Dinner time.
Arbeit was still nowhere to be seen. Nobody knew where he went.
Mother had already finished eating and went upstairs with the yawning chubby boy. It was said that Booker had a lot of fun with the girl next door and refused to take a nap. He was starting to feel sleepy.
Angelina had also finished her meal. She moved quickly and was washing the utensils used for dinner in the kitchen. That was one of the reasons he liked her so much. She was too sensible and obedient. She was only twelve, yet she already knew how to help out with the household chores.
Father leaned back in his chair and smoked his pipe leisurely, as if he was pondering some life philosophy.
Claude put down his silver knife and fork and wiped his mouth with the folded white linen napkin. He had finally finished eating.
Mother made a pot of beef ribs that night. She must've gotten them cheaply from the butcher, but it was also Claude's favorite dish. It took some time to gnaw on the ribs, so he was the last to finish.
After cleaning up the dishes and handing them to his sister to clean, Claude returned to the dining room to discuss business with his father.
"Father, we'll have a holiday tomorrow on Friday. Eyke, Boa, Wero and I are planning to go fishing in Lake Balinga. We've already rented Sunny's single-sail fishing boat.
We'll set up camp by the lake at night and hope for a good catch.
I won't be going home for the next two days. "
He had no choice. Even though he had decided to go on an adventure in Egret, he had to find an excuse to hide it from his family.
Fishing in Lake Balinga was a good one. After all, it wasn't too far from the sea and the youths there were all good swimmers.
Of course, the previous owner of this body, young Claude, fell into an ice cave and fell ill, allowing the transmigrator to take over his body. That wasn't because he wasn't good at swimming, but because the weather was too cold and he wore too many clothes. His body wasn't prepared and he ended up cramping after falling into the ice cave.
Had it not been for Wero and the other two grabbing his clothes in time, the transmigrator might've run out of suitable transmigrators.
Other than that, fishing was another way to earn money. The youths of Whitestag would find a fishing boat to do odd jobs for a few days to earn some money. It was a very common thing and nothing to be surprised about.
Renting a small fishing boat like Claude was quite common, but it required a bit of luck.
Without the guidance of seasoned captains and fishermen, it was impossible for newbies to find fish nests and catch fish on the lake. After all, Lake Balinga was too big.
Morssen put down the black mulberry pipe in his hand and looked at his second son. "Are you short of money?
You want to learn to fish and work? "
Claude nodded. "Yes. I bought something and now I owe Boa, Eyke, and Wero some money.
Therefore, I hope to use these two days of vacation to catch some fish. If I'm lucky, I should be able to return it immediately. "
"How much do you owe?"
"Not much, just a thale and three riyases."
"What did you buy?
Where did you buy it?
What kind of item would cost so much money? "
Morssen really wanted to know whether his second son had been scammed. He was only sixteen, yet he spent a month's worth of a commoner's income on something. If he really had been scammed, as the town's chief executive, he had to teach those people a lesson about the rules. That would be a challenge to his authority.
Claude shook his head. "Father, don't worry. I didn't fall for it or get scammed.
I bought it from Monck's shop, or rather, the shop that specializes in fishing gear and boat supplies. It's a cookbook that the old owner, Picak, collected back when he was still around. It's made from animal hide and has a history of more than a hundred years. I believe it was passed down from a noble family.
It should be an antique cookbook. It looks quite exquisite and has a total of seventeen recipes in it.
I remembered that my mother's birthday was next month, so I wanted to buy it as a gift.
However, the owner, Wakri, asked for two thales. In the end, Boa and Eyke had to help me haggle down the price to one thale and three riyases before I got the deal. They were the ones who paid for it. "
Morssen didn't bat an eyelid. "Bring me the cookbook. I'll see if it's really an antique and worth the price. I believe I, as your father, should know better than you."
Claude then went upstairs to get the cookbook.
Since the diary hidden inside had been copied and deciphered, the cookbook no longer held any meaning for him.
Additionally, the contents of the diary and the strange coincidence on the last page made Claude feel rather wary.
It was as if there was something strange about the cookbook that happened to fall into his hands and allowed him to discover its secrets.
Claude wanted to get rid of the cookbook as soon as possible. It was useless and troublesome for him to keep it.
In the future, if someone were to see the diary hidden in this magic cookbook and know that this cookbook had been collected by him, then it was very likely that he would immediately think that he could also see the words in this cookbook. That would mean that he had magic talent …
The thought of that made his scalp go numb. When he bought the cookbook, he said that he was going to give it to his mother as a birthday present. Apart from his three friends, Wakri was also there. Who knew if they would tell anyone else about it?
It was fine to keep it for a short period of time, but it would be suspicious if he didn't take it out on his mother's birthday.
Why did he keep the cookbook like it was a treasure? It wasn't like he could cook, so what was the point of keeping it?
