[Cozy Fantasy] [Farming LitRPG] The Chronicles of Emberstone Farm

Chapter 120 - Rice as rain and barn to be wild

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I had a visitor whose name was Aunt Flo. She hadn’t visited me the whole time I was in this world, so I had, perhaps naively, thought she didn’t exist for me here. I threw off the blanket and ran to the shower to wash off the blood. Most people would’ve washed the sheets, too, but I simply put the entire bed, sheets included, into my inventory and then dragged the item into the System trash bin. Then I placed a brand new bed in its place.

Adventure Incarnate was not the sort of game that included feminine hygiene products for that special time of the month, so I had to improvise my own by cutting up a cotton nightgown into strips and roughly sewing them together to make some pads.

Thankfully, Yinuo was waiting right outside my house with my breakfast, and when I told her my problem, she promptly offered to help.

“My lady, I’ll tell your apprentices that you’re indisposed. Don’t worry about a thing! I’ll bring some supplies over to your house,” said Yinuo.

“I’ll go and load the [Tea Machine] with more [Tea Leaves],” I said.

“The [Black Tea] was already collected earlier. The chef said it’s low-grade,” said Yinuo.

“Okay. I’ll make [Green Tea] this time,” I said.

I loaded the [Tea Machine] as quickly as I could and pressed the [Green Tea] button. I personally preferred coffee to tea, but I did have a fondness for jasmine tea.

Yinuo was fast. By the time I returned to the house, she was already waiting at the gate for me with a dozen ancient “moon pads,” as they were called here. They were bulky things made of linen cloth rags and stuffed with spongey, highly absorbent moss. She also gave me a belt that was used to hold them in place and a belly wrap that was meant to keep my stomach and back warm.

I gave the items a dubious look. “Er… these are reusable?”

Yinuo frowned. “No, I mean the belt and wrap are, and I guess you could reuse the cloth, but the moss has to be discarded, of course.”

“...Yes, of course!” I tried to look knowledgeable, but I must have failed because she offered to show me how to use the items.

Ever since I built the [Ranch House], I hadn’t let anyone else inside because I valued my privacy. However, I reckoned that I did need to learn the ins and outs of this world’s common sense, so I invited Yinuo inside. I would’ve liked it better if Prince Baiyu was my first visitor.

“Common peasants and the like use rougher stuff, and they do reuse those items. My lady, as a wealthy noblewoman, you don’t need to do that. Just use as many of these as you need then discard them,” said Yinuo.

“That seems a little wasteful,” I said.

“It’s how things are done in noble households,” she said.

She showed me how to put the belt and pad on, but when I tried to walk, it felt somewhat uncomfortable.

“It’s a little too bulky, isn’t it?” I asked.

“I can sew smaller ones for you, but…. They might leak,” said Yinuo. "May I suggest that you wear pants and a thick skirt over it, just in case?”

“Oh yeah, that’s a good idea,” I said. “I mean making smaller ones and me wearing more layers.”

“How do you feel, my lady? Do you have a headache or cramps?” asked my maid.

“Yes to both.”

“I asked Madam Fengying to brew the herbal tisane for women’s moon time troubles. It should be ready by now.”

“Okay, I’ll be watering the crops,” I said.

Yinui fake coughed gently into her hand. “Is that wise? A woman’s qi is unbalanced during these times. Perhaps my lady should refrain from tending to spiritual crops.”

I waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, that’s just for regular people. My bloodline inheritance balances my energy for me.”

“If you say so, ma’am. I’ll return with the tisane,” said Yinuo.

There was still a slight chill in the air this early in the spring season, which meant that I didn’t look ridiculous wearing a thick pair of pants and skirt. I wondered what I should do in the summer.

I finished eating a hearty breakfast of demon pig bacon, wild quail eggs, toast, and strawberry jam before going out to the fields.

The first thing I did was to check the rice paddies and carp. The water level was fine and didn’t need adjustment. When Yinuo returned, I drank the herbal drink she gave me. It tasted like grass and earth.

“Eugh!” I made a face.

“Have a honey candy.” Yinuo handed me a sticky piece of candy made of peanuts and honey.

“That’s much better.”

“The tisane will take around an hour or two to take effect. I’ll return at noon for your next drink. The effect would have worn off by that time.”

I really hoped the tisane would be effective. “Thank you.”

Yinuo left, and I went to water the other crops along with my apprentices. This activity only consumed one-fifth of my energy, so we used the rest of it by cutting down trees near the main house since I wanted to expand it.

“Bad news, kids. I don’t want to go hunting today since my stomach hurts,” I said. “I’ve taken some medicine, but I expect it will last a few more days.”

“Teacher, you’re sick? Did you eat something bad you foraged?” asked Lari.

“No, it’s not that,” I said.

