The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 4 - Chapter 193

Chapter 193:

Cooking Class

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“Good morning, Ivy. Thanks for helping out again today.”

“Oh, I appreciate the opportunity.”

Three days had passed since the old mentor took the party of adventurers into the forest to deal with the berserk monsters. It would be at least a week before we got any news.

“There’s going to be fifteen people today. Is that too many? Shurila’s going to help you.”

People who’d purchased uncooked rice from the shop kept saying, “We don’t know how to cook the rice. Can you please teach us?” So, two days earlier, Druid’s father had approached me with a proposal. I would borrow the shop kitchen to run a sort of cooking class, although it wouldn’t be quite as grand as a proper class. All I had to do was teach them the proper rice-to-water ratio for steaming rice, then how to form, grill, and season the onigiri, so it would all be pretty easy.

“It’s okay, ma’am. What we’re doing isn’t really all that difficult.”

“Oh, good. Also, sorry, but we keep getting in orders. Think you can take care of them? Druid warned me not to overwork you.”

“Hee hee, it’s okay. I’ve got Shurila helping me.”

“Thanks, dear. Oh, maybe we should put a cap on the class size? I’m worried we’re just going to keep getting more and more people.”

“Sure.”

The shop mistress and I proceeded to set a bunch of rules, one of which was that we would teach no more than fifteen people per day.

“Thank you very much, ma’am. I’ll just go get ready for class now.”

“Sure thing. Shurila should join you soon.”

“Okay, ma’am.”

With a little bow to the shop mistress, I headed to the kitchen. The giant pots we’d used in yesterday’s cooking class had been washed and dried. I checked each one over to make sure it was spotless as I got ready for my session.

Okay, so we’re having fifteen students today. That’s four more than usual, but I’ve got this.

“Good morning, Ivy. I’m ready to put on another great class!”

“Yes, me too!”

Shurila really liked teaching people to cook. Actually, cooking classes didn’t seem to exist in this world. When I’d explained the concept to the shopkeepers, they’d been very confused. At the time, I regretted opening my big mouth, but when I saw how much fun Shurila was having, I was actually glad I’d told them. It was a strange feeling.

“Druid’s shaping up to be a real worrywart. He’s been warning me since dawn not to give you too much work and tire you out.”

“Ha ha ha. Sorry about that.”

The spark that lit the flame of his overprotectiveness had started two days earlier when I’d gotten a fever. It was probably a combination of fatigue from all our hard work promoting rice and relief from the whole thing being over.

When the fever suddenly made me get wobbly in my tent, Flame jumped up and enveloped me. My fever immediately went away, so that part was okay, but Druid got very worried when I told him what had happened. Personally, I was pretty excited by the whole ordeal, since I learned that Flame had a power just like Sora. But when the shopkeeper came over and asked me about teaching people to cook rice, Druid sent him away, saying I needed to rest. That really made me frustrated. He finally gave me permission to teach the class, but only after the shopkeeper and I both promised I would take lots of breaks and not overwork myself. Maybe this is what it’s like to have an overprotective father?

“Okay, everything’s ready to go. Oh, look! Today’s students are starting to arrive.”

“They sure are. Well, Shurila, let’s teach another great class today.”

“Sure thing, Ivy.”

“Good night, Shurila.”

“See, Ivy? After two days of it, it all comes naturally.”

“Yes, it does. I did much better than yesterday’s class, so we were able to finish sooner, too.”

We were cleaning up from the class we’d just taught and getting ready for the next day’s session as we worked.

“All done,” I said, stretching my arms after washing my last pot. Bending over all that time to scrub pots really did tire them out.

“Okay, I’m all done over here, too. Let’s take a break, Ivy. I’ve got some snacks.”

“Thank you.”

Shurila made us some tea, which we leisurely sipped as we snacked on tiny dumplings topped with sweet sauce. Come to think of it, I wonder if these dumplings are made of mochi rice like Japanese dango are? I’ll have to ask Druid later.

“Do you think we could use ryce to make sweets?” Shurila asked.

Rice sweets? Nothing was really coming to mind… So I guess Past Me didn’t know, either?

“I’m not sure.”

“Hmm, well, don’t you think we could make something sweet out of ryce? Wanna do a little brainstorming with me?”

“That sounds like a fun project.”

“What sounds like a fun project?”

I flinched at the sound of the voice; I’d thought just Shurila and I were there. Turning toward the speaker, I saw Druid’s father and a man I’d never seen before. When I bowed to him, he looked startled for some reason. I wondered why.

“This is Dash, a ryce farmer. I’m about to run out of ryce, so we were just talking about how much I could buy from him.”

About to run out? Even with all those huge piles of rice he was stockpiling?

“Can I call you Ivy, honey?”

Whoa! He called me “honey”! My heart raced a little. Come to think of it, not many people have called me “honey”…why is that?

“Yes, sir.”

“I never thought such a young child would be the one who discovered how to cook ryce.”

Ha ha ha…yeah, I’m used to it by now.

“Oh, Ivy is actually nine years old.”

“What?! Oh, I’m so sorry. How rude of me.”

“It’s okay, sir.”

“Anyway, thanks to you, we finally feel secure enough to start a family. Thank you, truly!” Dash said, on the verge of tears.

“Er, it’s okay. I just happened upon it by accident. Um, thank you.”

For some reason, Dash and I got in a bowing contest. For a minute, I wondered why he was being so emotional, but then I remembered that farmers like him had bought wastelands that could only grow rice and they were stuck there.

“Hey, how much longer are you two gonna keep bowing?” Druid’s father asked.

Oh, good. I was starting to wonder what I should do.

“Ahhh, I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to be a bother.”

“Oh, it’s quite all right.”

Dash and I exchanged awkward smiles. Druid’s father sighed and tapped Dash’s shoulder.

“You ridiculous man… Now, about this ryce business.”

“Ha ha ha! Sorry, yes, that’s right. How much ryce do you need? You said you were running out. When should I bring over a new supply?” Dash asked.

Druid’s father smirked. “Well, we’re gonna run out tomorrow, so bring me everything you have. I can pay you right now.”

“Um…what? You’re, um, going to run out tomorrow? Of that big stash you already had? Um, you want my entire supply?”

Dash looked utterly stunned. And I was pretty shocked, too. Druid’s father had shown me his rice supply before we’d started, and it was a pretty large amount. The thought that it would all be gone tomorrow…it boggled the mind.

“Yeah, even though I ran out of the rest of my inventory, the customers came in droves to buy up my ryce. They really seem to like its versatility, how they can flavor it any way they want. Oh, wait! Don’t tell me the other shops are putting in orders for your crop, too? If that’s the case, you don’t have to sell all of it to me.”

“Oh, no, it’s all yours. I really owe you a great debt for your business all those years.”

“Don’t think like that. You need to think about your future and be a good businessman.”

“Ha ha ha, you never change, do you? Well, the other shops haven’t made any orders for my ryce, so if you want my entire stock, you can have it.”

“Oooh, thanks! That’s a big help. Let’s talk it over in the back.”

I watched as Druid’s father and Dash scurried off to the back of the shop to chat.

“Wow, this has certainly escalated quickly.”

“That’s for sure. Ryce usually can’t be sold in large amounts because the insects get at it very easily.”

Insects? Oh, I didn’t know that. I’d better be more careful about how I use my rice.

“Okay, Ivy, let’s dream up some ryce sweets!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

Rice sweets… I wonder if we can think of something?