Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 25 - Chapter 2.5

5

The sun approached its peak before long, and Toor Deen and Yun Sudra returned to the Fa house as promised to make food for me. That said, the food was ultimately just giba soup without any major added ingredients. I hadn’t eaten for three whole days, so I couldn’t hope to stomach anything heavier than that. Even so, I felt deeply moved by the meal. They had gotten stock from giba meat and vegetables, then added a hint of rock salt and tau oil to give the simple soup a faint bit of flavor, but the nutrition and warmth alone from the dish affected me.

The nutrients my malnourished body needed swiftly flowed through me, and it was as if each and every cell in me was trembling with joy. I actually found myself unable to speak at all for a little bit.

My body had entered a state of total starvation, so I was now terribly weak. If I tried chewing giba meat this soon, it could cause a real problem for me. They actually prepared some soft fuwano bread for me in a steaming basket too, but when I took a single bite of it, I could feel my danger instincts kicking in.

“It’s still too soon for something solid like that, huh? Adding poitan or fuwano to the soup would really hurt the flavor, so we were left at a loss as to how to handle them,” Yun Sudra said.

“But you really should have some poitan or fuwano, shouldn’t you? We’ll boil some poitan flour in a separate pot, so please eat that as well,” Toor Deen added.

And so, a poitan broth was prepared for me after the giba soup.

Boiling poitan flour was enough to make it at least a little softer and easier to get down than just tossing poitan into a soup directly. It was like dissolving wheat flour in water, so it wasn’t exactly something you could ever call tasty, but it did provide nutrition I desperately needed, and I didn’t really have to force myself to swallow it or anything either. Right now I desperately wanted moisture in general, so downing it felt pleasing in a different way than the food that satisfied my appetite. They used a bit of salt and tau oil in that poitan broth too, which I really enjoyed. It felt similar to eating thin rice gruel or rice porridge.

At any rate, I was able to regain a bit more of my strength thanks to Toor Deen and Yun Sudra. There was no way I would ever forget the taste of the food I had eaten today. And when I expressed those feelings, tears welled up all over again in the young chef’s eyes.

Ai Fa went ahead and smoothly polished off the remaining steamed fuwano and the remaining materials for the giba soup. Then she bit into some jerky, looking like she was quickly recovering from the fatigue of nursing me for several days.

“Well then, we’ll stop by again later to make dinner,” Yun Sudra finally said. She and Toor Deen seemed to feel like they really shouldn’t stay too long, so they swiftly departed.

We were next visited by members of the Ruu clan and their subordinates. The group included Reina Ruu, Rimee Ruu, Ludo Ruu, and Gazraan Rutim. Today was a day off for work in the post town, and hunting was harder than ever during the rainy season, so every few days, the men would take a break too.

“Hey, so you managed to wake up okay, huh? Well, I always figured you’d be just fine,” Ludo Ruu remarked with a nonchalant grin. Rimee Ruu wore a wide smile too, while Gazraan Rutim had a gentle one on his face. Reina Ruu was keeping her emotions under control, but she was definitely tearing up a bit. “We figured you’d wake up today for sure, but our mom Mia Lea warned us not to make too much of a commotion. So we used Morga Three-Way Deadlock to decide it!”

Morga Three-Way Deadlock was a game like rock paper scissors that I had sort of taught to the Ruu clan at some point. Paper and scissors didn’t exist in this land and would be too hard to explain, so we used wolves, giant snakes, and savages instead.

“Lala and Sheera Ruu wanted to come too, but Rimee and I were the winners today. As long as it’s not too hard on you, we were thinking we could have everyone else come tomorrow,” Reina Ruu chimed in.

“I also had a difficult time persuading my father Dan. I’m sure his hearty laughter would be rather difficult for you to handle right now, after all,” Gazraan Rutim added.

I was incredibly grateful for their kind words.

“You’re so skinny, Asuta! Kota’s totally back to normal now, chomping down on meat and poitan.”

“Right. I’m really glad that Kota Ruu overcame his trial.”

“We hardly lose any kids to Amusehorn’s breath in the Ruu clan... But it looks like it really is a lot worse to get it when you’re not a kid. I could hear your pained groaning from outside the house yesterday morning,” Ludo Ruu said. Then he turned toward Ai Fa, who was seated a short distance away. “It’s tough seeing your family suffer. And you looked after Asuta all on your own, which is really impressive.”

