After searching the entire place, Anji finally found a heavy rectangular bronze mirror showing signs of small rust. Thankfully, Anji did not need the mirror for its reflection. If anything, she also took a smaller hand mirror along with her and dragged it into the backyard, where the washed clothes were piled.
Before the girl could work on creating the new spells required to heat these bronze pieces, Anji heard a familiar voice.
"Little cutie! Are you there? It’s past your lunchtime!"
Startled, Anji paused her work and looked at the sky. Noticing it had already passed the noon mark, Anji gasped and quickly ran to the door.
Outside, Aunt Wine waited with a heavy basket. It was oddly quiet at Researcher Yang’s quarters. Although she already knew his assistants were not reliable and worried for Anji, she did not think they would starve her. After all, everyone was given strict orders to ensure Anji checked in with the mess hall and infirmary at the allocated times. Not even researchers could hold her back for extra chores in her orientation.
Finally, the door opened, and Anji greeted the cook in charge.
"Aunt Wine! I’m so sorry. I lost track of time! There was simply too much work to do..."
Hushing Anji from fretting, Aunt Wine barged into the compound and scanned the area.
"Where are the assistants?"
Shaking her head, Anji briefly explained what happened since morning as Aunt Wine walked them indoors, only to make a face at the rotting smell.
"What a pigsty! Have you been doing chores all alone since morning? I knew I should have gone with you! How could they leave a child unattended alone? What if something happened to you? Look at all these hazardous things!"
Unable to refute anything Aunt Wine said, Anji watched as the furious head cook tossed out the rotten meal and wiped down a table so they could at least sit somewhere clean. She opened the windows to air the smell and told Anji to wash up before they ate. Aunt Wine had also packed her portion when she figured Anji was not coming.
Lunch was amazing. Anji saw how Aunt Wine included a few treats as part of the children’s menu for her. There was red bean soup that did not spill even when Aunt Wine travelled all the way up here. Moreover, Anji could hardly believe her eyes. Aunt Wine managed to stack so many dishes and bowls into the basket she was carrying just to feed Anji. The girl would have been grateful for even one steamed bun. However, Aunt Wine brought rice, meat, vegetables and even soup with her. Today, they were having steamed fish with ginger, egg soup, and some mountain greens with mushrooms and rice. The food was still warm, and Anji wondered if Aunt Wine’s basket had any heating spells.
"Oh? You’re the first to notice," Aunt Wine laughed. "The other baskets do not have it. Only this does. I made it myself because I hate eating cold food and can be too lazy to reheat them."
Nodding, Anji wondered if there was something similar that she could do for the clothes-drying machine. However, clothes were not food. Without a place for the evaporated steam to escape, the clothes would not dry. For now, she could only make do with the mirror press.
As they ate, Aunt Wine asked what Anji was doing all alone. The young girl explained how she was trying to create a drying machine. However, the lack of correct baskets and the sheer amount of laundry made Anji change her plan.
"Now, all I need to do is create a heating spell on both mirrors to create a heated press," Anji explained.
Impressed by the child’s creation, Aunt Wine nodded and finished her food quickly.
"Do you mind if I look at your creation in the backyard?"
Anji shook her head. Unlike the head cook, she was still finishing her meal. The rightful source is NoveIＦire.net
Receiving Anji’s permission, Aunt Wine went to look at the simple tub with ash and stones that turned continuously and washed the dirty clothes. The circuit was written without any flaw, and the energy use was very efficient because of the timer. On top of that, it was very safe to use. If Anji were to submit this invention, she would automatically be promoted from an apprentice to a librarian. Yet, it did not seem to occur to Anji how amazing her inventions were. From how she spoke of it, the young child seemed to have done this before.
Looking at the heap of wet clothing, Aunt Wine gave Anji a helping hand and tied a new hanging line that Anji could easily reach with a chair. It might not be much help because the clothes would mostly drag on the ground, but she had a feeling the smart girl would find a way to use it better.
After Anji finished her meal, Aunt Wine tidied the dishes, but Anji stopped her, telling her she would do them.
Allowing the small girl to take the heap of dirty dishes to the backyard, the head cook watched as Anji quickly drew a new talisman and stuck it on a small basin that automatically filled with warm water.
"Is this a smaller version of that washing tub?" Aunt Wine asked curiously.
Nodding, Anji grinned. "It doesn’t have stone because that would scratch and break the dishes. However, it has the same heated water function. Hot water helps to remove stubborn stains quickly."
Agreeing, Aunt Wine nodded, fully impressed at Anji’s mastery over arrays and spells. She did her best to memorise Anji’s spell design and asked if she could introduce this new spell to her kitchen. Anji agreed in a heartbeat, and Aunt Wine rejoiced. There was nothing more that a cook hated than washing dishes. Although it did not automatically clean a dish the same way the clothes were cleaned, it was an improvement already. She could not believe nobody else thought about it before.
After drying the dishes, Anji returned them to Aunt Wine, who packed them.
"Don’t make me come find you for dinner later," she warned. "If there is too much to do, you don’t need to finish everything. It was an unreasonable request in the first place."
Laughing, Anji nodded and agreed silently. The assistants who left her here must have thought she was a pushover. However, Anji was not a doormat.
Thanking Aunt Wine and escorting her to the main door, Anji waved goodbye to the lovely woman and smiled. Then, she closed the green door behind her and faced the messy courtyard once more.
Bracing herself for a tough afternoon, Anji walked to the backyard and was pleasantly surprised by a clothesline she could reach. Smiling, she silently thanked Aunt Wine for her help and looked over to the bronze mirror. Time to change her plans a little.