Chapter 2: Affordable sandwiches
After receiving the blessing of the gods, the two of them looked at each other with expressions full of excitement, wanting to try using magic right away.
"You try first"- Quartz
"No, you try first"- Aster
"As the older sister, I'll let you go first"- Quartz
"No, as the younger sister, I should let the older sister go first"- Aster
Both of them kept giving way back and forth, until finally Quartz gave up and tried first, she looked through the magic she had in the mirror and pointed her hand towards the green grass in front of her.
"Wind Sword!"- Quartz
A gust of wind blew past and the long green grass was cut cleanly, Quartz used her next magic.
"Plow the ground!"- Quartz
The ground began to shake, where the green grass had once been, it had now turned into a brown area, Quartz picked up some soil to check and found it very soft and fertile. She ran into the house while Aster was asking, when she ran out there was a cloth bag containing seeds, Quartz grabbed a handful of seeds and threw them up high.
When those seeds fell to the ground, they automatically planted themselves, the sprouts sprouted and in the blink of an eye, golden rice plants grew. Seeing the first results made Quartz extremely happy, Aster was equally surprised when she just planted the seeds and they grew into wheat.
"It's wheat! They've all grown! This is truly a miracle!"- Aster
"We have to harvest them quickly, although the plants here don't wither easily, let's harvest them first"- Quartz
Quartz used wind magic once again to harvest the wheat plants very quickly, they were tied into a large bundle stacked on top of each other. She had only used a little magic but she felt hot.
"But sis, how do we turn wheat into flour?"- Aster
"You're right, I haven't thought of this... Let's see if there's anything in the house that can be used"- Quartz
Going back inside the house, the two of them looked to see if there was anything that could be used, then Aster noticed a room. This room was originally a warehouse, so who knows if they'll find something useful, walking inside to search, Aster saw something.
"Sister, can this be used? It looks like a flour mill"- Aster
"A flour mill?"- Quartz
The older sister walked into the warehouse to see and saw Aster standing next to a tool that looked like a mill. Seeing the necessary tools, Quartz was very excited, she had a hard time carrying the tools outside, so she immediately started working, but she didn't know if plugging in the electricity would be effective?
Anyway, she had to try, so she pulled the flour mill close to the power outlet and tried plugging it in. As soon as she pressed the button, the flour mill miraculously started working again. So Quartz put the wheat into the mill, and the machine gradually swallowed the wheat stalks. Only when all the wheat was gone did she stop the machine, and opened the machine's barrel, and inside was fine white flour.
"I didn't expect you to be able to make flour. The flour looks so pure white that you can tell it's good quality flour. It's really amazing!" - Aster
"Industrial flour is produced in factories, and there are many steps to preserve the flour for a long time. That's why when you look at it, it feels a bit yellow." - Quartz
Bringing the flour into the kitchen, Quartz took out butter, sugar, salt, and yeast and placed them on the table. Looking at the things on the table, the little sister understood what her big sister was planning to do, so she sat and watched.
First, the dough comes first, mix the flour, a little butter, a little salt and sugar, the most important thing is not to forget to add yeast because it is what will help the dough rise. To make the dough rise faster, add a little warm water just enough to not cook the yeast, then Quartz starts kneading the dough with her hands.
The skill of kneading dough has been carefully taught, so after kneading the dough for a while, seeing the round and smooth dough ball made Quartz very satisfied. What was even more amazing when Quartz covered it with a dry towel to let it ferment was that the dough immediately rose very quickly, making her eyes widen in surprise, then curled her lips and smiled, immediately doing the next step.
After dividing the dough into cake shapes, she used a sharp knife to make three diagonal cuts on the dough so that when baked, the dough would rise larger. Covering it with a towel again, the dough rose very quickly, so she immediately brought the trays of dough out to bake in the oven.
The outside yard was built by her parents because the family prefers to eat outside rather than inside, it feels like a picnic, the kitchen space is not too big nor too small, with enough convenient utensils to use.
Quartz walked over to the brick-tiled stove. This was the stove her father had built with bricks, because according to her father's friend's experience, a brick oven would cook more evenly, creating a rich flavor. Quartz gently put the tray of dough inside, closed the oven lid, and then she went to prepare the other things.
She was secretly thankful that her mother was a person who loved to grow plants, so there were many seeds of all kinds of vegetables in the warehouse. She immediately took them out and started planting, and in just a few minutes, the entire green lawn had turned into a giant garden filled with all kinds of vegetables and fruits.
Holding the basket of carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes, bringing them into the house to wash them, Quartz realized that she had forgotten something very important, where could she find meat or eggs to stuff into the bread? Bread full of vegetables without any protein would be very boring to eat, and there were only two eggs in the refrigerator, which was not worth much.
She went back into the warehouse to look for something that could solve the problem, and there was a box that had never been opened before. Quartz tried to check it and found that it was a straw nest. It was strange. Why did her parents buy this?
Remembering the two chicken eggs, she took the straw nest out and placed the two eggs in it. In just a minute, the two eggs started to move. They shook and cracks appeared on the eggshells. Two chicks hatched from it. They ran to eat the wheat grains next to the flour mill and grew rapidly into a rooster and a hen.
When the hen laid an egg, the rooster used his beak to pick up the egg and brought it to Quartz. Every time the hen laid an egg, the rooster followed and brought the egg to its owner. Their actions made her bewildered. Could chickens do that?
The bread in the oven began to cook and then the aroma from the chimney wafted into the air, coincidentally attracting the attention of a group of people not far away.
