Chapter Four #3
“Alaek wasn’t kidding about dwarves getting the job done quick,” Gregor chimed in. “They started last night and have already made progress.”
“That Arrowstone rounded up every dwarf in town to help out,” Brom added.
“That sounds like my father,” Karrida said as she appeared behind me and greeted the two large men with a smile. “I should probably head back soon and offer to help. Otherwise, I might get an earful.”
“Hey, you’re only half-dwarf,” I joked. “But I’ll take you back after we’ve eaten something.”
“The goat cheese?” the ginger-haired woman asked as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Are you willing to stick around for a few more hours?” I asked.
“If it means trying that, then yes,” she quickly replied. “Father can wait.”
“Facing your dad’s wrath is worth it for some goat cheese, huh?” I chuckled.
“I’ve faced his wrath for far less, Noah,” Karrida said with a lopsided grin. “It will be worth it.”
“Well, in that case, do you fancy rounding up some animals for me?” I asked. “We can start putting them in the barn while we wait for the cheese to drain.”
“I’ve already started straining the rest of the bucket!” Ellyn called out from inside. “Raeth will help you round up the animals.”
“Actually, I was planning on heading back to Gladewood to see Ida--”
“She’ll help,” Ellyn cut off the half-orc’s protest, which was quickly followed by a muffled grumble.
“Let’s make the most of the sunshine then,” I said with a clap of my hands.
After Raeth begrudgingly left the warmth of my home, we headed to the numerous pastures holding the sheep and cows and began herding them into the barn.
It was a big enough space that all of the animals could comfortably fit, and the heaters inside meant they would be warm as it gradually got colder.
Ethel, my Shire horse, had taken a liking to the cows, and I was half-convinced she thought she was one of them, so I decided to put her in their section until I had enough time to build her a small stable.
Now that I’d downsized my farm, I didn’t have as much work to do when it came to planting and harvesting. And with it being winter, my workload was already smaller than what it usually was.
But building my greenhouse was still the first thing I wanted to do, as well as expanding my house a little bit more to make room for all of my girlfriends.
The next few hours passed by in a blur, and with all of the animals turned in, milked, and fed, I felt super accomplished.
By the time we were done with the chores around the farm, it was time to check on the goat cheese. There were eight sacks in total, and each of them had drained perfectly.
I got out a wooden chopping board and placed it on my counter, and then I found some of the paddles I used to shape butter and got to work.
I unpeeled the first wad of goat cheese from its cheesecloth swaddle, and I placed it on the chopping board to start shaping it.
Surprisingly, despite the cheese still being warm to the touch, it held its shape pretty well.
It didn’t fall apart or crumble, even after being drained, and with a little sprinkle of salt, the goat cheese was ready in no time.
Maybe that was a part of the evolutionary thing, too. Or maybe the vinegar and lemon juice had caused some kind of chemical reaction to get it to cool off a little.
There were a number of different recipes I could use to try out my new product, but I decided on a simple pasta dish. It was quick, easy, and was definitely going to be delicious.
So, while I left Ellyn to shape the rest of the goat cheese, I put some rigatoni on the stove and waited for it to boil.
Then I cut a chunk of the first block of goat cheese into twelve discs and put them on a baking tray.
I drizzled them with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of rosemary before I put them under the broiler.
While that was baking, I mixed up a blend of oil, vinegar, and honey as a sauce, and I chopped up some of the greens from my farm to have as a side salad. Once all of the greens were prepared, I drizzled the honey sauce on it and placed it in a large bowl for the girls to take what they wanted.
Once the pasta was soft, I poured out almost all of the water but left a little to make it extra glossy.
Then I heated up some vegetable stock and poured that into the pan, and I added some parmesan cheese from my fridge to make it extra thick.
After that, I tossed in some more greens and grabbed the baked cheese from the oven.
I sprinkled the crumbly product on top of the pasta, and the fragrant smell was enough to make my mouth water. After a little dusting of black pepper on top, the meal was ready, and I dished it up onto four plates.
I felt kinda bad that Fang was still with Benni and was missing out on this feast, but I made a mental note to make it up to him once he was back home. With everything that went down yesterday, having him be babysat by Benni took a little bit of pressure off me.
