Tong Hua stood before the workbench, took a deep breath, and wore a thoroughly confident smile.
"Then I'll get started. Please step back a little, and be careful not to get burned."
As he spoke, he lit the firewood beneath the crucible.
"Wow, you really look like a witch from a fairy tale!" Jessica stood to one side, her eyes full of excitement.
"But shouldn't you add water first? Won't the pot crack if you heat it dry?"
Hearing that, Tong Hua raised an index finger and gently wagged it.
"Come on, Bidoof!
Add water!"
Several Bidoof came at his call and filed into the shop to help. They soon filled the crucible with Water Gun.
"Bidoo!"
Once they had finished, they quickly left again, searching all around the Ranch for places where they could help.
After all, the head of their family, Bibarel, had personally instructed them to work at two hundred or even three hundred percent effort to offset their excessively powerful luck.
Knowing he could not dissuade them, Tong Hua went along with it and tried to arrange more opportunities for them to lend a hand.
"What was going on with that group of Bidoof just now? They're so cute!"
"Meow~"
Feng, who had been standing outside all this time, suddenly walked in with Glameow.
"They're old friends of the Ranch. They've helped me a lot," Tong Hua explained with a smile as he dropped the first ingredient into the crucible, which was beginning to steam. "I always get the feeling they're especially enthusiastic about working.
Fishing, raising fish, hauling things, and even construction-nothing stumps them."
"Oh, that really is impressive." Feng nodded thoughtfully, but her gaze kept following the Bidoof as they hurried away, until they disappeared into a corner of the Ranch.
"All right, let's