Chief 049

 Chapter 49 - Raising Children

   Bent still didn't show up for the morning training session even after several days. It seemed Arnold and Aina had decided to leave him alone until John's entrance test was over. Since then, breakfast had always been shrouded in silence, with no one talking to another.

Will this situation continue depending on Bent?

There are three possible scenarios:

• Bent cheers up and he starts training again.
• Bent quits the sword for good, but things go back to normal.
• Things stay as they are, and only Bent is left out of the family circle.

Arnold and Aina's parenting style is basically hands-off, partly because they're busy with work. Things like preparing meals, taking care of their children's needs, and other physical interactions are mostly left to the servants. Therefore, their personalities might change depending on the servants assigned to them.

From what I can see, John is the type that thrives on discipline, while Bent is the type that thrives on praise. However, if daily communication is left entirely to the servants, these kinds of things won't become apparent. When raising children, you sometimes inevitably compare them to your own childhood, and fail to understand that their environments and personalities are different.

The first or second scenario would be ideal, but as things stand now, the third scenario is more likely to occur. It's not really my place as a two-year-old to interfere, but I don’t want a family where one sibling always feels left out. I guess I’ll have to think of some good way to handle this situation.

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   Finally, the cabin was equipped with a table, chairs, and a dish rack. Under Miguel's guidance, Gail used earth magic to build a plumbing system for the sink and toilet, a stove, and a dome-shaved oven (the so-called pizza oven). He planed to use magic stones to make the water flow eventually. The gate had also been installed on the fence. Miguel's work was over with this.

Let's buy a magic refrigerator and bring it here later.

"Bossman, thank you for everything. This cabin looks habitable now."

"Yeah, I enjoyed working here too. I'll come visit on my days off."

"Of course! Let's have a party to celebrate the completion of this cabin later."

"I'm looking forward to it. Don't forget the drinks!"

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   The next day, Gail brought Misha to the completed cabin.

"Everything looks wonderful...."

   Misha was happily looking around while touching here and there.

"That's right, I brought some soup ingredients and bread from Mr. Brick, so we won't just be eating meat today."

   Brick was the Dinoslayer Family's chef.

"It feels like I'm visiting a newlywed couple's home."

   Dan teased Gail and Misha.

"Could you wait until we get back from hunting before making soup? Dan, let's go hunting first!"

“I don’t mind, but are you planning something?”

   Gail only smiled and dodged Dad's question.

"It's typical of Young Master to be so secretive. But something good seems to be coming soon, so let's go."

"Misha, don't go outside the fence until we return, okay?"

   Having said that, the two left the cabin.

"Dan, can we hunt chicken or something today?"

I’ve never seen living chickens in this world.

"Then, let's go look somewhere other than our usual hunting grounds."

   Thus, the two went hunting in a different place than usual.

"Oh, there they are, just as I thought."

They're huge!

   There were several chicken-like creatures, about three times bigger than the chickens from Earth. While Gail was thinking how tough the meat would be, Dan quickly killed one and came back.

"Your favorite chicken skewers were made from one of these guys, Young Master."

Oh, so the chicken skewers I had before were made from this huge chicken's meat.

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“Misha, we are back.”

"Welcome back.... Oh, you caught a chicken. It’s Young Master's favorite."

"Misha, could prepare the vegetables for the soup?"

   The vegetables Misha brought were potatoes, carrots, and onions --- the three kings of root vegetables. Dan was butchering the chicken in the meantime.

"Dan, don't throw away the fatty parts and bones. I will use them."

"I have no idea what you are going to make, but got it."

Dan understands me well. The soup in this world is basically just salted water with ingredients. Even though I'm used to it now, it's still a bit unsatisfying. However, today is different. I will make soup with chicken broth.

"Misha, first put these fatty parts of chicken in the pot and sauté it. Use small fire so it doesn't burn."

"Sauté?"

"If you put these fatty parts of chicken into the pot and cook it slowly over small fire, it will turn into oil."

"Okay."

   A delicious sizzling aroma began to fill the air.

"Now, take out what remains and add the chopped vegetables."

"What are you going to do with the remains?"

"Huh? I just need the oil, so I'll throw it away."

"You're going to throw it away...?"

   Misha looked a little disappointed.

"Do you perhaps want to eat it?"

   Misha nodded.

"Fine, you can have it. Now add the chopped vegetable and stir-fry them for a while."

"Um, what does stir-fry mean?"

"Stir-fry means cooking something with a small amount of oil like this."

"Oh, I see. I didn't know that."

"Just stir-frying meat and onions will make it tasty too."

"Let's do that tomorrow."

   Misha replied immediately.

"Next, add water and chicken bones."

"Are we going to eat the bones too?"

"No, we won't eat them. The bones are just for making broth."

"What is broth?"

"Hmm, it's something that will make the soup more delicious."

"But even when I gnaw on bones, they're just hard and tasteless."

"If you boil bones for a certain amount of time, they will release a delicious flavor."

"I can't wait to try how the soup tastes."

"When it starts bubbling, use a ladle to remove any foam that appears. The foam will make the soup taste less delicious, so be sure to remove it all."

   Misha diligently removed the scum.

"I think the soup is almost ready. Let's take out the bones and season it with salt."

"Hey, is the soup ready? I'm almost done grilling the chicken!"

Perfect timing, Dan!

   Misha prepared three bowls of chicken broth soup with lots of vegetables.

"Oh, this soup smells different from usual. It smells more delicious."

Dan's nose seems pretty sharp.

"Alright, let's eat!"

   Gail took a sip of the soup.

Delicious. It's the first proper-tasting soup I've had since coming to this world. The vegetables are fragrant and full of flavor since they were stir-fried in chicken fat.

   Misha and Dan sipped the soup without reaction.

Huh? Did the soup not suit their taste?

   Just as Gail though so, the two then started slurping the soup with incredible speed.

"This is delicious! What's the deal this soup?"

"Ih-sho-godh!"

Misha, don't talk with your mouth full.

"Young Master, what did you put in the soup? Even these potatoes taste way better than usual."

Heh heh heh, enjoy this new flavor to your heart's content.

Now, let's try the grilled chicken.

*munch* *munch* *munch*

It's a bit tough as expected, but still tasty. This chicken has a strong flavor. When it gets colder, a chicken hot pot would be good.

   Thinking that, Gail took a bite of the bread.

The bread is hard and tasteless like usual....

"Hey, Dan. This bread is awful. Isn't there any tastier bread?"

"Young master, Brick will hit you if he hears that. The bread he makes is on the good side. The bread in town is even harder."

This bread is considered good, huh.

You can't make soft ad fluffy bread without yeast, after all.

That's right, I can just make it!

"Hey, Misha. Do we have raisins in our kitchen?"

"I'm pretty sure we have it."

"Can you get me a small bag of raisin for tomorrow?"

"If it's a request from Young Master, I'm sure I can get it. Is it okay to mention your name?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll let Dad know if our raisin stock runs low."

I think I've come up with a pretty good idea. I hope everything will be ready before John goes for his entrance test.