Steve & Daniel
Gan and Martin went to their hometown and brought back their two older brothers.
"Nice to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my younger brother. I'm Steve, Martin's older brother."
"Thank you for always looking after our brother. I'm Daniel, Gan's eldest brother. I run a woodworking studio."
Wow, their names are the same as the main character and his partner from that overseas drama I loved so much. Their builds are similar too~ It would be really interesting if their personalities are the same as well~ In the drama, Steve was reckless, and Daniel was cautious. I wonder how they'll turn out~
"Sorry to bother you while you're busy. My daughter Joan has something she wants to make, and I was hoping we could discuss it."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Joan, the eldest daughter of the Lampail family. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. My ideas are amateurish, so please don't hesitate to tell me if something isn't possible. I look forward to working with you today."
She stood up and bowed.
""Nice to meet you.""
After the greetings were over, Margaret got straight to the point.
"I'm sorry to jump right into it, but I'd like you to take a look at this."
With that, she handed them the list she had written earlier.
"Are all of these for the young lady?"
Steve asked after reading the list.
"Yes, they're all related to cooking. I apologize for the trouble."
"There are drawings here, but could you explain what these are for?"
At Daniel's request, Joan explained in detail what each item was for, its shape, how it would function, and so on.
"... That's about it. Sorry for going on so long."
""......""
Both of them seemed stunned by the enthusiasm in my explanation of how convenient and desirable these items were.
"You two don't have to respond right away. I'm sure you'll want to discuss it at home, so could you let me know later whether it's possible or not? But remember, this is confidential. Can you promise me that? Let's say... a deadline of about three days?"
""Understood.""
"Oh, um, please take these if you'd like."
With that, she handed each of them a basket containing salt butter cookies and a pound cake.
"Huh!? Are you sure?"
Steve was confused, having only come to listen to the discussion, and now receiving a gift as well.
"Yes, of course. You took the time to listen to me, so this is my way of thanking you."
"Oh, um, young lady, what is this basket made of? It's very light, so it's not wood, right?"
Daniel, being from a woodworking studio, was more curious about the basket.
"Oh, um... it's paper."
"""Paper!?"""
Not only Steve and Daniel but even Margaret was surprised.
"Yes, um, I wove it from paper I had used for handwriting practice and couldn't use anymore."
In my past life, my grandmother often used flyers to weave baskets for storing mandarins, so it was an easy task for me.
"How did you dye it brown?"
"Oh, I boiled tamaon skins and used the liquid to dye it. If I just left it as is, my messy handwriting would be visible, and that would be embarrassing..."
But if you look closely, you can still see the writing. Still, the brown color makes it look like an English newspaper, which I think is stylish.
"Wow, I'm impressed. To think of such creative ideas... This is getting interesting. I'll make sure to give you a good response."
That was Steve.
"I'll also give it some thought. Young lady, I'll gladly accept the sweets."
That was Daniel.
After that, the two left with the list and the sweets, riding back in the mansion's carriage just as they had come.
"Joan, you should have told me beforehand. You really surprised me… Can I see that basket again?"
Margaret was referring to the basket from earlier.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be such a big deal..."
I took the basket out of storage. I used to make these often when I had nothing to do. I made them in my spare time.
The tamaon skin dye was made using the same method as natural plant dyeing. I also have handkerchiefs dyed with carrojin and eggplant skins, but I should probably show them now.
"Oh, um, Mother? Actually, I have these too."
I brought out handkerchiefs dyed yellow with tamaon, orange with carrojins, and purple with eggnasu.
"My~ what beautiful colors. How did you dye these?"
"With tamaon skins, carrojin skins, and eggnasu skins."
"Vegetable skins can produce such beautiful colors? Is it difficult to make?"
"No, it's easy. You just boil the skins."
"I see... Tomorrow, come with me to the orphanage. Can you show them how to make these there?"
"Yes, I can do it if we have the materials. But why at the orphanage?"
"What if the children made and sold the lunch bags and these vegetable-dyed handkerchiefs? If they can sell what they make and earn money, wouldn't that help them become more independent?"
"Wow, I think that's a great idea. I'll do it! Oh, can I bring some sweets I made to the orphanage?"
"Of course. Then Anny can come with us too. She hasn't been there in a while. The sister sent me a letter saying she's worried about her."
"Understood. I'll let her know, and we'll make the sweets together."
"Thank you. We'll go after lunch tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll go see Anny now!"
Click. Tap, tap, tap.
"Sigh, she really does all sorts of things. Who would have thought of making baskets out of paper or dyeing with vegetable skins... But this will give the orphanage children some work too."
Nancy spoke while sipping the freshly poured tea.
"Yes, Madam. The stretchy braided hair ties we discussed earlier have also been completed and are now being sold at the Company."
"So, the company is currently selling salt butter cookies, negi salt limon sauce, ganikku salt sauce, sports drinks, and hair ties. In addition, there are the lunch bags and vegetable dyes. If we get a good response from Steve and Daniel, that would be perfect."
"Yes, the products from the Jo Company are becoming popular in the market, so it should take off soon. Umm, Madam? Are you not going to tell the young lady about the Jo Company?"
"No, not yet. First, let her meet the children at the orphanage. I'm sure she'll ask how we plan to sell the products. Do you think she'll be surprised?"
"Well, I think she will be surprised. But do you really want to surprise her that much?"
"Well, she's always surprising me, so I want to surprise her back, don't I? But I'm really grateful to Joan. I feel like having this child is also thanks to her."
As she spoke, Margaret gently rubbed her still-flat belly, while Nancy watched over her with a kind expression.
What do you think about this chapter?
