Vivian didn’t stand on ceremony with Blake and gave a small wave of her hand. She grabbed a piece of brown Parker bread and tore it into two halves. The crust was slightly crispy while the inside was soft, still radiating the heat of being freshly baked.
She licked the corner of her mouth and couldn’t help but open her small mouth to take a bite. A rich aroma of wheat mixed with the scent of beer exploded in her mouth. What satisfied her the most, however, was the faint, lingering scent of blood within it.
Vivian’s two large eyes sparkled, her gaze filled with the joy of happiness.
“Ah~”
She stuffed the rest of the bread into her mouth all at once, her cheeks bulging into round circles. In the blink of an eye, she swallowed it all.
“Delicious!”
She patted her soft belly. Having just finished eating, Vivian turned her gaze toward the other loaves of bread on the table.
“I’ll take a few more pieces to eat on the road,” she said somewhat greedily.
If she couldn’t finish them now, she would pack them up to eat later. After all, they were free! Vivian pulled a basket from under the table and gave it a light pat.
‘It’s so thoughtful; they even prepared a basket for me.’
Then, she swept the bread displayed on the table clean. Whether it was the cheap rye bread, barley bread, or the expensive whole wheat bread, and butter bread—everything went into the basket until it was packed full. With this, an entire week’s worth of meals was settled. She had saved a large amount on food expenses.
She weighed the heavy basket in her hand. Wait, that’s not right!
‘I am the woman who will become the strongest housewife!’
Vivian’s heart suddenly jolted, and she stopped what she was doing. She had promised to improve her culinary skills and bring happiness to her family. Yet, immediately after making that resolution… she was going to take a bunch of free bread to feed her husband, who was waiting at home like a hungry chick.
‘This… this is just improper!’
She looked at the bread in the basket with regret.
‘Food is still best when made by one’s own hands. It might not be as delicious as a professional chef’s work in terms of taste, but the most important thing about a meal… is that it has to have love!’
With that thought, she silently put all the bread back. Then, she let out a soft sigh, returned the basket to its original place, and turned to leave the ruins of the bakery.
A moment later, Blake lifted the door curtain and walked out carrying a basket of freshly baked bread. He stared at the neatly arranged layers of bread on the table and froze for a moment.
“Did Vivian change her personality?” he whispered to himself, suddenly finding it unbelievable.
Blake had assumed Vivian would take all the bread. Because of that, he had specifically baked a new batch for replenishment.
“To think I even prepared a basket for you…” Blake shook his head with a light chuckle.
***
On the other side of the market, Vivian held up her small bat-headed umbrella, glancing back and forth at several general merchandise stalls.
“I’m telling you, Miss, please stop pacing around,” an impatient stall owner said, having watched Vivian circle around until he was frustrated. “Buy something if you’re going to buy it; otherwise, please leave. You’re swinging back and forth here, making it impossible for me to do business.”
Hearing this, Vivian stopped at his stall. She idly toyed with an unidentified animal bone at the front of the stall and asked, “Do you have any recipes here?”
The stall owner leaned forward slightly; he seemed a bit hard of hearing. “What’s a recipe? A type of vegetable? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a book that records how to cook dishes.”
The stall owner finally realized what she meant. “Oh, so you want to buy a book! Here, look through those and see if the book you’re looking for is there.”
After speaking, the owner pointed to the side of the stall.
“Thank you,” Vivian said softly.
Just a few minutes ago, after leaving the bakery, she had been thinking about how to improve her cooking. At first, she thought about finding someone to teach her. However, finding a teacher was too much trouble, and she wouldn’t be able to slack off properly at home. She quickly rejected that plan.
That left self-teaching. In this world without the convenience of the internet, the ways to learn were very limited. Therefore, Vivian chose to come to the market to buy a cookbook. By following the recipes and practicing daily, she would improve her skills.
She walked over to the spot the owner mentioned and saw several dusty books with yellowed covers piled in a corner. Vivian picked up the top one, looked at the title on the cover, and read it softly:
“The Private Travels of Erickson IV…?”
This book clearly wasn’t a cookbook. It was most likely some trashy novel about a hidden dragon or something… Besides, wasn’t Erickson the name of the current King? You’re really not afraid of being beheaded…
Vivian grumbled at the title before putting it down. She picked up another one. It was titled:
“The Energetic Argonian Maid?”
‘What the hell is this?! Even an Argonian? Is this even a proper book?’
Vivian put the book down in annoyance. She flipped through the remaining books once more.
Alright, there wasn’t a single proper book here…
Disappointed, Vivian put the last book down and shouted to the owner, “Boss, the book I’m looking for isn’t here. Do you know where there might be more—and more proper—books for sale?”
She emphasized the word “proper” heavily, fearing the owner might recommend another inappropriate book.
“Proper ones, eh? Then go check the church,” the owner replied casually, having lost interest since Vivian didn’t intend to buy anything. “However, the church was destroyed by a Demon last week. I don’t know if any books were saved…”
The church actually sells books!
She blinked in surprise. Then, Vivian waved goodbye to the owner and headed toward Ma’en City’s only church. To reach the pinnacle of being a housewife, she would continue her journey until she found a recipe book.
Before the ruins of the Glimmering Church, a simple wooden shack had been constructed. It was covered with a large white cloth. When Vivian first saw it, she thought it was a giant coffin.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
She approached the “coffin” and rapped her knuckles on the door.
“Please wait a moment.”
After a short while, Priest Derek opened the door, revealing his aged but ruddy and spirited face. Seeing Vivian outside the door, the corners of Derek’s mouth immediately curled up as he teased, “Oh? Isn’t this Miss Vivian? Are you here for a divorce? Unfortunately, our doctrines do not allow for divorce.”
“Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re old…” Vivian said slowly through gritted teeth, the veins on her forehead throbbing.
This old man would restrain himself when there were many people around, but when they were alone, he was annoying enough to kill. However, constrained by the tradition of respecting the elderly and loving the young, Vivian could only endure it.
“I heard from others that you might have recipes for sale. Is that true?”
A glint flashed in Derek’s eyes. A customer!
“There is indeed one. Come in and take a look.” He turned and waved, signaling for Vivian to enter. “Sit anywhere. I’ll go check the storage first.”
After saying that, Derek stepped into a small side compartment. Vivian didn’t sit down; instead, she paced around the small shack, observing the simple wooden structure. It was a spacious, rectangular room. A large wooden board hung at the very front. Below the board was a podium.
Vivian walked up to the podium and found a pile of children’s toys on top of it. There were many small wooden dolls and horses, and a wooden longsword leaned against the side of the podium. Neatly stacked beneath the podium were several old introductory textbooks.
Vivian finally realized that this was likely a classroom for teaching children.