Sowing Seeds in the Wild
When Chester and Monia began exploring the Ant-wolf Territory, the Ant-wolves, catching their scent, decided to abandon the dens they had painstakingly built and flee. Though Ant-wolves during this season were said to be ferocious predators that would blindly attack even bears, they were not foolish enough to challenge the apex predators who had slaughtered their pack. Fortunately, with their pack size greatly reduced, they would be able to dig new dens quickly. Giving up their current home and running was the right choice.
However, the young pups still needed the safety and protection of a den. Forcing a sudden, grueling migration was a massive burden on them. One by one, then two by two, as the distance grew, more and more pups fell behind. The adult Ant-wolves did their best to carry the stragglers, but losses were inevitable.
Their current location was occupied by a dangerous predator. Moreover, the surrounding areas were inhabited by bears and other Ant-wolf packs. They were heading straight into the territory of another pack. Whether the other Ant-wolves would accept them or drive them away remained to be seen, but they had to cling to that hope. Ant-wolves were strong because they packed together. A lone Ant-wolf was weak. A defeated, broken pack had no choice but to leave its fate to the mercy of another. The Ant-wolves kept marching.
The day after they made and ate the pie, Chester and Monia were organizing yesterday's harvest. Slitting the wild chili peppers open with his claw knife, Chester shook all the seeds into a bamboo tube, then placed the pepper skins into a separate container.
Beside him, Monia was plucking wild peppercorns one by one, separating those meant for eating from those meant for planting. Since neither Chester nor Monia knew where the actual seeds of a peppercorn were, they decided to treat the whole peppercorns as seeds and sort them accordingly.
"Should I split them half and half?"
"Yeah, let's do that. Do you know how to use pepper? Do we just toss them in like this?"
Peppercorns were a luxury item. Even as Monia's personal butler, Chester had never actually seen them before. He had only heard of how incredibly expensive and rare they were.
"The pepper I know was hard. And smaller than this."
"So they dry them. In that case, leave the ones we're going to use on the stems."
"Okay."
Once he finished separating the chili seeds, Chester took the peppercorns Monia had set aside for consumption and began weaving their stems together with fiber string. After binding them, he hung them from a tree branch outside.
"Leaving them like this should let the sun and wind dry them out naturally."
"How long should we leave them out?"
"Hmm. I'll leave that up to you, Monia. Just let me know when they look like the pepper you remember."
"...But if we leave them out like that, won't birds or bugs go after them?"
"That's a valid concern, but there aren't many birds on the Floating Island right now, so it should be fine."
"Ah, true. We didn't see any yesterday either, did we?"
"Right."
Monia helped Chester hang the peppercorns, wondering where all the birds had flown off to.
"Fortunately, it hasn't rained for the past few days, so we can start farming. Let's plant grains on half the plot, and use the rest for chilis, pepper, and sugar berries, one row each."
"Okay. Um, what are you going to do with the Ant-wolf pelt?"
The pelt. Previously, Chester had thrown pelts away because he lacked the means to tan them, but this time he had kept it. He had scraped off all the flesh and fat, washed away the blood, and hung it over a branch.
"Yeah, that's the problem."
Processing a pelt required two steps. First, treating it so it wouldn't rot. Second, softening it. Preventing rot, and making it supple—Chester didn't know how to do either.
"Should we try rubbing salt on it first?"
"Salt? Why? What a waste."
"Rotting means there's moisture inside."
If there is water, it rots. Chester didn't know the science, but he remembered his father's words. Son, if water gets into your boots, empty them quickly and dry your feet. If water pools in your boots for too long, even a living man's feet will rot.
"Applying salt strangely draws the water out. Remember the salted sugar berries you made?"
"...You're right! It did!"
The salted sugar berries had shriveled up as their moisture was drawn out.
"If pelts rot because of moisture, then salting this pelt should draw the water out, shouldn't it? Just like the sugar berries."
If they could at least keep the pelt from rotting, they could store it for a long time and eventually figure out what to do with it. Since they had been steadily making and gathering salt over the past few months, they had a decent supply. Chester and Monia soon began rubbing salt into the pelt.
"How much should we apply?"
"I don't know either."
"Ugh."
"We don't know, so we just try."
Trying was always better than doing nothing. The two of them thoroughly rubbed salt on both sides of the pelt and left it to drain.
"Whew! What's next?"
"Farming, finally."
"Finally!"
"Let's just plant the seeds today."
"Yes!"
