Gourmet Emperor : Building A Nation

"Master Ikki, what do you want to do now?" (Matius)

"I think there's nothing else we can do here. Let's return to the village"

"Ah but we still want to hunt for a while again. Do you mind if we only accompany until the valley entrance?"

"No, no at all. We can go back to the path we took when we going here this morning"

"I'm glad to hear that master Ikki. There're some leftover meats, do you want to bring with you?"

"Okay, thank you. And if you can, please save the fats for me from the prey that you hunt?"

"Fats? Alright. It does not have any use for us anyway"

After agreeing on a few things we leave that place. Along the way to return, I pick some spices that I found like Camellia (Camellia Sinensis), from which I can extract some oil from its fruits and tea from its leaves. Oil from fats gives delicious meaty aroma, but oil from plants has a healthier nature.

Finally, we arrive at the valley entrance and have to part with Matius-Marius brothers. I and Silvie take the path where we coming from, and they take another path to the different area of forest. Along our way back to the village, we talking about herbs that she used for medicine, and she sometimes also ask for the usage of some spices that I pick along the way. It's a beneficial talking for both side, I can learn about medicine from Silvie, Silvie can learn some cooking and spicing techniques from me.

"Ikki, this jeru' really can be used for cooking. I never thought about it"

"Yeah, it suits with fish cooking because can remove the fishy aroma from the fish and bring fragrant aroma"

"Also to grill fish within leaves wraps also a new thing for me. It would make the fish not burnt when grilled like usually I do"

"Oh? You do burn the cooking often?"

She bashfully nodded while giggling. I also laugh when seeing that, no wonder her mother scold her yesterday. We walk side-by-side while talking until we saw a small stream that leads to the village.

"Ah, we already half-way to the village, and arrive there before dark"

"Yeah, I can't wait to give this food to father, he will…..Ouch!"

Silvie hasn't finished her words when she suddenly walks lamely. It's seem something happens with her leg

"What happens? What happens to your leg?"

"I think…I step on a torn there. Something pricking my shoes and stab my feet sole"

I see her 'shoes' that she wearing. It's not like our shoes in the modern era. It made from straws like Liu Bei in Three Kingdoms story used to sell when he young (illustration link at author thoughts). It's hard to look at what stab her soles if she not sit down and remove her shoes from her leg.

"Okay"

Since she a bit troubled when walk, I let her use my shoulder to support her, which causing her blushing. After she sits down on the stone, I took off the shoes that she wearing. And when I see her sole feet, there's indeed a big torn that prick the sole and stuck deep there.

"Ah, a big torn is prick your feet. This must be hurt. Wait a minute, I'll clean the wound before applying for some medicine there"

I wash her feet with some water that I take from the stream before I remove the torn. She gnashed her teeth to hold the pain when I pull the torn from her feet. After the torn removed, I want to smear some iodine tincture on the wound before putting a plaster on it, I bring some first-aid kit on my backpack by the way, so I ask her to lift her feet higher.

"Silvie, raise your leg higher. I want to smear medicine on the wound"

"Ikki, you don't have to do that….."

"If your wound not giving medicine it would be infected if you step on something dirty" I cut her words. And without waiting for her consent, I lift her leg to smear to iodine. What I forgot is, she's currently wearing a one piece long dress that covers her body until her knee. And when I lift her leg, her dress also stretched into her thigh revealing her white thigh and…

Oh my God, she's not wearing underwear. From my squatting position in front of her, I can clearly see what's between her legs. I can see a line that divides a damp mound under golden bushes there. For a moment I was stunned don't know what to do, until her voice awakens me.

"Ikki, do you like what you see?"