abnabooks Chapter 261 Autumn Has Arrived
Chapter 261 Autumn Has Arrived
Autumn July 5th.
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early morning.
As autumn winds rise, they carry the unique, dry, grassy smell of the wilderness, mixed with the faint scent of pine resin wafting from the distant pine forest.
In the garden below the lord's mansion, the roses and lavender that had bloomed in summer all withered overnight.
The edges of the petals were turning yellowish, and the leaves were curled up.
Only a few autumn flowers stubbornly bloom, swaying gently in the cool morning breeze, their petals adorned with tiny dewdrops.
More than 200 Ministry of Agriculture workers have begun working in the fields.
Richard walked closer and happened to see Wade and Illara.
Wade squatted beside a grape trellis, cut off a bunch of plump grapes, and Irara followed beside him, took them and put them in the basket, then picked a few leaves to cover them.
The two worked together seamlessly, one collecting the materials and the other placing them.
Occasionally, Wade would whisper something, and Ira would smile. The morning light shone through the gaps in the grape leaves onto them, creating a peaceful and reassuring scene.
After they got married, Richard specially transferred Illara to the Ministry of Agriculture so that the couple could work together, which was considered a good thing.
autumn.
It is the season when melons ripen and fall from their vines.
Richard was somewhat moved.
When I led the team away from Benlang, my elder brother said something to me when we parted: "The northern border is bitterly cold. Stock up on food, don't go hungry, and don't give up easily."
yes...
Stock up on more food, because people in this era are truly at the mercy of the weather.
Sow a seed in spring, reap a handful of grain in autumn; store an extra bag of wheat, and one less person will starve to death in winter.
Autumn is the most anticipated season of the year, not because it is long, but precisely because it is too short.
Ninety days pass in the blink of an eye, from the first leaf turning yellow to the frost and freezing, so short that it's almost too short to blink.
But precisely because of this, the autumn harvest has become the most important day in the hearts of the people of the North.
Every bowing ear of grain in the field, every ripe red fruit on the branch, is telling the same story.
-- Harvest.
The lords were busy taking inventory of the granaries, while the serfs were busy harvesting the last crop.
Even free people would take out the copper coins they had saved up for a year at this time to buy a few pounds of new wheat at the market to try it out.
Because everyone knows that after this autumn comes a long, almost despairing winter.
Therefore, every grain of food in autumn is a way to sustain life.
In the past, every autumn harvest season, Richard's older brother would take his younger siblings to wander around the wheat fields outside the city.
Back then, I didn't understand why the adults had such joyful yet nervous expressions on their faces; I just thought the golden waves of wheat in the fields were beautiful.
Later I understood that it was the joy of a bountiful harvest, and also the reverence for the cold winter.
...
Richard took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and focused his attention on the farmland in front of him.
He had a thousand acres of systematic fields, two hundred acres of which were entirely grapevines. He had been longing for this for far too long.
I was talking about it back when we were clearing land in the spring.
I even mentioned it when I drank blueberry wine in the summer.
Now that autumn is here, it's time to brew some wine and stock up on it – that's a small goal in itself!
Especially the Iridium Star quality, if you store it for five or ten years until the wine is fully mellowed, and with the system's enhancement, the taste will probably make everyone who has tasted it kneel down and call it "daddy".
...
Besides being used to make wine, grapes can be enjoyed in many other ways.
Sweet and sour grape juice is refreshing and appetizing. It can be made into grape jam and spread on fluffy wheat bread or added to ice cream for an absolutely delicious treat.
There are two ways to enjoy it directly: you can suck it out like a snail, or you can throw the whole thing into your mouth to experience the burst of juice. .
So much fun!
Next to the grape section is the eggplant section.
To put it bluntly, the food quality on the Huanxing Continent is even worse than that of university cafeterias on Earth.
For ordinary families, the daily meals consisted of nothing more than rye porridge, black bread, and boiled vegetables, seasoned with just a little salt.
At best, you can still enjoy refined wheat bread and roast meat, but spices and cooking oil are ridiculously expensive.
Therefore, they mostly stew eggplant, which tastes okay, but the best way to eat it is with a rich, dark sauce.
Especially after soaking up the broth, it's absolutely divine when used to mix with rice.
Richard had been preparing the ingredients for the salted fish and eggplant casserole, and the salted fish was dried at the beach in the summer.