“What I did wasn’t special, considering I needed assistance from the nearby women. They were the ones lending aid to people with whom they don’t even share blood ties, so you should be praising them instead.”

“They’re praiseworthy, and so are you. I’m sure Asuta knows that too.”

With my head full of various thoughts, I nodded back and said, “Yeah.” This was the first time I had heard that my moaning was audible outside the house. Just imagining how distressed Ai Fa must have been was enough to make my heart ache.

And though he was smiling brightly now, Ludo Ruu had been going out of his way to visit the Fa house repeatedly for the last few days. It really highlighted how worried so many people had been for me. It was in my nature to feel apologetic first and foremost at times like this. But the people of the forest’s edge tended to see that as acting distant. And so, I decided to let them know how grateful I was instead, telling everyone, “Thanks.”

“You don’t need to keep saying that all the time!” Ludo Ruu said with a laugh, raising his right hand. But as soon as he did, he froze in place. Even if it was meant as a bit of friendly physical contact, I was in no state right now to receive a slap from a hunter, so he must have rethought his actions. With his arm still up in the air, Ludo Ruu turned around and found Ai Fa frozen in place with her hips off the ground, having stopped in the middle of getting up. It was possible she would have grabbed him before that arm could swing down and hit me. “That was a close one! I told Rau Lea he shouldn’t go near you for a while, Asuta, and then I went and almost made the same mistake myself.”

“You gave Rau Lea a warning about me? Thank you so much for that.”

Despite my harsh words, I wanted to recover to a point where I could receive Rau Lea’s overzealous displays of friendship again as soon as possible.

Ludo Ruu and the others departed from the Fa house not long after, having stayed for only a short while. They had all been quite worried about me. I had been interested to know what was up with the new ingredients that had been sent for the northerners by the house of Turan, but it seemed it would be better to put off any discussions about work until after I had recovered more of my stamina.

From then until the sun set, I spent my time buried deep in our blankets, resting. And following my request, Ai Fa slept beside me the whole time. In the future, I would probably be embarrassed by how much I had Ai Fa dote on me, but I didn’t have the strength to care about my dignity at the moment.

I had never fallen seriously ill before, so I’d had no clue how terribly weak and helpless people got at times like this. I had sought out Ai Fa’s warmth like a young child, and she kindly granted my wish. She wasn’t the sort to spoil a member of her clan, though, so perhaps she simply considered all of this to be necessary.

“Back when I was injured, my biggest source of support was your presence. If I can support you now, nothing would make me happier.” Ai Fa was snuggled up against my side as she spoke in an incredibly soft voice, while I was quickly dozing off.

That evening, I was presented with the same mostly plain giba soup and poitan broth as before. Ai Fa had ordinary soup, yakiniku, and baked poitan. Ever since the day I had collapsed, the nearby women had been providing Ai Fa with dinner as well. Now that I had woken up, though, Toor Deen and Yun Sudra had taken the responsibility entirely upon themselves. Apparently, this had been accepted because they were exceptionally skilled, making them well suited to cooking food my ailing body could digest. Even on days when they had work with the stalls, they would cook for me while doing prep for the next day.

“I’m sure that either tomorrow or the day after, I’ll be able to handle steamed fuwano. I may not be able to eat it all, but would you mind preparing it for me again?”

“Of course not! Are there any other dishes or ingredients you want to eat, Asuta?”

“Let’s see... Ah, if you add grated gigo to the poitan broth, that might make it even easier to get down. I tried that a long time ago at the Ruu settlement.”

“Gigo, huh? That’s packed with nutrition, so I’d love to give it a try.”

“It might also be easier to eat if you scramble some kimyuus eggs and heat them until they get firm, but not too firm.”

“Ah, eggs have a lot of nutrition too. Sorry, we still have so much to learn from you, even at a time like this...”

“Don’t worry about it. I think I’ll be able to prepare my own food again in two or three days, but I’ll be counting on you until then,” I said, bowing my head a bit, which the pair of chefs politely returned.

“Even if it’s just for two or three days, I feel incredibly honored to have the chance to make you dinner,” Yun Sudra said.

“Yeah. And to think you’d look so delighted while eating food we prepared... I’m bursting with happiness at the thought,” Toor Deen agreed.

