Chapter 26: Yongsaeng’s First Cooking (3)
by fnovelpia
I decided to slice an onion.
I picked up the knife and placed the onion on the cutting board.
The cookbook said to cut it into 3cm pieces.
“Should I trim one side flat first to make it easier to measure?”
“…….”
I took out a ruler and measured carefully.
As the blade touched the onion,
I felt a slight, slippery sensation.
“Hmm…”
“?”
As soon as I made the cut, the onion began to peel apart in layers.
The more pressure I applied, the more the overlapping layers started to lift.
“I guess I just need to focus on the width and length.”
“?”
Muttering to myself, I continued slicing.
One piece,
Two pieces.
Using the ruler as a guide, I carefully cut each piece to exactly 3cm.
But then—
“……!”
“Huh?”
I turned and saw a child next to me, tears streaming down her face as her nose twitched.
The child’s eyes were red and puffy,
Her pupils trembling as if she were about to burst into tears.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“…….”
The child rubbed her nose with her hand.
Then, tilting her head up, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Watching them, I finally understood.
“It’s spicy, isn’t it?”
“!”
The child nodded vigorously.
Tears trickled down from her tightly closed eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“…….”
“I’m a bit slow when it comes to things like this.”
I washed my hands and brought a damp towel to wipe the child’s face.
“Is it a little better now?”
“…….”
“Sorry. I guess I let you watch too closely.”
“…….”
The child’s small hand clutched the hem of my clothes.
Gently holding her hand, I patted her head.
“Do you want to wait over there for a bit? I’ll sit with you once I’m done cutting.”
“…….”
The child shook her head firmly.
She tightened her grip on my hand, as if refusing to let go.
With a faint smile, I set the cutting board a little further away.
“Alright. Then i’ll finish this part quickly.”
“…….”
“Cooking is hard.”
“…….”
The child gave a small nod.
Somehow, the sight was so endearing that I let out a quiet chuckle.
Finally managing to slice all the onions,
I minced the garlic finely and ground it in a mortar.
“Hmm. This part’s easy.”
“!”
But letting my guard down was a mistake.
The last hurdle— the tomato.
A different kind of challenge compared to the onions.
The skin was slippery, and the soft flesh made it tricky to cut.
No matter how carefully I measured and sliced,
“…It burst open.”
“…….”
“Maybe squares weren’t the right answer.”
“……?”
The child’s face looked confused.
That expression made me smile a little.
“No, it’s fine.”
“?”
Picking up one slice of tomato,
I carefully examined the split insides.
“Even if it’s not a perfect square, the taste won’t change, right?”
I popped the tomato slice into my mouth.
The flavor that touched my tongue
Was tart yet fresh.
I picked up an uncut tomato and took a bite.
“Yeah. Tastes the same.”
“…….”
“Want some too?”
“!”
The child’s eyes blinked.
I smiled softly and nodded.
Cutting away the bitten part, I sliced off half and handed it to the child.
The child carefully accepted the tomato slice with both hands.
And then, slowly—
Very slowly— brought it to her mouth.
One small bite,
A light nibble with tiny teeth, and tomato juice beaded at the corners of her lips.
“……!”
A slightly surprised face.
But soon, the corners of her mouth curled up just a little.
“Is it delicious?”
“…….”
There were no words,
But everything was evident on the child’s face as she nodded.
Wiping the juice from the corner of her mouth, I chuckled softly.
“Whether it’s a perfect square or not, if it tastes good, that’s all that matters.”
“!”
The child’s eyes sparkled.
Soon after, a bright, beaming smile blossomed across her face.
Watching that smile—
The imperfect cooking,
The clumsy knife work—
All of it suddenly felt a little more okay.
“We’re almost done now.”
“!”
“All that’s left is to let it simmer.”
I tidied up the cutting board
And scooped a spoonful of butter into the pot.
While carefully reading the cookbook with one hand,
I reached for the next ingredients with the other.
“Onions and garlic, golden and fragrant…”
“…….”
