Chapter 25: Yongsaeng’s First Cooking (2)
by fnovelpia
I grabbed a basket and headed to the kitchen.
As the cookbook instructed, I picked up a carrot first.
“First, the carrot…”
Hubert had explained each ingredient to me in detail—
What it was called,
How to prepare it,
Even how it should be eaten.
With carrots, I was certain—
He said to wash them, peel them, and then eat them.
“I should wash it first.”
I was about to take just the carrot outside when I paused.
Come to think of it,
He had said all vegetables and greens should be washed before eating.
“It should be fine to wash them all at once, right?”
A little shortcut like this couldn’t hurt.
I took out all the vegetables listed in the cookbook and stepped outside.
A cool breeze brushed against my cheeks.
The morning sunlight was warm,
But it felt closer to winter than autumn now.
“Hmm…”
Carefully, I placed the armful of vegetables into a large basin.
Potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes…
It was quite a lot.
Still, washing them all together would be much easier.
I filled the basin with water, then hesitated before picking up a bar of soap.
“…Uuuh.”
I wasn’t sure if I should use this to wash the vegetables.
Soap was for cleaning things,
But when it came to alchemical ingredients, we never used soap.
I stared blankly at the soap in my hand.
“What did Hubert say again…?”
Slowly, I tried to recall.
Hubert had told me to wash the ingredients thoroughly,
But I didn’t remember him saying to use soap.
“Just wash them clean with water.”
Yeah, that’s right—
I’m pretty sure he said to use just water.
After hesitating, I slowly set the soap back down.
“Just water, then…”
I began washing the vegetables one by one.
Shaking off the dirt,
Checking between the crevices,
And scrubbing carefully, just as Hubert had taught me.
The muddy dust spread through the water in the basin,
And the rough texture felt at my fingertips gradually turned smooth.
“…Is this the right way to do it?”
I picked up one of the washed vegetables and examined it.
Its color had brightened noticeably.
The once dirt-covered skin now gleamed,
And the touch against my fingers had become smooth.
Droplets clung to its surface, shimmering as they caught the sunlight.
“This much… Should be fine.”
I poured out the murky water,
Filled the basin with clean water again,
And gave them one final, thorough rinse.
This was the part Hubert had emphasized.
“Hygiene and cleanliness come first. You must wash the vegetables until the water is clear enough to drink.”
Remembering his words, I carefully observed the color of the water.
There was no trace of cloudiness.
The vegetables now glowed even more vividly than before.
“Yeah. Seems good.”
I drained the water and lifted the basin holding the vegetables.
“Next time, I should bring a basket.”
Lost in thought for a moment,
I hurriedly opened the door to move on to the next task.
“……!”
“Hm?”
I turned my head toward the sound.
A child sitting on the bed, looking around drowsily, was staring at me.
Her hair was tousled,
And her eyes still carried the heavy traces of sleep.
“You’re awake?”
“…….”
The child gave a small nod.
Then, as if asking to be held, she stretched both arms toward me.
I set the basin on the table and slowly approached.
Still barely able to keep her eyes open,
The child leaned toward me, arms outstretched as if to cling to me.
“If you’re sleepy, you can sleep a little more.”
“…….”
The child shook her head side to side.
The child raised her arms higher, pulling me into an embrace.
I stroked her head and let out a slow breath.
It was warm.
A different kind of warmth from sunlight or a campfire.
But,
I didn’t dislike it.
“Can you wait a little? I’m getting breakfast ready.”
“……”
Instead of answering, the child buried her face in my embrace.
The child took a slow, deep breath,
Then lifted her head slightly to look at me.
Her eyes gradually grew clearer.
Though she didn’t say anything,
Her expression alone was enough to understand.
‘I want to stay with you.’
That feeling came through unmistakably.
“Alright. Let’s stay together.”
“!”
The child beamed brightly.
I adjusted my plans a little and helped them with her morning routine first.
I had them wash her face,
Helped them brush her teeth,
And neatly combed her tousled hair.
“!!!!!!”
“Huh? …Did that hurt?”
“……”
The child sniffled, tears welling up as she clutched the top of her head.
“Sorry. I’ll be gentler from now on.”
“……”
Right then, I learned something—
When grooming a human,
You can’t handle them the same way you would an animal.
Gently,
Very carefully.
Hair is delicate, and the child was far more fragile.
“Okay. Now, clothes.”
I unfolded the outfits I’d bought for them at the store.
Since we weren’t planning to go outside today,
Something warm and comfortable would be enough.
Even if it was a little loose,
Something soft and cozy.
I picked out three or four sets and showed them to the child.
“I picked a few options— which one do you like?”
“……!”
The child stared at me blankly.
“What’s wrong?”
“……”
“You don’t like them?”
The child shook her head vigorously.
Then, she began examining the clothes carefully.
I watched them quietly as she made her choice.
Maybe I had brushed her hair too hard earlier.
A few tears were welling up in the child’s eyes.
“…!”
“This one?”
What the child had picked out was a pink dress.
Though simple in design,
It seemed like it would suit the child’s hair color and bright complexion well.
“It’s nice. You’ll look pretty in it.”
“!”
“I’ll help you change. I’ve never done it before, though.”
The child nodded shyly.
“…Hmm.”