“I don’t have many chances to eat food someone else has made for me, so it makes me really happy too.” It was an especially rare occurrence to have someone else make me a normal dinner. And this one had been made specifically for me and my needs. They had really put a lot of effort into figuring out which dishes would be easy for me to eat, and what I’d find tasty. Their thoughts and feelings gave the meal an extra layer of seasoning, making it even more satisfying for me.

After Toor Deen and Yun Sudra left, I cuddled up against Ai Fa in the dark and we talked about what I was feeling inside. “It’s a wonderful thing, having someone else cook for you. I thought I already knew that, but this has really driven it home for me.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to be able to feed you my cooking again soon. If doing that for you can make you this happy too, I’d feel incredibly blessed.”

Ai Fa let out something between a sigh and a chuckle, then gave me a hug. She was no longer keeping the stove lit at bedtime, so I fell asleep feeling her warmth alone over my whole body.

The next few days were dedicated to rest and rehabilitation. Amusehorn’s breath wasn’t an illness you could keep catching, like a cold, so once you were over it, you just needed to convalesce. That said, since I hadn’t caught the illness as a kid, this part wasn’t exactly normal either. My stamina had taken such a serious hit that I needed to be careful to not push myself too hard and end up with another affliction.

For my second day since recovering, I was once again served plain giba soup and poitan broth, as well as scrambled kimyuus eggs. The following day, finely diced meat and aria were added to the soup, and I was able to eat more solid food the day after that.

Even so, I stuck with minced giba meat and vegetables that had been boiled till they were mushy and soft. I also asked them to avoid herbs, spices, and other highly potent ingredients, and to instead aim for light tastes with tau oil and sugar at the core of the flavor. I ate that giba soup with some steamed fuwano. Occasionally, I had the fuwano fried like a wonton, but at any rate, I continued to get my nutrition in a form that wouldn’t be difficult to digest.

By that point, I had regained a fair bit of bulk on my thinned body. My skin had also regained some moisture and elasticity, with my cheeks and the hollows around my eyes recovering the fastest. With long-sleeved clothing on, you could hardly tell by looking that anything about me had changed at this point. That night, Ai Fa looked me over thoroughly and then gave me a tight embrace, likely having similar thoughts.

I decided to step in front of the stove in addition to my normal rehab the following day, the thirteenth of the brown month. It was the tenth day of the rainy season, and the fifth since I awoke.

I was of course still far from fully recovered, but I was at least no longer suffering from dizziness. As long as I didn’t carry anything heavy, I likely wouldn’t have any issues that would make people worry at this point. I just had to rest when I was tired. Now that I had a little more leeway in terms of stamina, I went ahead and provisionally returned to work.

The first thing I needed to take care of was the morning prep work. Toor Deen and the others had worked hard to keep the stalls going, and had been doing the preparations each day at the Fa house’s kitchen. I headed there at the appointed time, and when I arrived, everyone gathered there greeted me with smiles and applause.

Over the past few days, countless familiar faces had stopped by to visit me. The Gaaz, Ratsu, and Beim went without saying, but Dari and Mil Fei Sauti also visited us from way down south, and Sufira Zaza and Lem Dom from all the way to the north. Embarrassing as it was, news of my illness and recovery had been passed all around the forest’s edge through the Fou and Beim’s information network.

As a result, the women from the nearby clans had pretty much all come to see me at least once, but they seemed relieved in a totally different way to see me back at work rather than being curled up in bedding. Their smiles were filled with so much joy that I had difficulty holding back my tears.

After spending around two hours making food for the stalls and inns, I returned to the house to rest. I didn’t quite feel like I needed to sleep, but I figured I should get plenty of rest before everyone returned in the early afternoon.

It was around then that Ai Fa started to have some worries she had to deal with. Basically, she needed to decide when exactly she would resume her hunting work.

“I doubt I’ll collapse again at this point, so I don’t think you need to worry about that,” I offered, only for Ai Fa to swiftly break out in a frown.

“I know you don’t mean anything bad by that, but I dislike it when you speak that way. It’s like you’re saying you don’t need me.”

“Huh? That’s not what I meant at all, though.”

“I’m well aware it isn’t. These feelings are the result of my own weakness and immaturity.” She was looking down at me as I sat at the head of my bedding. “Nothing would make me happier than seeing you feeling better. But...up until yesterday, you were so utterly adorable, like a young child.”

“I-I see. Still, it’d be real bad if I didn’t bounce back from that state.”

