I WILL FIND YOU.

Chapter 85: Sichou Town

After enjoying their pancakes Minda and Kai continued through the market. It was just like Kai said it would be and full of new and interesting things Minda had never seen before.

"Honey, are those spices? They look like spices." Minda excitedly said as he tapped Kai's hand.

"Do you want to check it out?" Kai asked despite already pushing Minda towards the spice shop. The shop was set up in a way where all the spices were on display in large bowls. Unlike the spices Minda typically knew these had a variety of bright colours. The moment they approached the area Minda was overwhelmed by the smell.

"Honey, do you know what that bright yellow spice is?"

"No."

"What about the reddish orange."

"No."

"Do you think that one is spicy? Red is usually spicy."

"Maybe."

"That brown stuff smells amazing." Minda said. In his rush to look, smell, and possibly taste everything he could no longer wait for Kai and left his wheelchair.

"MinMin, wait." Kai said but he had already limped away. With no other choice Kai had to abandon the wheelchair and rushed to Minda's side to support him.

"Young man, may I help you?" A man with dark complexion and unique robes said. His accent was thick but his smile was friendly and he spoke well.

"What's this? I don't recognize it at all." Minda said pointing at the mysterious brown ground spice. Despite meeting a foreigner for the first time Minda wasn't afraid or nervous. He was too focused on the spices to worry.

"That is nutmeg. It has a warm sweet taste. You can add it to sweet or savoury dishes when cooking. People also use it in tea. It is a very versatile spice." The man explained.

"What about that yellowish orange one?"

"That's turmeric. It has amazing health benefits with an earthy flavour and is better suited for savoury dishes."

"Is this one spicy?"

"That is clove. It can add some heat to the dish. Most of these spices tend to bring heat and warm the body making them perfect for colder weather." The man explained.

Minda and the shopkeeper chatted for awhile. He had a lot of questions and the man patiently explained everything he had available to purchase. While he did Kai was acting as Minda's silent support and held his waist so he wouldn't fall.

"They all sound so different and amazing."

Minda looked up at Kai with sparkling eyes. It was obvious he wanted them all and Kai was happy to buy anything and everything Minda could possibly want.

"Buy as much as you want." Kai said. With the go ahead Minda turned to the shopkeeper again.

"I'd like some of everything."

"May I ask what type of dishes you tend to cook? Depending on what you make it may be better to have more of one type than others. I can also make custom spice blends." The shopkeeper said.

Kai appreciated the way he didn't push Minda to buy a ridiculous amount of everything and patiently talked about what type of cooking Minda did and adjusted the amount of each spice accordingly.

"Thank you so much. I can't wait to try these." Minda said as the man handed Kai over a dozen bags of spices. They had everything from the familiar ginger and Sichuan pepper that was sold in the Capital to the more foreign spices like cinnamon and black pepper. The shopkeeper even included a few premixed spice blends and recommendations on how to use them.