Chapter 8. The book says that pearl grass likes to grow...
The book says that pearl grass likes to grow in moist environments and can usually be found along riverbanks.
However, in May, the pearl grass has not yet started to bear fruit and looks no different from ordinary aquatic plants. It is best to wait until June, when the tiny, rice-grain-sized fruits will shine with a pearl-like luster in the sunlight, easily standing out from the crowd of aquatic plants.
However, Mela couldn't wait until June; what she wanted was the pearl grass that hadn't even started bearing fruit yet.
So early in the morning, Mela, who loves to sleep in, was full of energy and ready to go out.
Normally, Sylas would stay by Mela's side, but since Lex came along, Mela left Sylas to watch the house.
Silas protested repeatedly, "Bad Mela! Bad Mela! Why did you abandon Silas after getting Lex? Why didn't you let Lex stay and guard the house?"
“Because Lex can help me pick pearl grass.” Mela spread her hands confidently, refuting Silas’s accusation of favoritism.
With Lex around, Mela can save a lot of trouble, and what can Silas do besides cheer her on from the sidelines?
"Waaah... Mela is so realistic, Silas is so sad, Silas wants to run away from home..." Silas rubbed his eyes with his wing and made a lifelike whimpering sound. In reality, his black bean-like eyes kept rolling around, and it was obvious that he was thinking of something else.
"Tell me, what should I do to make Silas happy?" Although Mela saw through Silas's little scheme, she still tolerantly gave it a chance to push its luck.
“It’s simple, just buy a pound of pumpkin cakes for Silas.” Even as she said this, Silas’s wing remained perched on her face, as if she would continue to pretend to cry if Mela didn’t agree.
"Half a pound, no discussion." Mela held up her index finger and waved it in front of Silas, making her stance clear.
Don't be fooled by Silas's seemingly outrageous demand of a pound of pumpkin cakes. In reality, as a normal-sized crow, its appetite is quite small. If you actually buy it a pound of pumpkin cakes, it will keep them in its nest until they go moldy.
That's right, Silas doesn't actually only have one perch to rest on, as Lex thought. He also has a nest that he leaves on the roof of the pointed roof all year round, but that's where Silas hides his treasures.
Any pretty wildflowers growing along the road, any shiny stones on the riverbank—anything Silas takes a liking to, it will carry back to its den.
It's one thing to leave things that won't get moldy, but Mela absolutely cannot allow herself to see mycelium suddenly sprouting on the roof one day.
"Alright, alright, Silas agrees." Silas nodded, feigning reluctance, but inwardly he was overjoyed.
Lex is right. When you want something, you can raise your expectations first. It would be best to get the whole thing, but if not, half the amount is fine too, since all it originally wanted was just half of it anyway.
This time it was Mela's turn to be puzzled. Why wasn't Silas trying to bargain with her?
Mela couldn't help but look at Silas a few more times with suspicion, trying to figure out if he was hiding any other schemes.
Silas made Mela very uncomfortable, fearing that its plan would fall through. So it cleared its throat and urged the two to leave quickly, promising to take good care of the house.
"Did you think Silas was acting a little strange just now?" On the way, Mela felt something was off, so she turned to Lex and asked.
“Really? I don’t know.” Lex shook his head.
"Don't you know? But I've noticed you and Silas have been getting along quite well lately, always hanging out together. I thought you two were whispering a lot behind my back." Mela raised an eyebrow, sounding like she had been suspicious for a while.
"It was just some trivial gossip. Silas said it was rare for him to find someone to chat with, and I couldn't bear to refuse him."
Lex calmly stared at Mela for half a minute. Silas said, "Don't be scared by Mela's words. She's probably just bluffing you."
Sure enough, Mela looked away guiltily first.
She's so busy, how could she have time to chat with her pet every day? But Silas is a noisy crow, and if someone were willing to chat with him, he could write enough words in a year to compile a dictionary.
Since Mela doesn't intend to pursue the matter further, let's just let it go.
No, we haven't turned the page yet. "When I get back, remember to remind me to write to Ducwato and ask him to buy a pound of pumpkin cakes from the village and bring them over."
"Isn't it half a pound?" Lex asked, puzzled.
“The remaining half pound is naturally for you and me,” Mela replied matter-of-factly.
We're all part of the cabin community; there's no reason for Silas to eat alone.
"...No, thank you. I don't like pumpkin pancakes."
