ebookslot Chapter 39 Dinner
Chapter 39 Dinner
David had relaxed by this point. He took the mead from the basket, popped the cork with a corkscrew, and gave a bottle to Zag, saying, "That's true. Big cities always offer more opportunities than small places like ours. Honestly, Lily keeps urging me to send Lilia and Andrew to church schools. There aren't any decent places in Cabbage Town. If we went to Golden Helmet Fortress, with my connections, I could probably get it done..."
"But Aiden went to the church school at Golden Helmet Fortress, and he was sent back by the diocesan bishop after only a few months. I'm afraid Lilia and Andrew won't be welcomed if they go there..."
"That brat Aiden! He doesn't think about his younger siblings at all! He deserves a good spanking!"
Zag listened patiently to David's parenting tips and family complaints, and occasionally chimed in with a supportive question: "So what are you planning to do?"
David took a big gulp of mead and replied, "Lily means we should spend more money to send her to the church school in East Coast Harbor. It's a bit expensive, but our family can afford it. As long as she learns something, she'll have a future. You can't get by these days if you're illiterate!"
As someone from a country renowned for its rigorous education system in East Asia, Zag strongly agrees with this statement: "Indeed, you can't get by if you can't read."
David took a couple of sips of mead, and his face started to flush again. He started talking without any restraint. Of course, he and the original owner of this body had a good relationship, so he said without any hesitation, "If you really plan to go to East Port, I'd like to ask you for a favor. Please take the diocesan bishop's letter of recommendation and these two children with you. Just send them to the church school. I'll also put the tuition fees in the letter. It won't be too much trouble for you."
Given the level of social development in this world, it is far from having the various hidden dangers of child liability that exist in the 21st century. Zag was initially a little afraid that something might happen, but considering that he had just eaten a sumptuous meal a couple of days ago and that the original owner of this body had such a good relationship with the other party, it would be hard to say that refusing outright would not arouse suspicion. So he could only nod and say, "That's no problem, but I may have to go back to the Redcurrant Mill first, pick up my mother, and then pass through Cabbage Town to go to East Port. I'm afraid I won't be able to officially set off from the town until next Monday."
David waved his hand dismissively: "No problem! In fact, I've had the diocesan bishop's recommendation letter for half a year! Lily has been urging me to send them to East Port, but... you know, I always feel that these two little ones are still too young, there's really no need to rush..."
"If you're going to East Port this time, that's perfect. I originally wanted to go myself, but I've been too busy lately. I'll have Aiden come along and take care of these two little brats!"
David also attended the church school at Golden Helmet Fortress and had a good relationship with that bishop back then, so it's not surprising that he was able to get a letter of recommendation; Zag knew about this.
After all, the original owner had heard the bishop mention David's name several times when she was in school. It was because of this that the original owner had a good impression of David, whom she had never met. It wasn't until she came to Cabbage Town to become a sentry that the two officially met and quickly became friends.
Zag nodded: "Then I'll come pick them up when I get back to town."
David added enthusiastically, "When you come to town, you can stay at my house! Lily, Lilia, and your mother can share a bed, and the two of us can squeeze in with those two rascals, Aiden and Andrew. We can fit perfectly! It'll save you money on tavern accommodations!"
This really appealed to Zag.
Including Mrs. Marsh, a night in Cabbage Town would cost at least 2 shillings—he couldn't very well let an old lady sleep in a shared bed, could he?
Two shillings may not sound like much, but they can buy 12 pounds of potatoes, enough to feed Helford for several days!
"Thank you so much!"
This time, Zag expressed his gratitude sincerely.
After settling down the business, David began taking things from the basket onto the blanket one by one: "Come on, try Lily's cooking. Seriously, Lily learned how to make sweet rolls from her mother, they're amazing!"
"Yes, yes, it's really great! Honestly, what I love most is that Lily didn't put too much sugar in the cheese rolls, but instead used the natural sweetness of the red currant syrup to enrich the layers of flavor!"
Lily's redcurrant cheese rolls were indeed delicious, or rather, they suited Zag's taste perfectly.
It is well known that Asians are relatively sensitive to sweetness, and Chinese people, in particular, have never been lacking in sugar since ancient times—maltose was invented as early as the Shang Dynasty, so the highest praise for desserts is "not sweet".
Of course, "not sweet" doesn't mean that desserts should be completely unsweetened. Rather, it means that the desserts should retain the rich flavor of the food itself, rather than being like industrially made sugar-coated products that make you feel like you're in heaven after just one bite.
In the Eternal High Kingdom, most desserts are indeed as unbearably sweet as 21st-century European desserts. But for some reason, Lily's redcurrant cheese rolls aren't actually that sweet. In fact, because dried redcurrants are added to the redcurrant syrup, they have a slightly sour flavor from the redcurrants themselves. Combined with the mild saltiness of the cheese, this perfectly highlights the roll's light sweetness, making the dessert's texture incredibly rich and layered—truly a masterpiece.
"Hahaha, actually Lily was just worried that something too sweet would damage Lilia and Andrew's teeth, so she deliberately reduced the sugar!" David laughed, saying, "If Lily heard your comment, she'd probably spin around with joy! She loves cooking, especially making sweet rolls, but Lilia and Andrew both think they're not sweet enough—honestly, the way you were commenting just now was like one of those aristocratic gentlemen! It was hilarious!"
"Probably because I've been a sentry for so long, I've come into contact with so many people, and I've picked up some bad habits," Zag explained unconsciously, as if joking. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll put on a velvet coat and pretend to be some count's son or lord's heir, haha!"
The two ate and chatted. David was a good father; he even took out the miniature sandwiches that Lily had made for Lilia and Andrew and fed them to each of them.
Zag took the opportunity to bake some potatoes for Herford, along with two grilled fish.
As for Snowball, he could only hide to the side, watching the whole house being eaten and drunk with a wronged expression, glaring at Zag and Herford, trying to scratch them to death with his eyes.
David didn't leave until it got dark, carrying his basket and leading his two children.
Snowball was starving. It pounced on the bowl of thick soup that Zag had specially left for it, and wolfed it down along with the long-cold grilled fish, all the while cursing and swearing at Zag and Herford, clearly indignant.
"Damn stupid dog! And stupid dragon! I should have turned into a normal cat too! At least I wouldn't go hungry! Damn it! So damn it!"
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[Snowball's Science Popularization Mini-Drama]: Unlike the Kingdom of Lunaran, which has a well-established basic education system for all citizens, the Eternal High Kingdom does not have any official or formal institutions for basic or lower education. This responsibility is usually undertaken by church schools, which is also one of the main methods by which various churches compete for faith from the lower-class commoners.