Chapter 10

Currently, we are growing turnips.

It's probably around August, judging by the temperature. The turnips are growing vigorously.

Turnips grow to a good size in about sixty days and are very easy to cultivate.

In other words, they are perfect for us.

These turnips are more for feed for goats and cows rather than for eating.

Well, the cultivation of turnips can be considered to be going smoothly. Speaking of which...

"Leader! There are bugs here too!" (Rong, flipping through the leaves)

"Whoa, really?" (Rosward, peering in)

"There's no end to this," (Soyong, sighing)

"Ah!" (Tetra, letting out a slight scream)

"..." (Gram, silently stepping on them)

That's how it is.

Maybe the location in the middle of the forest is not good.

It's a paradise for pests.

We deal with them as soon as we find them, but there's no end to it. And it's creepy.

Anyway, there are a lot of bugs around here. It's the height of summer, and the mosquitoes are very active. They are incredibly annoying.

But I finally found a solution!

"Look at this."

"What is it?"

"It's a flower called Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium, commonly known as pyrethrum."

This flower contains a component called pyrethrin, which has insecticidal properties.

It's a natural insecticide. Pyrethrin has a weak effect on mammals like us, so it's very safe.

By the way, it's also a material used in mosquito coils.

The origin of pyrethrum is the Mediterranean coast, so I thought it might grow here. This world is sometimes strange, but the flora is basically the same as Earth's.

"I found a patch of these. If we boil them and apply the solution to the turnips, the bugs should disappear."

"Just applying it is enough? That's great. I'm all for it."

Tetra said happily. She hates bugs.

"Really? That's awesome. Let's go pick them right away."

Rong also agrees.

Everyone seems to have no objections. Of course, they don't.

"Let's go then!"

We immediately headed to the flower field.

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In the flower field, we silently pick the flowers.

The scene is very romantic, but the purpose is to make insecticide.

It's a bit surreal.

"Tetra, here."

I hand Tetra a bouquet of chrysanthemums. This frees up her hands.

"Wh-What? S-Suddenly..."

For some reason, Tetra's face turns red.

"...Tetra-chan."

Soyong whispers to Tetra with a bewildered look. Tetra's face turns even redder.

"...Confusing..."

For some reason, I get glared at. It's unreasonable.

"Let's get this much for now. We don't want to pick too much and run out."

Ideally, I'd like to grow them in the village, but we don't have the time. If we plant them, the bugs won't come near.

Back in the village, we first prepare a clay pot. We put the chrysanthemum flowers and water into it.

"Next, we boil it down."

We add firewood and slowly boil it down.

After that, we cool it down and spray it on the turnip leaves.

"Will it really work?"

"Probably."

I've never actually used it, so I'm not sure. But it definitely works on mosquitoes.

"By the way, why do bugs die from this? Is it a curse?"

Soyong asked. She thinks in that direction...

"It's because it's poisonous."

When I say that, the children look shocked.

"Don't worry, don't worry. It doesn't affect humans. Unless you drink a lot of it."

When I say that, the children look relieved.

...They probably think it's safe because Almus said it's safe. It's nice, but complicated. I'd prefer they think for themselves.

"Let's spray it then."

And that's how we successfully repelled the pests.

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"They're growing well."

"I'm looking forward to eating them."

Rong is drooling.

We've been eating mostly nuts recently, so we're hungry for vegetables like these.

...We're growing them mainly for winter feed.

But we can eat a little, right?

"We need fertilizer soon."

The harvest time is approaching. To make them grow bigger, we need to apply fertilizer at this stage.

"What's fertilizer?"

"It's like food for plants. Now, what should we use..."

The three major nutrients plants need are phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. However, there are no chemical fertilizers that can provide these effectively. So...

"Let's bring some forest soil."

Forest soil is made from decomposed leaves and can be used as organic fertilizer.

"But we need to make sure no strange bugs get in."

Like beetle larvae.

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"Ah! Almus!"

Tetra clung to me. What's going on?

"W-Worms..."

Don't be scared by something like that. Learn from Gram. He usually just picks them up and squashes them... Hey, don't squash them!

"Worms help improve the soil, so put them in the pot with the soil."

"R-Really?"

Gram, looking surprised, put the worms in the pot.

"Why? These things?"

Tetra made a clearly disgusted face.

"Worms move around in the soil, which helps to till it."

I'll keep quiet about the poop. They'll definitely hate it.

"Wow."

She seems to understand. That's good.

"Let's go to the field and spread the soil."

"Okay!"

We returned to the village and spread the soil on the turnips in the field.

I hope we get delicious turnips.

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"Finally, it's time to harvest."

The time has finally come!!

Actually, pulling turnips out of the ground is surprisingly easy.

We haven't grown that many.

Next time, we'll grow more.

"Leader! Let's eat!"

"Hold on, hold on. Calm down. This is for the goats and cows in winter. We can only eat a little. Now, let's calculate... No, you do it, Tetra."

"Me?"

"That's right. It's a big responsibility."

I patted Tetra's shoulder. Tetra smiled.

Finally, math will be useful. Maybe the kids who don't like it will understand its importance a little.

Tonight's dinner is turnips.

A turnip party.

But we don't have any good seasonings.

Just boiled turnips.

But they are sweet and delicious when you bite into them. At least they are better than the forest nuts and wild herbs (which taste like weeds).

"Delicious."

"Right."

I eat the boiled turnip leaves. They are crunchy and delicious. Delicious, but...

I want to eat them with soy sauce. At least some salt.

I eat the boiled turnips. They are soft and sweet. But...

I want to eat them pickled...

Collecting, hunting, and farming all involve physical labor.

When you move, you sweat.

When you sweat, you lose salt.

I haven't been getting enough salt lately.

I need to get some salt when I have the chance.

I made up my mind.