Chapter 12: Exploring the Village
They talked in the house for a long time until noon. Caesar, his father-in-law and the housekeeper discussed in the backyard how to build the interiors of the farmhouses.
Olivia guessed that her cheap father must have a certain talent in animal husbandry. He was really proficient in how to raise livestock. Even at lunch time, he was still chattering and teaching her.
"There are some things to pay attention to when raising chickens. You have to build a cage for the chickens so they can live some distance from the ground. And then cover the ground with some lime, charcoal ash, or wheat husks. That way the chickens won't get sick easily."
Old Renault spoke carelessly while holding up his wine glass. He took off his cloak and did not wear armor today. Instead, he wore a dark robe with a circle of black fur on the collar, which made him look even fatter. As he spoke, the beard on his face trembled, which made him look both majestic and funny.
He sat alone at the table, which made things lively. He continued to instruct Olivia:
"To raise chicks, you need to prepare enough nests for the hens. The roof and surrounding areas of the chicken coop need to be covered with a layer of clay. Firstly, it keeps the chickens warm, and secondly, it keeps foxes and cats out..."
As they were talking, Lucy and Adam came over with several ceramic plates filled with dumplings. The brother and sister first placed the food in front of the guests, then placed the tableware in order, and then distributed the food to the guests one by one.
Just as Theresa thought, the manor was not rich at all. The tableware was not a complete set, but some crudely fired plain pottery, with wooden spoons and forks. The only ironware was a few high-heeled wine glasses, which were used for drinking because Caesar's father loved to drink when he was alive.
At Renault Manor, if there is a banquet, the servants will bring out a complete set of metal tableware, including plates, soup bowls, spoons, and cups, all of which are carved and can serve twelve people.
However, this is also an heirloom in the Renault Manor.
Theresa looked at her and felt depressed for her eldest daughter. Although her son-in-law was handsome, his father was too poor and did not leave any wealth to his descendants.
She looked up and glanced, only to see Olivia staring at the servants distributing food with a greedy look on her face. She had never seen that food before. It looked like a round pancake with fillings, but it also looked like it was cooked, with bursts of flour aroma wafting in the air.
Seeing this, Sansa couldn't wait to ask, "What kind of pancake is this? Why is it like this?"
Olivia smiled and said, "It's the cook's work. I think it's delicious too."
Theresa took a bite and nodded as she ate: "It seems that the cook here is very capable."
The old lady was also very curious. She asked the servants to put several dumplings on her plate and asked for a few spoonfuls of thick soup to wrap the dumplings with. She didn't even look at the grilled smoked pork chops brought by Adam. Sansa and her sister preferred butter minced meat dry soup noodles.
Seeing this, Caesar next to him felt a little suspicious.
He thought these dishes were from the Renault Manor, but he didn't expect it to be that way. But this wasn't something his cooks here could make either. It was really strange. Why did the lady say that...
He was lost in thought when Olivia nudged him with her elbow, turned her head and said calmly, "Pour me some milk."
"good."
Caesar stopped thinking about it. The lady must have her reasons, and no one else noticed anything wrong.
He took the milk jug from the table next to him and handed it over.
Lucy was almost running herself to death for this lunch. The kitchen prepared several pounds of pork chops, baked bread and thick soup, but no one ate much. Only the dumplings and noodles were in short supply.
Seeing that everyone enjoyed the meal, she and Adam hurried back to the kitchen to make another pot. When it was served, it was still quickly eaten by a few guests.
Even Theresa, who wanted to remain dignified, was so exhausted that she could hardly walk. No one reached out to take the dessert of honey-boiled apples that was served.
After dinner, Olivia had learned enough experience in livestock breeding from her father. Seeing that the sky was covered with dark clouds and it was about to snow, she and Caesar sent the group away again.
After dinner, Caesar went back to his room to rest and prepare for the night shift. Olivia was called out by Lucy, who said that Mrs. Renault brought her some food.
Olivia followed her to the kitchen and found two jars of lemons pickled in sea salt. This might be her favorite thing in the setting. Lemons are not available in her country. They are produced in several island countries south of the mainland and shipped here. They are not cheap, but they are very popular.
Those who have some spare money will buy lemons to pickle and store, while those who don’t have money can only buy them and dry them for use.
Fresh lemon juice is also very good with freshwater fish from the Ulun River.
Speaking of this, fish was also given as a gift, but it was a dried fish. The fish was gutted, smeared with coarse salt, and then strung together piece by piece. This fish can be grilled and eaten, and it is very chewy.
However, Olivia's favorite thing in her previous life was steamed fish with salted lemon.
As soon as she thought of the taste, she immediately became greedy.
"Butler, please help me keep an eye on the things at the manor."
The housekeeper passed by and said, "Madam, where are you going?"
Olivia pulled Adam, who was passing by with a broom in his hand, and said, "I'll take him out for a walk around the village and see if there's any fishing in the lake."
"It's snowing outside, be careful, ma'am!"
The cook watched the lady pull Adam out and scratched her head, feeling a little confused. The lady was always a competent leader, but when it came to food and drink, she always had strange ideas.
The housekeeper looked on, shrugged his shoulders, and continued to watch the craftsmen building the sheep pen.
All the young men in the village were in the mountains, the women were working, and the craftsmen were repairing the houses in the manor. Olivia and Adam brought fishing hooks, fishing lines, and cut a piece of pickled pork liver.
"Madam, is this bait really okay?" It was the first time Adam saw someone using pig liver for fishing.
"Of course, do you question me?" Olivia deliberately frightened him.
"Of course not, of course not." Adam waved his hand immediately.
After leaving the manor, Olivia couldn't wait to explore the village. She led Adam along the stone bridge over the stream and walked towards the small lake in the distance.
There are many hungry tenant farmers in this village. In the warm season, they fish in the border river. This small lake is where the old knight used to fish, and it is only for the villagers to use.
Olivia crossed a field beside the stream and looked towards the place where the tenant farmers in the village lived, but she felt that the houses of every family looked like huts and dry toilets, small and dilapidated.
This is very different from the imagined wooden farmhouse with a small courtyard in front and chickens and ducks in the back. Many of them are even far inferior to the cowshed in her manor, which makes people gasp when they see them.
When they arrived at the lake, Adam took his wife to find a place to sit at the old knight's favorite fishing spot. He went back to the mill not far away. After a while, the miller's family took out their fishing rods, built a shed to keep her out of the snow, and built a fire next to it to keep her warm.
This was the first time the miller's family had seen his wife go out and move around in the village since the wedding. There had been a lot of banging and banging in the manor for a full ten days, and it seemed that everything was almost done.
Since the old knight didn't like to have anyone accompany him when fishing when he was alive, the miller and his family just left a child about the same age as Adam to help out and didn't bother him.
Olivia was so focused on tying the fishhook and getting the bait that she had no interest in the attentive miller and his family, who were also fixed NPCs in the game.
She asked Adam to break the thick ice on the lake and make an ice cave of the right size.
You can see that the surface of the lake has frozen to a thickness of a palm, and the water is black and cold.
They put down the fishing hook and waited quietly.
All the preparations for fishing were ready. Olivia asked the two younger ones to keep an eye on the area while she stood up and looked around the lake, visually counting the number of houses in the village.
After waiting for a while, I heard the voices of two children behind me. They pulled up the hook and said, "Ma'am, we've got a fish!"
Olivia turned her head and saw two small blue salmon hanging on the hook, jumping and wagging their tails.
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