SC1 2.2 – Resting Hut
Pretty similar to other family in Sendai, Tadaoka Household adopted two meals tradition. Breakfast was served at 9:00 am and the menu was always bean curd with steamed vegetable. As for dinner, it was served at 17:00 pm and the menu was always super thin porridge made of coarse grain with once again steamed vegetable.
Both menu for breakfast and dinner were already very discouraging. However, the worst thing about it was that other than my late older sister, every woman in Tadaoka Household was terrible cook, especially when they made bean curd for our breakfast.
The bean curd had strong unpleasant smell mixed with some lingering charred scent, while the taste was too sour. It was a sign my sister-in-laws didn’t stored the dried soybean properly. Worst of all, they didn’t wash it clean enough before grinding it, and when cooking it they used big flame but didn’t stir it accordingly to how fast the heat done the bean curd.
And so, I could only inwardly let out a sigh as my younger sister put three bowls of the damnable bean curd and three glass of warm boiled water to the table.
“This is the only ready-to-eat food we have right now. We haven’t steam the vegetables,”
“No problem,” I calmly said.
“Thank you, Aunt Yuko.”
Yunno cheerfully said, while the quiet Yui put a big smile in her face.
“Yeah,” After nodding her head and gently smiled to Yunno and Yui, my younger sister then returned to her task, cutting the vegetables.
Without delay, I put a spoon of bean curd into my mouth, and in instant I almost spitted it out. For me who had experienced high-level culinary tradition on earth, eating the damnable bean curd was literarily a torture. The smell alone was already took away half of my soul.
Fortunately, after putting my life on the line I managed to swallow it. After that, I stealthily moved the rest of my share into my spatial storage. As for Yunno and Yui, they also had a hard time to finish their bean curd. Not to mention, my younger sister deliberately ignored Kazuyori’s order and gave the two the normal portion.
Well, this was the last time they would eat the damnable bean curd so I let them to struggle a bit. I also couldn’t blame my younger sister for her good intention. Even though it brought Yunno and Yui a hard time, it also gave them a sense of family affection.
At the same time, Okko, my eldest sister-in-law came over to our table. From her indignant face, I could tell she came to dump some shit on us.
After putting her hands on her waist Okko sharply said, “Sanno, how dare you suggesting mother to ask us collecting firewood? It’s your job, don’t dump it on us.”
“Eldest sister-in-law, I don’t mind gathering firewood all the day, as long as you or other eldest sister-in-law replaces me doing the hunt.”
Seeing her sharp and domineering tone didn’t make me chicken out like how usually it would, Okko immediately raised her left eyebrow. “Are you out of your mind? My husband and your second eldest brother have already done the hunt. How can you ask us, their wife, to do it too?
Moreover, we have our own work here. Preparing food, taking care of laundry, maintains the vegetable plot, and sweeping the yard, can you do all of that if we go hunting as you suggest it?”
“I do,” I casually replied. “Honestly, I don’t mind we swap our work share.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In an instant Okko dropped her jaw. Tradition dictated that it was not an admirable thing for a healthy young man like me doing house chore or other woman’s job. However, I didn’t give a fuck. Not to mention, even if the house chore in Tadaoka Household seemed heavy, actually it was not.
First, it was because three adult women and one young woman did it together. Second, they only had to cook simple menu, and never had to make pickle, noodle, drying and processing seasoning or doing other kitchen miscellaneous. The laundry also didn’t include my clothes and Yunno or Yui’s clothes.
The vegetable plot was also only 5x3 meters, while our front yard was also not big. In short, even before sun reached its peak, they usually had finished their daily chore. Then, other than my younger sister who had to learn needle work under Kazuyori’s supervision, the other would gossiping for the rest of the day until it’s time to prepare dinner.
And as I suspected, Okko definitely didn’t want to leave her comfort zone. After slightly snorting she said, “Mother won’t permit it.”
“In that case, let’s follow her arrangement.”
Seeing Okko ran out of words, I immediately got up while saying to Yunno and Yui, “Let’s wash the dishes to ease Eldest Aunt’s chore before we go for the hunt.”
““Mhm.””
Yunno and Yui who were very tense when I talked back to Okko immediately took a deep breath of relief. Wasting no time, we did the dish we had used and left, leaving Okko who looked at us as her indignant face became darker.
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Usually, I took Yunno and Yui to hunt in the east side of Mount Haruna, but today I took them straight to the south. In casual pace we walked down the small road below the east face of South Ridge.