After taking the bread out of the oven, the fragrant smell of the bread made everyone crave it. The little sister came out of the house when she saw her older sister finishing the final step of opening the bread, adding vegetables and scrambled eggs, and finally pouring tomato sauce and chili sauce on top, completing a simple sandwich that was delicious, nutritious and cheap.
"A regular sandwich? The kind of sandwich you usually buy on the street?"- Aster
"I know I was in a rush for breakfast today, so a sandwich is a great snack"- Quartz
"Thanks for the food anyway"- Aster
Both of them took a big bite and Aster and Quartz opened their eyes wide in surprise at the crunchy sound of the bread, not to mention the fresh and sweet vegetables. Although this was a sandwich like the ones outside, it tasted much better.
"So delicious!"- Aster and Quartz
"You're the number one chef in the family, big sister!"- Aster
"Don't say that, I'm not that good. I'm just a normal cook"- Quartz
While they were eating and chatting, they didn't notice a group of people approaching them. One of them approached and asked in a deep male voice.
"Can I ask if there's any food here? We want some."
Both of them turned around and were a little startled, the person was wearing a cloak that covered his entire body, looking very suspicious. Seeing the two girls' reaction, the person wearing the cloak immediately explained.
"We don't mean any harm, we just want to ask for some food for the journey. Our food was stolen by the forest monsters on the way, so we're very hungry and thirsty now. Don't worry, we have money to pay."
Seeing the situation of the people in the distance, Quartz and Aster understood the problem, so the older sister immediately made some bread while the younger sister ran inside to bring out chairs and poured water.
"It would be better if you invited your friends to sit down and eat properly"- Quartz
"Is that okay? We'll dirty your chairs"
"It's okay, you guys have come a long way and need to sit down and rest"- Quartz
"Then excuse me first"
The cloaked man immediately turned his head towards his group of friends and said loudly.
"Hey, everyone come here quickly, the female owner allows us to sit here!"
"Really?"
"That's right! Come here and sit down and rest for a bit!"
When the others looked at each other for a while and then walked over to sit on the wooden chairs, Quartz had just finished making the sandwiches and brought them out, so the others, even though they were very hungry, had to behave politely. They each took a sandwich and took a bite, their reactions were exactly like two sisters, they all spoke in unison.
"So delicious!!!"
"What is this, I've never eaten anything this delicious?"
"The vegetables we usually eat can be so sweet?!"
"It's truly a delicacy!"
"I can't stop eating!"
"Can you please make a few more?"
Quartz nodded gently.
"Of course, everyone just eat calmly, there's still a lot" - Quartz
The group of people ate one bread after another until their stomachs were full, and they all breathed out in satisfaction. Looking at the group of people like that, the two sisters giggled, it seemed like this group of people had traveled a long way without eating or drinking anything, luckily passing by their house.
The cloaked person was about to say something but immediately stopped himself, Aster noticed that and asked.
"Do you want anything else?"- Aster
"I'm sorry, our trip is still far, so can I ask you for some more of that sandwich?"
"Hm, we still have a lot of food, but if we put vegetables and eggs in the bread right away, I'm afraid the bread will get soggy, so I'll divide the bread with other food so that when you want to eat, you can make it yourself"- Quartz
"Thank you very much, I'm really bothering you"
"It's nothing, there's no need to be shy about helping others. Let me make more bread"- Quartz
"Ah, don't forget to get some water!"
"Then can we have some water?"
"Let me get it"- Aster
"I'm counting on you, little sister"- Quartz
Aster took the water bottles and brought them inside, while Quartz put the bread dough in the oven and made more vegetables and eggs. The cloaked man carefully observed Quartz's knife-wielding hands cutting vegetables very quickly, the woman's hands showed signs of being a skilled chef.
Realizing that someone was watching her, Quartz did not stop her work and continued.
"Are you wondering about something?"- Quartz
"It's just... it's just that the way you hold the knife is very skillful, I've never seen a woman hold a knife so firmly"
"That's understandable, because being a chef is usually very difficult for women, the kitchen is only for men"- Quartz
"It seems like you really love cooking?"
"Creating delicious dishes that make others happy when eating is my forte. Unfortunately, I can only support, not be the main chef"- Quartz
"Why is that?"
"It's a personal matter"- Quartz
"Oh, then I won't ask anymore"
After finishing the sandwiches and the side dishes were placed in separate plastic bags, when the person in the coat was about to pay, Quartz priced it at 2 silver 600 copper coins. The group immediately stopped when they heard the price and were very surprised.
"Wait a minute, did you price it wrong?"
"What's wrong?"- Quartz
"There's no way such delicious food can be so cheap, 100 copper coins for such a delicious sandwich. Isn't that too cheap, you guys are losing money selling like that!"
"You guys must have miscalculated"
"No, we calculated it right, 100 coins for a sandwich is very reasonable. Moreover, our food is all homemade and not imported from anywhere. Where we live is so cheap, because they are sold everywhere"- Aster
"Where do you live? Aren't you from here?"
"That's right, we are people from far away who just moved here"- Quartz
"Alright, let's not argue anymore, here are your 2 silver and 600 coins"
The big cloaked man immediately put the money on the table and the group started to leave, the hooded man immediately bowed.
"We will never forget this favor"
"When do you have a chance to come back"- Quartz
After that, he went with his group, watching the group go away, Aster coldly snorted and took the coin from her hand.
"His friend is such a rude person"- Aster
"Come on, why bother with him, let's clean up and go inside. And plan our business"- Quartz
"No, I'm tired. I'm going to rest"- Aster immediately ran inside
"You lazy brat, come back here quickly!"- Quartz saw that and immediately chased after her sister
Although that group of people were dressed mysteriously, they were the first guests the two sisters welcomed when they first arrived here.