Capítulo 40: Trying to Cook
A few days passed, but mother was nowhere to be found yet. I was getting fed up with eating fruits and dried meat, I wanted something warm and tasty. 'There's no harm in trying to cook once more. Though I have to make sure nothing burns this time', I thought. The process was pretty much the same as before. Of course except the amount of water inside the pot, as well as my presence in the kitchen. I made sure to check the pot often, not to repeat the same mistake as before. Everything seemed to go well, until I had a taste of my own cooking, "Ugh… It's bitter and there is no salt… I forgot to add some". Salt would solve the taste problem a bit, but not completely. "Anyway, how much should I add?", I scratched my head unsure. "It's better if I add little at a time. Don't want to go overboard with this", I decided and threw one pinch in. "Hmmm, almost no difference. I will add a few pinches now", I decided after tasting my stew.
A few pinches later, the stew tasted a bit better. "Though the salt helped out, the bitterness is still there. Mom's cooking was never bitter, she must've used something else", I reasoned. There were a few other seasoning inside the kitchen, but throwing them in at random would solve anything. There was no other choice but to taste each and every seasoning, our kitchen had on offer. This turned out to be the best solution, because I found something that could help. More precisely, a spicy but sweet powder of some sort. It was pale orange in colour, and very strong in taste. I tasted only a little, but my tongue felt the heat of that spice.
"I don't want to make this too spicy, therefore one pinch should be enough", I said to myself and threw in the spice. After mixing up everything, I had another taste, "The stew is still a bit bitter, but this powder really helped a lot. One more pinch should be fine. Though the stew will be spicier, it won't be bitter". There was one more seasoning useful to me. Mother had a few dry leaves in a jar, which struck me as odd at first. After smelling and tasting them, it turned out those leaves could be used for seasoning too. They tasted like freshness and had a slight tingling taste. I crushed one such leaf, then threw it into the pot.
A bit of cooking later, I had one last taste. "It's not the best, but surely edible. Considering this was my first… actually second time, this doesn't taste bad at all", I said to myself, satisfied. My stew was nowhere close to what my mother could cook, but that didn't matter. This was a meal I cooked myself, that alone made me proud. I must've been hungry, because two bowls of my stew disappeared really quickly. "Heh, not bad at all. There's still some left, which means my supper should be covered too. I wonder where mom went? She should've left a note or something for me. Besides, my birthday is in a few weeks", I said to myself.
Either way, I went about my day as usual. The following morning, my nose picked something smelling really nice. "Hmm? What is that… Mom?!", I exclaimed before rushing towards the kitchen. "You are finally back! Gee, you should've left a note for me or something", I said. "Sorry, sorry. I thought you'd come back a bit later. Mommy missed my little Anna, did you miss me?", she asked while hugging me. "I'm not little anymore, you know?… Though I missed you too", I replied. "I assume this stew was made by you. I must say, you have a weird taste", she pointed out. "This was my first… actually second try. I burned everything when trying for the first time… Anyway, why don't you teach me then?", I asked.
"Sure, I can teach you a bit. After all, being able to cook will become a very useful skill in your life. Before that, let's have a proper breakfast", she replied. After breakfast, mother taught me about different ingredients and ways to cook them. She pointed out which vegetables to use in specific dishes, and what seasonings to add. Mother also told me how to use the stove properly. Last time, the fire was too strong and quickly boiled the water away. If I made the fire smaller, my first attempt at cooking wouldn't fail so badly. She took her time to demonstrate a lot of things. Her explanations were really simple, and easy to follow too. Although we spent most of the day inside the kitchen, I had a better idea about cooking.
"Remember that cooking is the same as your training. Without practice, there will be no results. From tomorrow on, you will help me out with simple tasks, alright?", she said and this was fine by me. She then asked about my trip, since there was no time during the day to talk about it. I told her how we travelled through the Wilderness. How Tara lost a bet and had to pay for me. I also told her about the performances and the Challenger's Corner. Though I said nothing about that incident, I had to explain my new sword somehow. When I said that uncle Crow got it for me, it wasn't technically a lie. Uncle Crow really did hand me the sword, and paid for the modification.
