Cornflower Witch

Chapter 52 Taking care of the flower field
After school, standing in front of the quiet mansion, Hiltia took out her key, opened the side door, and slowly walked in. When she stood in front of the magnificent and elegant mansion, she still found it hard to believe that she had actually moved into such a place.

As she stepped inside, before she could even return to her bedroom to change, the mysterious maid called out to her.

"Miss Tiya."

With seemingly gentle but actually quite fast steps, the maid approached Hilti.

She looked to be around 19 years old, with light blonde hair, wearing an exquisite maid headband, and her black and white maid uniform was exceptionally well-fitting and the fabric was of particularly high quality upon closer inspection.

"What is it, Lining?" Xilutiya tilted her head curiously.

“You shouldn’t wear such a plain dress at home anymore,” she pointed out the girl’s clothing problem.

"This……"

The girl blinked. Apart from her plain white dress, all her other clothes seemed 'simple' compared to the maid.

“Whether you’re at home or going out for convenience, I can prepare special clothes for you,” she continued to tell the girl.

“Ordinary fabrics can hinder movement due to friction and texture, but some specially made fabrics do not.” Lining seemed slightly disappointed that Siltia didn’t understand these things.

"Please follow me." Then, the maid led Siltiya to a house at the back of the mansion, where she took out a stack of smooth fabric from a sealed metal box.

【Fine Chiffon】(Superior): An exceptionally smooth and soft fabric that does not hinder movement and is extremely resistant to pilling or fuzzing, making it a top-quality fabric.

"Also, if you need to tailor combat clothing, there are these kinds of fabrics." Then she brought out a stack of snow-white, silvery fabrics.

【Silver Chiffon】(Tier 1·Emerald Honey): Professional tailors use the power of the 'Emerald Honey' element to select cotton of exceptional quality, extract its fibers, comb and weave it. It has excellent toughness, is smooth and unblemished, can deflect arrows and less-than-sharp weapons, and resists penetration.

“It seems like even Viscount Scheffer has never worn this kind of fabric,” Hiltiya said, somewhat surprised.

“No, Viscount Xuefeng definitely has them at home, but he usually doesn’t wear them and only uses them on formal occasions.” Lining refuted Xilutiya’s guess.

"After all, sewing one piece costs nearly 20-30 gold coins, so Viscount Xuefeng, whose taxes are not high, would naturally feel the pinch." It seems she is well aware of Viscount Xuefeng's financial situation.

“Although Viscount Scheffer’s territory has a considerable income, he also has many expenses,” Lining explained briefly.

"But there's no need to worry about Madam; she never runs out of pocket money."

"If you become a gardener like Madam in the future, you will probably have more money than you can spend."

"Compared to other job classes, gardeners who are good at cultivating are always popular, and there is always a demand for the various things they produce."

"These exquisite cotton fabrics were a gift from another gardener friend of the lady."

No wonder that lady was so generous to her, and this mansion is so luxurious, Hiltia thought to herself.

In the evening, Lining prepared hot water for Siltia, allowing the young girl to experience the luxurious bathhouse in the mansion for the first time.

Bathing in the warm water, Hiltiya felt the minor wounds she had sustained during the day slowly healing, probably due to the vitality of the water's 'blazing sun' element. She looked at the pale gold petals on the surface of the water; these petals were given to her by Lining before her bath.

Soaking it in water not only releases the vitality of the 'blazing sun' phase, but also maintains the water temperature so that it doesn't cool down too quickly.

After showering, Silutia changed into the chiffon nightgown Lining had prepared for her. Walking along the mansion's corridor, a gentle evening breeze caused the fabric of the nightgown to sway softly, offering a comfortable touch. With plenty of time before bed, Silutia saw the lit candlelight in the dining room and entered. Dinner had already been set for her, but what made her slightly uncomfortable was that at the large dining room, where a long table could seat nearly twenty people, she had only one seat, and it was the head seat at the very top.

Lining was already waiting in the restaurant. When Hilti passed by her, the maid bowed respectfully, then followed and came to the girl's seat to introduce her to today's dinner.

"The main course is summer-grilled steak, the side dishes are onion soup and braised potatoes, and the drink is Cointreau Red Chrysanthemum."

After the introductions, Hiltiya began to enjoy the dishes. The taste of these dishes was no worse than what she had eaten at the Gloria Restaurant, and the ingredients were even slightly better.

"Isn't Mrs. Fran coming back for dinner today?" She had seen Mrs. Fran yesterday.

"No, Madam went on a long trip today. She asked me to tell Miss Tia that she will probably be back in about a week."

"So long?" The girl thought the lady had only been gone for a day or two, but then she realized that this wasn't Earth with its advanced transportation; a week was indeed a rather short time.

She had originally planned to discuss advancement with Mrs. Fran today, but unexpectedly, the lady went out today.

However, a week isn't a long time, and she can wait.

"Let Lining come with me tomorrow to inspect and tend to the flower field," the girl thought, remembering her responsibilities.

"Yes, Miss Tia." Lining bowed slightly in response. Although her tone was sometimes cold, she was always very respectful in her demeanor.

……

The following afternoon, Hiltiya and Lining walked through the sea of ​​pale yellow and golden sunflowers. With the autumn wind blowing, the large swathes of flowers and leaves undulated like waves, giving people a magnificent sense of beauty.

"How do you usually water such a large area?" Hiltiya asked curiously.

“Of course there are convenient tools.” Lining bent down, brushed aside some soil, and revealed tree roots that looked like water pipes. These strange tree roots were distributed in the soil. When Lining took out a bell and shook it, a clear and melodious sound came out, and water began to seep out from the surface of the tree roots.

“Water-absorbing roots have been planted here for the lady. They can draw water from deep underground rivers to irrigate the sunflowers.”

"Then the Green Dew Water?" the girl asked curiously. "Don't we need Green Dew Water to help us?"

“No need. Sunflowers are sunflower plants, which can directly absorb the weak energy of sunlight.” Lining shook her head.

“However, if this absorption happens spontaneously, it will be very slow. It requires experienced gardeners to stand in the flower field and guide and manage it.” No wonder Madame Fran often walked through this sea of ​​flowers with a parasol. Hiltiya suddenly understood why that lady was taking a walk.

And so, while checking the growth of the sunflowers, Hilti listened to Lining explain how to cultivate them, and the afternoon passed quietly.

The next day, after checking the watering, she began to trim the sunflowers in the flower field using the scissors Lining had given her.

This job is quite time-consuming and requires meticulous attention to detail, but Hiltiya enjoys it. Through repeated observation and pruning, she has come to understand the temperament of these sunflowers better and better.

If she were given a handful of seeds now, she was confident she could cultivate a sea of ​​sunflowers. However, getting all the sunflowers to reach the first level would require a great deal of effort, since she was not a practitioner of the 'Blazing Sun' attribute.

In the future, she will probably plant a sea of ​​cornflowers. Standing in the flower field, the gardener's skills will be fully displayed.

(End of this chapter)