Chapter 370 Hannah's Worry
As Marg went up to the guest room, Sara headed to the staff dining room next to the kitchen for a meal. The staff often complained, but Sara surprisingly liked this place where she could eat without any pretensions.
Hannah, now used to Sara's habits, cooked 2 pancakes for her and placed a plate on the table with sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, boiled sausages, and a small omelet.
"Miss, the snow statue in the garden... I don't even know if I should call it that, but it's amazing. My daughter is so excited."
"If you have time, Hannah, you should go play with Charlotte too. I'm sure she would be happy."
"During work hours?"
"If it's during your break, it's fine. By the way, you haven't taken any time off at all."
"Taking a break is out of the question! I already think I work too little as it is. Plus, there are meals for Lady Marg and Lady Millie to prepare."
"Ah, that's true for now. I think we can decide about their future after I return from the capital. Besides, there are 2 cooks at Maiden's Tower, so I want you both to discuss and take some time off. The maids do that too, right?"
"Thank you. Then, I'll talk to Helga about it."
Helga is the name of another cook who works at Maiden's Tower. She is a middle-aged widow who started working there before Hannah. Helga is a foreigner who came from Roisen, and after her husband passed away, she had no relatives to rely on. She lived with her daughter in a village of women. However, since her daughter got married and moved out, Helga began working as a live-in cook at Maiden's Tower, thanks to Helen's introduction.
Hannah and Helga are far apart in age, almost like mother and daughter, and Charlotte also looks up to Helga like a grandmother. Helga can do simple calculations, so she keeps track of the accounts for buying ingredients, which helps her and Hannah divide their roles naturally.
"Now that I think about it, my responsibility is quite big. It was a problem that I didn't include a vacation policy in the contract. I need to reconsider this a bit."
'Well, in this world, the idea of paid vacation doesn't really exist... I should have made a vacation policy from the start. By the way, what happened with the Sophia Merchant Guild? I really messed that up. Just because I'm a workaholic doesn't mean I should drag others into it.'
Sara is a workaholic who at least realizes it. On the other hand, those who are unaware of their workaholism tend to drag others in, making them a dangerous creature that needs careful handling. If they are given too much power, it's said that a mountain of corpses could be built.
"Even if it's written in the contract, I think it would have been too difficult for me to read."
"Can you read it now?"
"I'm still not there yet, but thanks to Helga, I'm slowly learning."
Recently, Helga has been slowly teaching Hannah how to read, write, and do math. To practice, Hannah has started writing down her own cooking recipes in a recipe notebook. Naturally, Sara has her eyes on Hannah's recipe notebook. She wants to publish it once she has enough recipes written down.
"Please make sure to fill up that recipe notebook!"
"I've written down the French toast and bread pudding you taught me, Miss Sara."
"I'm glad you liked them. I have many more things I want to teach you."
'Hehehe. It's time to seriously research how to make fon and bouillon.'
Although her thoughts seem dangerously evil when thinking about cooking, recipes in this world are as valuable as treasures to each household. Considering that neither the Grandchester royal mansion nor Grandchester Castle has seen a clear soup made with egg whites, it seems that consomme double has not made its way into this world. There are various types of potages, so they must be making bouillon.
Sara thought of her past life, where she was in a silly phase wanting to cook real French food for her boyfriend, as a dark history, but it seems that none of that knowledge is wasted. When her memories from her previous life first returned, the dishes that came to mind were relatively decent, so she thought, "It seems like food cheats won't work even in another world," but in the details, it looked like she could manage.
Seeing Sara lost in her thoughts and eating absentmindedly, Hannah felt anxious about the taste of the food she had made.
"Miss Sara, did it not suit your taste?"
"Eh, why not? It's as delicious as always."
"I'm worried because your face doesn't look good."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought for a bit."
"I didn't mean to disturb your thoughts."
"Don't worry about it. I was just reflecting on not giving the servants a break."
That's a bit of a lie. Of course, Sara cares about the breaks, but mostly her mind was racing with thoughts about the publication of her recipe book.
"Isn't that true for you too? The Miss Sara I know has been working non-stop. Maybe Charlotte is playing too much, but you are clearly overworking yourself."
Hannah peered at Sara's face with concern.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
"I saw with my own eyes when you collapsed at the main estate, and Sir Robert carried you here. You didn't wake up for days. Even if you say not to worry, it doesn't sound convincing."
That's a fair point. Hannah, a mother with young children, couldn't help but worry about Sara when she saw her up close. If you looked closely, even the maids working nearby were nodding in agreement.
"I find work just as fun as playing, you know."
"Lady Alicia, Lady Amelia, and even Sir Rihito seem to be overworking themselves too."
"I can't deny that when you put it that way. Thank you for caring. I plan to be more careful myself, but thinking about going to the capital makes it quite difficult."
"I'm really sorry if this Chef upset you, Miss. But please, don't forget to eat while you're working."
"I understand! Mom Hannah!"
After finishing her meal, Sara hugged Hannah tightly, trying to silence her words.
"Miss, that's unfair."
"I'll be more careful from now on."
Hannah sighed and gently patted Sara's back, just like she did with Charlotte.
"I can't help it. Please take good care of yourself."
"I know."
Leaving behind a somewhat unreliable response, Sara smiled brightly and went back to her room.
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