Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 28 - Chapter 4.5

Intermezzo: Eventually, This Night Will Also...

The leading clan head of the forest’s edge Donda Ruu and his wife Mia Lea Ruu were watching the wedding of their second son Darmu Ruu. The ceremony had concluded without any issues, and the newlyweds were being congratulated by their multitude of relatives now that they were free to move about. Donda Ruu and his wife sat alone atop a cloth, observing it all from a distance.

“My. It’s not only Jiza now; Darmu has finally found himself a wife too. You must be relieved as well that he managed to get married before the age of twenty, right?” Mia Lea Ruu said with a smile.

“Hmph,” Donda Ruu snorted in response. “Jiza’s the one who probably feels relieved, not me. He’s much more concerned about the honor and prestige of the clan.”

“Well, that’s certainly true. But I’m sure that’s because the current clan head is such a fine man that he feels the need to make a strong showing of himself as your successor.”

“Enough of that,” Donda Ruu said, taking a swig of fruit wine.

Mia Lea Ruu stared happily over at the newlyweds and chuckled. “It may also be the blood of the previous clan head in him. That man might have looked every bit as fierce as you, but he was surprisingly meticulous and thoughtful.”

“Hmph. Sorry for being such a reckless, thoughtless man.”

“I didn’t say that. Still...Darmu really is exactly like you used to be when you were young.”

“Unlike me, though, he picked a rather reserved woman for his wife.”

“Oh? Are you getting back at me for before? Well, sorry for not being a reserved woman,” Mia Lea Ruu replied with a bright smile, turning toward her husband. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve spoken like this, hasn’t it? You rarely ever let your guard down, even at home.”

“Hmph. As if I could just casually chat with anyone, surrounded by a crowd like that.”

“Yes, but it’s truly wonderful to see all seven of our children growing up so well. Still, I have no idea when the next wedding is going to be.”

With the sour look still on his face, Donda Ruu stared at his grinning wife, causing her to smile all the more brightly as she continued.

“With Vina, a lot depends on Shumiral. Reina is fixated on her cooking, and Ludo is still rather childish. The next one to get married might actually be Lala, even though she hasn’t even turned fifteen yet.”

“Hmph. I’ve got no interest in discussing anything that far off.”

“But eventually, everyone will leave the house like Darmu is doing. It feels a bit lonesome, doesn’t it?”

Donda Ruu adjusted his sitting posture atop the cloth, shooting Mia Lea Ruu an intense look. “By then, Jiza and Sati Lea will likely have had two or three more kids. If that happens, you’ll probably be complaining that it’s too noisy, not too lonesome.”

“My, I must’ve looked terribly sad to you just now. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Never mind. I was simply chiding someone for having foolish concerns,” Donda Ruu grumbled, earning another chuckle from his wife.

“Still, in another ten years, even Rimee, our youngest, will be over twenty. I wonder what the forest’s edge will look like then. I can’t help but feel excited, trying to imagine it.”

“What, we’re talking ten years in the future now? I’m feeling less and less interested.”

As Donda Ruu stared off into the distance, Mia Lea Ruu took her husband’s robust hand and placed her own on top of it.

“Even among the Ruu, there aren’t many men who live past the age of fifty. But you’ll be just fine. You’re such a strong hunter, and now we have the hunting dogs. I hope that you’ll have a long life so you can watch over our adorable children and grandchildren.”

“Hmph. And then I’ll be the elder, huh?”

“Oh, no, I’m sure Jiba will make it to the age of a hundred just fine. If you’re aiming for the title of elder, then you’ll need to live for at least another thirty or forty years.”

“I’m not aiming for anything,” Donda Ruu said, finally breaking out in an awkward grin of his own.

When she saw her beloved husband smiling for the first time in a while, Mia Lea Ruu’s own smile grew even happier.

But then someone shouted “Hey!” causing Donda Ruu to go right back to his usual frown and pull back his hand. “You two are Darmu Ruu’s parents! What are you two doing hiding away in a place like this?! He’s going to leave home tonight, so you should make sure to talk to him as much as you can!” It was the former Rutim clan head, Dan Rutim. He was holding a container of fruit wine in his right hand and a plate of food in his left, and there was a childish grin on his huge face.

