881 - - 26-01 Spring Taste
"Look, there's the desert!"
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"It really is all rock and sand!"
"...... Interesting view."
Jin, Hannah, and Elsa looked out over the wall at the Hariri Desert.
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This is the town of Ismar, on the western edge of the Shoro Kingdom.
It is surrounded by a five-meter-high stone wall. This wall protects the town from the sandworms that live in the desert.
The wall is 1.5 meters thick and can be walked on during normal times.
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Jin and the others were looking out over the desert from the top of the wall.
Jin, Elsa, Saki, and Hanna were heading west in a car built by Jin.
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Reiko, Edgar, and Aal are accompanying him. Edgar was the driver.
The town of Ismar, located at the southern end of the Hariri Desert, is a very special environment, so we decided to stay there for a few days.
"Father, Saki and Aal are coming.
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Reiko, who had good eyesight, seemed to recognize them in the distance.
Ten minutes later, Saki and Aal came to the bottom of the wall.
"Hey, Jin, look, isn't this an interesting plant?"
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Saki had just returned from exploring the desert with Aal (but only near the entrance).
"...... cactus?"
Aalu was holding a spiny succulent plant.
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It was probably a type of cactus or otherwise adapted to the arid climate.
"Well, I don't know. But I'd like to make a specimen and classify it."
Saki also has the knowledge of a modern Japanese high school student from Jin. However, that does not necessarily apply to this world.
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"Well, that kind of work is fun, too!
Jin's car is equipped with a very small warp gate that is large enough to move a human being if he gets down on all fours. If you use it to send him to Horai Island, the old man will make a specimen of him.
"But it's so hot in this outfit!
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Saki blurted out, lifting her hood.
Now the group is all wearing hooded cloaks. This is to prevent sand from getting in. However, it is hot and stuffy inside when the sun shines on them.
It was bearable if we stayed still, but Saki was drenched in sweat after walking all the way.
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The afternoon sun was beating down, and the temperature was about 25 degrees Celsius.
It was dry and comfortable in the shade, but she was wearing long sleeves and long pants with a hood to avoid the sand. Moreover, the cuffs and ankles were tied up with strings, which made the inside of my clothes stuffy.
"Well, shall we go back to the inn?
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"Yes."
"Yes!"
They are now staying at the largest inn in Ismar, the Sand Rose Inn.
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They have no complaints about the rooms or the food. The only complaint, however, is the water. The water supply is poor due to its location near the desert.
There is no bath or even shower. The most you can do is to wipe your body with a cloth.
"If you can't stand it any longer, let's go to Horai Island.
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"Kuhu, how can I say this, only on a trip with Jin!
Saki used to be a pain in the ass, but since she has discovered the comfort of hot springs, she has become a bath lover.
Today is April 5th.
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The last time she took a bath was on the 3rd, when she returned to Horaijima to celebrate Reiko's birthday.
Since it had been only the second day since I had stopped taking a bath, I decided to just wipe myself tonight.
"Kuhu, this reminds me of the old days.
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Saki mutters as Aal wipes her back.
"...... Saki, I'm not proud of you.
Erza, who is having Hannah wipe her back, says in a slightly exasperated tone, "You're not proud of yourself, Saki.
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"Hot springs are so nice, aren't they!"
"Yes, Hannah, I agree."
Elsa answered while wiping Hannah's back this time.
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We rented two rooms, a large room and a small room. Jin and Reiko were in the small room, and the rest of the group was in the large room.
Jin had finished wiping himself off and was now brushing Reiko's hair.
"Thank you, father."
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Reiko was in a good mood as she was spending time alone with Jin for the first time in a while.
"You celebrated my birthday the other day, too.
Although they were on a trip, Jin returned to Horaijima with Reiko and gave her body an overhaul.
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"Oh, please take care of me from now on."
"Yes. I dedicate myself to your father and to your children whom you have not yet seen.
Hey. Hey.
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"Father, I can't wait to hold your child."
Jin was relieved to hear her say these words, thinking that she had fully approved of Elsa.
Early the next morning, Jin went out for a walk in Ismar. He was accompanied only by Reiko.
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All the women seemed to be still sleeping and I felt sorry to wake them up, so I quietly left the lodge.
The morning air was cold and crisp, perhaps due to the proximity of the desert, and it was a little chilly even with our hoods up.
"Father, that's Mr. Oliver's store where you got the dried bonito flakes, isn't it?
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"Oh, there it is."
It's quite a nice store. According to what I heard, he accompanied the delegation during the first negotiations with Mitsuho.
Hitoshi passes by the store and continues on, but it is still too early for the store to be open. In front of him is the wall surrounding the town.
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"Oh, this is ......."
At the bottom of the wall, on a raised bank, he finds an old-fashioned plant.
I gently pick it up with my fingertips. The leaves are small and densely covered with fine soft hairs, similar to chrysanthemum leaves.
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"I'm sure it's wormwood.
Looking around, there are many of them.
Jin let Reiko help him pick a couple of handfuls. He decided not to go any further, as he was afraid of overfishing.
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"Father, what are you going to do with these?"
"I'm going to make grass cakes, the taste of spring......."
In the olden days, they used to make them with the herbaceous plants, but nowadays they usually use mugwort.
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The recipe Jin learned from the director is as follows.
1. Boil the washed mugwort. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of baking soda.
2. soak the boiled mugwort in cold water and grind it in a mortar.
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3. Knead up the rice flour and boil it in hot water.
4. Mix the ground mugwort with the flour in a mortar and pestle.
5. roll the dumplings into a ball and eat them with sweet bean paste or yellowish flour.
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This is how it is made. There may be another way to pound glutinous rice, but since there was no mortar and pestle in the facility, this was the way to make Kusa-mochi.
It brings back memories.
Jin helped me a lot. The younger children were the ones who picked wormwood, and Jin was mainly in charge of mortar and pestle.
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"It won't be ready in time for breakfast, but it will be ready for lunch. Reiko, fetch me some koshinko, anko (red bean paste), and yukiko (yellowish flour)."
Of course, they are from Horai Island.
There are many stocks of azuki beans and soybeans in Horai Island.
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Jin thought of using the inn's cafeteria to make grass cakes.
"Father, then why don't you have lunch at Horai Island?
He could claim that he was carrying Kamishinko because it was easily preserved, but what about Anko (red bean paste) and Yubunko (yellowish powder)?
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Reiko insisted, "If you are going to that extent, you should go to Horaijima once rather than eating here in town.
"That's true. ....... But, eating on the road is also very special."
It's that thing where you feel the taste of something you are used to eating at home tastes better when you eat it outdoors.
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"Then, why don't you make it in Horai Island and eat it here?
"Oh, that would be fine.
I don't know if there is a mortar in the inn's cafeteria, and moreover, there is no baking soda. At the moment, baking soda is a specialty of the village of Kaina and is not widely used.
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Following Reiko's advice, Jin decided to make grass cakes on Horai Island.