Carrying their containers of Kkae-gamja, grains, chilis, and peppercorns, Chester and Monia headed to the plot. While Monia had suggested growing fruit, Chester prioritized Kkae-gamja and grains, which would serve as their staples, over fruits that could be easily gathered in the wild. Then there were the chilis and pepper. To get those, they had to venture deep into the Ant-wolf Territory, and even then, they were rare. They were far more valuable than easily obtainable fruits or wild herbs.
Chester gave Monia a brief demonstration before they began planting, and Monia worked diligently alongside him. Their "farmland"—Chester called it that to sound grand, but in truth, it was just a small garden plot—was small enough that they finished planting rather quickly.
"My... my back hurts..."
"Really? You should have taken a break."
"Ugh..."
Unlike her usual chores, bending and straightening her back repeatedly for hours was a first for her. Chester massaged her lower back to ease the tension. Seeing how sore she was, he decided they would take the entire afternoon off.
"I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about. Just relax and rest. I'll cook."
"Thank you."
Keeping an eye on Monia, Chester began preparing the meal. First step: prep the ingredients. Should I chop the chilis? First, the chilis. Recalling the taste of his mother's stew, Chester decided he needed to know how spicy they were first, so he popped a whole wild chili into his mouth.
"!!!!"
The shocking, explosive heat immediately sent him rolling on the ground.
"Gah...!!"
It's hot! So hot! I should only use a tiny bit!
Chester stared at the tip of the chili he had bitten off.
I only ate the very tip, and it's this spicy?!
Considering the portion of the stew he was making, Chester decided to slice up just two chilis.
Next, the peppercorns. They were still fresh and undried, but...
Crushing them should work, right? It's still pepper, so it should taste the same.
Chester crushed the peppercorns with a stone.
Next, the meat. Knowing Monia was exhausted, Chester brought out some of their premium smoked meat, a step up from their usual fare. Then, a few fruits to add a touch of acidity; he planned to squeeze their juice into the pot. He also gathered various wild herbs to substitute for the spices his mother used to put in her stews.
The final ingredient was potatoes. Not Kkae-gamja, but large, fist-sized wild potatoes. After peeling them, Chester diced some into cubes and set them aside, then began grating two of the potatoes against a flat stone.
"Why are you grating those?"
"You know how boiling potatoes thickens the water?"
"Yes."
"If you grate them like this, it thickens the broth even more, and the potato flavor infuses better."
"..." Watching Chester grate the potatoes with such familiarity, Monia remarked, "I didn't know you actually knew how to cook, Chester."
"? Of course I do."
"Then why do you always make those awful, thrown-together stews..."
"They're easy. You just throw everything in, boil it, it's fast, and it fills you up. Why wouldn't I make them?"
"Then why are you actually cooking today?"
"You've been working hard lately. I figured you needed a proper energy boost."
That was why he was going to generously use the high-quality smoked meat they had been carefully rationing. Monia swallowed hard at the sight of the pile of smoked meat Chester had prepared.
Filling a large clay pot with water, Chester tossed in all the prepared ingredients except for the pepper and fruit, then brought it to a rolling boil.
"So your cooking method is still just throwing everything in and boiling it."
"Do you really think commoners have the time for complex, delicate recipes?"
"Well... no. I suppose only wealthy nobles have that luxury."
"Exactly."
But this stew wasn't just a simple boil. Chester kept it simmering, letting the liquid reduce until it became thick and hearty.
"...Hmm." Chester took a small sip to test the flavor, added a pinch of salt, and tasted it again. Then, he stirred in the crushed peppercorns. "...Is this what pepper tastes like? Monia, try this."
Chester ladled a bit of broth into a small dish and held it out. Monia sat up and sipped the broth as he tilted the dish for her.
"...Mmh. Maybe because you just put it in, but the pepper flavor is incredibly strong to me."
"Really? Let's let it simmer a bit longer then."
It felt like it needed more salt, but since reducing the broth would naturally concentrate the flavors, they decided to wait. Once the stew had reduced further, they took another taste.
"Oh."
"Wow, this is actually really good. Ah, but it's quite spicy." Monia laughed, fanning her tongue to combat the sudden kick of heat.
"Yeah. I think it turned out well too."
Diminishing the fire to a low simmer, Chester grabbed the wild fruits, squeezed them tightly to extract their juice, and drizzled it over the stew. This final splash of fresh juice released a bright, pleasant aroma that cut sharply through the rich steam.
"Alright, let's eat."
"It looks delicious!"
That afternoon, the two of them sweated profusely as they devoured the spicy meat stew. Though it tasted a bit different from his mother's recipe, it carried a familiar warmth, and Chester happily polished off his bowl.