There had been so much to focus on and do today, and even though he was a pretty independent pup, he still needed looking after. He was like my own child in a way, and having him be away, even for a brief amount of time, had allowed me to stay focused on what needed to be done.
Nelly, on the other hand, just lazed about and slept all day, and she only needed a little can of tuna she could pick at when she felt like it.
I forced myself to stop thinking about my best furry friend still stuck in Gladewood and carried the plates over to the dining table.
The girls were already sitting and ready, with their forks in hand and their eyes fixed on the steaming plates.
“You have no idea how excited I am to try this,” Raeth said in her usual calm and monotone voice.
“You sound it,” Ellyn snorted, which earned her a playful kick under the table.
“Shut it, Ears,” the mercenary fired back, but a smirk was tugging at her lips.
“It smells delicious, Noah,” Karrida said as she stuck her fork into the creamy pasta and scooped up a heap.
“Dig in,” I said as I sat down next to Ellyn and stabbed a few pieces with my own fork.
We all shoveled a mouthful in at the exact same time, and the collective groan we let out said it all. The taste was insane, and considering this was the first time I’d ever made goat cheese, I was very impressed with myself.
The crumbles melted in my mouth and mixed perfectly with the parmesan cheese and the softness of the pasta. It was creamy and buttery, but still had that slight tang that bit at my tongue, but in the best way.
I couldn’t put my fork down, even if I wanted to, and I’d almost forgotten about the salad completely. By the time I managed to scoop a few spoonfuls onto my plate, I’d nearly finished the entirety of the pasta, but it was just too good to ignore.
“This is going to be a bestseller, Noah,” Raeth said through a mouthful of food. “Gladewood won’t know what hit it.”
“No one else has any goats able to produce this much milk,” Ellyn said as she scooped some salad onto her plate, too. “You’re going to be the sole contributor.”
“Which means more gold,” Raeth said with a point of her finger. “Lots and lots of shiny gold.”
“Like I don’t already have enough.” I chuckled and went for another bite of pasta. “Do you think Midhallow and Burnberry would be interested?”
“Like Thror won’t be frothing at the mouth when you tell him about this,” my wife joked. “They will both be interested. I know that for a fact.”
“She’s right.” Karrida nodded before she shoved another mouthful down her throat. “No one will say no to this.”
My cheeks blazed with pride, and I felt a warmth build in my chest that wasn’t from the Emberhorn cheese.
It always felt good when I was praised for something I’d produced. But hearing it come from my girls hit differently every single time.
We finished up the meal pretty quickly, but that was only because none of us could pace ourselves with how good it tasted.
After the last few mouthfuls were devoured, Ellyn and I cleared the plates away and did our usual routine at the sink. I washed, she dried.
Once everything was cleared away, it was time for the inevitable. Raeth and Karrida needed to go back to Gladewood, and I could hit two birds with one stone by taking the farmhands back, too.
I readied Ethel and her wagon, and then I drove the small party back to the borders of Gladewood. I pulled Ethel to a stop just in front of the gate to save myself going into town and doing an awkward U-turn.
My farmhands jumped down first with a quick goodbye and a promise of being there bright and early tomorrow, should the town guard be on time.
Then Raeth and Karrida leaned over the side of the box and each let me press a soft kiss to their lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I promised as they both hopped down onto the cobblestones.
“See you tomorrow,” Raeth and Karrida said in unison, which made them both giggle.
I watched the two of them approach the gate while still giggling together, and when the vine opening closed behind them, I finally steered Ethel back toward the Mist Woods.
When Ellyn and I made it home, it felt like I had already done so much with my day. There weren’t any more farm chores to do, but there was still so much I wanted to do that didn’t involve my animals or my crops.
When we got back into the house, I decided the day wasn’t over for me just yet. Sure, the sun was setting, but it was still pretty early to call it a night.
I’d had so many architectural ideas that I wanted to execute, but there was one more that had been playing on my mind.
“Hey, El?” I asked my wife, who had already started wiping down the dinner table to clear away the last remnants of our feast. “I want to build something.”
“Oh?” Ellyn blinked and paused in her cleaning. “What do you want to build?”
I couldn’t help the grin that tugged at my lips, because I knew how happy what I was about to say would make her.
“I want to build a nursery.”