Chapter 29: Festival Dinner
There were four grouse in total, and they had killed five rabbits, all of which were now piled in a bloody pile in a wooden basin in the corner of the kitchen.
The cook brought a large pot of boiling water, scalded the fur of the prey, and then she and Lucy processed it, skinning and plucking the hair, and then cutting it apart.
It was divided into one pile of meat, one pile of internal organs, and one pile of fur.
Today's snow grouse are very small, and the meat of four of them combined is only as much as that of a domestic hen.
The wild rabbits were of different sizes, and there wasn't much left after skinning them. Olivia picked one up and it felt like it weighed only four or five pounds.
One pound is more than 400 grams.
They rubbed all the meats with sea salt and marinated them, then hung them up to smoke after two nights.
With a slightly smoky flavor, it is truly delicious when used to make soup.
These furs, all stained with blood, were collected, washed, and dried, and then used to fill quilts.
Of course, such mixed wool was usually used to make quilts for servants. The quilt Olivia slept on was a dowry. It was made of fine cashmere and was as warm as spring when she covered herself with it.
As for these internal organs, people cannot eat them because they are fishy and smell bad, so they have to be cooked and fed to cats and wolf cubs as a snack.
Everything is arranged, and there is really no waste at all.
The dinner on that day was also very sumptuous. As the festival was approaching, they had to prepare these dishes according to the customs that were neither Western nor local created by the game, and offer them before the festival, and thank God for his gifts at the dining table.
The lamb Olivia bought was marinated with garlic and pepper by the cook, then fried in butter until it was golden brown. When cut into thin slices, it was juicy and trembling.
The cook took it very seriously and, based on Olivia's eating habits, made several plates of fried dumplings stuffed with bacon and pickled vegetables, dipped in apple cider vinegar and broth, as well as a grilled smoked salmon belly and a cream-baked pine mushroom.
As for scones, butter biscuits, honey puffs, citron candy, various drinks, and yogurt pancakes, they were all served as side dishes.
After the fasting period, Fanon was finally able to have a full meal. Before the meal, he went into the house to change into his robe, put on a round silver necklace, and then began to pray formally.
After the prayer, the three of them began to enjoy the dishes.
No one spoke a word during the entire banquet, and the only sound that could be heard was the clinking of cutlery.
Olivia cut a loaf of white bread horizontally with a table knife.
She spread thin slices of juicy and fat-and-lean lamb in it, poured the soup over it, and ate it.
There is also smoked salmon, which is greasy when you take a bite of it in bread, drizzled with salty lemon juice, but not greasy. Then drink a spoonful of pine mushroom soup and your mouth will be full of satisfaction.
Finally, she ate a few fried dumplings and used some of her stomach space to fill in the snacks and drinks.
This time, I finally ate red meat other than wild boar.
The taste buds seemed to have become more sensitive after not being stimulated by spices for a long time, and Olivia managed to maintain a dignified posture while eating.
However, seeing how deliciously she ate, Caesar and Fanon each unconsciously ate more than usual.
After dinner, Olivia began to pack her things to take with her to go out for the holiday the next day.
First, there were the handmade wool socks she had knitted, then the almond scones she had baked earlier, and some local specialties from the manor. They were mainly used to exchange gifts with others, mostly for their own local specialties.
Of course, even the most stingy manor owner would give his servants some rewards on this day.
At night, the housekeeper and his family warmed themselves by the fire in the kitchen, listened to Fanon chanting scriptures and practiced calligraphy.
Olivia went over and distributed almond scones to them, and asked the butler to give each person enough leather to make a pair of shoes as a reward.
The next day, the snow was not heavy in the early morning and stopped at noon. Olivia and Caesar, escorted by soldiers and servants, rode on the frame that Ethan had just repaired and arrived at Renault Manor.
The manor house of Renault Manor, although a bit more upscale, is not gorgeous. From a distance, it looks like a house made of stone bricks with a thick layer of snow on the roof.
From the outside, the tower is built a little higher, the kitchen is connected to the main house, and the wooden house and stables for livestock are on one side of the house.
This place is surrounded by the houses of tenant farmers and self-cultivating farmers. Residents can be seen everywhere busy clearing snow on the road. It is very orderly and gives people an inexplicable sense of security.
At the gate of the house, everyone came out to greet them after hearing the news from the housekeeper.
The servants in the manor helped unload the gifts from the cart and carried them into the house.
Olivia got off the horse with the help of Caesar.
Theresa brought a beautiful middle-aged woman and introduced her to her: "Olivia, how many years has it been since you last saw your aunt?"
Theresa introduced her daughter and son-in-law to Narcissa, and Olivia also opened her role card during the greetings.
The first time she saw the woman, Olivia felt that she was not a simple character. She was beautiful and wore an exquisitely embroidered robe.
"Favorability: 80"
"Health: 70 (Weak)"
Personality: Smooth
Talent: Strategy (three stars)
Oh? Olivia remembered that there were only eight types of talents in the game.
Commerce, animal husbandry, farming, and construction.
Medicine, military, strategy, and exploration.
Now, she has come into contact with characters with seven types of talents, and the only one she has not come into contact with is the one with the "farming" talent.