Cut some pork belly into thick slices and sauté over low heat until golden brown on both sides, with the fat sizzling out. Crush some garlic cloves and add them in, along with ginger slices, and sauté until fragrant.
Stir-fry the eggplant in a pan until each piece is coated with oil and water. Finally, place the salted fish pieces on top, drizzle with half a bowl of Iridium Star Ale, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat.
The eggplant is simmered until it absorbs the umami of the salted fish, the oil of the pork belly, and the aroma of garlic and ginger, then lies softly in the broth.
Unfortunately, there was no rice...
Ugh...
Besides eggplant, there are also autumn-limited vegetables such as pumpkin, broccoli, beets, amaranth, chives, celery, lettuce, and horseradish.
Horseradish and mustard taste somewhat similar, except the former has a stronger flavor.
Pumpkin is also a great ingredient; adding it to many noodle products can enhance their sweet flavor.
Broccoli is crisp and tender when stir-fried, beets are the main ingredient in sugar production, and amaranth and wheat are mixed together and ground into powder, making the pancakes even sweeter and more refreshing.
...
In addition to the crop area, there are also 200 acres of fruit trees.
Most of the orchards are nestled between the fields and the castle area, with some scattered around the territory as landscape trees.
The most important one is Apple.
There are many more ways to eat apples, and using them to make wine is a favorite for many, comparable to ale.
Besides common jams and juices, they can also be used for cooking.
Just like apple pie, baked until the crust is golden brown, crispy, and bubbly, drizzled with honey, and served with hot milk, it makes for the perfect afternoon tea.
Besides apples, autumn also brings pomegranates, cherries, oranges, lemons, quince, hawthorns, and more.
Tsk tsk...
With their own horseradish, lemon, and garlic, paired with giant lobster from the Arctic Ocean, the taste is absolutely first-class!
...
Richard felt an unparalleled sense of satisfaction as he looked at the bustling scene in the fields.
With the change of seasons, the variety of vegetables and fruits becomes more diverse, which can greatly enrich the recipes on the dining table.
He had no grand ambition to unify the world; he only wanted to focus on three things: delicious food, fine wine, and beautiful women.
Rights, of course, taste delicious too.
But I'm too tired...
All I have to do is worry about this or that all day long.
Making chiffon cakes something that all living beings on the continent should revere and admire is no better than being some kind of emperor.
...
After thinking for a while, Richard returned to the lord's manor with a few Iridium eggplants.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw two snow rabbit maids squatting by the flower bed, pulling away the withered summer flowers.
Lina, with her hands on her hips, was criticizing a human maid.
The lord's manor added eight more ordinary maids.
However, she is rather special, as she is either the third daughter of the Thorn Baron or the fifth daughter of the Ashvalley Baron.
Yes.
They were both second daughters of minor noble families.
Some minor nobles liked to train their second daughters to be maids of higher-ranking nobles, but generally, these daughters were supplied to the lords by their vassals.
A few days ago, Darian mentioned this matter, and Richard did not refuse, accepting it all.
The future floating castle will cover a total area of nearly 800 acres. Although most of it consists of landscape features such as artificial hills, pavilions, or decorative buildings, there will also be many halls, terraces, and pavilions.
If we don't train a large number of maids, the cleaning alone will be exhausting.
...
Richard asked casually, "What's wrong?"
Lina sighed, "She's so clumsy, she dug up the autumn seeds that the other maids had just planted."
Richard chuckled.
What's the big deal?
"This is your problem. You didn't teach me properly, so I'm punishing you by making you come to my room tonight. I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."
A faint blush rose to Lina's cheeks, but she maintained the dignified posture of a head maid, bowing as she said:
"Yes, sir. May I bring Xueyue and Nicole along so they can both be punished?"
Richard was taken aback.
The girl looked very serious, but the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.
He pinched the other person's cheek and laughed:
"You're coming alone tonight. No substitutes allowed, no reinforcements. Let's see if you're still this energetic tomorrow."
Lina blushed, lowered her head, and still whispered a reply.
"Yes, sir."
The maid, who had just been criticized by Lina, stared with bright eyes as she scanned back and forth between the lord and the head maid.
When she saw the lord suddenly turn his head to look at her, she quickly lowered her head, her pretty face flushed pink, and her breathing became rapid.