rather than making them.”

“I see. There really is a distinction between ordinary dishes and sweets, isn’t there?”

“Yeah. Back where I come from, cooking and sweet making were generally treated as different jobs too. Of course, there were plenty of chefs out there who excelled at both, but that wasn’t the case for me and my old man.”

Looking quite impressed, Reina Ruu nodded along. Beside her, Rimee Ruu was getting flustered, saying, “Hey Tsuvai, don’t eat all of them. I made them for Papa Donda and Darmu too!”

“The leading clan head and the second son? Hmph, would men really appreciate something this sweet? The Deen clan head even said he hated the sweet poitan that girl made, right?”

As they were chatting, Tsuvai had been popping chatchi mochi into her mouth one after another, so Rimee Ruu eventually shouted, “I said no!” and went to physically restrain the other girl. Though Tsuvai was twelve, she was pretty much the same height as the eight year old Rimee Ruu. “Papa Donda and Darmu can’t drink any fruit wine until they’re healed up! But they can eat lots of sweets, so I want to bring these to them before dinner! They’ve got to eat lots to heal!”

“Ah, I see... It’s important to pair things properly not just with other dishes, but with fruit wine as well,” Yamiru Lea said as she turned toward Toor Deen. “Toor Deen, could that be the reason for the scolding you received? If you were to eat that sweet poitan alongside fruit wine, it could kill off the sweetness and leave behind only a sour taste... It could even make the fruit wine taste worse, so that might be what caused those men to get so angry.” Then Yamiru Lea’s gaze shifted over toward Vina Ruu. “With that in mind, could the fact that you’re a heavy drinker be why you didn’t find the sweet poitan all that delicious?”

“Don’t say stuff like that... I only ever drink at banquets, you know. And wouldn’t that mean Sheera Ruu should like sweets even less than I do?”

“I-It’s not like I’m always drinking fruit wine,” poor Sheera Ruu retorted.

Rimee Ruu turned to the young Deen chef. “Hey Toor Deen, can you make that poitan stuff again?! Then I can bring it to Papa Donda too!”

“Huh? Serving the leading clan head my cooking? B-But if it makes him angry, then I...”

“There’s no way that would happen. Papa Donda and Darmu would both be super happy! They said they really want some fruit wine to go with their salty jerky and that they’d even take sweets!”

Looking worried, Toor Deen glanced my way.

I shot her back a smile and patted her on her slender shoulder.

“Go ahead and make it. Sweet sugar, milk, milk fat, and salt should provide them with plenty of nutrition they can’t get from meat. And you need all sorts of stuff to recover, I’d say. Also, I think the Deen clan head should hear about all this too.”

“All of it?”

“Yeah. That the sweet poitan you made isn’t a dish meant to be eaten alongside meat or wine. But it shouldn’t be any issue eating it as a midday snack or after dinner. It might even be good to just make enough for the people who don’t drink fruit wine with their dinner.”

“B-But that would mean using expensive ingredients to make something the clan head and men who enjoy wine couldn’t eat...”

“A single bottle of fruit wine costs a red coin, doesn’t it? If you keep it to just a snack, I’d say sweets should fall in the same price range. Folks who like wine can drink that, while sweet lovers can enjoy your dish, and everything would be fair, right?”

“That’s right! Before they got hurt, Papa Donda and Darmu would hardly eat any sweets. It was just the women and Ludo eating them!”

Sufira Zaza had silently watched as Toor Deen fidgeted all the while, but now she stepped forward. “Toor Deen, it’s one thing if the Deen clan head simply doesn’t like sweet poitan. But that’s ultimately a matter of taste, not some sign that you prepared a poor dish. If your clan head is having some sort of misunderstanding, then you should do your best to resolve it,” she advised with a serious look on her face, showing none of the ecstasy she’d displayed before.

The Zaza had originally been a clan under the Suun. But now that the Suun had fallen, they had become the new clan over the Deen. That had made the relationship between the two pretty complicated.

“If the men don’t enjoy your sweet poitan, then make it for the women. I would like to learn how to make it here as well and prepare it for my clan head. You are a subordinate of the Zaza, so seeing once again just how skilled you truly are brings me great pride.”

It seemed likely at this point that Toor Deen’s problem would be solved.

As the young chef looked back and forth between me, Rimee Ruu, and Sufira Zaza with teary eyes, she quietly said, “Thank you...”

“Well then, could you explain the proportions of the ingredients as you make it this time? Then the Zaza, Rutim, Lea, and Sudra will be able to make their clan members happy with delicious sweets too,” I said, then looked over at Toor Deen and Rimee Ruu. “Also, I have something I’d like to discuss with the two of you.”

◇

A few hours later, I brought Yun Sudra and Toor Deen back to their respective clans, and then headed home to the Fa house.