“I’m fully aware of that as well. But you were just so cute...” How exactly was I supposed to react to someone telling me that to my face? As I was left scrambling for an answer to that question, Ai Fa inserted herself into my bedding. She grabbed hold of my shoulders next, then gently yet firmly pulled me down atop the sheets. “When you are fully recovered, we will no longer be able to keep sharing the same bedding like this.”

“Yeah... That’s true.”

Ai Fa started feeling my sides, running her hands over my clothing. It made me feel more ticklish than usual, but my clan head had a very serious look in her eyes, so I managed to hold out.

“Your ribs can still be felt quite clearly. It will take a few more days for you to fully regain your strength.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“If you catch Amusehorn’s breath once, you’ll never suffer from it again...so it’s unlikely I’ll have to feel this anxiety again in the future.” She moved her hand from my ribs to my face, bringing her warm palm right up against my cheek. “Which is why...I think I shall take a few more days off from hunting to watch over you. I do not know whether that is the correct course of action for me to take as a hunter, or as your clan head...but I do not think it would be right for me to completely suppress these feelings.”

“Okay. I’ll take care not to worry you, Ai Fa.”

“Such an attitude would have done no good in the face of this affliction, though. You are in no way at fault, Asuta.” With that, Ai Fa finally shot me a smile. “I am still immature. But after these next few days, I swear to the mother forest that I shall dedicate myself to my work as a hunter more than ever before.”

“Right,” I replied, bringing my palm to Ai Fa’s cheek as well.

My clan head happily narrowed her eyes, and continued to stare at my face.

The following morning, a lively crowd visited the Fa house. It included Dan Rutim, Gazraan Rutim, Rau Lea, Giran Ririn, and even Shumiral. Gazraan Rutim and Shumiral were pretty quiet, but the other three were more than rowdy enough to make up for that.

“Seems like you’ve really got your strength back! It hurt to hear how much of a mess you were before!” Dan Rutim remarked with a hearty chuckle.

For his part, Rau Lea was also wearing an amused smile. “We’re a noisy lot, so we were told that we shouldn’t visit the Fa house. That was a terrible thing for them to say, don’t you think, Asuta?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s true. Well, I was extremely weak up until a few days ago.”

“I’m just glad you’ve got your strength back. We would be incredibly heartbroken to lose you now,” Giran Ririn said with a gentle smile. Of course, he had a comparatively relaxed personality. And next to him, Shumiral wore an even gentler smile still.

“When I heard, I was surprised. To think, Amusehorn’s breath, could appear, in such a form.”

“Yeah. I made it through all right, though, thanks to everyone helping us out. You look like you’re all better now too, Shumiral.”

“Yes. Two days ago, I resumed work, as a hunter.”

It had already been ten days since Shumiral had gotten that injury. He was sitting with his back straight, and looked exactly as I remembered him.

“Then, did Vina Ruu return to the Ruu settlement too?”

“Yes. She left in, the morning, two days ago. I would like, to work hard, so that, her thoughtfulness, does not go, to waste,” Shumiral said, casting his gaze downward in embarrassment. I couldn’t even begin to guess how the bonds between the people staying at the main Ririn house—Giran Ririn, Uru Lea Ririn, Shumiral, Vina Ruu, and occasionally the young children—had been developing over the past couple weeks. Giran Ririn continued to smile brightly, but didn’t interject at all.

“If Vina Ruu’s gotten that attached to you too, they might as well approve your marriage right now!” Dan Rutim boldly added, not knowing the meaning of the word “restraint.”

“That’s for sure!” Rau Lea added in agreement. “Still, I’m not big on girls who’re soft and wriggly like Vina Ruu. I prefer my women to be firm and dauntless.”

“I do not, seek that, in a woman,” Shumiral said, quietly asserting his opinion without showing any signs of being offended. It felt rather fresh, seeing Shumiral interact with such a crowd in a place like this.

Amid all that, Gazraan Rutim quietly smiled. Apparently, he had come over more frequently than anyone else while I was unconscious, but we hadn’t talked much since I recovered. However, his kind gaze alone clearly showed just how worried he had been before, as well as how relieved he felt now.

“By the way, have you heard about tomorrow yet, Asuta?” Gazraan Rutim finally asked, around when everyone was getting ready to leave.

“Tomorrow? No, I haven’t heard anything in particular.”

“I see. Observers are coming to the Sauti settlement from the castle town. They want to see the lessons the women of the forest’s edge have been giving, as well as how much stronger the northerners have become.”

“Ah, I see. And tomorrow’s...”

