320-S020 Every Time I Shake It (1)

Today, Haruka and her friends came to the store for the first time in a while.

They said they were going to some distant town on business, so they must have just come back from there.

In their hands is a small bag.

Is it a gift for me?

You don't need to worry about it, since you're working.

But if she's going to give it to me, I shouldn't shy away.

I'll take it.

In this world, a souvenir would be something like food.

--My expectations and predictions were half right.

Haruka and the others did indeed offer it to me.

But they also said.

"We found some rice, so we need you to make a rice milling machine.

Really?　I opened the bag, and what I saw was ...... rice?

It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen.

Isn't it a little too big?

Is this good to eat?

Oh, I thought it was good.

I can eat it just fine.

Hmm. Then I'll have to try it. As a former Japanese.

Maybe I can make some sake.

Ale is good in its own way, but it's just that.

As dwarves, we can't help but make good sake!

After I left the rice with Haruka and the others, they went off again to "earn the commission" to pay me, so I started designing the machine by myself.

Honestly speaking, I don't mind if I don't have to pay the commission, since the products I make for Haruka and the others are usually profitable and I'm always indebted to them.

As long as I get paid for the materials, I feel that's enough.

It took some effort to make the mincer, but it is profitable enough for me.

When I told him that, he said, "I want to be paid for my work. Isn't that right? I said.

I'm sure you're grateful for the fact that you've been able to save a lot of money.

...... Maybe I should build a house?

But I don't want to live alone.

I'm not sure if I'll ever get a wife or something.

Now for the rice mill.

Fortunately, I've seen a home rice miller before.

My mother used to say, "Freshly milled rice is the best! That's why she bought a home rice miller.

The structure of the machine is simple, and it simply consists of a metal colander that rotates.

I don't know the structure of a commercial rice mill, but since it's going to be used in Haruka and her family's house, I guess this is fine.

The only problem is whether it will work properly with this size of rice. ...... Well, we can experiment with that after we get some brown rice.

But first, there is a problem before that.

That is the hulling process.

I don't know much about this.

I don't know much about hulling rice, and I don't know much about home hullers.

In the program where idol groups grow rice, they use a wooden mortar, but I don't think modern hullers use that.

Is this something that could be achieved here: ......?

......? Oh, by the way. You know, wheat is also supposed to be hulled, right?　I'll ask him.

"Hmm?　Wheat hulls?　I don't take that kind of thing.

That's the answer I got when I asked my master for the time being.

"What?　Then, when you grind it into flour, you can use .......

You can grind it with a stone mortar or use a water mill. If the powder is a little better, you can sift it through a sieve, but ...... it's usually left as is.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea.

I don't know much about cooking, but I've heard of whole wheat flour.

I've heard that whole wheat flour is good for your health because it contains various ingredients.

I see. Is the bread you eat every day a healthy bread?

...... Oh, no.

Kuro bread is not made of flour.

It may be healthy, but it's not healthy.

I know about the wheat, but I'm pretty sure it's useless for hulling.

It's not rice flour I want, it's rice grains.

You can't just grind it all up and call it good.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.　...... No, I don't think that's a good idea.

If that were okay, they wouldn't have brought it up to me.

Haruka and his friends brought a little over a kilo of rice.

I took a few grains out of it and observed them.

The shape is exactly like rice. The husk is a little thicker than usual.　It's not hard to peel it off with your hands. ...... A golem to peel the husk?　--No. That's not a blacksmith's job.

If you hold the rice between the palms of your hands and rub them together, you can remove the husks.

But you have to rub them together many times before you can peel off even a few grains.

Once the husks are peeled off, the wind blows them away, and the remaining brown rice can be polished.

While I was thinking about this, Haruka and his friends came to visit me again.

They seemed to have finished their dungeon search and had some money in hand.

Tommy, how is it going?　I'm not sure if it's already been done or not.

Yuki-san: ...... It's not that easy. It's still in the conceptual stage.

Oh, really?　I thought it wouldn't be that difficult. What's the problem?

The first step is hulling. I'm thinking we'll have to use a wooden mortar.

I'll explain to Haruka and the others the structure I'm thinking of.

However, it's simply a matter of getting Haruka and others to provide me with a motor that can be made by alchemy, to automate the rotation of the wooden mortar, and to automatically blow away the chaff.

To put it simply, it is a combination of a wooden mortar and a winnowing machine, and relies on magic power.

Structurally, it is 19th century.

The problem is that the millstones will probably have to be sharpened more often. --Do you know anything about the structure of modern hullers?

"Modern hulling machines use rubber rollers. The modern hullers use rubber rollers. To explain it simply, they use two rubber rollers with different rotation speeds, and the husks are stripped off by passing through the gap between them.

It was Mr. Natsuki who gave me an easy answer to my question without much expectation.

And apparently I wasn't the only one who was surprised by that.

Haruka's eyes widened a little and she tilted her head.

"You know a lot, don't you, Natsuki?

I've been to the rice mill company.

I've been to the rice mill company. ...... You gave me a souvenir. Dried rice. It wasn't the best souvenir, but it was pretty good.

Alpha rice. I couldn't find anything else that would do. It's better than plain rice, right?

Yeah, it was kind of fun, though.

I see.

If you go on a factory tour, will they explain the structure?

I've heard that you can get a tour for free or for a small fee, and also get some souvenirs.

I've also heard that you can get a free beer tasting at a beer factory.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

I was underage. ...... Too bad.

"By the way, do you have any rubber?　Can I get some?

It's okay. Whether it's natural rubber or not, I can make something like it with alchemy, so I'll provide it.

Thank you very much. I'll try to make a hulling machine with it. Is the structure of the rice mill the same as that of a home-use rice mill?　To put it simply, it just stirs the rice in a colander. ......

The one my mother used had an automatic stop function after setting the amount and pounding rate, but that seems to be difficult, so I'll have to ask her to stop it by herself.

If I can make a golem or something like that, I might be able to make a golem-controlled tool, not a computer-controlled tool. ...... I don't know if that's possible.

I'm fine with that. And it would be even better if we could divide rice into four parts. ......

Yo, quadripartite? ......

That's quite a difficult thing for you to say.

But I understand what he is trying to say.

Because this rice is too big.

You say it was delicious, but considering the cooking process, it should be as big as the rice we know. It's better to use the size of rice that we know, for soaking time and eating texture.

...... I understand. I'll try my best.

Thank you. I'll look forward to it.

As a craftsman, I can't compromise, I nodded. Haruka smiled at me and thanked me.

Yes, it's very eye pleasing.

But Haruka-san, who has such a beautiful face, is quite unforgiving, though.