102話 秋です
早いもので、季節は秋に移り変わろうとしていた。
から後宮である百花宮へと戻って来て、土産配りだとか土産話だとかで引っ張りだこだったが。
時が過ぎれば、いつもの掃除係の生活が待っていた。
「うーん、落ち着くなぁ」
雨妹はそう零しながら、最近増えて来て嵩張るようになった落ち葉を掃き集めながら、すっかり秋模様になっている青空を見上げた。
秋になれば中秋節――日本で言うところの中秋の名月がやって来る。
――アレ、いつも私の分まで足りなかったんだよね......。
これがわざとなのかたまたまなのか、単身家庭だからこんな大きなものは要らないだろうと思われたのか、このあたりの判別は難しいのだが。
――確かに、一人しかいないのにホールケーキサイズはもったいないんだろうけどさぁ!
そんな需要のために単身家庭用に小さな月餅を作るという考え方は、辺境の里ではなかったらしい。
雨妹はそれがあまりに悔しいので、ここ数年は自力で月餅を作っていたが、手に入る材料不足から常に一発本番なのも相まって、未だ満足な月餅を作れていない。
月餅作りは奥が深いのだ。
けれど今年は、
他の地域だと団子を食べたりと、中秋節の食べ物も地域によってまちまちだったりするので、そちらをつまみ食いするのも楽しみにしていたりする。
雨妹にとっての秋は、食欲の秋なのだった。
そんな雨妹はある日、朝からルンルン気分だった。
――秋と言えば、栗だよね!
雨妹は秋の味覚の中でも、栗は焼き芋との二大美味として大好きだ。
後宮には所々に栗の木が植えられていて、この栗の木掃除では、熟した栗の確保も仕事の内だったりする。
当然、後宮内で採れる栗の木だけで、妃嬪たち全てを賄えず、外からも仕入れることになるのだが。
外の栗よりも後宮内で採れた栗を手に入れることが、妃嬪たちの間での位に響くのだとか。
妃嬪とは栗を食べるだけであっても、そのようなことを気にしなければならないらしい。
――普通に「美味しいね!」でいいじゃないね? 幸せで。
ちなみに、収穫した栗の中で形が悪いものは弾かれ、収穫した宮女――この場合だと雨妹が貰ってよいということになっているのだ。
そんなお得な特典があるにもかかわらず、この栗の木掃除は宮女には不人気な仕事であったりする。
嫌がる宮女曰く、棘が痛いから嫌だとか、実を落とすのに頭に刺さるとかいう被害が及ぶわりに、食べる実がショボいのが不満なのだという。
雨妹に言わせれば、そんな程度で泣き言を言っている連中は、栗を一生食べるなと言いたい。
栗の実が小さいのがなんだ、大きければ美味しいというわけでもなかろうに。
というわけでやる気に満ち満ちている雨妹は、栗落としで棘に襲われるのだってなんのその、美味しい栗を食べるためには苦労を惜しまないのだ。
――栗ご飯は好きだし、饅頭に混ぜても美味しいし、あ、月餅に入れるのもいいかも!
栗料理を考えるだけで、夢が広がるというものだ。
そんな風にウキウキで跳ねるような足取りで栗の木へと向かう雨妹だったのだが。
、ちょいといいかい?」
回廊を通る際、
Chapter 102
Time flew so quickly, and it was almost the end of the autumn season.
Yui Mei had already returned to the Hundred Blossom Palace from Kai, and she already finished handing the souvenirs and talking about all their adventures.
What awaited her now was her usual day job as the housekeeper in the Inner Palace.
"Hmm, it's so quiet now..."
More leaves were falling recently as the season went by, and they piled up on top of each other on the ground. Yui Mei grumbled as she swept those leaves, looking up every now and then to stare at the clear, blue sky.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was drawing closer. It was celebrated on the eight day of the lunar month and was considered to be the night of the harvest moon in Japan. The border town where Yui Mei lived before celebrated this day by eating yue bing, more commonly known as mooncakes, as part of their tradition.
'I never had a share back then, coz nothing's left by the time it's my turn....'
It was unknown whether it was on purpose, or perhaps just a coincidence, or maybe they thought that she's all alone in the house, so she didn't need such a large piece -- it was actually difficult to tell what the reason was.
'Well, it's true that it's such a waste if a whole cake is given to someone who is all alone!'
But then, the village never thought of making a smaller cake for such a situation.
Yui Mei had been bitter about it, so she had made her own mooncakes in recent years. Unfortunately, the ingredients she could get her hands on were lacking, so she hadn't been able to make a mooncake she could be satisfied with.
The process of making mooncakes was a deep matter for her.
This year, however, she made a promise to make mooncakes with Mei Na, who also came from a place that ate mooncakes as part of tradition.
The customary food for the Mid-Autumn Festival differed in each region -- for example, the others would prepare dumplings -- so Yui Mei was also looking forward to sampling them, too.
Yui Mei's considered autumn to have it's own flavor, and it invokes a corresponding appetite in her.
One fine day, Yui Mei was in high spirits since early morning as she went about her job. The reason was simple, it was a fortunate day for her, because she finally 'won' the assignment of cleaning near the chestnut trees in the garden..
'Chestnuts are definitely part of autumn, right!'
Of all the delicacies associated with autumn, Yui Mei loved chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes the most.
Chestnut trees dotted the garden of the Inner Palace, being planted here and there, and the the great job of cleaning around the chestnut trees included harvesting the ripe chestnuts. They would pick and collect the ripe ones that had fallen to the ground and distribute them among the concubines of the Inner Palace.
Of course, there was never enough chestnuts to go around every single concubine, given that there were only so many trees planted in the garden, so they would procure some from outside the Inner Palace.
The chestnuts harvested in the Inner Palace were divided among the concubines according to their status, and were preferred over the ones bought outside.
It was actually just a trivial matter of eating chestnuts, but the concubines should still be mindful over this.
'Why can't they just enjoy it normally, and happily at that, while saying stuff like "It's so delish!' right?'
By the way, the deformed ones among the harvest were rejected, and the court lady assigned -- in this case, it's Yui Mei -- were allowed to have them.
Despite the great bargain, it was not a popular job among the court ladies, and that was the reason why it was assigned to Yui Mei, considered as having the lowest rank among them, being the novice that she was.
According to the court ladies who didn't want the job, they consider it to be fraught with danger because of the pain they felt after being stabbed by the prickly shell, as well as when the fruits fell on their head, and yet the reward (the rejects) they could eat was shabby, so it was an unsatisfying job.
Yui Mei wanted to retort that they shouldn't eat the chestnuts for the rest of their life if they're going to grumble about such trivial things.
Yeah, the fruits might be small, so what? Even if they got the large ones, that didn't mean it was automatically delicious.
And so, Yui Mei was filled with determination and willingness to go through all that trouble just to eat delicious chestnuts, even if it would mean she would get hurt when a chestnut dropped on her.
'I love chestnut rice, and it also goes well with manju, and oh! They're great with moon cakes, too!'
Yui Mei's desires all piled up the more she thought about it.
And so, she headed towards the garden where the chestnut trees were, with a spring in her step, but --
"Xiao Mei, can I have a moment?"
Aunty Yang called out to her just as she passed the corridor.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