Rawon Stores In Isekai

15. Unchallenged

"Can you do it?!" ask Brie. The old woman jumped until the glasses perched on her nose almost fell. 

Fiona confidently replied, "Sure! But before that, I want to wash all these seeds in the well first. Hmm... oh, Series! Please help me, yes, prepare a big pot to boil!"

Series was a little surprised. This is the first time Fiona needs her help. In fact, since becoming a co-worker, Seri considers him a good friend. However, Fiona had never said anything all this time. Seri felt that his desire to make friends was just clapping one hand. Now, the doubt is gone. The girl smiled broadly as she said, "Alright!"

Fiona went towards the well through the back door of the kitchen. Lucas followed behind him. It's been a long time, Lucas didn't go to the castle area over here. The workers always do the cleaning here, and the two young masters are always forbidden to come close, with the reason later the clothes can get dirty or slip on the slippery stone floor because it is always wet.

There are some other servants who are still struggling with their cleaning work. As soon as Lucas entered the area, the entire waiter stopped. Then they stood down, saluting him respectfully simultaneously. "Greetings, Young Master!"

Lucas nodded for a moment. "Just continue with your work. Don't mind me or Fiona."

The servants complied, though in their hearts they were confused. Questions popped up in each other's heads, about what the young master's purpose was to go to the wettest and dirtiest area of the castle.

Fiona placed a basket full of pangium seeds near the well, then she took three different wooden buckets and placed them adjacent to the basket. After that, Fiona prepared to fetch water from inside the well.

The girl was dropping the bucket hanging on the pulley, when her young master prevented her actions. "Let me!" exclaim Lucas.

"Huh?" Fiona looked at the astonishment at her master. "You, Sir? You're my employer! Let me the-"

Without waiting for Fiona to finish her sentence, Lucas had taken over the pulley rope in Fiona's grasp, then drew water himself. "It's about my future, so I should've worked hard, not you."

"Oh, well," said Fiona quickly, without considering anything else. The girl added to Lucas' burden. "I need three buckets, yes, sir. Hurry."

Fiona who asked, the other servants who were around them were holding their breath. All through the ages, none of them dared to ask her employer to do the job Fiona did. Never mind asking, Fiona should feel sad when Lucas offers help. It's the opposite.

Not only the servants, Lucas was also surprised by Fiona's request. However, it seems that the girl did not realize her mistake. It is even fun to sort the seeds in a basket, which are still in good condition and which are already hollow. Seeing Fiona so cute, Lucas spontaneously laughed.

"What's up, Mister?" fiona asked while looking at her master who suddenly laughed. Lucas shakes. Continuing the water, Lucas said, "There's nothing."

"Hmm?" Fiona is confused, but she doesn't want to bother. He refocused on his work. From the kluwek seeds that he brought home, there were about a dozen that had been hollow. Fiona put the deformed seeds into the trash.

"Why banished?" lucas asked, hauling a third bucket of water in hand.

"Oh, that's the one that's been hollow. It is also free because the contents are contaminated. So it will still taste bad to eat" Fiona explained.

"We're going to eat these seeds?!" asked Lucas in surprise. Only now did he hear that Fiona was about to cultivate this poisonous seed of pangium for foodstuffs.

"Yes. Just chill. I told you, I'm going to process it so that it doesn't become poisonous!" exciting Fiona.

***

"Ah, what is Mr Lucas doing there?" ask a soldier who wants to take a horse in a stable that is located adjacent to the back well area. He pointed towards Lucas who was drawing water. The soldier squinted his eyes, confirming what he saw. It can't be wrong. There is no one who is that big in Abbott castle other than Lucas Foxton.

"Sir Lucas does the waiter's job?!" ask the second soldier. The eldest son of the Foxton family was indeed seen crouching and washing something with buckets of water. "Do we have to act, Mr Linden?"

"Such a waiter's job would ruin the Foxton family's good name! We must punish anyone who would let Mr. Lucas do such a thing!" proposed the soldier. 

However, Linden shook her hands, then climbed onto her horse that had been prepared by the horsekeeper. "Leave it. And don't report this to my father. Understood, you?"

Linden's not caring. The soldier protested at his decision. "But, Young Master---"

"You didn't hear me? Don't interfere in my brother's business. We better focus on our own duty" Linden said firmly, even before his soldiers finished talking.

"Ready, Master!"

Linden and her two soldiers left the back of the castle. Linden saw Lucas once more from his horse. He realized that the waiter who was close to Lucas was there. Linden smiled faintly, then sped up the pace of her horse until the older brother disappeared from sight.

***

"Fiona, to clean kluwek seeds from the poison, you must first wash them thoroughly. Then, boil the old one."

The mother's voice rang in Fiona's ears, after years of being separated by death. In the past, his mother often sold kluwek seeds that have been made into powder to the market or neighbors around. Rawon is a very popular East Javanese cuisine. Every day there are those who eat the soup of meat with black sauce. Despite having a high cyanide poison compound, kluwek remains one of the important commodities there.

Fiona really did not expect, to be dealing with this seed again after such a long time. Whereas, when he was taught, he was a bit lazy to listen to him. Fiona thought, after all, she would not be a seller of kluwek seeds. He aspired to work in a big city after graduating from college. Fate says something else now. His memory will be how to cultivate kluwek seeds that can save his current fate.

After the three buckets of water were ready, Fiona washed all the kluwek seeds she found one by one. Some are still covered with soil, some are still plastered by yellow flesh. Patently, Fiona researched one by one so that no dirt was missed. Each seed passes through a water rinse three times from three different buckets. 

Actually, it is faster to wash using running water. But there is no tap here. Fiona thought of a way that she could wash all of these seeds in the land alone because there was a river there. 

Maybe next time, the processing of these seeds can be done directly on the land only to make it faster. There is a river there. What you bring home is the result. But, I need a net and a stove. I don't know if fish nets exist in this world. Even if not, I can make it myself from a small cloth perforated. But, what about the stove? Right here, there's no portable gas stove. Do I have to make a bonfire to boil these seeds? 

"Fiona," call Lucas. His servant was immediately jolted from his daydream. "Yes, Sir?"

"Here, let me do the work. Teach me how." Lucas took over the basket containing the remaining batch of seeds. Without hesitation, Fiona lets Lucas sit on a wooden squat bench next to Fiona. The man held the fat in his stomach so as not to be too tight when sitting like that. 

Then, Fiona gave instructions. "It's washed clean, sir. Use the tip of your thumb to feel each seed, making sure there is no more dirt attached after rinsing. Well, it's still dirty! Are you sure you can do it?"

Lucas looked at his servant, and looked at him. "Prophey! I've never done a wash-wash like this!"

"Then I teach you. Come on, that's right!"

The debate between the maid and her employer drew confusion among the other domestic workers there, as well as a small laugh from them. They've never seen Lucas Foxton like that.

***

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