The Carpentry Workshop in the Town
"Excuse me.”
Said Brother Noel as we arrived at the carpentry workshop, addressing a nearby craftsman.
"Ah, yes! Welcome! How may I assist you?"
"I’m Noel from the Lampail family. Is Gan or Daniel available?"
"Y-Young master Noel!? Yes, please wait a moment."
The craftsman hurried to the back.
"See, if you greet people properly like Noel, you won’t end up in situations like earlier.”
Brother Aran scolded.
"””Y-Yes.”””
Brother Gene, Vee, and I replied, though we averted our eyes.
"Don’t think just replying is enough.”
He added, making the three of us look away guiltily.
"Thank you for waiting!"
Daniel came out to greet us.
"I apologize for the sudden visit. We came to offer our year-end greetings.”
Brother Noel explained.
"Not at all, thank you! We don’t have much to offer, but please, come inside. Gan is here too."
We were led into the living quarters.
"Welcome, everyon.”
Gan greeted us.
Inside, we found Gan, an elderly couple who seemed to be his parents, and a burly man who looked even more robust than Daniel.
"Pleased to meet you. I’m James, Daniel and Gan’s father. I’m the head carpenter here. This is my wife, Grace, and our second son, Camaro. He’s also a carpenter."
"Thank you for your kindness. I’m Noel, the eldest son of the Lampail family and Gan’s classmate. This is my younger brother, Gene, and our little sister, Joan. These are Arandolph and Vince from the Longest family."
After the introductions, we were served tea.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Joan. Thank you for taking the time to create what I requested despite your busy schedules. Oh, and please, have some of these."
I took out the cookie cutters and Nababa’s pound cake from my storage, just like before, and handed them over. I also gave Gan individually wrapped cookies.
"My, my, thank you so much! The sweets you sent the other day were delicious... And when Daniel and Gan told me you made them yourself, I was so surprised! I heard you not only make sweets but also cook and even teach the private army’s children. The blacksmith’s wife was saying how she wished she had a daughter like you to cook with."
"Mom, you’re talking too much. You’re going to overwhelm everyone.”
Gan interjected.
"Hehe, thank you. I’m just happy if my cooking brings joy to others."
"Your cooking is amazing, Young lady Joan. Especially that tamagoyaki.”
Daniel reminisced about the tamagoyaki he had tasted the other day.
"Ah, yes! I’ve been wondering, how is it different from an omelet? Gan’s explanation didn’t quite clarify it for me..."
"It’s different in both preparation and taste. Oh, wait a moment... Here, this is it."
I pulled out a bento box from my storage.
"Is that the bento box Daniel made?"
Mr. James asked.
"Yes, it is."
"Jo, why do you have a bento with you?"
Brother Noel asked, puzzled.
"Huh? Well, you never know when you might get stranded somewhere, right?"
"What kind of situation is that supposed to be?"
Brother Gene retorted, and the others chuckled awkwardly.
"Anyway, this is what it looks like."
I opened the bento box.
"”””Ohh~~~””””
Mr. James, Mrs. Grace, Mr. Camaro, and Gan exclaimed in admiration.
"This is amazing. So this is tamagoyaki? How do you make it?"
Mrs. Grace asked.
"You thinly layer the egg, roll it up, and repeat the process several times. Oh, would you like to try some?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course. I owe it to Daniel for making the bento box and to Gan for always helping me."
The four of them shared the bento.
“”””Yummy!!!”””"
"My, this is truly delicious. I could never manage to roll the egg so thinly."
"It’s not that hard. Would you like me to show you how to make it now?"
[Eh!?]"Jo, you can’t just start cooking in someone else’s house! That’s rude!"
Brother Noel scolded.
"No, no, Young master Noel. It’s no trouble at all. In fact, I’d love it if you could."
Mrs. Grace insisted.
"But... (If Mother finds out, I’ll be the one getting scolded, won’t I?)"
"Brother Noel, please! I want to spread the joy of tamagoyaki! And I brought all the ingredients with me."
"Why do you even have ingredients with you?"
Vee asked.
"Huh? Well, you never know when you might have to camp out, right?"
"What kind of situation is that supposed to be!?"
Brother Gene interjected again.
"Sigh... Fine, do as Mrs. Grace says. I’m sorry for all this trouble.”
Brother Noel apologized to James and the others.
"No, no, please raise your head. We’re grateful for this opportunity.”
Mr. James said.
"Young lady, would it be alright if we invited the blacksmith’s wife as well?"
"Yes, please do!"
"Then I’ll go get her.”
Martin said, heading back home.
Mrs. Grace and I moved to the kitchen.
"Let’s see... eggs, sugar, broth, soy sauce... and an apron."
I pulled out everything I needed from my storage.
By the way, this apron was a gift from Sarah and Anny, who had noticed how messy I got while cooking. It was a halter-neck dress-style apron with a ribbon at the back, and it was one of my favorites. I also had a matching triangular headscarf dyed with vegetable peels.
Just as we finished preparing, Martin and his mother arrived.
"I heard Young lady Joan is going to teach us how to cook... Is it true?"
Martin’s mother asked.
"Yes, I was planning to show Mrs. Grace how to make it, so I thought you might like to join us. I’m sorry, were you busy?"
"No, no, it’s fine. I’ve heard so much about you, Young lady Joan, so I’m thrilled. Oh, I don’t think I introduced myself earlier. I’m Michelle. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, nice to meet you."
And so, an impromptu cooking class began.
What do you think about this chapter?
