Chapter 159 Everyday Life (Part Two) Vivian's Letter, Pasture, Animals...
"Grandma, look at the clothes Mom sewed for me!"
Luna showed Linda the little flower on her cuff.
"Beautiful! Our Luna looks good in anything."
Linda patted Luna's head.
"Luna, open your mouth."
When Luna heard her uncle's words, she opened her mouth wide and Lamb stuffed her mouth full of pine nuts.
"Is Luna tasty? Is your uncle good to you?"
"Delicious! Great!"
"So, are we still going to say that your uncle is bad?"
"I'm not talking about it anymore!"
"Good girl, take it and eat it yourself."
Lamb stuffed a handful of pine nuts and walnuts into Luna's hands.
Linda watched the interaction between the two with a smile, not knowing whether Lamb was coaxing Luna or Luna was coaxing Lamb, this big kid.
Why didn't my sister come back this year?
I wanted to ask her about it during the Lamb Harvest Festival, but I didn't bother her with the question because I saw that Linda was busy with the baby and winter storage.
“Your sister is a magic tutor for the son of a nobleman, and she also has to take care of other things in the castle. She doesn’t have that much time to come back every year.”
When Linda mentioned Vivian, her voice was filled with pride for her daughter.
"Then doesn't your sister know about Xiaobao's birth?"
“What are you thinking about all day? How could I not tell her something so important? I sent the news to your sister through someone the day after Xiaobao was born.”
"oh oh."
With a snap, Lamb cracked the walnut shell, then broke it open with his hand and ate the kernel inside.
I have to say, the nuts and other mountain products that Brother roasts are really delicious, no wonder his business is so good.
Lamb thought to himself.
"Did your sister reply? What did she say?"
"Yes, she bought several sets of clothes for Xiaobao in the city, all made of the finest cotton fabric. She also bought your father a thick cotton coat, and brought them all back with the letter."
"What did my sister say?"
Lamb was somewhat curious.
"She said she was very busy at the castle this year and wouldn't be coming back for the time being. She also said that because of her meritorious service in carrying out her mission, the Duke had granted her a small manor, so that we would have time to visit Eton."
Wow! Sister is amazing!
"well."
Linda sighed.
"To be rewarded with a mission to the manor, how dangerous must that be?"
Linda was always worried about Vivian's safety, but at the same time, she couldn't bear to persuade her to give up the life she loved.
Vivian was different from others from a young age; neither small mountain villages nor the town of Rosen would have allowed her talents to be buried. Those bustling big towns were a better fit for her, and she was more suited to life there.
Linda is happy that her child has a house of her own in a strange town, but she is also worried about her current situation.
She knew her children. Vivian only ever told them the good news, never mentioning the hardships she had endured from the time she began learning magic to her current achievements.
"Did my sister say when she'll be back?"
"No, I came back on my own when I was able to."
"All right."
Lamb then gave Linda a small bowl of pine nuts.
"Please eat."
"Um."
Where is Dad?
Lamb felt like he hadn't seen Hagrid for several days.
"He went to the clan elder's house to discuss some matters."
"All right."
Lamb shifted his position in the chair out of boredom.
"Ugh... I'm so bored. I really want to go play with my brother."
Linda rolled her eyes at Lamb.
"It's boring to stay here. There's no work to do at this time of day, and I'd have to mooch a meal off your brother."
"Okay, okay."
"Your sister said that Eton City isn't very safe lately. It seems there's been some trouble in the Eton Great Forest as well. The Duke has sent people over and told you and your brothers not to go into the forest unless necessary. Don't wander into the forest on your own just because you have nothing better to do."
Linda gave Lamb a stern warning.
Of her three sons, Lamb was the one who caused her the most worry. A while ago, he went out with Ray to sell vegetables and help with the work, so Linda had a good period of peace and quiet.
"Okay, okay."
Lamb started eating hawthorn berries again, and after taking a bite, he frowned because of the sourness.
"Why are these hawthorn berries so sour!"
"Your sister-in-law Farah likes to eat it."
"All right."
