Second Problem: Winter Prep Work

In those summer days, Myne always sweeps the floor and cleans where she can. She also opens all windows, and uses what little energy she has to magically remove the stink in their home and bedding.

Her entire family, herself included, has horrible body odor.

Including greasy hair, and greasy, grimy skin.

Uggghhh...

Myne was glad she knows how to make things primitively.

Using fruits for their oil filtered through cloth, hot water and some salt, Myne had Tuuli get water in a tub...

'Are you making new soup again?' Tuuli asked her sister.

'Nope. I watch from the windows and saw two types of people.' said Myne. 'I want us to be like them too.' she said.

'Like who?'

'People who have shinier hair and cleaner skin.' said Myne. 'We wash our hair in this, then use the rest of the remaining hot water in the stove to scrub ourselves with.' she said. 'Tuuli needs to be clean more because Tuuli goes out a lot.'

So they scrubbed themselves after cleaning their hair...

'So this is clean...' Tuuli mused as they dressed back up and threw the dirty water out. 'I feel good!' She was long used to her state of greasy and griminess, but feeling clean was a whole lot new experience for her that made her feel good.

'I wish we can clean our clothes too.' Myne pouted. 'But we're too small for that...'

'We'll ask mom, OK?'

'OK!'

And so...

'So that's why you two look clean...' Gunther mused. 'Kids, nobody works on Earthday except for us soldiers, so maybe we can wash things we need by the river outside the city.' he suggested.

Myne had to adjust to longer years here.

Instead of 365 days a year, here it's 420, and a month has five weeks in it, but still seven days in a week.

The seven days of the week are Waterday, Sproutday, Fireday, Leafday, Winday, Fruitday, and Earthday; they are named after the sequence of how plants grow from season to season, with Earthday representing the fallow land in winter. Equivalent to Earth's Sunday, Earthday is a day off for most professions other than soldiers and priests.

The five weeks in each month are named the Week of Water, the Week of Fire, the Week of Wind, the Week of Earth, and the Week of Life, after the Eternal Five gods in Yurgenschmidt's religion. Each season lasts approximately three months, but that can vary depending on how hard the gods are working.

Tuuli also got attention from the boys she hangs out with for being clean and 'smelling nice'.

That dinner, Effa and Gunther also helped each other get clean, after hauling water up and boiling it...and scrubbing themselves with rough cloth to get clean...

End result, they got promoted in their jobs.

Gunther was still Captain, but got better-paying duties as a result. His salary became 150000 rions, or one large silver and five small silver.

Effa who was a fabric-dyer was moved to the weaving department, earning seven small silver now.

Thus to keep their promotions, some things has to change! That on Earthday, Effa and the kids left town to wash their bedding and the parents' clothes. For five Earthdays, it's bedding, clothes, underwear and socks. Summer was utilized well so clothes dry faster! Once they're done with the dry clothing, they would call their father, get a wagon and haul everything back up.

The walls are scrubbed clean in the living space as are the table, chairs and floors because every winter, they make crafts to sell. They can't sell dirty crafts!

Thus the floor, tables and chairs and things she could reach became Myne's day job while on Earthday, the walls are Effa's job.

Myne made it a rule to leave shoes by the doorway to keep their floor clean. She never stops to scrub things she can reach, and dedicated her magic to get dust and sand out of their house as well as cobwebs, so it's only deep-rooted grime left.

'Well, we're ready for autumn and winter now!' said Gunther happily.

That, and they 'bathe' every two days as a result. It's a family activity as Myne noted that peasants don't know the concept of nudity shame and the like.

xxx

Autumn...

'OK Myne! Now that you can join us in winter preparations, we'll get done with plenty of stuff in no time!' said Effa cheerfully.

'What do you usually do?' Myne asked her mother.

'Well, we do house repairs, and stocking up on necessities.' said Effa. 'Since you're too weak to crush fruit for oil, you'll help me get oil using Beef Tallow.'

That stinks...right...?

'We have some wax, so if we mix melted wax with oil, it can make lamp oil or candles.

Oh, so some things just don't change.

'OK. Then I boil it with some salt water and...have mom help me filter bad things out again.'

Thus Effa learned how to make clean oil from her daughter, effectively teaching her how to precipitate the material to produce cleaner oil by explaining in a really simple way.

Tuuli wondered HOW they got clean oil as a result, before they began making candles.

'Leave the candles to me Tuuli, you probably have other jobs.' said Myne, making Tuuli light up at the idea of being freed from one chore.

'I can get other things done quicker! Thanks Myne!' and Tuuli ran off.

'...what does Tuuli usually do...?' Myne asked her mother.

'She makes small baskets for sale so she needs material to work with, and daddy will lacquer it for her afterward.' said Effa. 'Baskets are valuable to fishermen to store bait for fishing as well as small fish. That's a good we poor folk can't afford unless we fish our own fish by the river. And it's not that filling, we'd rather have meat!' she scoffed. 'A full tummy in winter is very important!'

'Oh...'

'Then what does mom do?'