Kharli and Mo grabbed Lari by the shoulder and hustled him a few steps away from me. What followed was a hushed discussion. I could hear a few words here and there like “shut up,” “that time,” “tactful,” and “moon.”

They walked back to me, Lari scratching his head.

“Do I need to explain the ‘facts of life’ to you kids?” After all, it was my duty as their guardian to educate them.

“Teacher, we already know about it,” said Kharli.

“Are you sure? Do you have any questions?” I asked them.

Kharli and Mo exchanged looks while Lari bent his head and looked down at his boots as though they were the most fascinating thing in the world right now.

“Teacher, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to ask Madam Fengying? Since you’re almost the same age as us. This is your first time, right?” Kharli smirked at me.

“Well, yes, that does make sense.” I had to admit my housekeeper knew a lot more about it since I was a newcomer to this world. “Okay, since we won’t be going hunting, what do you want to do?”

“I’d like to go foraging,” said Mo.

“Smithing!” was Lari’s answer.

“Wait, I want to change my answer to smithing!” said Mo.

“Why? Just go foraging, it’s what you love to do,” said Lari.

“Because you’re planning to use up all the [Draconic Rune-etched Bronze Bars],” said Kharli.

“Everyone already agreed I was going to raise Smithing while you two do Fletching.” Lari pouted and looked to me for confirmation.

This was a real problem. For efficiency’s sake, we should really divide the labor such that each person specializes in something different instead of all three of them raising all their crafting skills at the same time.

On the other hand, my apprentices weren’t NPCs in a game. They had their own preferences, and it would be hard for me to force them to give up Smithing since they really liked it.

“It would be better if only one of you did Smithing, but I’ll allow everyone to work on it until you reach level 10. We should know by that time which one of you three has the most skill in Smithing.” I thought that was a good compromise. “You know what this means, right? I’ll have to smelt three times more than I was planning to this week.”

“Thank you, Teacher!” Mo was overjoyed and impulsively flung her arms around me. “You’re the best.”

“No problem. I’ll trust you all to Smith by yourselves. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be resting in my house.” The cramps weren’t that bad, but they weren’t fun either.

I gave each of them one-third of the [Draconic Rune-etched Bronze Bars] and left.

Back at my [Ranch House], I realized I could make a hot water bottle by filling a [Rubber Chicken] with water and wrapping it in cloth to avoid triggering its effect.

[Rubber Chicken:

This rubber chicken toy is no ordinary chicken! It's a super fun, interactive toy that will keep you entertained for hours on end. This chicken has a movable head and wings, and makes realistic chicken sounds when you squeeze it. It's also durable and easy to clean, making it the perfect toy for both indoor and outdoor play.

Magic -1 (every three seconds)]

Why did a [Rubber Chicken] have a valve for water anyway? I puzzled over this until I realized that it wasn’t for water, it was for inflating it with air.

Mystery solved, I sprawled on a window seat and put my improvised water bottle on my stomach. The heat really helped with the pain. I spent the rest of the morning reading storybooks and finishing off the box of chocolate that came with the Cash Shop’s [Romantic Valentine] costume set.

At lunchtime, Yinuo knocked on my gate carrying a large, multilayered lunchbox, a pot of hot soup, and more of the tisane. I had to tell her that the herbal brew wasn’t working, and she said to try another cup first. If that didn’t work by dinnertime, she would ask Fengying to make a different, stronger tisane.

“My lady, the guard that Lord Shuye sent to accompany you and your apprentices to the Horned Rabbits’ Valley has offered to supervise the hunt,” said Yinuo.

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. I know the kids were looking forward to it.” The Horned Rabbits weren’t that dangerous, especially compared to a warrior of the White Tiger clan. “Tell them they can go.”

Yinuo went off to give the kids the good news while I ate mushroom soup, sweetcorn rice, roast pork belly, stir-fried garlic sprouts, and more of the honey candy as dessert.

After a bit of rest after lunch, I went back to work. Since I still had a lot of energy left, I decided to clear some of the trees on the west side of the main house since I wanted to expand it to a [Three Courtyard House].

I had just finished Woodcutting and was on my way back to my house when, to my surprise, my three apprentices returned with their White Tiger clansman guard.

“Teacher! We had to run away!” said Lari.

“They were so savage. I can’t believe Teacher hunted those monsters,” said Mo with a wide-eyed expression of awe on her face.

“No, I think we went to the wrong place somehow. Those weren’t [Horned Rabbits],” said Kharli.

The clan member, who was a tall woman with long auburn hair and piercing gray eyes, silently handed me a leather bag. My mouth fell open in shock when I opened it and saw what was inside.

“This is amazing! Let’s go and hunt some more of them,” I said. “We should get at least one for each of us.”

One was definitely not enough since it was a rare item that gave a Hunting skill boost.