Chapter 4: Journey Through the Middle Ages 004

Chapter 4: Journey Through the Middle Ages 004

The next morning, the maid brought in a young woman with a delicate appearance. She was a hairdresser serving the court of Count Brundo. While bathing was not uncommon at the time, the frequency of hair washing was low. Even nobles, who had no shortage of fuel, hot water, and warm rooms to dry their hair, would wash their hair only a few times a season outside of summer.

This did not mean people of the time did not care about their hair. In fact, people, especially women, placed great importance on their hair. Everywhere, thick, soft, curly, and shiny hair was considered a mark of beauty.

With hair being so valued, hairdressers who catered specifically to the upper class emerged. They helped others wash their hair, ensuring it was scrubbed clean and that the person felt relaxed and happy. Additionally, they had to ensure the health of the person, preventing them from catching a cold or getting a headache from washing their hair.

Sometimes, they also provided services like applying hair oil or dyeing.

Louisa took out her own pale red shampoo in a glass bottle: "Madam, this is the detergent I usually use. Oh, please wash it twice... Since coming here from Fontro, I’ve only washed my hair twice on the way. It’s really too greasy; the first wash might not produce foam."

The maid from the previous night had been puzzled as to why Louisa used 'soft soap' to wash her hair, as soft soap was considered inferior at the time. She clearly had high-quality soap available—yes, she had mistaken the shampoo for a kind of soft soap. At that time, soft soap could be as thick as milk porridge or as thin as vegetable oil, so the lotion-like texture of the shampoo was not unusual.

It was also because of this that Louisa felt safe to take out the shampoo.

It wasn’t until the hairdresser applied the shampoo to Louisa and began scrubbing that the maid 'suddenly realized.' The rich, dense, white, and fluffy foam, along with the rapidly spreading rose scent, all indicated its value. The maid thought, *Indeed, this must be soap made with 'Oriental perfume.' I wonder how much 'Oriental perfume' the lady used.*

The so-called 'Oriental perfume,' also known as 'water of life,' was actually essential oil, named because it was originally imported from the Near East.

At that time, the making of soap was not a secret. Ordinary soft soap was made by stirring and boiling oil and lye in a pot in a certain ratio. In this sense, essential oil is also oil, so it was indeed possible—though not all essential oil was used, as that would be too expensive. The maid guessed that Louisa’s 'soap' was mixed with some rose essential oil.

But even if it was just a little, it amazed the maid: among the expensive 'Oriental perfumes,' rose essential oil was one of the most expensive! The Countess had a bottle, and she was very frugal with it. She would mix it with olive oil to dilute it, then apply it to her hair to make the scent last longer and be more durable.

"Miss, your hair is beautiful..." After washing her hair, the hairdresser dried Louisa’s hair bit by bit and complimented her: "Look, your hair is as black as ebony, which makes you look so noble! And it’s so thick and shiny, perfect for braiding into various beautiful styles."

Louisa was only 12 years old, but in an era where most noble women were engaged before the age of 10 and married around 14, such compliments were not excessive.

"People rarely praise my hair, although I like it... People always prefer blond hair, don’t they?" Louisa picked up a strand of her hair and smelled it; it carried a noticeable rose scent. This was a rose-scented shampoo, unlike the complex scent of the soap she had used before. Its fragrance was quite simple.

"Well, miss, isn’t that more special? Although people praise blond beauties, black hair always seems smart and noble."

Louisa, like in her previous life, had thick black hair. Black hair itself was nothing unusual, even among Caucasians, where black and dark brown hair were the majority.

"How nice, thank you..." Louisa smiled slightly, got up, and took out a dozen silk handkerchiefs from a box—half pale yellow and half pale red. These handkerchiefs also had exquisite lace. Louisa gave each person in the room a handkerchief: two maids, a maid who was scrubbing and guarding the fireplace, and the hairdresser.

"I’ve just returned to Brundo. I hope you can accept this small gift... And for others who serve me, Madam Hugo, could you please distribute these for me?" Louisa said to another maid.

Compared to the maid who had helped her bathe the previous night, Louisa appreciated the older maid more. She was the wife of a knight under Count Brundo, and her husband also lived in the castle. When arranging maids for Louisa, her husband had used his connections to recommend her to the Count and Countess.

Textiles were never cheap before modern times, even in the pre-modern period, such as after the first industrial revolution. The first industrial revolution reduced labor and increased efficiency, but the raw materials were still natural, and the cost remained high.

It was also customary in the court for higher-status nobles to give textiles to those of relatively lower status. It was even considered a 'lord’s' duty to ensure their retainers dressed appropriately. From the lord to those of higher status, this practice flowed smoothly to those of lower status.