'If all daddies make furniture or fixing their tools for work, us ladies spin fibers into thread and weave fabric on the loom, before making clothes.' said Effa, counting out how many balls of yarn she has. 'Making clothes is our most important job, you know? If we don't spin enough thread for weaving cloth or sewing, and if we don't dye things in advance, we won't be able to make anything. My old job is dyeing thread, so I already have enough of that for now, but I'll need to spend some time preparing some plants, like nilen, to spin into more thread next year.'

'Speaking, we also need enough material to make your sister's baptismal dress this coming Summer. So we'll spend all winter making fabric, and all spring for the embroidery work as well as crafting the dress...'

And other than spending time on crafts...

The whole family has gone out.

'Where are we going?'

'To a farming village nearby, we'll be borrowing a shed.' said Gunther. 'We'll process meat in today's Pork Processing Day! We'll make sausages and potted meat!'

Myne's mind went to spam, hot dogs, sausages, and bacon. Things a medieval world can definitely make as they taste better than potted meat any day soon. But she'll make it with healthier alternatives while still good as preservation material to mix into fat with.

She'll do the same with sausages. It's why she had Tuuli gather specific stuff for her.

Upon getting to the farming village, there's already a crowd!

'Oh no, they've already started!' Gunther gasped out.

'Come on girls, let's run!' Effa cried as everyone rushed out of their cart, taking their materials with them.

A whole pig costs 300000 lion, and dad saved up for two. Two whole large pigs, is sufficient enough to provide for winter for all four of them. They also bought a ton of vegetables, which last through winter and dried them to preserve them.

Had they been richer, they could make some types of Tsukemono. But to afford that luxury, both parents must at least, earn 5 large silver. But alas, they don't earn well.

Upon making spam which she insists is her job after being shown how before Gunther does the 'hard parts' which is too much for a child. Hot dogs can wait. It took a whole day to get everything done.

'Myne is well enough to work?'

'Yes, she recovered at the end of spring and spent the whole summer getting stronger, so she's here with us today.'

'That's good, poor girl is sick all her life...that's definitely not a fun life for kids.'

Myne heard the ladies talk while she worked.

Its a stinky job, that after this, Gunther will get more wood, the girls'll bathe, wash current clothes and go home afterward. Gunther will bathe at home.

Then wait till winter to enjoy the goods.

Until then, they kept on gathering materials, while she makes more candles...that by winter, they're safely all set with food and handicraft materials for craft work.

'Tuuli, show Myne how to make baskets, because you'll learn how to weave and embroider from me to prepare for Tuuli's apprenticeship next year.' said Effa to the girls. 'This way, we can make Tuuli's Baptismal Dress on time.'

'Yes mom!'

Winter was thus busy, and Myne made simple, but deep baskets. She cannot make complex baskets or questions will rise...

Soups were a treasure, and bread a rare resource as it's hard to come out during blizzards that Gunther tends to sleep at Gate Barracks as winter is where security is harder. All soldiers on deck! He also cooks soup for his troops, praised as the best cook for his group.

And on clear days, they go out and bring home unique fruits called Paru.

A beautiful pure white fruit...apparently like a coconut.

Myne watched Tuuli grab a heated firewood that's still on fire, poked a hole through the fruit and poured a milky-white juice into a bowl. There's four.

'One for us each?' Myne remembers original Myne getting some before her death, to be replaced by Enma Ai. It smells good and really sweet.

'Yup! And we get oil from Paru and use the insides we dry up as bird feed!' Tuuli piped up. We'll trade the bird feed for eggs off of a family we're acquainted with.

'Oh, OK.' Myne used psychometry on the fruit...and was astonished.

This was reason commoners can survive malnourishment. It's a magical fruit that rejuvenates the whole body. If she uses the oil for skin and hair, what are the results?! However, the oil...will evaporate as it won't survive past winter.

'...we're using the oil for bathing.' Myne decided.

'But Myne, bathing in winter is too cold...' Gunther shivered while straining lees for bird feed.

'That's what hot water is for.'

They can't see the results now because it's dark at home...but going out on clear days...

'Whoa, what did you do to yourself?!' the Southern Gate troops gaped openly at Gunther's wholesome change.

Gunther's dark skin went five shades fairer and his hair more vibrant, glossy and healthier, and lost some wrinkles that he 'looks younger. No sign of skin discoloration whatsoever nor rough calloused skin he peeled off post-bathing with Paru oil...

'I just take a bath! Nothing else!' though he did share the secret to his closest friends...

Chaos also occurred at Effa's workplace that she was delegated to the workshop where sewing actually occurs, her salary becoming 1 large silver and five small silver, like her husband's. Total family income now is three large silver. Effa cannot say no to her boss who happens to be Corinna of Gilberta Company...

When winter passed by, a few families went beautiful as a result.

At spring, Effa sold Myne's baskets to fishermen of Eastern Gate. Due to the sheer practicality of the shape, size and accessibility, she was able to sell each basket for 1 large copper each, that she gained 5 small silver in total after a few days' trips.

The real problem begins...

Due to eating healthy, the girls grew. Tuuli gained weight looking like a very healthy, but still-slender girl and gained a couple inches in height. Myne gained 'two heads of height', looking like a proper six year old should in modern Japan. Effa now has problems in making clothes!

'Oh boy, can't we work together in making clothes?'

'I'll teach you girls how, so please listen seriously...'