← Previous Chapter | Chapter Index | Next Chapter →

The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

[Let's Begin Dietary Therapy]

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

「Wash your handth well with thoap, wipe them with a clean cloth, and then dithinfect with alcohol.」

「You really have to be that strictly careful!」

In this world where the concept of hygiene is thin, going this far would likely make one appear to be an extremely neurotic person.

「Yup. We are making food for long-term thtorage, tho I don't want any unnethethary bacteria getting in ath much ath pothible. The quality could get bad, or wortht cathe, it could rot and become utheleth. And it'th for people who are physically weak to eat, too... Okay then, Lily, pleath cut the wathed cabbage into rough thtripth. It'th okay if they aren't even. Dean, pleath cut the appleth into thin wedgeth and line them up on a plate.」

While giving instructions to each of them, I check the inventory of supplies and how dry the jars are.

Since there are no medicines or supplements, we have no choice but to perform basic dietary therapy.

Given the current situation where so many things are unclear, the only option is to ensure they can ingest nutrients as efficiently as possible.

Lily is struggling valiantly with the shredded cabbage. The plan is to cut several heads of cabbage while taking breaks.

There are six patients in total. Since the people resting on the ship likely make their living through import and export, they might surprisingly be able to procure fruit on their own, so I probably only need to give them a small amount of that.

Instead, it should be better to give them plenty of Sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut.

It is a Western pickle that was actually eaten on Earth as a preventative measure against scurvy.

Magnolia, who lived alone in Japan for a long time, can do housework to an average degree.

...That said, what she made was mostly lazy cooking.

There was a period when she was into making meal-prep side dishes, and Sauerkraut, which can be made simply with salt and cabbage, was a dish she made often for a while because it was a lifesaver when she was busy.Shutterstock

When she was obsessed with "gut health," she often ate yogurt, mushrooms, and the lactic acid-fermented food, Sauerkraut.

She recalls that it was one of her money-saving dishes, ranking right up there with "Throw-Everything-In Hot Pot," since it allowed her to use up the surplus cabbage from special sales.

To improve preservation and taste, referencing the jarred products sold in stores, she is adding bay leaves, caraway seeds, and chili peppers, but juniper berries or any preferred herbs and spices would also work. Of course, if you don't have them, it's fine to just rub in salt and cabbage.

It is a simple item that is ready if you degas it occasionally and leave it at room temperature for a few days.

Since it relies partly on lactobacilli, it takes a bit of a knack to tell if it's rotting or fermenting, but fortunately, she has made it many times, so there is no problem.

It was fortunate that when she searched online for how to make it, information about scurvy (or "Sailing Sickness" here) happened to come up, and she had read through it as trivia.

Truly, humans never know what will be useful; for once, she was genuinely impressed that the saying "no learning is wasted" is actually true.

People of the past really do say good things.

Combine the shredded cabbage with the appropriate amount of salt, put it in a disinfected bowl, and massage it. Once it wilts, lightly mix in the herbs and chili peppers, pack it tightly into the jar to remove air, cover the surface with a clean, well-washed outer leaf of cabbage, use the cabbage core as a pressing rod for pressure, and close the lid. By doing this, you can use the pressure when the lid closes to get the same effect as a stone weight, and there is less worry about accidentally spilling it. Of course, if that's too much trouble, you can just use a normal weight.

By tomorrow morning, a good amount of water should have risen.

Dean cut the apples carefully and lined them up beautifully on the plate.

「Onthe you're done, cut thethe fruitth, cruth them, and try thmearing the fruit juithe on the thurfath of the appleth.」

First, we apply the juice of citrus fruits—lemon, orange, and lime—and watch for a few minutes.

「Ah! The ones without it are turning brown, but these are kinda white?」

Dean looks as possessed as a child doing a science experiment for the first time.

Having roughly understood that citrus fruits seem to promise the same effects as in her previous life, they proceed to apply the other fruits they bought—grapes, kiwi, figs, pomegranates, prunes, quince, and dragon fruit—in the same way.

「Kiwith are colorful, aren't they.」

Some are red, some are blue (?), and just when you think that, some are green like on Earth.

She leaked an honest impression about the kiwis, which, as usual, you can't tell until you cut them open.

「Apparently, they're called 'Rainbow Kiwi,' and there are a few others like green and orange, you know?」

Dean explains what he heard with a smug look. Cute.

It feels like my rough heart is being healed.

...Since it says Rainbow, I wonder if there are seven colors? But then I remember that the count of colors differs by country, and Magnolia stares intently at the Rainbow Kiwi.

(If I recall, the yellow-fleshed Golden Kiwi had more Vitamin C... I wonder if there's a difference depending on the color here too?)

In her previous life, she could distinguish the color by the shape of the fruit and the texture of the fur (?) on the skin, but the kiwis here look exactly the same, so it seems you can't know the color until you cut them.

It's fine if they have more, but I hope it's not the case that depending on the color, they contain almost none of the necessary nutrients.

I ask Dean to wash his hands again and massage the cabbage.

He replies enthusiastically, rolls up his sleeves, and works hard combining the cabbage and salt with his small hands.

