Hokuou Kizoku to Moukinzuma no Yukiguni Karigurashi

Chapter 62: Thüringer

Volume 2 — The Honeymoon of the Northern Nobleman and the Raptor Wife

Today, I will be making sausages.

The workroom did not have any heating, that my breath was white.

Since we were making food, I tied up my hair and put it under a hat, tied a cloth around my mouth. I also wore different working clothes, a white one with an apron.

I thought father-in-law’s eyes were kind, but before we started making sausage, his two grey eyes beamed. They were like those of a noble raptor soaring through the sky.

Sieg and father-in-law were daughter and father indeed.

After we finished changing, he told me the secret to making sausages.

“Anyhow, make sure that the temperature of the meat does not get high. You must keep the meat’s temperature low for a delicious sausage!”

“I see!”

When it was about sausages, father-in-law became passionate. As the student, that energy was infectious.

“This is important for making sausage.”

From a cold storage, a white object was brought out. When I wondered what it was, he answered that it was salted sheep intestines.

“The salt will be washed away for about an hour.”

It seems that father-in-law put the intestines in water before breakfast. Then, that will be washed properly and wrapped around a stick.

“And this is the most important thing.”

“Oh, ohh!”

With a bang! two large pieces of meat were placed on the table. They’re pork, the lean meat and the back meat, kneaded with salt and saltpetre then frozen.

“What’s most important is to not let the meat get warm!”

Sausage is made under low temperature, so that the spice and the fat would mix well. If the temperature goes, apparently the fat comes off and the texture becomes worse.

“Then you grind the meat! It is alright in winter, but in summer you have to wash your hands in ice water before you do it!”

“Hehh!”

Even in winter, if the work drags on, the hands get warm so they still use water to keep their hands cool. The tools are also chilled. Even the meat is half-frozen.

“Unless we do not take this much care, we will not be able to get the delicious texture. I am saying this many times, but be careful about the temperature.”

“Yes, sir!!”

I diced the meat and then ground them finely in the meat grinder.

“Once it is ground, add the powdered spices.”

Fitting of the name ‘Thüringer’, it uses herbs harvested from the forest or grown in the area.

Garlic, majoram, caraway, coriander. There were many spices I saw for the first time.

After the meat is seasoned, it is put into a metal container that had many blades that looked like feathers. The lid is shut tight, then the contents are stirred by rotating the handle.

Even in this container, there was ice. It seems that they are needed to keep the meat cool.

Even as I kneaded the meat, ice was added. Even though I wasn’t touching it, the fast rotating blades heated up the meat.

While taking shifts, we managed to grind the meat into soft and lustrous meat.

“Hm. Great emulsion!”

“S-So, this is, a great emulsion!?”

Emulsion, finely ground meat.

The finished meat is then put into the sheep intestines.

One end is tied, then the processed meat is stuffed into the intestines.

“Ritzhard-kun, do not let your focus slip!”

“Yes, sir!”

Even though a nice emulsion was made, the sausage was not complete. Here, if too much time is taken to stuff the meat, the temperature rises and the quality becomes bad.

I quickly stuffed the meat into adequate lengths.

At the end, I wiped the water off and dried them with a drier. If the water is not removed properly here, the skin apparently becomes crumbly.

After that, it is processed a bit, boiled then cooled. Then it’s done.

Father-in-law took out some Thüringers that were just made. He lit the stove outside, laid on a metal wire grill and put on some sausages.

“Sir, these are the goods you requested.”

Coming on horseback, the servant had a basket covered with a white cloth. The contents were unknown.

Father-in-law wordlessly received the basket as he continued to grill the Thüringer sausages with a sharp gaze.

The tools for grilling sausages were interesting as well. The handles were like those of scissors, but the ends were flat to make it easier to grab sausages.

With a clicking sound, the surface was cut open. From that part, oil flowed out.

As a nice smell flowed out, father-in-law flipped the sausages over with a serious expression. Nicely cooked, the sausages were like works of art.

With swift movements, father-in-law removed the covers from the basket. What was there were long breads that were slit open.

In one of them, he placed in a grilled Thüringer sausage. It was a bit strange, with the sausage being longer than the bread. As a finishing touch, he sprayed on mustard.

“Eat!”

“Yes!”

One bite. The sausage was long, so the first bite did not reach the bread.

It did not have the mustard either, so I could savour the taste of the Thüringer itself.

It made a nice, crisp crunchy sound as I bit into it. And from inside, the meaty, spiced juices flowed out. The meat was firm and bouncy, and the more I chewed the more I could taste everything.

I burned my tongue a bit from the juice, but I couldn’t stop eating.

“Father-in-law, this is amazing!!”

“Of course, of course!!”

Father-in-law too was eating a grilled sausage.

At the third bite, I reached the bread and the mustard.

“——!?”

The Thüringer on its own was plenty delicious, but together with bread and mustard it was amazing beyond knowledge.

The hard bread and the juices from the sausage went well together. The spicy mustard was outstanding in combination with the Thüringer which did not have a spicy flavour.

It’s delicious. It’s just delicious!! I could only say this.

“How is this?”

“I want to be a child of this house!”

When I said that, father-in-law laughed heartily while showing his white teeth, returning to the usual kind old man.

◇◇◇

“Adeltraud was bored because Ritz wasn’t here for lunch.”

“Oh.”

It seems that the princess wanted to have a secret conversation with the old fairy. I did a bad thing.

After that, I did not return to the house even at lunch, filling myself with sausage with bread. I worked a bit more then I returned. By then, it was already dark outside and my belly was already empty.

“Anyway, I didn’t expect that you would take a bath with father again.”

“Yeah. Well, I was surprised too.”

After returning home, we had a similar exchange to yesterday’s, and ultimately bathed together again.

Just like yesterday, Sieg came over to my room while I was drying my hair after fleeing from the bathroom.

Again, Sieg tidied my hair.

The way she stroked my hair felt good. At this rate, I’ll end up falling asleep. To hold on to my consciousness, I talked about what happened at the ranch today.

When my hair was dried, she decorated it and even put on a headband.

“Thank you, Sieg.”

“……Yeah.”

Sitting next to me, her tone was grim. Maybe she overexerted herself. Out of panic, I looked at her.

“Sieg, what’s wrong? Are you unwell?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Are you tired from drying my hair?”

“It’s different.”

“Then why do you look so sad?”

When I looked at her, her mouth was tightly shut.

“Sieg, I won’t know unless you tell me.”

“……”

“Sieglinde, please tell me.”

Because she didn’t stop being stubborn even after I pleaded, I teased her plump and soft lips with my finger.

“!”

“There will be trouble if you don’t tell me quickly.”

“……It’s different, it’s just my unruly behaviour.”

“Hehh, I see. However, I want to know that side of Sieg as well.”

While saying that, I gently caressed her thighs. They still feel very good.

“Ritzhard, wait.”

As she commanded, I stopped and fixed my posture.

After a moment of silence, Sieg started talking.

“I know I shouldn’t say this to diligent workers, but,”

“?”

“……I felt displeased because you looked so friendly with father.”

“I-I see.”

“……”

Sieg was feeling down because I was being so friendly with father-in-law.

However, I can’t suddenly stop meeting him. It’s a difficult problem.

Then, I had a good idea so I blurted it out without thinking it through.

“Right, okay! Let’s bath together from tomorrow on!”

“Alright.”

“!?”

“You can’t do that!” or so I thought she would say, but she coolly agreed.

When I was about to say that the words slipped, the servant came and informed us that dinner was ready.

What should I do? What will happen from tomorrow.

Even as I thought of such things, needless to say, my face became loose from happiness.