Was there some kind of secret hidden in the cookbook?
From a certain point of view, transmigrators suffered from mild delusions of being persecuted. After all, they had transmigrated to a completely foreign world and they had turned from a thirty-year-old into a sixteen-year-old middle school student.
That was why transmigrators cared a lot about whether their actions were different from others and whether their words and actions didn't fit in. The more they felt conflicted about it, the more they would think about it.
Fortunately, transmigrators weren't at the level where there would always be people trying to harm them. As long as he could get rid of those worries, he would be able to return to his normal state.
He handed the cookbook to his father. "This is it."
Mr. Morssen took the recipe, placed it under his nose and sniffed it. Then, he opened the spectacles box on the table, put on the pair of spectacles that could be used as magnifying glasses, and began to carefully examine the cover and hide paper of the recipe …
After a long while, he finally took off his spectacles and nodded in satisfaction. "At least Wakri has the integrity of a merchant. He doesn't fool people like those peddlers.
This cookbook is indeed an antique. One thale and three riyases isn't that expensive. "
"I think so too," Claude agreed.
Claude nodded in agreement. "It's mainly because it's made of animal skin. It looks really luxurious.
That's why I'm guessing that this cookbook was used by a noble's family when the late king was reviving the kingdom. That's why this cookbook ended up in the outside world and was bought by those peddlers before being sold to Monck's general store.
That's why I wanted to buy it as a birthday present for my mother because of the seventeen delicious dishes recorded in the book.
I'm sure she'll be really happy when she sees it. "
Claude reached for the cookbook in front of his father. As he expected, his father reached out and grabbed the cookbook.
"Ahem, ahem …" His father coughed and shook his head. "Claude, as your parents, we're very happy that you have such filial piety.
It's just that you're still young and you don't have any financial resources, so we won't ask you to buy anything expensive for your birthday. Just the thought of it is enough.
This cookbook is indeed a good birthday present for your mother, but it's an antique. It's too much of a waste to leave it in the kitchen for your mother to learn how to cook. Not to mention, the cover and hide of the cookbook might be damaged.
That's why I've decided to keep it in my study.
Of course, if your mother wants to learn how to cook, you can make a copy of it. To your mother, a copy of the cookbook is a more meaningful birthday present. "
"But Father, I still owe them money for this cookbook …" Claude didn't seem to be willing to give up.
Morssen drew out of his bosom his black buckskin purse, trimmed with gold, from which he drew out two thales, thought for a moment, put back one, and laid the other on the table.
"How about this. This cookbook cost you one thale and three riyases. I'll pay for the one thale and take the other three riyases for your mother's birthday present. Make a copy of the cookbook again and you'll have a birthday present for your mother, won't you?"
"I can't believe it …" Claude nearly fainted. He finally understood how stingy his father was.
"But I'll have to buy a good book and cover paper to make a copy of the cookbook!
I don't have any money on me … "Claude looked at his father with a wronged expression.
"Didn't I give you two riyases to buy the book two days ago?"
"I bought a pure silver hair clip for Anna and four pirate figurines for Booker. I've already spent them all."
"Look at you …" Mr. Morssen let out a long sigh and reprimanded him earnestly, "You're already an adult, yet you spend your money recklessly. You don't even have the slightest plan. You just do whatever you want and buy whatever you come across.
Anna is still young, so why did you buy her such an expensive hair clip? A few sunars would do.
And Booker, his toys are either worn out or broken after a few days, so there's no need to buy him new ones all the time.
I know you love your siblings, but don't spoil them like this.
The money I gave you was for you to buy books, not for you to buy them gifts.
Think about it. Spending money is fun, and buying gifts for your brother and sister is happy too. But where are the books you promised me to buy?
You can't go back on your word. That's the most basic quality a man should have. "
Claude finally understood that his father knew where he was spending his money. He was just using this opportunity to teach him a lesson.
"Forget it. One thale it is, then," Claude muttered.
"At most, I'll go fishing for the next two days. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to sell them for a good price. Then, I'll have enough money to buy the books.
I'll do what I promised. It's not like I won't buy the books. "
"Sigh, you're so stubborn."
His father took out another riyase from his pouch. "It's not that I don't want to give you another thale, but given your personality, you'll buy whatever you want with money. You don't have the concept of spending money at all.
When you run out of money, you'll ask your parents for more. Not only will you fail to develop the habit of being thrifty, you'll become a spendthrift.
My salary of three thales a month is only one riyase a day.
It's not easy for your parents to earn money, and they're willing to spend it on you.
But I hope you learn to cherish your money. Don't spend anything you don't have to and plan when you buy things. Take this riyase. Just treat it as me working for nothing today. "
Claude curled his lips and reached for the silver and copper coins on the table. Don't think I don't know that you have other ways to earn money. Our family would've starved to death long ago if we relied on your monthly salary as a civil servant.