First, I took out the four watermelons I’d chilled in the warehouse fridge. We’d put them in nets and carried them here laboriously. I picked out one of them, which was especially large, and washed it with water from the faucet. I moved it onto a chopping board, which I’d also brought with me, and split it cleanly with a knife. With a spoon, I scooped out the fruit carefully, making spheres as round as possible like ice cream scoops, and put the scoops down into a large glass bowl.
Thanks to its position on a mountain, the Wilds in the early summer wasn’t too hot, at least compared to the other side of the border. The temperature rarely ever went above eighty-six degrees, and refreshing winds were with you wherever you went. It was a pleasant place to escape the heat in summer—I would even go as far as to say that it would make a good summer retreat.
However, if you were out and about like the kids working hard in the orchard, you were naturally going to perspire, not to mention that the kids were covered with fur from head to toe, which only made it hotter for them. Continuous sweating all day long would lead to dehydration, which had terrible consequences.
For that reason, drinking plenty of fluids during summer was also seen as an important thing in the Beastly Wilds. According to Techi, her job description as a preschool teacher included helping the hard-working children quench their thirst in a delicious manner.
Today, we were going to mainly entertain them with watermelons and watermelon desserts. What I was doing right now was the preparation for that. While I was scooping out the watermelon, I also used a fork every now and then to gather the watermelon seeds.
Techi, who’d been watching me from my side, asked, “What are you going to do with those seeds?”
I continued hollowing out the watermelon as I replied, “Watermelon seeds are actually rather nutritious items. Well, you can’t really eat them raw because you can’t digest the shell, but you can crack the shell or strip it off, or even stir-fry the seeds until they’re nice and crunchy. Apparently, ingesting them gives you a whole lot of nice nutrients and prevents the summer heat from getting to you.
“That’s why I’m going to sprinkle on some salt and stir-fry them today to make a snack which can also help the kids replenish salt. But well, we’ve only got four watermelons. I don’t think we’ll have enough seeds for all the kids to eat to their heart’s content, so I’m also going to mix in crushed almonds and walnuts from the supermarket. It’ll be something like mixed nuts.”
Hearing that, Techi nodded. Imitating me, she picked up a fork and walked forward until she was right by my side—until she was at a distance where her skin was gently pressed against mine. Then, she began helping me out with separating the seeds from the fruit.
The watermelon seeds were going to be stir-fried with almonds and walnuts. Meanwhile, I divided the watermelon scoops into separate bowls. One bowl was for eating them as-is. The other bowl was going to turn into the ingredient in a fruit punch—I was going to add canned fruits and fruit jello to the bowl before pouring on soda just before the kids dug in.
Once I finished all the preparations, I served the three items separately on large platters before arranging them on the table in the rest area. When I was taking out spoons and small plates for everyone, the diligent kids in the orchard noticed what I was doing, and they all came rushing over while yelling in excitement.
But Techi stopped them. “Wash your hands first!” she barked. “As for those of you sweating all over, you need to take a shower in the shower rooms and get changed before you can have your dessert!”
The kids obeyed dutifully. They split up into groups that went to the sink area and the shower rooms.
The rest area came equipped with all kinds of facilities, such as a sink area, toilets, and deeper inside, you could find the type of shower rooms that you’d often see in campgrounds. Apparently there even used to be a washing machine here in the past. It honestly felt like a full-blown campsite.
We no longer had a washing machine because it had malfunctioned a long time ago, but the shower rooms were still very much ready for action. After taking showers there, the kids shook their bodies all over to fling the water away. They walked out into the sunlight and borrowed the aid of the sun to dry their wet fur.
Seeing that, Techi grabbed a brush and fur oil—tea seed oil—before rushing over and brushing everyone’s fur speedily, making sure that they wouldn’t get tangled and matted. Then, she ushered them to get changed.
Doing orchard work in summer meant that you were naturally going to get sweaty and take showers. And if you were going to take showers, you’d need a change of clothes. As you would expect, the kids had come prepared—they took out fresh clothes from their backpacks and promptly got changed. They arranged the food on the table onto their small plates before they sat down on the picnic blanket or benches nearby. With big smiles, they scooped up spoonfuls of their refreshments and enjoyed their break.
First, they’d eat plain watermelons to hydrate up, then the salty stir-fry of watermelon seeds and nuts to replenish salt. Once their bodies weren’t as hot and thirsty, they’d dig into the fizzing fruit punch to quell their hunger.
I noticed that some of the kids began eating watermelon seeds again, seeking some salt after they savored the sweetness of the fruit punch. Meanwhile, some other children were satisfied with the fruit punch and began napping away in the shade.
Watching over the kids from my place on the bench, I observed, “Looks like the watermelon seeds are relatively popular. I was a bit worried because you looked so surprised, Techi, but I’m glad it turned out well.” That was when a question popped up in my head. “Actually, chipmunks often crack open shells and eat edible parts inside, don’t they? I feel like watermelon seeds would be a part of their diet… So why were you so taken aback?”
Techi, who was sitting across from me, sported a somewhat awkward look. “Around here, we think that eating watermelon seeds is bad for your body… Well, that’s the superstition, at least.” She hesitated. “Maybe you’ve heard of it before. There’s a rumor that if you eat watermelon seeds, it will sprout out from your belly button…”
I blinked in surprise. “Y-Yeah, I’ve heard that a few times when I was a child. But the rumor says that it only happens when you swallow it whole, and as long as you chew it properly, it should be fine… I mean, if watermelon seeds can truly grow in your stomach, I’m sure that the government would issue a warning or ban against eating them. Not to mention that all chipmunk beastfolk have the habit of chewing well if they see something as a seed, no matter what size it is, so I think you don’t have to worry about it at all.”