Chapter 35: Chinese rice porridge in the border town of Deals

The town of Deals, located on the outskirts of the Sumner territory, reflected the peaceful times with its active exchange with the neighboring country of Orkcott to the east. In response to the constant flow of people and goods, there were numerous restaurants, inns, and trading companies that dealt with domestic and foreign goods lining the streets.

Due to the peaceful nature, the number of soldiers was small, and the atmosphere of the town was calm.

“Cyril-san, where should I apply to start a small business here?”

“You should apply at the Merchant Guild right over there with a deposit.”

The Chamber of Commerce was located at the end of the main street. Upon entering the office-like entrance, there were about ten people working at their desks, but a woman who noticed us stood up and came to the counter.

“Hello. What can I help you with?”

“We want to start a new business here.”

“Do you have a specific location in mind?”

“We want to use a carriage, so we would like to know the approved locations.”

“What will you be selling?”

“Light snacks, sweets, and drinks.”

“Then please read this. If it’s a mobile stall, the application fee is ten silver coins.”

I handed over ten silver coins from the money I earned from selling gelato and received a receipt and a document stating the approved locations for mobile stalls.

When I returned home and was about to read it leisurely, I was captivated by a poster on the wall. It was not printed but hand-drawn.

[Let’s become healthy by eating Contes.]

It depicted a young woman scooping up a mound of something called Contes onto a plate with a spoon. The drawing. There was no mistaking it; it was clearly rice and grains. The rice was red, a reddish-purple color. 

“Excuse me, where can I get this grain called Contes?”

The woman at the reception smiled and said, 

“We sell it at Haines Grain Store.”

He taught me that.

Led by Cyril-san, I went to Haines Grain Store, which was a large shop. Various grains were lined up in wooden boxes on the storefront. Contes was placed at the front. Its price was slightly higher than the others.

“Hello. What can I get for you?”

“I’d like about a bucketful of Contes, please.”

“Sure thing. That will be two silver coins. Do you know how to cook it, Ojou-san?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of trying various recipes.”

“If you manage to make something delicious, I’d appreciate it if you could teach me the recipe. Contes is a grain that I want to promote.”

We parted with smiles and I returned to Cyril-san’s house.

“So, what kind of dish are you going to make?”

“Cyril-san, have you ever had rice porridge?”

“Rice porridge? No, I haven’t.”

“Then please look forward to it.”

I immediately washed the Contes, added water, and simmered it together with bone-in chicken. The bone-in chicken would create a rich broth, so I simmered it slowly until the grains were still intact, making a porridge. While it simmered, I prepared the toppings.

Sweet and savory simmered pork with ginger and minced pork, deep-fried bread crumbs, chopped green onions, and a soft-boiled egg.

“I think this will be enough for today.”

Satisfied, I muttered, and Victor and Pauline-san, who were reading books behind me, chuckled. Cyril-san seemed eager for the rice porridge.

I took out the bone-in chicken simmered with Contes, said “Ouch!” as I removed the meat from the bones, shredded it finely, and sprinkled it with salt, grated ginger, and sesame oil. There were a total of five toppings. I lightly seasoned the rice porridge with salt and it was ready.

“Now, please try it.”

In front of everyone was a reddish-purple, sticky rice porridge. In the center of the table were the five toppings.

“Put a little bit of each topping on your own rice porridge and try it. Be careful not to burn yourself as it’s hot.”

Both the Contes and rice porridge seemed to be new to everyone, and they blew on it to cool it down.

“It’s delicious. The sweetness of Contes and the chewy texture are great.”

“When you eat it with the crispy fried bread, the texture is enjoyable, and the flavor of the oil makes it appetizing.”

“With so many toppings, I feel like I could eat endlessly.”

Good, good, it’s well received.

“I wonder if this will sell. We can offer up to three toppings of your choice, and we can sell it for three copper coins per bowl.”

“Isn’t that too cheap?” said Pauline-san.

“It should be fine, right? If it’s cheap, there might be people who can eat it every day,” said Victor.

Cyril-san was still trying all the toppings and was in the middle of tasting, so there was no response yet.

Alright, let’s sell rice porridge in the square from tomorrow morning.

“Ah, it was delicious, Haru. This is a deliciousness that becomes addictive. It’s wonderful that there are so many toppings available.”

Good, good, good.

“Don’t you sell gelato? I feel lonely without it. If you’re short-handed, I can sell it!” 

“If Pauline-san becomes a vendor, then yes.”

“I’ll do it! Then, Victor, help me make gelato. I’ve already learned how to make it. If only I could use ice magic, I could make it by myself.”

“Oh, that’s a great deal.”

It seemed that Pauline-san had learned how to make gelato by watching. Gelato is easy once you know the proportions. We decided to sell only simple milk-flavored gelato and rice porridge.

Since “Chuka Gyu” doesn’t convey the meaning of Chinese, we decided to sell it under the simple name of “Okayu” (rice porridge). As long as it’s delicious, the name doesn’t matter!

---