“Yes. It’s a break day for your business in the post town. Apparently, Rimee Ruu will be present, as the one who was in charge of the lessons.”

Because of how bad my condition had been, Rimee Ruu had ended up having to take on all the burden of giving the lessons. I had actually only gone to the Sauti settlement twice, so Rimee Ruu really was the person who was most in charge at this point.

“But I’m the one who decided on the menu and requested tau oil and sugar. If anything is lacking, then it’s my responsibility.”

“That’s not true. Dari Sauti is the one who asked for your assistance to begin with, and he says it is his responsibility. He also said that any praise they give for your accomplishments should be directed at both you and Rimee Ruu,” Gazraan Rutim explained with another gentle smile. “I suspected that this might be of some significance to you, so I wanted to make sure you knew. There’s no need for you to force yourself to visit the Sauti settlement right after getting over an illness, but please keep it in mind.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Since the conversation seemed to have come to a close with that, the other members of the group all stood up. Gazraan Rutim started to do the same, but then he went and grasped my hand.

“You seem to have regained quite a bit of strength, and I’m truly glad to see it. Due to her pregnancy, Ama Min is unable to visit the Fa house, but she feels the same as me.”

“Yeah. I’m really grateful too.”

I gripped Gazraan Rutim’s burly fingers back, as tightly as I could manage. And then, after shooting me one last kind smile, he left the Fa house along with everyone else.

“I’m so grateful for all the people who have been thinking of me. Once I’m feeling better, I’d love to go around to all of their houses and thank them,” I said once the Fa house was quiet again.

“Hmm,” Ai Fa hummed, looking pensive as she knelt down beside my bedding. There was a serious look in her eyes as she stared at me. “Asuta, I’m certain that you’re thinking you’d like to go to the Sauti settlement.”

“Huh? Well yeah, of course... But I know full well that I shouldn’t push myself too hard.”

“Indeed,” Ai Fa replied with a nod. Then she brought both of her hands to my sides. Her warm palm once again ran over my clothes. Apparently, this was something like a health checkup, and I once again did my best to not give in to my ticklishness. “A day from now, your body will have fully regained its strength... You’re presently in a state similar to how you were when you first arrived at the forest’s edge.”

“You mean, how I was before I was hardened by life at the forest’s edge? So, I’m weak but healthy?”

“Indeed. You’re as weak as a young child, and it feels like you would break if handled roughly.” As she gave me her overly earnest assessment, she moved her hand up to touch my cheek all over as well. She also looked inside my mouth and brought her other hand up to my neck. It seemed today’s examination was extra thorough. “It may not be a bad idea to visit the Sauti settlement first, rather than heading straight to the post town... If you spend some time enduring the swaying of a wagon and being struck by rain, you should be able to properly judge how much strength you have regained.”

“So, I can participate? I’ve been curious for a while now about what made the folks from the castle town send us those new ingredients.”

“Yes, and I can also accompany you as a bodyguard,” Ai Fa said with a nod, sitting down atop the bedding. She slid her legs under the blanket, then shifted until they were right up against mine. “We can see how much tomorrow tires you out and use that knowledge to determine when you should resume work in town. And once you are well enough to head into the post town, I can resume working as a hunter as well.”

“Right. Got it.”

“Well then, you should get some rest now.” Ai Fa gently rested her head on my shoulder, and her weight and warmth almost seemed to be pushing me down until I was fully enveloped in the sheets.

My clan head closed her eyes and hugged one of my arms tight, rubbing her cheek up against my shoulder. By this point she felt less like a reliable protector, and more like a kitten wanting to be pampered. That by itself made me feel revitalized, as it was proof that she had let go of some of the tension she had been holding inside.

Since the day I had come to live at the Fa house, this was easily the longest amount of time we had ever spent simply being together, with neither of us working. We tended to be quite busy even on days off, so this was the first time we had truly allowed ourselves to relax.

As both of us had fallen silent, I could hear the light pitter patter of rain on the roof. It was a rainy day of rest for us, and Ai Fa and I were close together, just listening to that sound. I was certain this was going to become another precious memory for me.

Once I’m fully recovered, Ai Fa will probably go back to normal like nothing happened. Ai Fa hated laziness, so I had no doubts about that. I swore to the mother forest that I would work harder than ever in the future, mirroring her vow from earlier. But for now, I gave myself fully to enjoying this wonderful moment in time that we had together.