NOVEL NEXT 18: My Vegetables are the Best
The season is the beginning of full summer.
It suddenly got hot after July began.
Training started early in the cool morning in the garden.
In addition to Ren, Kyle, and the knights guarding Kyle, Michele also joined in for basic training and mock battles.
Riol seems to find mock battles with peers quite challenging.
Thinking about how that sparkling beautiful boy might one day become muscular makes me a bit sad.
As I lazily watched from the window, Riol suddenly looked my way!
He saw me! Could he hear my inner thoughts!?
I gave a wry smile and faded out of the window. A cold sweat trickled down.
Riol is the scariest.
Because everyone else is so easygoing, I can’t let my guard down.
Well then, let’s go to the backyard! Let’s go! Go!
Summer vegetables are starting to be harvested. In summer, it’s best to harvest early in the morning.
The front yard is noisy, so I’m heading to the backyard.
There I found Chef Jeff.
“Good morning, young master.”
“Good morning, Jeff.”
He’s a slightly bad-boyish, suave man. He’d look good with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“I’m taking some vegetables for breakfast.”
Martha’s cooking is delicious, but Jeff’s dishes are professional and truly tasty.
His commitment to ingredients is also exceptional.
As a producer, I have to meet his expectations!
“Sure. Pick the leaf lettuce from the outside. Cucumbers are best at about 20 centimeters. The orange cherry tomatoes are delicious too, give them a try.”
Freshly picked, fully ripe tomatoes are sweet and tasty!
I think the orange ones are sweeter than the red ones.
In my previous life, I once grew orange tomatoes with a sugar content of 14.
But I failed back then.
I had a fructose allergy, which made my throat itchy, so I could only eat a few.
Bitter memories came back.
Heh…
When I popped an orange cherry tomato into my mouth, Jeff followed suit.
So sweet! Delicious.
I don’t have allergies in this life!
As I savored the fluffy aftertaste, Jeff spoke up.
“The sugar content is high. It’s like a fruit. The vegetables here are really tasty, big, fresh, and nutritious.”
See! You can praise them even more!
“Wait a bit longer for the big tomatoes. They’ll be delicious once fully ripe!”
I can’t help but grin.
“Oh, and take some herbs too. Mint water is refreshing in the summer.”
It’s a refreshingly cool drink.
I also put a basket full of fruits out.
For Riol, I didn’t forget the radberries.
Breakfast was a delicious salad full of fresh vegetables and a fruit platter!
Jeff tilted his head, wondering, “Why strawberries and apples at this time of year?” So I boasted about the magic bag with a time-stop function that I got from Grandpa.
Regarding my skills, Dad said to keep them a secret for now, so it’s a secret. The spirits are still hiding and observing too.
Dad, Grandpa, and the others went out for their regular monster hunt. This time, they’re teaching the brothers how to camp out. They plan to have a two-night, three-day training in the shallow part of the forest. Ren, Riol, and Kyle, along with Michele, were taken along. Michele is only ten but is as tall as Riol. They were sent off with a “Take care” to deepen their friendship, as Michele will serve Ren in the future. So, it’s been quiet since this morning.
On a lazy afternoon, Martha, Burton, and I were making summer fruit gifts. Summer means white peaches. White peaches have a short season and are expensive. These peaches were harvested from my botanical garden. This time, we’re sending them as a midsummer greeting to our relatives.
Peaches are more delicate than radberries (strawberries), so they need to be secured to avoid damage. After consulting with my plant cultivation skills, a factory produced cushioning material for me. It’s a fiber tray that holds each peach in place from above and below, with six slots.
My white peaches are big and super sweet. Their deliciousness melts in your mouth!
A woodworker made a simple yet beautiful box out of materials resembling paulownia wood. The Radcliffe family crest is engraved on the box. The tray of white peaches is wrapped in white cloth, placed in the box, sealed, and then wrapped in another cloth with the family crest. Even though the contents are free, the packaging is expensive!
Martha and Burton did the actual work. As usual, I just provided the white peach tray and sat there.
“Let’s send a bit more to the Marquis. To the other families…” Martha and Burton were confirming the recipients.
Then, we just need to put them in the magic bag and send them with a messenger, along with the prepared seasonal greeting card.
Once that was done, Martha made herbal tea. We slowly drank tea together. Some might think it’s odd for a noble to drink tea with servants, but it’s just us and I’m a child. Our family isn’t strict about such things. Oh, and Burton, being the model butler, is very strict about such formalities. He left, saying he had to handle Dad’s proxy duties.