"Anna, you can't tease your friends like that, it's not nice you know?", she said but her smile was saying something else. "Mom, who do you think I learned that from?", I retorted. "Hmmm, mommy has no idea sweetie… You also mentioned that new sword, let's have a look", she replied. I took out the sword and handed it to her. "What a nice design… It's also quite sharp. The sword does fit you, but that uncle of yours is always giving you some sort of weapons… I should talk with him about it", she said before handing the sword back to me. 'He only gave me two though… and the second one is…', I thought. "Anyway, I'm happy you had a great time and came back safely. Your birthday is approaching too", she added. "Yes, I will be an adult now! No longer a kid, but a woman just like you mom!", I exclaimed but then recalled something. "Mom, I want to get a job just like Tara and Dawn. I can't live on your money all the time… I don't even have money", I said.
"Sweetie, you don't have to work at all. Mommy makes enough money for both of us. You are still young, you can find a job later… If you want, I can give you some money", she replied. I shook my head, "Tara said earning money is hard, so I need to learn how to earn money. What about the future? I will still get money from you?". Mother sighed, then asked what sort of work I had in mind. "Well... I've been learning Formations since I was little… I thought that could be my job. You know, stuff like making Formations for people who ordered them", I replied.
Mother smiled and asked about more details. "I'm not too sure how this would work exactly, but there are a few examples already. There are shops in Sedon which do that exact thing. I figured this could be the way for me to make some money. For example, there is this bow shop where the owner has only a few bows on display. She instead makes them to order. Moreover, each bow is unique to each customer. Although I'm not as good as Suly or aunt Alicia, I can still place some Formations. Due to my inexperience, I could charge less in order to sell my items… Now that I think about it, this would help me improve my Formations skills, as well as earn some money", I replied.
"That is not a bad idea, love. Though you know the rules. That trip with Tara was an exception, but also an experience for you… Besides, mommy will be lonely without you", she said. "Mom, don't play the lonely card with me. I'm not trying to leave you alone, I'm just trying to make my own living. I will be an adult soon, I can't live with you forever", I replied. "I know sweetie, but sixteen years old... ", she added. "There might be a way for me to work, and stay at home… At least for now. Tara travels to Sedon quite often, at least three times a year. She also goes to the Land of Sands. If I give her some of my Formations, she could sell my work and get people interested at the same time… There is a drawback too. Making items with Formations to order, will be impossible under such circumstances. Tara travels around those places only a few times a year, which means my income will not be that great. Though not perfect, it's a start. This should satisfy your conditions too", I explained.
Mother thought about my idea, then proposed something, "You came up with a very good plan already. Indeed this satisfies all my conditions, but I have a proposal. How about I find some people who can make those trips more often. You will of course pay them for such service, but the potential of profit is bigger with more items sold". 'Perhaps that is true, but I'm after independence, not dependence', I thought then replied. "I want to start this out by myself. Tara is my friend, and she goes to those places anyway. This sort of idea would be great, when my items sell really well. For now, I should start slow and see if anyone buys whatever I have on sale. I should talk with Tara about this too…". I stopped for a moment, before asking her, "Mom, can I go visit Tara very quickly? I will be back by tomorrow, and the distance is not that large. With Turry, I can make it before the night time no problem".
She rolled her eyes, but allowed me to go. "You are back tomorrow, as promised", she reminded me. "Of course, I'm only going to talk business with her, and return after that", I promised. "Haha, look at you. Already calling this a business. Well, mommy wishes you the best of luck with your business", she added and waved goodbye. 'I have a good feeling about this. I only hope Tara will help out a bit… I will need to pay her something as well, probably', I thought then urged Turry to speed up.
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