We walked for about an hour before scaling an almost vertical animal trail to reach the peak of South Ridge. It was arduous hike even for a fit adult, but Yunno and Yui could complete it. Of course, they had to drench themselves with sweats to achieve this remarkable feat. They were also almost run out of breath when we reached the peak.
However, this was an important training to build their foundation. As someone who possessed Rain Dragon soul mark, they could become both warrior and rune master, but they had to have strong physical fitness to do it. Therefore, I hardened my resolve even though Yunno and Yui looked very pitiful as they tried to catch their breath.
“The hike is hard, but sooner or later your body will strong enough to overcome it.”
“Yeah,” Yunno firmly replied.
“Let rest a bit here,”
“Okay.”
Yunno obediently replied while Yui nodded as usual. Then, as her gaze met with Rokube town in the distance, Yunno suddenly became very quiet. When her father was still alive, he would take her to Rokube Town once a month and bought her a big piece of meat pie. This memory must be deeply engraved in her heart, as last time he went to Rokube Town with Unfortunate Sanno, she kept looking at the meat pie shop with moist eyes.
As for Yui, she had no memory about her father or good memory about Rokube Town. However, she could sense Yunno’s sadness so she immediately held her big sister’s hand tightly. And as usual, it made Yunno regained her positive attitude along with her unyielding spirit.
“At new year,” I calmly but firmly said, “Let’s visit Rokube Town.”
Yunno instantly turned her gaze to me. “Visiting Rokube Town at new year?”
“Yes, we will visit main temple and offer a pray for your father and mother.”
“Okay,” Yunno firmly replied.
A moment later, I took Yunno and Yui to descend to bamboo forest in west face of South Ridge. It was about 20 meters below our position and the trail was very gentle. Without many words Yunno and Yui followed me, and with ease we reached the bamboo forest.
“Let’s find a good spot to build a hut here.”
I explained the reason why we came all the way to the bamboo forest, and the quiet Yui immediately turned her gaze to me.
“Building a hut here?”
“Yeah, we will enlarge our hunting radius and maybe carry a hunt at night, so we will need a resting hut.”
“Mhm,” Yui said while slightly nodded her head.
Wasting no time we scanned the bamboo forest, and finally found a good spot in the edge of a cliff. Then, I started selecting and cutting bamboo canes, while Yunno and Yui helped me clean it. Even if the two were still a kid, the Unfortunate Sanno had taught them how to clean bamboo cane and they learnt it pretty well. In a swift movement, they cut the branch node, branch stub, peeled the brown sheath, and then rubbed clean the super nodal ridge and nodal ring.
Only in about three minutes, the two had turned an eight meters long bamboo cane into a smooth and ready to use material. After we had 30 pieces ready to use bamboo canes, I then measured and cut it. My machete was 50 cm long and in first 20 cm from the grip the blade had a shaped like a saw. With ease I used it to saw the ready to use bamboo cane. After that, I built the bamboo hut.
My plant was to make bamboo hut as big as two tatamis. First, I planted twelve bamboo canes to the ground as the outer pillars. Then, I built the floor, 40 cm above the ground, followed by 1.6 wall and triangle rooftop.
While building the hut, I secretly carved Anti-Element Rune and Strengthening Rune on each bamboo cane. This way, the hut would be very strong and last for a very long time. While to put the bamboo cane together, I didn’t use nail or rope. The Merge Rune would do the job. I had made such bamboo hut dozens of times, so I finished it in no time.
“Whooaaaa… It’s much nicer than bamboo hut in our rice field,” Yunno said.
“Yeah,” Yui eagerly expressed her agreement. “It doesn’t use straw on its roof.”
A satisfied smile bloomed in my lips, as Yunno and Yui looked at the hut with sparkling eyes. “Now, let’s make the fence, and then we can have some rest inside the hut.”
““Mhm,”” Yunno and Yui happily replied at the same time.
Without delay, we built the fence. I planned to build bath hut and dinning hut later, so I put the fence rather far from the resting hut. It neatly circled it in four side figures with equal angles, made of bamboo that I planted to the ground.
The fence and the small gate was only 1.2 meter high, so in a glance it was pretty easy to trespass it. However, other than Anti-Element Rune and Strengthening Rune, I also carved Anti-Trespassing Rune and Alert Rune on it. Therefore, no animal or human could enter it without my permission, unless they were a better rune master than me.
After that, I took Yunno and Yui to rest in our brand new resting hut.
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