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Chapter 4.2: House

Translator: Haruchin   Editor: JackOFallTrades

Chapter 4.2 House

Good people and bad people all change depending on their status and circumstances, so I was not really keen on using this ability, but those four absolutely didn’t deserve fretting it over.

I placed Riche inside a cage lined with a towel, then hurriedly entered the bath afterward. Only the essential toiletries like soap were there, but it’s easy to get more of the good ones I like later on.

My dirty body didn’t foam easily while bathing. Hey, what’s that floating on the hot water ー strange, so I’m still dirty despite the change in looks, huh.

The bath was really refreshing. A handsome guy stood before me in the mirror, looking like the combined version of Van, Ludere and Ish………….black hair, white skin, bluish purple eyes, and proportionate body.

Those three must have based it on their youthful appearance when they were deciding what my features would be. No matter how you look at it, the guy in the mirror looked like the son of those three, thank you very much.

Not the kind of flashy, gorgeous beauty, though. Plus, thanks to Van’s manliness, I wasn’t the icy cold, handsome man like Ludere, either, nor did I look like Ish’s poker-faced, mannequin appearance. Let’s just say I’m pretty confident that they’d give me a free extra serving at a resto even if I was just standing there thanks to these looks.

……….What happened to my typical appearance, huh?

The floodgate should be opened to let the water flow through the water wheel. The rice was milled then polished from brown to white. A brief peek at the【Appraisal】provided me with instructions on how to use it. Food related matters were really detailed and that helped a lot. What should I do with the bran that came out? Maybe I could make them into nice pickles if there’s plenty enough, I guess.

The grinder was small, but there were two different types lined up – one for milling and grinding, and the other was for pulverizing.

I found other mechanisms beyond a wall, so I used【Appraisal】to check what they were ー it just said「Used for cloth fulling」and「 Used for tanning leather」. I had no idea what ‘fulling’ was, and since it did not have anything to do with food, the method for using that mechanism remained a mystery. I probably won’t use it, though.

The wheel’s structure was different from the ones I saw in historical dramas before. Most of its mechanisms were installed underground, and the millstone was turned from below.
Even though it was ‘underground’, it was on the first floor if I went in from the opposite side. That’s because the building was standing on a slope. All of these, plus that stone wall, made me feel incredible.

There’s an oven for baking bread, too. I’m not sure if it was built incidentally, though. The area was quite spacious. The second floor must be dedicated for wheat storage, but I didn’t really need this much space. There’s nobody here but me, and this house already had many food storage rooms. Well, having a water wheel was actually weird in the first place.

ー Let’s get some wheat from the food storage room later.

Wheat had three categories so I got curious what those were ー cake flour, bread flour and ‘pasta-use’, it seemed. Surprisingly, pasta-use was separated from the rest, so I checked it, too. It turned out to be just durum wheat, huh.

It was a bit hot, but I still kindled the fire in the kamado and stove. Riche was fine with just plain water, so I gave him some. He could also eat meat supposedly. I planned to stuff him with nutrient-dense foods ー the kind puppies probably ate ー originally, but because he’s really weak now, I was told that feeding him would have to wait until he’s better.

I put some of the ground, polished rice into the pot and steamed it, then I julienned the cabbage while grilling the sirloin. Yep, the combo’s odd, but there’s no helping it; I had been craving freshly cooked rice and meat coupled with some shredded cabbage while desperately trying to survive back then.

I tossed some root crops and chunks of chicken with bones into the pot, then put it inside the stove used for making stews. By the way, all my pots were made from iron. Alright, it’s time to set the table.

The aroma of the meat wafted while I grilled it, and the fragrance assaulted all my senses. The meat was so delicious!! Although it was only seasoned with salt and pepper, it was still so awesome, I almost cried!! I was living on ONLY fish and crabs for the longest time, so it couldn’t be helped, you know.

Huh, didn’t expect that I could only finish half of the food. Maybe my stomach had shrunk. Alright, let’s just put it in【Storage 】for tomorrow’s meal. Anything I stored with this skill was frozen in time as long as they weren’t living things — plants were an exception to that, though.

I placed Riche’s basket and water dish beside the bed. There’s no urgent matters to do while the sun is still up, so I lay down, even if it’s still daytime. The fresh sheets and clean bed pulled me into dreamland. So comfortable………

……….. A week passed by in a blur while I was just lazing around. Well, it would be more accurate to say that I stayed in bed for a long time.

The bruises and scratches disappeared immediately when I used【Heal】, so my body should have been in tiptop shape, but it felt really heavy to the point that I could only get up when it’s time to eat. That chicken dish I made earlier was a life-saver.

I cleaned my bedroom and washed the sheets. I’m gonna make some ramen for today’s meal.【 Complete Cookery】 is activated when I check the ingredients using【 Appraisal】. Recipes emerge on the handy layout, showing the dishes I can make.

It can only hypothesize using my memory of the food I already ate, so going on an eating tour to sample this world’s dishes sounds like a good plan.

They have katsuobushi in this world, and there’s kombu, too. It’s raw, so maybe it’s better to dry it first? Aah, some tsukemono would be nice with these steamed rice and grilled salted mackerel. Oh, I shouldn’t forget to grind the wheat.

Wheat can be used in making bread, and udon, too. I hurriedly ground it into flour, but there’s no bags or containers to store it with.

I also received the same amount of money Sis got from the country when she first came here. No idea how much it’s worth, but since there’s no need to worry about food and lodging, then I might as well use it for other stuff.

Let’s do some shopping today.

——–
T/N: Koji mold – Aspergillus oryzae, filamentous fungus used in Japan to make various food items such as sake, shochu, and rice vinegars by fermentation.
(reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus_oryzae
Photo:https://www.myfermentation.com/grains/koji-an-ancient-mold-and-its-modern-renaissance-zm0z19fzwoo)

Katsuobushi – small pieces of sliced dried bonito flakes
(reference/ photo: https://casasensei.com/interesting-facts/what-is-katsuobushi-dried-bonito-flakes/)

Kombu – Japanese kelp
(reference/ photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu)

Tsukemono – Japanese pickled vegetables commonly used as condiments
(reference/ photo https://okinawa.stripes.com/food-drink/tsukemono-more-condiment-japanese-meals)