"What? You look down on it because it's food only commoners eat?"
Mela stopped, put her hands on her hips, and prepared to give this naive little prince a good talking-to.
"Do you know how expensive a pumpkin pie with sugar is? A full twelve copper coins! That's three times the price of a rye bread, and you're complaining about it? Don't forget you can't even afford a single copper coin right now."
"I hope you understand that being picky about food is a shameful act. Any bowl of porridge has the same value as a piece of cake, which is to say, it has the value of filling your stomach, Your Highness." At the end of her lecture, Mela used a sarcastic term of endearment for Lex.
Seeing Mela frowning and staring at him disapprovingly, Lex wanted to say that he didn't mean it that way, but he ultimately chose to remain silent.
In fact, Lex stopped eating soft, sweet foods after he turned six. In his view, only carefree children would like to eat such things, and he was the future crown prince who would bear the rise and fall of the entire kingdom. Deliberately pursuing sweet experiences was a decadent and weak act.
However, Lex's silence gave Mela the wrong impression, making her think that he had been persuaded by her.
She wouldn't have wanted to share with Lex if she wasn't worried about gaining weight from eating too many pumpkin pie, and yet he dared to complain!
Mela decided to reduce the number of pumpkin pie that was originally given to Lex by two, as punishment for his picky eating habits.
Even if Lex finds out how delicious the pumpkin pie Ducwato bought is and wants to eat two more, Mela won't soften her heart. She'll refuse him firmly and make him regret his actions today.
*
To the southwest of the cabin, there is a river about half a meter wide.
The clear river flowed gurglingly from the endless distance to a few sika deer that looked to be just coming of age. They were quite alert; while their companions buried their heads in their water, one of the sika deer would crane its neck and look around, wary of any potential predators that might suddenly jump out.
Mela brought Lex to the vicinity, and the sika deer on guard immediately turned its gaze towards them. Upon discovering that one of the people was a red-haired witch, it calmly turned its head away, showing no intention of calling its companion to leave.
"Aren't they afraid of you?" Lex didn't miss this moment.
"Why are they afraid of me?" Mela was baffled by Lex's question, as if she were a major tyrant in the Dark Forest, someone that would frighten away any animal that saw her.
"I wouldn't just eat them, nor would I skin them to use as blankets."
Halfway through her sentence, Mela suddenly remembered the venison jerky she had taken out for dinner the night before. "...The jerky was sent by Ducwato, it has nothing to do with me. Think about it, if Silas and I knew how to make jerky, why would we need to cook potatoes and mushroom soup to fill our stomachs every day?"
It must be admitted that Mela's reasoning was very convincing. When Lex first arrived, he ate potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, and mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms, from morning till night until he was almost green with envy.
At the time, Lex couldn't understand why the famous witch would also lack meat, even though ordinary people might not have enough to eat. Perhaps the witch just preferred to eat vegetarian food.
Knowing that he would be leaving soon, Lex said nothing and just kept quiet.
But after realizing he would be staying there for another six years, Lex couldn't resist and asked Mela if she could make something else.
Upon hearing this, Mela clenched her fist, cleared her throat, and awkwardly admitted that her cooking skills were not good, while Silas's cooking skills were only good enough to cook potatoes and mushrooms. If Lex wanted to eat something else, he should cook it himself.
Lex remained silent.
How could His Highness the Crown Prince be a better cook than Mela or Silas?
"Well, there's no other way then. How about they just have boiled green beans for dinner tonight?" Mela suggested.
...It seems best to let him take over the cooking duties and learn how to prepare dishes from scratch. Lex relented.
Since he's already nominally Mela's servant, learning such a lowly skill isn't a big deal.
Hearing that someone was finally willing to save their dinner table, Mela excitedly found the meats, spices, seasonings, and other items she had stored away for Lex to try one by one.
It was then that Lex discovered that Mela actually possessed a great many spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, and bay leaves... You should know that spices are as expensive as gold, and generally only nobles can afford them.
For ordinary people, they would be overjoyed if they could just add a little salt to their food.
"Because spices are also used extensively in the making of medicines."
In response to Lex's question, Mela picked up a dried bay leaf from the jar.
"Basil leaves are a very useful spice. For example, three bay leaves can make a mind-controlling potion, while nine bay leaves can make a tranquilizer. By the way, if you have trouble sleeping at night, you can ask me to make you a tranquilizer for three gold coins."
