After lunch, we set to work designing the new water heating system. I had basic knowledge of plumbing from Earth, and used it to contribute as much as possible. They assumed that any knowledge that I had was from Stanarussi. That worked in my favor. Otherwise, I would have a much harder time explaining my otherworldly knowledge.
Kirin seemed to get lost in thought while brainstorming. It was fascinating to see his mind at work, but I had to keep my admiration to myself. Al had already noticed my stolen glances towards Kirin. I'm sure that he would mention it to Katie, and they would try to play matchmaker like they had with Abby and Blaise.
That embarrassing thought made me blush a little, but I played it off as the heat from the forge getting to me. I stepped outside to get a bit of fresh air. I needed a break from the tension in the room.
Once outside, I noticed that it was already three in the afternoon. Abby was done with school for the day and brought Adam to the blacksmith shop to meet Al. Apparently, this was their daily routine. Al would drop Adam off at school, and Abby would take him to the playground after school let out around noon. Then, she would ask around to find out where Al was in town and bring Adam to him.
Since this was such a small town, and Al was the beloved clan leader, he was not hard to track down. Everyone knew where he was, even though he would visit different parts of the town every day.
Abby walked holding Adam's hand and smiled when she noticed me. "Hi Alisa, is Al inside?" She greeted me and inquired about Al.
"Hi, Abby. Hi, Adam. Yes, he is inside with the blacksmiths. They are working on a new invention to bring steam-powered water heaters to Kanta." I explained after greeting both of them.
Adam was a little shy since he did not know me too well, but he waved at me. He was slowly warming up to me. Abby looked surprised at the new information. She remembered hot water from Earth and missed the convenience of taking a warm bath at the turn of a knob.
"Steam-powered, huh! That must be from Stanarussi." She stated wisely. Adam seemed interested in what his father was doing and went into the blacksmith shop. We could hear Al from inside the shop.
"Hey there, little man, how was school? What did you learn today?" He asked Adam enthusiastically as he picked him up. Adam squeeled in delight, but remembered that he was a big boy now and whined, "Dad, put me down. I am older now."
I laughed at how hard Adam was trying to act grown-up. It's the irony of life. When we are young, we want to grow up quickly, and when we are older, we wish we could be younger again. Some things are the same everywhere!
Abby got closer so we could talk without being overheard. "So, do you think we could get heated water before winter? Last winter was brutal! I'm glad that I have Blaise and Simba, but a hot bath in the morning would be nice without having to heat the water on the stove first." She confided in me in a hushed tone.
"I hope so! I don't have a giant cat or a man to keep me warm." I replied jokingly. "Are you done for the day? I want to go visit the bakery. I gave Sia a recipe for mini cheesecakes, and she was going to create them to add to the dinner sweets menu." I asked whistfully.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and I could almost see the cheesecake-shaped hearts form in her eyes as she remembered the sweet and creamy cake. "Ok, let's go!" She replied cheerfully as she grabbed my hand and we walked towards the bakery.
We passed a few people on the way who all knew Abby. She introduced me as her cousin, and the people welcomed me to town. As we entered the bakery, Sia was adding fruit toppings to the cooled mini cheesecakes. They looked perfect!
"Hi, Abby. Welcome back, Alisa. Perfect timing. I am just adding the finishing touches to these new cheesecakes. I have been experimenting since you left earlier. The first batch was not very good. I had to find a milder cheese, but these are promising." She explained her bakery experiments, and I remembered how Katie and Marcy failed miserably in trying to recreate pizza.
Hopefully, these turn out better! I wasn't expecting them to be exactly the same as the ones from home, but I would be happy if they were close. Abby seemed eager to try one. She asked Sia, "I would love to test this batch. Can I try a raspberry cheesecake?"
Sia gave her a mini raspberry swirl cheesecake to try, and let me sample a mini strawberry cheesecake. She remembered my favorite. I was touched! "Thank you, Sia. You remembered my favorite!" I remarked excitedly as we took the mini cheesecakes.
It was not as sweet as the ones from home, but it had enough flavor from the gingerbread crumb crust and the strawberries mixed into the cheesecake. It was delicious! "Mmm... So delicious! Thank you, Sia! I'll take one of each flavor to go." I praised her and placed my order.
Abby loved hers and also ordered a few to go. We were both going to Katie's house for dinner, so there was no need to buy too many. They did not have electricity or refrigerators like we did. The cheesecakes would not last very long in her underground cellar.
"I also have a recipe for something to add to the sandwiches. It is called Mayo. It is a simple mixture of one egg, one spoonful of lemon juice, a little salt, and one cup of oil. First, mix the egg, lemon juice, and salt. Then, slowly add the oil until it thickens and turns white. You can spread it on the inside of the roll to add a little flavor and moisture to the sandwiches." I gave Sia a simple recipe for Mayo.
She wrote down the recipe eagerly. After the cheesecake recipe, she was excited to try any new recipes that I had to offer. New varieties of food were always welcome!