When she saw him, Mia Lea Ruu laughed and said, “Oh my. You seem quite fired up, Dan Rutim. Then again, you seem to enjoy any banquet you attend.”

“True! But today, we’re celebrating your child getting wed, so I feel as happy as you do!” Dan Rutim set his wine container down on the blanket, then picked up some rib meat from his plate and took a hearty bite. “Ah, delicious! So, what are you two up to? Shouldn’t you be talking with Darmu Ruu?”

“We’ve talked with him quite a bit over the last several days, and even if he’s leaving home, he’ll still be here at the Ruu settlement, so we felt it best to let our other relatives have this time with him,” Mia Lea Ruu explained.

“Oh, I see! When my second son got married and left home, it made me so sad that I could hardly bear it! But I guess you two should just handle things however you like!”

“That’s exactly what we’re doing. You really don’t ever change, no matter how old you get, do you, Dan Rutim?”

“Wah ha ha! I’m still me, so of course I’m not going to change!” Dan Rutim remarked with a hearty laugh, and then he looked back and forth between Donda and Mia Lea Ruu. “Still, with all three of us gathered together, I can’t help but remember that one night!”

“Which night?”

“The night when I first met you, Mia Lea Ruu! You know, the night of Donda Ruu’s younger brother’s wedding!”

“What an ancient bit of history you’re bringing up. Clan head, which do you prefer, talking about the far-off future or the distant past?” Mia Lea Ruu asked teasingly, causing Donda Ruu to turn away with a frown.

Dan Rutim nodded. “Yeah, you were acting the exact same way that night as well, Donda Ruu! But I was really impressed by how you asked Mia Lea Ruu to marry you!”

“You sure are noisy. Do you want me to kick you in that bloated stomach of yours and send you flying?”

“Wah ha ha! Today’s a day for enjoying delicious food, not contests of strength!” Dan Rutim replied, breaking out in an even wider grin. “Anyway, it’s quite an amusing coincidence that both that night and this one were the weddings of the second son of the main Ruu house! Even more so, considering how Darmu Ruu is just like you when you were younger!”

“Ah, that’s true. And the three of us were also watching the excitement in the plaza from a distance back then too,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a nostalgic smile. “It’s hard to believe that more than twenty years have passed since then. Twenty years from now, will Jiza and Darmu’s children be getting married, I wonder?”

“Yeah, and Gazraan and Ama Min’s children too! And then they’ll be the ones to carve a path forward for the forest’s edge!” Dan Rutim remarked triumphantly, thrusting a picked-clean rib bone toward the sky. “I’m sure by then things will be even more lively at the forest’s edge than they are now! We should follow our elder’s example and watch over them for a long time to come!”

“We’ve actually been discussing exactly that,” Mia Lea Ruu said.

The three of them turned their gazes toward the plaza at the same time, as if they had planned it out in advance.

Darmu and Sheera Ruu were standing together in their banquet attire, still surrounded by a huge crowd of their relatives. Alongside the ritual flame, everyone’s excitement and energy easily pushed back the silence of the night.

In the past year, the forest’s edge had undergone some remarkable changes. However, a great deal still carried on unchanged from generations past. It was the duty of the people born to this age to carry the proper teachings forward, and to revise the ones that were mistaken.

“If we find ourselves watching over our darling grandchildren getting married twenty years from now, will we think back on this night as a precious memory too, I wonder?” Mia Lea Ruu whispered after staring out at the plaza for a while. Then, she turned toward Donda Ruu and Dan Rutim with an incredibly happy look in her eyes. “If that time comes, I would love for the three of us to talk again. Please continue living for a long time yet, my clan head and Dan Rutim.”

Dan Rutim gave an energetic “Of course!” Donda Ruu remained silent, but his blue eyes were shining every bit as brightly as Mia Lea Ruu’s and Dan Rutim’s.