Chapter 29 (1/2)

Chapter 29: A Sudden Visit

Volume 1 — The Temporary Snow Country Life of the Northern nobleman and the Raptor Wife

Today, we strolled the forest —— or so I said but we had things to do

Now that spring has come to the forest, the snowwas covered in bright green

On such a day, ere out to pick herbs for fragrance and medicine

The wild grasses are used as spices for cooking or forproducts for daily life

While explaining to Sieg the kinds of herbs to Sieg, alked through the quiet forest

When it becas was full of many kinds of herbs

“We should go back soon”

“Yeah~ Ah, wait”

I set a fish trap in the river yesterday Since I wanted to retrieve that, we headed to the river

The trap is ether soft-boiled ivy It’s structured so that it’s i in, and cru

By pulling on the string attached to the stake, I retrieved the trap

“Ah, there’s quite a bit”

“A big catch”

In the basket-shaped trap, there were about twenty of these s the water, I put in the bag

After returning home, we took out some of the herbs to dry them in the sun I put them on wire mesh and then put on a mesh lid to hold them down

For the rest, ill be processing the, so we left the rest for later

I brought the muikku fish over to Ruruporon to ask her to lunch Of course, since it’s impossible to eat it all with just the two of us, I told her it’s fine to take the rest back home

Since ere picking grasses for half the day, our fingertips were dyed red The colour fades in about three days, but since we are picking herbs everyday, the colour fades just before summer

“Bit too much, eh?”

“Well, I’m fine with it”

“Alright However, we also have to pick berries in summer”

Berries dye our fingertips in very colourful shades, so our fingertips will ultimately turn into an indescribable shade of colour

Purple blueberries

Pink lingonberries

Red cranberries and yellow raspberries

There are many berries around this area, and a lot are collected to make sauce, jam and juice

That berry picking was a part of women’s work

‘Find a wife that can pick berries well,’ they say, showing berry picking is an iift supports the table for a whole year

However, there are also ladies who dislike berry picking Since soet a satisfactory amount

Every year, I’ve been going out to pick berries alone

In su on work, there is a chance to encounter wild beasts, so we need to be cautious

Berries are also food for wild animals

As we talked about things like that, it was time for lunch

Today’s menu is deep fried muikku fish with tartar sauce, boiled potaoes, and a herb-flavoured soupturnips

The utted properly, and the bitter head was chopped off too The crispy batter and the light fish ith the deep sauce that had vegetables in it

The reindeera bite spread the taste all around inside h too, and had a subtle sweet flavour

Today’s reat too I thanked Ruruporon when she came over to retrieve the dishes

As ere discussing if we should go to the fields to weed, Miruporon came over and pointed at the front door

“My, a guest?”

Since there aren’t many visitors other than merchants and deliveryit was rare

When I opened the door, there was a familiar face

“Aina?”

The guest was Aina

Since she was looking nervous, I wondered if she had soestured behind her as if to say ‘guest’

“……Eh?”

There was so behind Aina

“G-grandfather!?”

The guest was not Aina but randfather

Was it around the beginning of the polar nights when I told him that I married?

I received a reply telling ave an evasive answer, saying that it was tiive birth, or that ere busy picking herbs Though there’s also that our e is on a tentative contract