The Red Elm Tree Restaurant was in the old stone building at the end of New Street.
A sign hung by the door with a red elm leaf design. A line of small text was coiled around the leaf’s stem:
"Old Roads, Old Wines"
When the door to the private room opened, Sofia was whispering something to Clara.
Seeing Richard’s family enter, she let out a little "Ah!" and hurried to greet them at the door.
"You’re here!"
Isabella stood up from the head of the table and waved to her sister. "Sit."
The seating arrangement was natural. The aunt took one side with her two students, while Mother sat opposite them with her two children.
After sitting down, Mother first moved Evelyn’s seat further in.
"Sit over here with me. Don’t always be hiding behind your brother."
The little girl shrank back, but her mother herded her into the corner seat.
Isabella spoke first.
"I’ve already looked at the menu and ordered a few things for tonight.
Venison pie, roasted spring chicken, stewed lamb brisket, cream of mushroom soup, and dressed cabbage. For dessert, lemon tarts and candied pears."
Mother nodded. "The venison pie is their specialty. The old chef is sixty this year and is still in the kitchen."
From the other end of the long table, Sofia secretly raised her hand.
"Mentor, I’d like to add an order of fish and chips."
"You come to a proper restaurant to eat that? Are you a child?" Clara, who was sitting next to her, retorted.
"But I just love it... Mentor, just this once."
"You say that every time."
Isabella sighed but still nodded to the waitress who was approaching. "Add an order of fish and chips."
"Right away," the waitress said, jotting it down.
"Remember to fry the fish a little longer," Sofia added. "The skin needs to be crispy."
...
When they were mostly finished with the main course, the waitress began to clear the plates.
Isabella reached down and felt for the leather handbag next to her chair leg. She unfastened the opening.
She took out a bundle wrapped in wax paper from the bag.
She carefully unwrapped the paper, revealing a bouquet of small white flowers, pressed dry but still perfectly intact.
"What’s this?" Mother’s gaze fell upon the flowers.
"I bought them at the Lantern Festival in the Imperial Capital this year."
"You bought them?"
"The stall is still there." Isabella pushed the bouquet toward her sister.
"The old woman who sells flowers is in her seventies now. She still recognized me."
Mother reached out and took the bouquet of daisies.
"Isabella, you’re the one who loves daisies the most."
She looked up at her younger sister.
"...You’ve been like this since we were little. Whatever you like, you have to make me like it too."
"Don’t you like daisies, sister?"
"Of course I like what you like," Mother replied irritably, placing the bouquet on the edge of the table.
Isabella then took a small tin box out of her leather handbag.
She handed the tin box to her niece.
"For me?"
"Mhm."
Inside the tin box was a set of silver baking tools: a small spatula, a fine-tipped funnel, and metal piping tips for a pastry bag.
"This is...?"
"A small set from ’Ludwiss Steel Tools Store.’"
Isabella explained, "It’s an old shop that’s been in the business for two hundred years. This is their Entry Level set, made for teenagers who are just starting to learn how to bake."
Evelyn’s eyes went wide. She picked up the spatula and turned it under the light.
A line of small text was engraved on the spatula’s handle—E.W. (Evelyn Williams).
"You even had my name engraved on it?"
"A master who runs her own workshop must have her name on her tools," Isabella praised her matter-of-factly.
Evelyn placed the spatula back in the tin box.
"Thank you, Auntie. I love it."
At this point, Sofia couldn’t hold back any longer.
"I brought gifts, too!"
She first handed a gift to Evelyn.
It was a small metal cylinder with a little pull-ring at one end.
"A kaleidoscope," Sofia announced.
"It’s a new model from the toy store. It uses cut glass pieces inside, so it has three times as many patterns as a normal kaleidoscope."
Evelyn held the kaleidoscope up to her eye.
She pulled the small ring at the end.
"Whoa!"
The glass pieces inside the cylinder turned, and colorful patterns unfolded, layer by layer, within the lens.
The gift for Richard was even more impressive—it was actually a camera.
"This is the newest portable camera from ’Colton.’"
Sofia handed the camera over. "It’s the most popular gadget among young people in the Imperial Capital these last couple of years."
Richard took it.
’In my past life, I’d only ever seen things like this in museums and antique shops.’
"Does it use film?"
"Yes, one roll of ’Colton 120’ film can take eight pictures. Several photo studios here in Brighton accept Colton 120 for developing."
Richard turned the camera over.
The body weighed less than a pound and wouldn’t be conspicuous hidden in the inner pocket of a suit.
His inspiration didn’t pick up any Ether fluctuations, either. It was a purely modern piece of craftsmanship.
But the device itself had considerable practical value.
Times were changing. Sometimes, when there wasn’t enough time to copy something by hand, a photograph could save a lot of trouble.
"Sofia," he said, feeling like the camera was a bit too much to accept. "This gift is a little too expensive."
"It’s fine," Sofia said nonchalantly. "I took it out of the research funds our Mentor allocated, so it’s like I used your aunt’s money."
"...Using my money to curry favor with my nephew?" Upon hearing this, Isabella’s eyelid twitched.
Left with no other choice, Richard could only thank them both.
Clara then pulled out a small cloth pouch.
"Evelyn."
She first took a palm-sized glass bottle from the pouch.
"For you."
Evelyn took the bottle with both hands.
It was a small, hexagonal bottle adorned with a silver leaf. A label on its body read: Violet and Early Pear · Maiden’s Dew.
"Is it perfume?"
"Mhm," Clara nodded.
"Most of the perfumes sold on the market use synthetic fragrances. The scent is overpowering, and after wearing it for half a day, it becomes harsh.

Comments

Loading...