I offered to give the Deen clan head a supplemental explanation from my own perspective on the issue, but Toor Deen said it was fine. Anyway, I knew it wasn’t my place to go butting into another clan’s business. Surely, Toor Deen would be able to make her precious family understand. Unless she started crying again, I wouldn’t have any role to play.

There seem to be a surprising number of people with a sweet tooth here at the forest’s edge, so this could lead to a sweet-making boom.

But sugar was a fairly expensive ingredient, and I had already warned them about the dangers of consuming too much. Still, since the people of the forest’s edge already gulped down sugar-filled fruit wine, I didn’t think there was much to worry about on a physical level. At any rate, I truly hoped such sweets would prove a medicine rather than a poison for them.

Still, my own clan head doesn’t seem to have much interest in sweets. So I guess it’s only natural that Toor Deen and Rimee Ruu would surpass me, I thought to myself as I tied Gilulu to a tree and started moving anything that needed to be taken out of the wagon, which I had parked off to the side of the house. That meant the various ingredients for tonight’s dinner and the meals I’d be preparing for the day after tomorrow, as well as the metal trays, steaming baskets and everything else we had used.

After putting those down in front of the entrance, I casually knocked on the door.

“Ai Fa, I’m back. Are you up?”

The female voice that answered back, however, wasn’t Ai Fa’s.

“Ah, hold on a moment! I’ll be done soon, so please, please don’t open the door!”

That voice seemed to belong to Ai Fa’s childhood friend Saris Ran Fou. She had been stopping by these past few days out of concern for my injured clan head, so it was no surprise to find out she was our guest, but her telling me I absolutely shouldn’t open the door made me wonder what was going on.

At any rate, I had no choice but to wait, so I just stood there in front of the entrance. Saris Ran Fou’s “moment” turned out to be around two minutes.

“Sorry for the wait. I’m sure you must have worked hard today.”

“Right, thank...” I started to reply, only for my eyes to shoot open wide. At her feet was a little face staring up at me that was so adorable it stopped my sentence in its tracks.

“Sorry. I was giving this little one milk... This is my child, Aimu Fou.”

“Whoa, you’re already big enough to walk? Nice to meet you... Ah, no, I guess we’ve met before. Hello there, Aimu Fou.”

When I’d first met Saris Ran Fou, she had been cradling this infant in her arms. At the time, I had been more than a little worried about how small and weak the baby looked, but now the child was standing on two legs and half hiding behind their mother’s clothing as they stared up at me.

The kid certainly was little. But those limbs were properly plump, accompanied by a face with some nice color to it. The child had bold blue eyes and soft, light-brown hair that was just starting to grow in. Aimu Fou wore a simple bit of clothing meant for a child, with just a thick sash wrapped around their middle.

What a seriously adorable kid. Saris Ran Fou wasn’t all that tall herself, but her child only came up to a bit over her knees. And that face was so little it was probably only about the size of my palm.

“How adorable. And how old is Aimu Fou now?”

“Still just one. But I’ve been able to raise my child this well thanks to the prosperity brought to us by the Fa clan,” Saris Ran Fou happily replied as she scooped up her beloved child. “Aimu’s still a touch on the small side, but we’re not worried about starvation being an issue any longer. You have my deepest gratitude, Ai Fa and Asuta.”

“No, I’m simply glad that such a cute kid will be able to grow up just fine,” I said, smiling at Aimu Fou since I just couldn’t look away.

The kid just kept on staring at me, but that expression was still plenty adorable. I really wanted to give those little cheeks a poke, but I figured it wouldn’t be good to do so with dirty hands after having just gotten back from working outside.

“Ah, you were in the middle of carrying things in, weren’t you? My apologies. Let me lend you a hand.”

“Oh, no, what you’re carrying there is way more precious than any of my luggage, so no worries. Please, have a seat.”

With that, I cheerfully resumed my work transporting everything. As I did so, I finally greeted my beloved clan head. “I’m back. How are your injuries doing?”

“It’s nothing serious. As long as I don’t move, I can’t feel any pain.”

Ai Fa was seated leaning up against the wall, resting her cheek on her own knee as I nodded her way. There were bandages wrapped tightly around her abdomen, but aside from that, she looked just the same as always. The impression she gave off was that she had more energy than she knew what to do with, thanks to her current lack of exercise. Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of her, I went ahead and carried my luggage into the pantry.

Meanwhile, Saris Ran Fou knelt down next to Ai Fa and released Aimu Fou. Instantly, the infant toddled on over to my clan head and grabbed at her slender left arm.

“You can’t do that, Aimu. Ai Fa is injured.”

“I don’t mind. Such a small child could never be strong enough to seriously injure me,” Ai Fa stated, her body growing strangely stiff. “I’m more worried about being the one inflicting harm. Is it all right if I move?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Infants are sturdier than you may think. If your injuries don’t hurt too bad, do you want to hold Aimu?”

