Chapter 60 - Cheong (2/2)
Odeletta looked at me with slight surprise. “You know how to make cheong, Marie?”
I hesitated, hoping not to cause a misunderstanding. “I saw it in a book before,” I fibbed.
“Oh, that’s amazing,” she said, her face alight with interest. “What are you going to make it out of?”
“Well…how about oranges or lemons?”
Those were the two easiest.
Odeletta made a look of approval, and then smiled at me. “Can you make one for me when you have the time?” she asked.
“Of course,” I replied, nodding my head. It would be great to make a jar not only for Claude, but my other close friends as well. I gave her a wide smile. “I’ll be sure that it will be delicious, so please look forward to it.”
***
Upon returning to Bellafleur mansion, the first thing I did was instruct Florinda to wash oranges and lemons, and prepare plenty of sugar. As soon as the ingredients were ready, I made two jars of orange cheong in the kitchen. One was Claude’s and the other was mine, and I would make more a little later to give to Odeletta and Xavier.
Although making cheong looked easy at first glance, it was more complicated and laborious than I remembered. Florinda, who was observing me from the side, stepped up and helped me complete some small tasks.
With her help, I was able to complete the orange cheong sooner than I anticipated.
“Now we just let it age for a few days, then it will be ready to eat,” I said with a look of pride.
“You let it age?” Florinda asked.
“Yes. It’s more delicious that way.”
“That’s interesting. How did you come up with this, My Lady?” she said with a keen sparkle in her eyes, and I smiled awkwardly and gave her the same answer I gave Odeletta.
“I saw it in a book.”
“Ah, I see. It’s not a common sweet in Yonas.” Florinda gave a nod, then asked me another question a moment later. “If it tastes good, why don’t you start a business with this?”
“What?” I blinked dumbfoundedly as I tried to process the idea. After a few moments, I chuckled and shook my head.
Florinda looked at me in confusion. “What doesn’t make sense?”
“Business? That’s too grand.”
“It’s just business,” she said with a shrug. “Don’t think of it as too complicated. It may not explode in popularity, but I’m sure no one has ever introduced this type of sweet before.”
“…Really?”
I tended to accept other people’s suggestions easily. When Florinda saw that my interest was piqued, she continued to press on with her gift of persuasion.
“Yes, My Lady. Of course, I can’t say anything for sure since I haven’t tasted anything yet, but if it’s delicious, you should try to sell it. Who knows, what if you’ll make a lot of money?”
Florinda’s words were starting to sound more and more appealing. Even though the debts the Bellafleur family owed the Cornohen family weren’t that bad and we had enough money to relax and eat for the rest of our lives, I was caught by the idea. The money problem was terrible, of course, but if I had to live in the world of this book for the rest of my life, it was absolutely necessary to have at least one job. Otherwise I would end up bored out of my mind.
I may be able to prattle on about the novel for a day or two, but it was impossible to endure it for decades. Of course, the pillars of the story were still standing, but there was no guarantee how long it would last. One needed to work anyway.
“Umm…I’ll decide once it’s been tasted.”
I already knew the taste of my fruit cheong. I’ve tried it many times. But there was no guarantee that it would suit the tastes of the people here, but if the reviews were good, then selling it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Unlike what Florinda suggested, however, I didn’t intend to make a fortune out of it. I just wanted to work on my domestic craft. The kitchen was like a small workshop, so I could do enough to fend off boredom. That would be a lot of fun.
“If you open up a shop, please make me your employee!” Florinda exclaimed.
“Of course, Florinda. If I do, it’s all because of you.” I handed her the glass jar of orange cheong with a broad smile. “Let’s open it together in three days.”