An Old Man's Tea Party
When we arrived at the workshop…
"Grandpa Tom, are you here~?"
"Oh, I'm here~ Come on in~"
Hearing that, the three of us stepped inside the small hut.
It was my first time inside the workshop, which was about six tatami mats in size. The shelves along the walls held various farming tools necessary for a gardener.
"Oh! Even the Old Master and Old Madam are here… What brings you all the way to a place like this?"
Old Tom, who had been sitting on a simple wooden stool made from a cut log and working on something, hurriedly stood up upon noticing my grandparents.
"Oh~ no need to get up. We're just here because Joan had business with you, and we tagged along out of curiosity."
"Is that so? Well, I don't have much to offer, but please have a seat."
He handed over a log stool similar to the one he had been using. I pulled out a small cushion from my storage and placed it on the log.
"Oh my, thank you. Did you make this yourself, Little Joan?"
"Yes, it's just something simple stuffed with old towels I no longer needed. Ah, Grandpa Tom, you can have one too."
"Are you sure, Young lady? You're even giving one to me?"
"It’s pointless if I don’t use what I make. Please, go ahead! By the way, Grandpa Tom, isn’t it cold working in here?"
The workshop had no heating at all, and the occasional gust of wind seeped through the cracks.
"Well, it is cold, but it’s a workshop. That’s just how it is."
"Hmm… Oh, I know! Do you have any ash and charcoal?"
"Hm? Yeah, I’ve got some. Over here. How much do you need?"
"Let’s see… Oh, can I use this cracked pot?"
I pointed to a pot about 45 cm in diameter sitting in the corner of the hut.
"Oh, sure, go ahead."
"Alright, then I'll seal the hole at the bottom, fill it with ash, and place charcoal in the center. Then, we light it—"
"Little Joan, let me handle the fire."
Saying that, Grandma lit a flame at her fingertip.
"Ohh, this is quite warm!"
Grandpa held out his hands toward the makeshift brazier.
"It actually provides a good amount of heat, doesn’t it? Did you use these in your previous life?"
"Yes, though proper heating systems were widespread back then, these braziers were still popular for their charm and convenience."
"I get the charm, but what do you mean by convenience?"
Grandpa Tom asked curiously.
"If you place a trivet here, you can boil water, warm up sake, or even toast dried squid and rice cakes on a grill."
"I don’t know about dried squid or rice cakes, but warming up sake sounds great."
Grandfather seemed interested.
"Now then, what did you need me for?"
"Oh, right! Grandpa Tom, you mentioned having high blood pressure, didn’t you? I made something that might help with that…"
I pulled some dried sweet potatoes from my storage.
"Hm? What’s this?"
"They’re dried sweet potatoes—steamed and turned into a kind of dried goods. In my previous life, they were known to help with high blood pressure, so I tried making some."
I handed one to each of them.
Munch.
“"Delicious!”"
"Oh my, this mild sweetness is lovely."
It seemed to be a hit with all three of them.
"Dried sweet potatoes are good as they are, but they taste even better when lightly grilled."
"Oh! Then we’ll need a grill. Tom, do you have one?"
"Yeah, let me see… Here it is."
We placed the grill over the brazier and laid the dried sweet potatoes on top.
"This should be just right now."
Grandpa Tom removed them from the grill, and we all took a bite.
"Hot! But this flavor is different—really good."
"I agree. I think I prefer them grilled."
"I do too."
I was glad they liked them.
I hope they help with high blood pressure… According to my Search, they should be effective.
"Here, have some tea."
I took out some hot straight tea from my storage and handed it to the three of them.
"Ahh, this is the life.”
Grandfather sighed contentedly.
"Truly. Despite your age, Young lady, you’re incredibly thoughtful. It’s been a while since I last had tea with the Old Master and Old Madam, and even with you here, it feels completely natural. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I’m having tea with a child—it’s more like drinking tea with someone my own age! Haha, oh, I mean no offense by that, Young lady."
Grandpa Tom chuckled.
"””……"””
Same age, huh~? Well, considering my mental age is around sixty, he’s not exactly wrong~ No wonder my grandparents couldn’t find the words to deny it~
In the end, I gave Grandpa Tom all the dried sweet potatoes I had made.
Though he hesitated at first, he reluctantly accepted them when I asked him to share them with his wife, Zara.
Before leaving, I reminded him to always ensure proper ventilation when using the brazier.
Braziers are nice and all, but as a Japanese person, I really want a kotatsu… In the past, we used charcoal instead of electric ones, so maybe I can adapt that for this world. But changing the charcoal is such a hassle…
Maybe I should ask Father if there's a way to make it work.
What do you think about this chapter?