While doing that, the oxidation experiment showed that the kiwi also slowed discoloration, and the quince (Marmelo) showed a change that made one think "Maybe slightly lighter?". It was evident that the others had a weak effect.

However, compared to citrus fruits, many of them were browning overall. As a side note, it was thought that perhaps citric acid, in addition to Vitamin C, had something to do with the effect of preventing discoloration.

「I wonder how you eat Malmero?」

「Mostly jam, I suppose.」

Lily, perhaps with tired arms, teaches him while cutting cabbage, taking breaks in between.

「Jam, huh...」

There is some Vitamin C that is resistant to heat, like in potatoes, but most of it is weak to heat, and one should be able to ingest more by eating it raw. Jam means it will be stewed considerably. Would it be safer to exclude it?

「The fruitth here might be hard to uthe for Thailing Thickneth, but they are good for health, tho let'th give them to the Dorm Mother to uthe.」

Saying that, Magnolia separates the fruits with weak anti-discoloration effects into a basket.

What we will keep and use for treatment this time are the Rainbow Kiwis and the citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and limes, which were actually used for scurvy treatment on Earth and were effective.

Leaving the prep of the cabbage to the two of them, Magnolia packs potatoes, vegetables, and fruits into hemp sacks. These are to be given to the patients tomorrow.

Since she doesn't know the economic situation of the patients, she decided to prepare a little extra.

She thinks that if there is no problem with them purchasing their own, there will be no need to bring additional supplies.

「…………」

Holding his breath in the shadows, Ethan was observing the three of them.

Magnolia was giving instructions, and her attendants were doing the work. However, she wasn't arrogantly ordering them around; she appeared to be guiding the two of them while handling the chores that dirtied her own hands.

(Is that child really providing the treatment method...? She intends to cure them with that ordinary food, not medicine?)

Unbelievable. Ethan muttered inside his mouth.

Sailing Sickness can take one's life if it gets severe. He has seen people fall into conditions that were painful just to watch. The cause is unknown; sometimes it cures itself, but sometimes it gets worse.

Because of the bad appearance and the smell, many people spend their time in hiding.

The West is the only land with a sea in both Azenda and the Ascald Kingdom, and since the fortress is located close to the port town of Crews, they often become acquainted with the locals.

Because of that, there were many times when acquaintances contracted Sailing Sickness.

The sailors of Azenda only voyage relatively short distances, but when they occasionally undertake long voyages, they almost invariably contract this disease, so for the past few years, long-term voyages have become an unspoken taboo.

Perhaps because of that, there have been few cases recently, but it seemed that those aboard foreign ships were still contracting it in large numbers.

This time, too, it is an infection among those aboard a ship from another country.

(...It looks like nothing more than a child's trick, though. Shall I wait and see how skillful she is?)

He glanced once more at the three, who were not making any particularly suspicious movements, and quietly left the dining hall.

Exhausted from the carriage travel, the massive amount of shopping, and the unfamiliar work, Lily and Dean didn't care a whit about dust. They were in the land of dreams in the blink of an eye.

There were two beds in the guest room, and one in the adjoining attendant's room.

Inevitably, Lily, being of the same sex, would sleep in the same room as Magnolia.

She had been shrinking in fear at the thought of sleeping with her master, but it seems she couldn't defeat the sandman and fell asleep immediately.

At first, she had furrowed her brows at the state of the room, but fatigue seemed to have won out.

Magnolia laughs softly.

...It seems her feelings are heightened by worry and anxiety, and sleepiness does not visit her at all.

If it doesn't go well. If she can't save their lives. If her diagnosis is wrong and even Lily and Dean get infected. When she thinks that, she feels like she can't breathe.

Resigned, she slips out of bed quietly so as not to make a sound, and relying on the moonlight by the window, decides to do some patchwork with the scraps and needle she brought.

(I wonder if coasters would be good. Or pot holders? Since they have a tea culture, tea cozies might be nice too.)

Warm colors that feel cozy. Cool colors that look clean. Subdued monotones.

It might be nice to coordinate with cute pastel colors.

(...I heard patchwork was popular in Europe, but I don't see it here, huh?)

Moving her hands mindlessly, she connects the small pieces of cloth.

Simple work is just right for calming the mind. She continues to sew silently.

(...I wonder if Lyra, Daisy, and Rosa are doing well.)

She feels it is a lie that only about a week has passed since she left the Royal Capital.

She feels like laughing somehow at this busy life, which is just like being a corporate slave.

She is making herself busy on her own, but since she doesn't find it particularly painful, it must have been like this in Japan too.

(Tomorrow I have to go for a visit and explain things, and check the stalls and shops for acerola or guava. Also, I need to check if there really is no cure for Sailing Sickness.)

She can hear Lily's breathing, Dean's snoring from the other side of the wall, and the faint cry of a night bird in the distance.

Far out the window, she can see the flickering flames of torches—perhaps guards standing watch.

Clutching anxiety in her small chest, the night quietly deepened.

*****

Thank you for reading. If you want to help my hobby please download and install LDP9 with my link down below. Just Click the small yellow LDPlayer Banner.