“That’s not possible. With my strength, I could accidentally crush your child.”

“My,” Saris Ran Fou exclaimed with an amused chuckle. Ever since she and Ai Fa had reconciled, the expressions she wore had grown remarkably brighter.

Back when Ai Fa had stood in opposition to the Suun clan, all of my clan head’s close relations had cut ties with her so as not to get involved, Saris Ran Fou included. And Ai Fa didn’t want to have a negative influence on her precious childhood friend either, so she also kept her distance. But after those two painful years, they had managed to finally reunite.

“My apologies. All of a house’s women raise a young child together, so instead of accompanying me, Aimu should have stayed behind, but I just wanted to be by your side for as long as possible today, Ai Fa.”

There was a partially woven basket sitting there by Saris Ran Fou’s feet. She must have brought along her work from home in order to be with Ai Fa all this time.

Naturally, rather than finding it a pain, it almost moved me to tears. Ai Fa was healthy aside from a single rib, so loneliness and boredom were her greatest enemies at the moment.

“You have nothing to apologize for. Thank you for thinking of Ai Fa like that. Um, would you mind if I hold Aimu Fou? I’ll go wash my hands now.”

“Of course not. In fact, it would be an honor.”

After carefully washing my hands using the water jug, I timidly reached out and scooped up the little child next to Ai Fa. When I did, I was caught off guard by how light the kid was. If I wanted to, I could have easily held the child with one arm. Like, we were talking six or seven kilograms at most here.

Cradled there in my arms, Aimu Fou just looked up at me blankly. The whites of the child’s eyes weren’t showing much yet, so the blue irises peeking out at me looked like gemstones. It seemed like a miracle to me how that little nose, that mouth, those limbs, those itty-bitty fingers, and even the tiny fingernails were all in place.

“What a cute kid. I know it’s a little late to ask, but is Aimu Fou a boy or a girl?”

“Do you really think a girl would be named Aimu? You still haven’t picked up on such things after living here at the forest’s edge for so long?” Ai Fa chided in place of Saris Ran Fou.

As I peered curiously down at Aimu Fou, I smiled. “Sorry, but I just can’t tell. He’s got a pretty face like a girl’s, but looks a bit gallant around the eyebrows, so I got confused. I’m sure he’ll end up being as much of a pretty boy as Ludo Ruu and Rau Lea.”

Ai Fa was watching me. “You look so happy. You’ve always been quite fond of young children, haven’t you, Asuta?”

“Huh? Have we talked about that before, Ai Fa?”

“We have. You said a great many kids would visit your shop back in your home country, and you grew fond of them.”

“Ah, back when we first met Tara, right? Well, I don’t think that’s quite the same thing, since you didn’t have many customers bringing kids this small to the restaurant. But infants are all cute in general.”

Ai Fa looked somehow displeased and started to frown. She was more the type to have trouble handling small children, so perhaps I had touched a nerve.

Still, it was an objective fact that Aimu Fou was incredibly adorable. If only it were possible, I’d want to feel his weight in my arms forever. Even more so with those unbelievably small hands reaching up and touching my face.

“Ah, don’t do that, Aimu Fou. I haven’t washed my face, so I don’t want you touching anything that could get you sick.”

“My, have you been handling poisonous plants in town?” Saris Ran Fou said with a giggle. “You don’t need to worry so much. Infants are tougher than we often think, you know.”

“But I don’t want to get such an adorable kid dirty with sweat and giba fat.”

Though I was reluctant to do so, I went ahead and handed the infant back to his mother. As Aimu Fou clutched tightly to his mother’s chest, he looked over at me and Ai Fa.

“Aimu is such a cute name. Is it just a coincidence that it sounds like Ai Fa?”

“I gave him that name in the hope that he would grow up into a strong hunter...” Saris Ran Fou answered with an embarrassed smile, and from her seated position Ai Fa gave me a kick in the rear. I had asked the question because I remembered my own clan head giving Gilulu a name similar to that of her father.

But that would mean that even when Aimu Fou was born a year ago, Saris Ran Fou was still holding on to her strong feelings of friendship with Ai Fa. Though the matter with the Suun clan had torn them apart, she most certainly hadn’t forgotten her friend. It might have earned me a kick in the rear, but I was still glad to have confirmed that fact.

“Just how long are you going to keep taking it easy? There isn’t that much time left before dinner, is there?” Ai Fa said.

“Right, right, I’ll get on it. I’ll need to light a stove, but should I use the outdoor one because it could be dangerous?”

“No, we use flames in our own home too, so it’s nothing to worry about,” Saris Ran Fou told me.

With that settled, I went ahead and got to work on dinner. But I didn’t need to hurry or anything, since there were still over two hours left till sunset.