With a crunch, Lamb started eating walnuts again; his mouth never stopped moving.
"Uncle, I also want to eat walnuts, but I can't open them."
Luna handed the walnuts to Lamb.
"Here, take this."
Lamb offered Luna the walnut he had cracked open, and unsurprisingly, she rejected it harshly.
"It has saliva, no thanks."
"Okay, okay, I'll open it for you with a hammer."
Lamb found a small hammer and, along with Luna, bent over and cracked walnuts on the ground, which made Linda laugh.
At the Ray family's house, Ray and Neil are working in the yard.
There was a long row of chopped wood in the barn, but Neil wanted to help his brother with more work while he rested, so he took the initiative to find an axe and chopped the logs that Ray and Lamb had brought back some time ago into sizes suitable for burning.
Lai was tidying up the storage room behind the small building. A few days ago, Mu gave him accurate information that his cousin, who raised cattle, could sell him a truckload of hay for the cattle.
Mules eat hay, but it would be even better if we could get pasture!
With the hay left outside, Lei was worried that after the winter snowfall, the melting snow would damage it when the sun came out.
There was really no place to store it at home, so we had to move the wood out of the warehouse to make room.
As for the chopped wood, it can be neatly arranged at the base of the wall and around the shed, making it easy to access at any time.
Neil's chopping of wood produced a crisp sound. Although he worked slowly, he chopped up quite a lot of wood and worked up a sweat.
"Neil, put your clothes on, or you'll catch a cold."
"Oh, okay."
Neil, who had only just cooled off, obediently put his clothes back on.
After moving the barn, Lai cleaned out all the wood chips and debris. There was now a large enough space to fill a truckload of hay.
"Neil, are you going back tomorrow?"
"Um."
"Tonight, your brother will make you boiled pork slices, and tomorrow he will take you to town."
"good!"
Lai Yi's boiled sliced pork for dinner was very generous with the seasonings. It was numbing, spicy, and fragrant.
It contained sprouted soybeans and half a head of cabbage. Since there was no lettuce or dried tofu, I substituted wood ear mushrooms, and also added wide rice noodles, which Neil loves.
The most important thing is to put in the sliced meat. That's the good thing about making boiled sliced meat at home. You can put in as much meat as you want, and you can also add various side dishes as you like.
With the spicy boiled pork slices, Lai and Neil ate five large steamed buns, and their stomachs were still full when they went to bed that night.
The following afternoon, Ray drove Neil to the college in a mule cart.
Neil's little package was bulging again, containing not only a jar of side dishes, but also a large bag of roasted chestnuts and various nuts.
These are all the leftovers from Ray and Lamb's sale. Besides these, Ray has a lot more unprocessed mountain goods here, all stored in the storage space where they don't get damp.
"Brother, I'm going in."
"Yes, study hard, and be careful not to get hurt."
"Okay, brother."
Ray watched Neil walk through the gates of the Knight Academy, some familiar friends waving to him. Ray turned and left, heading towards the market where the stalls were located.
It was already afternoon, and Lai and Mu agreed to meet at the market.
Lai drove the cart, with Mu leading the way. The two went outside the city to load hay and returned, a round trip that took only three or four hours. Lai should be home before dark.
“Shepherd”.
"Lay, you're here! You've arrived just in time, I just finished packing up."
How's business lately?
"That's good. With the weather getting colder, everyone is thinking of buying some meat to eat more."
Although the weather has gotten quite cold, Lai is still shirtless, showing no respect for winter whatsoever.
"Where is the strength?"
"I had Bai take him back. That kid can't stand the sight of you, and I was worried he'd miss today's important business."
Mu Le chuckled.
Lai handed Mu a bag, which was filled with various nuts and snacks.
“I’ll take these back to eat. They were all picked from the mountain and simply prepared at home.”
"Thank you, Lei."
"Don't mention it. You helped me buy hay, which really solved a big problem for me. I'm so grateful to you."
"Then I'll accept it without hesitation."
"Hmm, if it's not enough, I'll get you more."