She went forward to greet her as usual, then turned her head and saw a beautiful little girl behind her aunt. This should be her aunt's daughter, named Hill, who was the same age as Sansa, both thirteen years old.
Olivia and Caesar were then led inside the house, through the hall, and into a dining room with a door.
There was a fireplace burning inside, oil lamps were installed on the wall, the wooden windows were tightly closed, a cloth was spread on the table, and two maids brought food to the table.
The maids opened the lid, revealing a whole roasted lamb chop covered in various spices, followed by several rare delicacies such as ox tongue and venison soup.
But Olivia's attention was no longer on eating and drinking.
There was a long table, with the parents sitting at the front and back. Olivia and Caesar were seated on the same side, with their aunt and cousin opposite them, and Sansa and Lainey facing each other.
From the moment they sat down to eat, Olivia began to listen attentively to her aunt and father talking about the affairs of Baron Forrest's mansion.
This aunt's husband is a businessman with a considerable business, and he is considered one of the major compradors under Baron Fleurs.
Although my aunt had no territory and belonged to the merchant class, she was richer than them all, but her attitude was very friendly.
Olivia kept watching her.
"Have you heard that a nun has come to the capital and is now living in the city of Lavosen?"
Narcissa asked a few people, and everyone shook their heads.
She continued, "This nun's mother is the daughter of the Duke of Valois. She is of noble descent, but she lives a secluded life. My husband has had dealings with her followers, and I heard that she seems to be planning to build a monastery outside the city of La Voisin."
"Monastery?" Old Renault, a local, had never heard of this and was very surprised.
However, Narcissa was always well-informed.
"Yes, I plan to send Hill to this monastery to live for two years to learn some etiquette and knowledge..."
Olivia listened from the side and understood a little bit.
The aunt planned to use the relationship with the nun to pave the way for Hill's future. Whether it was having a reputation for knowing etiquette or establishing relationships with the nobles through the nun, it was a sure win.
When Theresa heard this, she immediately said that since it was such a good thing, she would also send Lanie and Sansa there.
Suddenly, Sansa and Lainie began to look confused. However, when they learned that the monastery was to be built beside the moat outside the city and they could go shopping in the city at any time, they kept silent. It was more fun to stay there than at home.
This matter also has something to do with Olivia.
The news that La Vossen was going to build a monastery had not yet spread.
Today, monasteries have many functions. Rich widows and unmarried women can make donations to live in the monastery in their old age. Unmarried girls and even little girls can learn etiquette in the monastery in exchange for donations.
Most of the people who built monasteries were noble women who had status and influence and wanted to make money without doing business.
If this monastery could really be built, I'm afraid all the knights and merchants in Lavosen would send their daughters there.
Where there are people, there is money to be made; where there are projects, there is demand.
After dinner, Olivia and Caesar planned to go home. Tomorrow morning, Caesar and his father had to go on patrol as usual, so everyone could only have time to have a meal.
However, when they came, they only had a cart full of local specialties, such as fresh milk, cheese, butter, eggs, etc., but when they left, they also had a cart full of other things in a confused manner.
My uncle works as a comprador for the Baron in the town of Kalon and has his hands in everything, so it's not in vain for my aunt to come and live here for a long time.
Two trucks of supplies were transported from Caron to Renault Manor. Theresa loaded half of the truck for Olivia, and the other half was filled with local specialties from Renault Manor.
It was not until they returned to the manor and the servants unloaded the things from the car one by one that Olivia knew what they had brought back.
There are two baskets and five small wooden boxes.
The small wooden boxes were padded with hay. Adam said they were very heavy to hold and they shook when shaken, as if they were just containers.
He moved into the kitchen, put everything on the floor, opened it, and everyone in the room was stunned.
There was a set of four straight-mouthed lace glasses in the box, and two more boxes contained a total of six copper-based enameled dinner plates.
Of the remaining two boxes, one contained twelve white candles, and the other contained two copper tree-shaped candlesticks.
These are all decorations on the dining table. The sharp-eyed butler recognized them at a glance. They all seemed to be products of the Kingdom of Porco. It is located on the coast, the sand is of good quality, the glassware craftsmanship is superb, and the glass produced is very transparent.
If the glass is produced in northern countries, it is usually light green and not transparent.
It seems that my uncle helped the baron buy a lot of household utensils. These things are not cheap when added up, at least a few gold coins.
Olivia thought about it and decided that since it was a gift, she had to put it to use to show her gratitude.
Of the remaining two baskets, one contained nuts collected in the autumn from the forest near the Renault estate, including hazelnuts, acorns, and beech nuts.
Most of them can be stir-fried and eaten. If they are astringent and not tasty, they can be used to fatten piglets.
Another basket contained two clay jars of elderberry jam, each tucked inside a bag of the estate's black truffle salt.
Truffles are produced in the forests around Ravosen.
Olivia was so taken aback by these local specialties that she wished the weather could change to spring in an instant.
She also wanted to go to her fiefdom forest to pick food.
Not to mention truffles, mushrooms, and wood ear mushrooms, the various berries and nuts alone are mouth-watering. I heard that you can even pick wild raspberries and blueberries.
…
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