“Oh yeah, I got asked to man the stove for some nobles again,” I reported while chopping aria, causing Ai Fa’s expression to turn even more sour.

“It hasn’t even been a month since that last welcome banquet, has it? Even if they rule this land, aren’t they making requests of you too lightly?”

“Well, it’s Melfried’s wife Eulifia asking for sweets. I’ll have to take time off work for the day, but I should be done in the castle town not long after the sun hits its peak, so it shouldn’t have any impact on the next day’s business.”

“So you intend to accept?”

“I discussed it with Donda Ruu back at the Ruu settlement, and it seemed like he was leaning that way. Of course, if you or the other leading clan heads object, it won’t necessarily happen.”

“If the leading clan head Donda Ruu approves, then I will offer no opposition without serious reason to do so...” Ai Fa replied, the look on her face souring more and more.

“Well, Duke Genos seems to be working to limit the burden placed on the people of the forest’s edge as much as possible. Plus, the way things are working now has been convenient for letting us keep control of the distribution and pricing of giba meat. I’ll be borrowing Rimee Ruu and Toor Deen’s help, and we’ll make it through this job one way or another.”

“Rimee Ruu and Toor Deen?”

“Yeah. Those two seem to specialize in making sweets, so I wanted to try taking this job on with them at my side.”

Since Donda Ruu had already given his approval, that just left the response from the Deen clan head.

And furthermore, this time I didn’t want it to be me and two cooking assistants, but rather three young chefs taking on a job together. I wanted the nobles to understand that I wasn’t the only one worthy of being called a chef here at the forest’s edge.

“So what do you plan to do if Gulaf Zaza and Dari Sauti don’t have any objections either, Ai Fa?”

“What do you mean? If the three leading clan heads give their approval, I can’t exactly overturn their will just based on my personal feelings.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Would you want to come along as a guard again?”

“What are you saying?” Ai Fa shot back, her tone instantly lowering a good bit. “You couldn’t possibly be thinking of leaving me at home and going off to the castle town all on your own, could you?”

“No, of course we’d bring along guards. But since the Ruu clan is entering a break period soon and fewer giba are around, and Donda and Darmu Ruu are taking time off anyway, there doesn’t seem to be any need to push yourself. They said they could provide some men as long as it was just for one day...”

“I’m on break from my hunting work right now. There’s no reason for you to have to entrust this task to anyone else.”

“But you’re injured, right? The swaying of the wagon could cause your injuries to hurt...”

“Asuta,” Sari Ran Fou interjected. “You’re going too far, ignoring Ai Fa’s feelings. If I were in her position, I’m sure I would be sad and angry right now too.”

“Huh? Wh-Why’s that?”

“You were held in the castle town before, weren’t you? Even though it’s now been proven that not everyone living there is an enemy, letting you go there alone would naturally bring the rage and sadness she felt back up.” Saris Ran Fou was staring straight at me as she continued on in a firm tone, “I saw just how much Ai Fa suffered during those days, from closer up than anyone else. Even if there isn’t any actual danger, she would surely suffer just the same if you headed off to the castle town alone. So please, don’t do that to her.”

Saris Ran Fou had been the one to support Ai Fa back when I was captured by Lefreya. And thanks to that, the two of them had reforged the bonds they once shared.

At a loss for words, I turned back toward Ai Fa, only to find my beloved clan head childishly biting her lip.

“Sorry. It looks like I was actually being pretty inconsiderate here. Come with us, please, and I’ll try to make sure the wagon sways as little as possible.”

“I’ll come along not because you asked, but because of my own will,” Ai Fa retorted, looking away in a huff, pouting but not letting Saris Ran Fou see.

As she stared at the nape of my clan head’s neck, Saris Ran Fou broke out in a smile. “She may be the fiercest hunter of them all, but Ai Fa also has deeper emotions than any other woman too. As a member of the Fa clan, please try not to forget that, Asuta.”

“You make it sound as if I’m an unreasonable child, Saris Ran Fou!” Ai Fa said, glaring at her friend with her face turning red.

However, Sari Ran Fou just met her anger with a smile. “Even so, I adore those mismatched parts of you. And I’m sure everyone who knows you well feels the same.”

“C-Cut it out! Since when were you the sort of girl to tease me so?!”

“I’m not teasing. That’s how I really feel. And besides, I’m more a woman than a girl now anyway,” Saris Ran Fou replied, her beloved child’s soft hair rubbing up against her cheek. Aimu Fou didn’t seem to understand a thing as he stared blankly at Ai Fa’s bright red face.

It was rare to see my clan head show such childishness to anyone but me, but naturally I didn’t feel upset by it.

At any rate, that was how it was decided that Ai Fa would accompany me to the tea party in the castle town.