Neither Lai nor Mu were the type to dawdle, so after a brief chat, they set off for Mu's cousin's house.
The mountain road was rugged, and it took a long time to reach Mu's cousin's house.
They were all beastmen, living in a flat mountain valley, surrounded by only a few other beastmen families.
They kept dozens of cattle in enclosures, and their pastures filled the valleys, where calves ran freely and happily.
Two large, wolf-like dogs, though unleashed and wearing collars, roamed freely around the cattle, keeping watch over the herd and preventing them from leaving the pasture.
"They raise so many cattle?"
"Yes. Orcs can't live without meat, and they can't hunt freely in the wild anymore. It's no longer an era where hunting alone can sustain the survival of the tribe. For survival, we raise a lot of livestock as our own food reserves."
The shepherd explained.
Lei expressed his understanding.
"Brother! I've brought men with me!"
Mu waved towards the grass, and Lai saw a bear nearly three meters tall running towards them, transforming into human form halfway through its journey.
Cousin Mu was very strong, and looked to be over two meters tall, a whole head taller than Lai Yi.
He had a thick brown beard that covered half of his face. He had deep-set, bright eyes and a somewhat European appearance.
"Mu, is this the human you mentioned? Hello, my name is Atsushi, I'm Mu's older brother."
"Hello, my name is Lei."
"Lay, I heard from Mu that you're a great cook. Could you give my wife some pointers later?"
"no problem."
Lei is happy to share her menu with others.
Hou smiled happily.
"My wife only knows how to grill meat, and to be honest, our family is getting a little tired of it, but I only know how to grill and stew meat myself."
Hou explained.
"Is this your truck? Your truck bed is a bit small; it might not be able to hold all the hay I prepared for you."
"Haha, this one truck bed is enough for it to get through the winter, it doesn't need much more."
Ray patted the mule.
“Your Delcaston is well-fed and looks very strong.”
Hou couldn't help but offer a compliment. Lai almost forgot that the mule had another name here.
"Mu, take Laiyi inside. I'll pack the hay for you soon."
"good."
"Need a hand?"
"Ray asked."
"Don't worry about it, Hou will handle everything."
As Mu spoke, he led Lai to the Hou family's small house.
"Mu, you've brought guests. How's Li?"
Hou's wife welcomed the two inside and then gave each of them a large steak with the ribs still attached, like a battle axe.
"Eat up, don't be shy. You've come all this way today, you probably haven't had time to eat."
"Eat up, Lei. This was specially prepared for us by Hou. This is how we orcs treat our guests."
"Thanks."
Hou's wife's cooking skills weren't as exaggerated as Hou had claimed.
The meat was grilled perfectly, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It wasn't seasoned too much, just sprinkled with salt, which preserved the meat's aroma to the maximum extent.
"The beef I sell in winter is all bought from Hou. Hou doesn't like towns, so he and two other orcs live here together."
Shepherd explained to Lai while eating.
"That's good too, at least we can live freely."
That's right.
The steak that his wife had prepared was too big. Lai managed to finish the whole piece, but the meat was very filling, and he felt a little bloated.
"Hua, this is Lai, the one I mentioned who taught me how to make aspic."
"Oh! It's you!"
Hua's eyes lit up immediately.
"I heard from Mu that you can cook a lot of delicious dishes. It would be great if you could teach me!"
"no problem."
Lai readily agreed, unaware of how many people Mu had boasted about his cooking skills.
Hua led Lai to the kitchen, where there was plenty of meat. On the stove, there was only a large pot and a few jars of spices.
"May I take a look at your seasonings?"
"No problem, do as you please."
Lei looked at each jar; they contained salt, chili peppers, honey, and some pepper.
"Is this all the seasonings you have?"
"Um."
The flower nodded.
So it wasn't that I intentionally only added salt grains; it was just that salt was the only seasoning I had at home.
Ray felt he had discovered the truth.
"Perhaps I can teach you how to make some stew and braised beef."
"Okay, okay, thank you, Lei!"
Laiyi felt that Hua had become excited, and Mu listened attentively, looking like a well-behaved student.
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