I Don’t Think It’s Possible
“It’s not possible right now.”
I explained that during the exhibition I had made too many shrimp crackers, which reduced the river shrimp population, and since we were currently farming them to restore their numbers, they would have to wait.
“You’re farming river shrimp?”
“Yes—we’re protecting them and increasing them.”
“How?”
“Are you raising them in the rice fields?”
Suddenly the salon door swung open, and when I turned, it was Brother Isaac.
“Reinhardt, sell everything you’ve developed.”
I looked at Brother Chris, who rushed in after him looking flustered, silently asking What’s going on?
“In my room I found the reclining chair, the desk calendar, the deodorizing shoe bags, and the cradle.”
“And the chair, the fire starters, and the hair ornaments,” Brother Gerald added after Brother Chris.
“Brother Chris, you have a reclining chair in your room?”
“Yeah. It’s comfortable when reading.”
The cradle must be for Bianca.
Since Raphael and the others wanted to see everything, I went to get my Magic Bag and took out the items one by one.
“A reclining chair? The backrest adjusts to three positions? And what is this material?”
Raphael lay back and touched everything while asking questions.
“These hair ornaments are new? You connected small pearls to make a large flower.”
“This small one is lovely too. You can use just one, or wear several like fresh flowers.”
Brigitte and Dianne examined the hair ornaments in their hands.
And then—
“What’s this rocking chair?”
“What is this rocking basket used for?”
“What’s inside this bag? What’s it for?”
The three of them kept firing questions from every direction.
I calmed them down and explained everything one at a time.
“In less than five months, isn’t this number of new products a bit much?”
“These were originally made in the village. I didn’t develop them myself.”
“They already existed?”
“That’s right, Brother Isaac.”
“Hardt, lying isn’t good,” Brother Chris said, making everyone look at me suspiciously.
I pointed at the cradle and denied it.
That really was something that originally existed.
I explained that in the village, every household with a baby used a cradle that rocked to soothe them and help them sleep.
At our house, it served as a napping bed for Atre and Bianca…
Then I explained how I suggested making a chair with a cradle function, which resulted in the rocking chair, and since I said I also wanted a reclining chair, they made that too.
“The fire starters and deodorizing bags were things that already existed.”
“So it’s possible we might find hidden gems if we go around the villages?”
“Isaac, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“I followed Hardt around, but he notices things we would overlook.”
He explained how we found the cradle.
“… I see. It’s his perspective.”
“And the desk calendar too—I would never think of collaborating with craftwork from an exhibition.”
A maid entered at just the right moment to announce that lunch was ready.
Thank goodness that stopped Brother Isaac and the others from pressing further.
“I wonder what dishes we’ll have today.”
“I had a light breakfast for this.”
“Oh? Same here.”
Brigitte and Dianne changed the subject for me.
I was grateful.
Lunch was nothing but petit barley: petit barley dishes, risotto, soup, petit barley bread, and a salad with petit barley.
Afterward, I served three kinds of obanyaki, along with matcha latte and green tea.
Everyone ate silently.
It should be delicious, so why…?
“Reinhardt, this wheat isn’t normal wheat, is it?”
“These sweets are made from this wheat too?”
“The matcha milk has evolved—how are you making this foam?”
The moment they finished eating, the questions came flooding in.
I explained that this wheat is grown only in a certain village, the lunch dishes are traditional foods from that area, the obanyaki are made from that wheat, and I use a certain tool to make the matcha latte foam.
The matcha latte tool could be sold, but the wheat couldn’t.
“Then at least let us take some sweets home.”
“Brigitte, I’ve already prepared obanyaki as souvenirs.”
Brother Isaac and Raphael asked me to sell everything they were allowed to order, and with that, the gathering came to an end.
What do you think about this chapter?
