Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating
Chapter 6 Mint tea sales
Friday.
After eating breakfast of canned boiled Ilk beans and Crow beans, we head towards the grasslands.
I need to harvest spearmint for the sale of mint tea.
“Nyaran, poran… rattatta, lalalanran”
Today, Minya is in a good mood again.
I wonder if it’s because the meals have become slightly more luxurious, or for some other reason.
Looking back, Minya has been in a good mood for about 90% of the year.
She loves being with me.
On the other hand, when she needs to be completely separated from me, she tends to become unhappy.
Fortunately, there are almost no such occasions for the little one.
I’m a bit worried about the future.
I hope I can handle being away from her.
Harvesting spearmint while walking.
Of course, if I come across them, I also gather dandelion greens, spinach, and other edible greens within a reasonable amount.
“It’s growing again!”
I hear Minya’s voice nearby.
Although we gather separately for efficiency, we are still within visible range.
As long as we’re just a bit apart, it seems to be considered a joint activity.
Today, Minya is also equipped with a bag.
It’s a worn-out hand-me-down from my father, but it’s a bag that she treasures.
It’s one of Minya’s few personal belongings. Normally, there’s hardly anything to put in it.
As for me, I have the backpack left behind by my mother, Tomaria, and a silver knife.
『Appraisal』
【Mithril Knife – Weapon – Excellent Condition】
It was displayed like this. Mithril, not silver. Or perhaps Mithril is a type of silver, but the details are unclear. My knowledge is lacking.
Could this be the legendary magical silver, a valuable item…?
No wonder it doesn’t rust even without maintenance. It’s like a memento of sorts. I’ll cherish it.
Identifying the spearmint was also easy due to its distinctive appearance, which made the harvesting progress smoothly.
With focused work and growing familiarity, I managed to fill a mountainous pile by just the morning.
“Alright, let’s call it a day.”
“Yes!”
Minya waves her hands vigorously from nearby. She doesn’t need to make such a big gesture; I can see her just fine.
Her adorable smile is in full bloom.
“I want to protect this smile… Traffic Safety Week.”
A somewhat ambiguous slogan passed through my mind, but I shouldn’t dwell on it.
By the way, even in this world, there are real traffic accidents such as being hit by carriages. So, when walking in the city or on the streets, caution is necessary.
Especially since there’s no concept of sidewalks, I walk close to the edge. It’s still better to move aside when carriages pass by.
Since there’s no separation between pedestrians and vehicles, it’s dangerous when carriages happen to come closer to where we’re walking.
In the slums, carriages cannot pass through, so in that sense, it’s safer. Although the public safety itself isn’t particularly good.
“I’m back!”
“Mom, I’m home!”
“Welcome back, dear.”
Now, let’s have lunch.
Today’s lunch menu consists of boiled Ilk beans and dandelion salad with a side of dandelion greens.
Since I dedicated myself to harvesting mint, there are no new exciting dishes.
Just the addition of greens to the beans brings a delightful change in flavor. And the dandelion salad serves as a refreshing palate cleanser.
Beans alone are quite satisfying, aren’t they?
After finishing our meal, we have the task of preparing dried herbs in the afternoon.
I retrieve a clean blanket and spread it out in the yard.
We’ll lay out the spearmint leaves on it to dry.
“Oh, I see!”
As I shake the bag and sprinkle the herbs, Minya exclaims in awe, showing admiration for the task. Their reaction makes me feel proud and accomplished.
While keeping an eye out for birds or thieves that might snatch the herbs, I carefully observe their drying progress.
“Oh dear, I’m starting to feel sleepy.”
“Indeed.”
“May I borrow your lap for a moment?”
“Sure.”
With lightning speed, Minya places their head on my lap and begins to emit soft snores. It happened in an instant, even quicker than their usual actions. What a peculiar creature.
The scent of herbs fills the air, complemented by the warm spring sunshine. Indeed, there may not be a more pleasant feeling than this delightful spring weather.
Gently, I stroke Minya’s golden hair. Her hair is incredibly fine and delicate, exuding a captivating beauty. It’s almost artistic in nature.
It’s as if an angel descended upon the earth. In this world, angels aren’t just mythical creatures; they truly exist.
I can’t help but laugh at myself for finding this thought unexpectedly amusing.
“Minya will become Ed’s bride, mew mew.”
Oh, that’s what she’s thinking, huh?
Minya takes great care of their hair, diligently combing it with a comb every day. Even though they’re small, they’re still a little girl at heart.
That comb is shared with their mother, but they’re aware that fine combs, which were commonplace in their past life, are surprisingly expensive in this world. It’s probably a luxury item worth ten silver coins, or maybe even a single gold coin.
In general, the poor don’t grow their hair long. Even women can only grow it to shoulder length at most, but Minya’s hair reaches down to her back. It’s one of her proudest features, and she know that both boys and girls in the neighborhood envy it.
In this world, growing long hair is a luxury. For Minya to maintain it despite not being able to have a satisfying meal is admirable. Long hair is undoubtedly troublesome.
Minya peacefully slept until late afternoon. During that time, my legs were starting to go numb, but I endured it. Please praise me.
Seeing adorable Minya sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t bring myself to move.
The dried herbs were successfully completed, and we headed to the Dridon Emporium.
“Dridon-san, I’ve brought the herbs.”
“Oh, Ed, how are you? Show me what you’ve got.”
“Here you go.”
I show him the herbs packed in the bag. It’s a moment of nervousness.
“Hmm, even though they’re dried, they still have a nice aroma. Looks good, don’t you think?”
“Thank you.”
“The payment will be made later, is that okay with you?”
“Yes.”
We had agreed on that beforehand. Initially, there was a lack of trust, so in order to have them display the herbs, we had to make some concessions on our side.
Such thinking is aided by the knowledge from my past life.
A spot has already been reserved, and there’s an empty space in the middle of the display area.
I pile up the herbs there and place them in a sieve.
Quickly assigning prices, I arrange them for display.
“Horyararara, 200 Darils!”
I can’t read the text, but there’s something written there. It’s probably something like “Herbal Tea.”
Daril is the currency unit in this country. It’s likely that a small bottle costs 200 Daril, equivalent to 200 yen.
Well, I don’t think it’s a bad pricing. I’m not sure, though.
“Well then, please take care of it.”
“Sure thing. I hope it sells well.”
“Thank you.”
I bow my head again and leave the shop.
Minya follows my lead and also bows her head in the same manner.
“Oh, being bowed to even by Minya-chan, I’ll do my best to sell them.”
“Yes, please do.”
When a cute, innocent request is made by adorable Minya, there’s no one who can refuse. Minya’s “please” has a strong impact.