Louisa thought she was just following convention, but obviously, some people did not think so. At lunch, the Countess said with jealousy: "Dear, I don’t want to criticize your actions, but isn’t it a bit too extravagant to give servants silk handkerchiefs as soon as you arrive? At least I don’t think the maid who mops the floor would use a silk handkerchief."

At that time, silk was a very expensive commodity, generally costing 12 to 15 sous per yard. Vasson implemented a three-tier currency system, with pounds, sous, and deniers: 1 pound = 20 sous = 240 deniers. However, pounds and sous were actually accounting units, and there were no corresponding coins in reality. Originally, 1 pound was equal to 1 pound of silver, and 1 sous was 0.05 pounds of silver.

Of course, this was 'originally.' In the current situation of currency debasement everywhere, the actual silver content of silver coins depended entirely on the 'conscience' of local mints.

One yard was less than one meter, and 12 sous per yard could buy a castrated ox or two cows, which shows how expensive silk was.

The handkerchiefs Louisa gave were large enough to be used as headscarves (at that time, handkerchiefs were an imported item, originally introduced as headscarves). A dozen such handkerchiefs, plus the exquisite lace, could buy seven or eight cows!

Louisa was struggling with a lunch that didn’t suit her taste and, distracted, said: "Hmm... why can’t they use it? Madam, I think they can sell that handkerchief and buy something they need more."

According to the fasting requirements at the time, most ordinary people only ate two meals a day: the main meal at noon and a light meal in the evening. Not eating breakfast was to avoid breaking the fast too early, and eating dinner early and simply was a rehearsal for fasting. Of course, it was also a way to save food to some extent.

However, this did not apply to the nobles. In fact, they would eagerly stuff their stomachs with endless food and drink as soon as they got up in the morning. Until late at night, they would not waste their good appetite, feasting and drinking without hesitation. In fact, nobles who stood on force and military power were accustomed to showing off their healthy bodies in their prime through feasting.

Whether it’s true or not, even if they do eat in the morning, it is usually in their own rooms, and they rarely hold grand banquets. Especially for female nobles like Louisa, in order to appear pious and proper, most of them actually skip breakfast... This has led to the kitchen not preparing breakfast for Louisa at all.

Louisa had to quickly ask for a cup of hot milk...

This was her first meal of the day, and she was quite looking forward to it, but the dishes served one after another really killed her appetite. It’s not as good as last night! Last night, probably because it was a welcome banquet, the number of dishes was especially large, and she could always find one or two she was willing to eat. Today’s lunch was back to normal—actually, there were quite a few dishes, but they just didn’t appeal to Louisa.

The dishes loaded with spices scream luxury, but Louisa does not find the aroma pleasant; instead, she feels like sneezing. She tried them reluctantly, and it's clear that the chef has put in a lot of effort, as the complex seasoning says it all. But the problem is, without even getting the basic salty taste right, pursuing flavors like sour and sweet just seems messy.

This is even worse than what Louisa had in the convent, as the convent could not be as extravagant as a noble's table, so there were fewer spices and complex seasonings. But it wouldn't be like peasant food, with rough cooking methods and a lack of various ingredients... And if all else fails, Louisa could always cook with Jeanne!

The appetizer is honey-glazed radish, the main dishes are stewed lamb, braised capon, and double-grain wheat milk porridge, accompanied by orange wine. As for the dessert, it hasn't been served yet—these all sound like very good dishes, but sounding good doesn't mean looking good, and looking good doesn't mean tasting good.

The honey-glazed radish, said to be an appetizer, is actually boiled in broth, then fried with butter, and finally drenched in thick honey and spice powder—heavy on oil and sweet, it's imaginably greasy, and the so-called fragrant spices are too 'stimulating' for Louisa.

Yet, compared to other meat dishes, this honey-glazed radish is actually better?

The stewed lamb is seasoned with onions, parsley, rosemary, thyme, savory, and ginger, which are all quite suitable for removing the gaminess and enhancing the aroma of the meat. But when Louisa actually eats it, she feels that these seasonings and the meat are more like each going their own way, not blending together.

While the flavors of these seasonings are very abrupt, the meat is still gamey and smelly.

The braised capon is slightly better, but only slightly. Capon itself is not an ingredient as prone to mistakes as lamb, but the braising method is truly too demanding on the chef's seasoning skills and timing with the heat...

After eating a bit of the radish and capon, Louisa only scooped up the milk wheat porridge to drink.

While she was feeling down about the food, she didn't care at all what Countess Brundo said. However, the Count glanced at his wife and said, "Generously giving rewards is the virtue of a lord. Never has a stingy master gained the loyalty of knights—Louisa, you should come with me later when I meet with the nobles of the territory."

"In fact, there will be a grand banquet tonight, all for you... I plan to let them meet you, their future master."