Mela remembered her money-making plan again, and whenever she found an opportunity, she would start recommending it to Lex.
Lex refused Mela's "kindness" without hesitation, saying, "No need, I slept quite well last night."
There's no need to add insult to injury to existing debt.
Even if he were to return to the palace, the Crown Prince, who was not short of gold coins, had no intention of giving money to the witch for nothing.
Lex may be rich, but he's not stupid.
“Okay, then hold out your hand.” Mela wasn’t discouraged even though she hadn’t sold the potion.
Although Lex didn't know what Mela was planning to do, he still extended his hand as instructed.
Mela then gently placed the bay leaf into Lex's palm.
The rounded tips of his nails brushed against Lex's palm like a dragonfly skimming the water, causing a slight tingling sensation that made Lex want to pull his hand back.
Mela doesn't like to dye her nails; the white-pink color looks too plain, but it gives off a healthy vibe.
Like glistening pink seashells.
“Since this is your first time trying it, one bay leaf is enough. I’ll feel bad if you waste another one,” Mela said solemnly to Lex.
After all, spices are indeed very expensive.
She's ruthless—no, kind-hearted—and the money she earns from selling potions is spent on books or these spices, so Lex can understand her, right?
Lex, who didn't understand: "..."
Lex was utterly exasperated; as expected, Mela was indeed stingy.
*
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Mela noticed that Lex's eyes were wandering and he seemed to be lost in thought, and her tone suddenly became extremely dangerous.
Please, the great witch Mela was just explaining to him how to distinguish between pearl grass and ordinary aquatic plants when they haven't yet produced fruit, and Lex actually got distracted?
Doesn't that mean her content is completely uninteresting?
Mela gritted her teeth inwardly, trying to calm her anger. Any other little witch would have been eager to hear her talk about this, and she wouldn't bother arguing with the talentless Lex.
“Repeat everything I just said,” Mela said, displeased.
Lex realized that his momentary lapse in concentration had angered Mela, so he didn't dare hesitate for a second and obediently repeated what Mela had just said as she had requested:
"Pearl grass likes to hide among ordinary aquatic plants and will even stick to the plants to pretend they are one, so when collecting it, you need to identify each plant individually and check if there are any differences in their thickness."
"Once you find the pearl grass, use the lightest force to tear it away from the aquatic plants from the top to avoid damaging its not-yet-fully-developed leaf buds."
That's right, it seems I did take her words to heart.
Mela's expression softened, and she finished explaining what she wanted to say: "When the pearl grass starts to bear fruit, its leaf buds will automatically droop off the leaves. When that happens, you can squeeze the leaf buds open and squeeze out a dozen or so pearl fruits the size of rice grains."
"A single pearl grass plant will only grow four to five leaf buds. Once one leaf bud is damaged, it will not produce a single pearl fruit. So you must be careful when you collect them later, understand?"
Mela went to such great lengths, bringing Lex here specifically at this time to collect pearl grass, so that she could obtain more pearl fruit later, as she needed a large quantity of pearl fruit for a very important potion.
To increase the yield of pearl fruits, Mela also prepared a lot of growth potions in advance. Every pearl fruit she didn't get meant that the corresponding amount of growth potion was wasted, making it a completely unprofitable business.
Therefore, Mela solemnly instructed Lex several times before waving her hand to signal him that he could go to work.
Mela and Lex divided the work: Lex took care of this side, while Mela went to the other side.
In terms of collection speed, Mela was definitely faster. After all, with her eyesight honed over so many years, she could tell at a glance which aquatic plants were of different thicknesses. She almost didn't blink, quickly putting the collected pearl grass into her basket.
In no time, Mela's basket was full.
Lex, on the other hand, was a bit slower. He had to carefully examine the plant for a while to make sure it was thicker, then carefully find the tiny gap at the tip to separate the pearl grass from the regular grass before finally picking it and putting it in his basket.
“Mera,” Lex suddenly called out.
Hearing the sound, Mela on the other side straightened up and poked her head out. "What's wrong?"
“There’s blood in the water here,” Lex said calmly.
It was precisely because the river water was so clear that the faint trace of blood was so clearly visible flowing between Lex's fingers, catching his attention.
Blood? How could there be blood out of nowhere?
Mela looked upstream and a thought suddenly popped into her head:
"Let's go see what's going on."
It would be better if the animals were injured, but the real danger is if the injured are people who have strayed into the dark forest.
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