The clothes were so, so tiny.
It felt different from dressing myself.
First, I carefully undid the buttons.
“…Is this how it’s done?”
Slowly, I slipped off the loose pajamas the child was wearing.
The oversized sleepwear fell to the floor.
Gently, I pulled the pink dress over the child’s head.
“Okay, now…”
“……”
Peeking out from the dress, the child stared at me intently.
Then,
Slowly,
The child slid her arms into the sleeves and fastened the buttons.
Unpracticed,
Her fingers fumbled and hesitated as she worked the buttons.
But the child didn’t give up.
Deliberately,
Carefully,
The child fastened each one, one by one.
“You’re doing great.”
“……”
The child’s cheeks flushed red.
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she stayed focused until the end.
After fastening the last button,
The child looked up at me with hopeful eyes.
Smiling, I patted her head.
“You did well.”
“……”
“…Oh, yeah. You look pretty.”
“!”
The child’s eyes widened.
For a moment, there was a sound like a small gasp.
And then—
Her lips quivered slightly,
And beneath her even redder cheeks, a small, bright smile bloomed.
I watched the child quietly and thought to myself.
‘So you wanted to be praised.’
The child’s face was filled with unmistakable joy, impossible to hide.
A mix of shyness and excitement seemed to swirl within them,
As she kept bowing her head deeply, only to peek up again and again.
As if longing to hear it once more.
“Really. You look so pretty.”
“……!”
The child’s shoulders flinched slightly.
Then, she clutched the hem of her dress tightly with both hands.
Softly,
Yet unmistakably,
A very shy smile blossomed across her face.
I patted her head and chuckled quietly.
“Alright. Let’s go make breakfast now.” “!”
Carrying the child, I headed to the kitchen.
I moved the table and chair so she could see the cooking clearly and sat them down.
“Is this okay?”
“…….”
The child nodded with a smile.
Her face glowing with excitement,
Sitting up straight with perfect posture,
She focused intently, as if trying not to miss a single one of my gestures.
‘…I’m a little nervous.’
I took out the cookbook and my notes.
Since the child was watching, I had to try even harder.
“Alright. First, the peels…”
Picking up a carrot,
I slowly peeled off the skin with the peeler Hubert had taught me to use.
“…Uh.”
“?”
“…Which part is the peel again?”
It did become smoother after peeling,
But the colors were so similar that I wasn’t sure if I’d done it right.
“…Let’s just keep going.”
Carefully, I moved my hands along what I thought was the outer peel.
The blade skimmed thinly over the surface of the vegetable,
And orange peels fell away one by one.
“Next is…”
Slowly retracing my memory,
I prepared the vegetables just as Hubert had taught me.
The potato was easier since the colors were distinct,
But the garlic took quite a while to separate clove by clove.
As for the onion…
Just as Hubert had said, I stopped peeling once I saw the green and white parts.
I looked down at the much neater vegetables.
“…Did I do it? I must have, right?”
“?”
The sun was already high in the sky.
I hurriedly placed the peeled carrot on the cutting board.
In one hand, a ruler,
In the other, a knife.
I carefully measured the length of the carrot.
“Alright, 3 cm.”
I hesitated just before making the cut.
“…3 cm by what standard?”
“?”
“Width? Length? Height?”
After some deliberation, I decided to cut it into a perfect square.
“Ah, it’s off by 1 mm.”
“…?”
“Let me try again…”
And so, I meticulously cut one carrot.
Once I had diced it into 3 cm cubes, there was more waste than usable pieces.
“…Humans are so wasteful.”
“?”
“…Wait, is this not how it’s done?”
“???”
After a brief pause, I handed the carrot scraps to the child.
“Eat.”
“?”
“They say you can eat these raw.”
“……”
The child stared at the carrot scraps,
Then slowly picked them up one by one, chewing thoughtfully.
“Good. Now, the potato. …This one’s also 3 cm.”
“?”
“…Hmm.”
I decided to try cutting it into cubes as well.
This time too,
There was more waste than usable pieces.
“…Hmmmm.”
“?”
The child reached for the potato scraps.
Gently, I covered her hand with mine to stop them.
“I appreciate the thought, but you can’t.”
“?”
“They say you can’t eat these raw.”
The child blinked and withdrew her hand.
Maybe she felt bad for not being able to help.
The child looked up at me with a slightly dejected expression.
“It’s okay. I’ll eat them.”
“?”
“Dragons can absorb anything, you see.”
I popped the leftover potato scraps into my mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
The texture was dry and tough, with little moisture.
The more I chewed, the less appealing it became, so I swallowed it whole.
“…Ugh.”
“……?”
This vegetable…
Didn’t seem to contain much magical energy.
The energy absorbed was less
Than the energy required to absorb it.
“Inefficient.”
“?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Come to think of it, the gods wanted every creation to have a purpose.
In the past, humans
Only recognized things imbued with magic as worthy ingredients.
Back then, this vegetable
Would have been discarded as waste, not food.
‘So that’s why she changed things so intricately.’
To ensure that everything—
Had a reason to exist.
To bestow names and purposes
Even upon the worthless.
‘How amusing.’
I felt like I could understand,
Just a little, the heart of my old friend.
Turning it over in my mind, I returned to cooking.
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