The butter slowly melted,
Filling the small cabin with its rich, savory aroma.
The child leaned in slightly.
“Smells good, doesn’t it?”
“!”
The child nodded eagerly with a smile.
I carefully added the onions and garlic to the pot.
Sizzle—
A soft sound, and the scent grew even deeper.
The butter coated the vegetables as she began turning a golden hue.
A sweet, savory fragrance mingled with the aroma of the vegetables, rising thick and warm.
With a wooden spatula, I stirred slowly,
Letting the onions and garlic cook until she was perfectly golden.
“Think it’s ready.”
“!”
The child’s back straightened with excitement.
Seeing the eager glimmer in her eyes,
I carefully added the prepared vegetables to the pot, one by one.
Carrots,
Potatoes,
And finally, tomatoes.
After tossing in the remaining vegetables, I gave them another quick stir.
Then, I poured in water and added the rest of the ingredients.
A bay leaf,
Three spoonfuls of ketchup.
“Now, we just let it boil.”
“!”
“By the way, this is supposed to be four servings.”
The pot wasn’t that big, and it was only about half full.
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like enough for two people at most— certainly not enough for four.
“?”
“Humans these days must have smaller appetites.”
“???”
“No, wait. Let’s see, next… Huh?”
She paused abruptly while flipping through the cookbook again.
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
The sun had passed its zenith, casting long shadows.
She turned her attention back to the cookbook.
The recipe read:
“Simmer for 1 to 2 hours.”
“Oh no.”
“……?”
“It’s going to be dinner instead of breakfast at this rate.”
“???”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have slept and just kept cooking…”
So this was why Hubert had told her to stay diligent.
“…Are you hungry?”
“……”
After hesitating, the child slowly nodded.
She lifted the lid and peered into the pot.
It still couldn’t be called “thoroughly” simmered.
“Hmm…”
“?”
“Just a little… Just a tiny bit…”
“???”
“Acceleration.”
She sped up only the time inside the pot.
As her mana spread from her fingertips and enveloped the pot, the bubbling inside grew increasingly rapid.
The once-fresh vegetables instantly turned mushy, and thick smoke billowed out, filling the entire kitchen.
“Ah, my head…”
“?!”
“No, it’s fine.”
Once again, the barrier of time creaked ominously.
She withdrew her power and took a sip of the stew from the pot.
“Did the bottom burn? It tastes a little charred…”
“……”
“I should’ve stirred it while cooking.”
The child’s eyes widened.
Cradling her throbbing head, she examined the vegetables floating in the broth.
The surface was evenly cooked, and the color looked similar to the stew she’d seen at the inn.
The broth’s concentration wasn’t bad either.
…It’s just the burnt taste that’s the problem.
While I was agonizing over what to do, the waves of memory swallowed me whole once again.
“…Ugh!”
“?!”
In an instant, my vision blurred.
All my senses faded as if falling into a deep slumber, my ears grew muffled, and scenes from another time flooded into my sight.
An unfamiliar kitchen.
The furniture was old but tidy, bearing traces of someone’s long-cherished touch.
It seemed to be midday—
Vivid sunlight streamed in through the window.
And then, right before my eyes—
Holding a ladle in one hand, stood a pink-haired woman, smiling brightly.
“So? How is it?”
“……”
Her expression was brimming with confidence and triumph, yet her warm gaze was filled with tenderness.
Again.
This woman… I was sure I’d seen her not long ago.
A child’s future? Or perhaps a future from another timeline?
I pondered for a moment before deciding to let it go.
Until the flow settled, I wouldn’t make any judgments— I’d just observe.
I stared intently at the woman.
She proudly presented what seemed to be her own homemade dish.
“Look, I made five this time! Pretty good, right? Way more than before!”
“…Impressive.”
“Ehehe, right, right? I’ve been practicing in my spare time to make them for you!”
The pink-haired woman took a step closer.
Her face was lit up with a mischievous grin.
“You can praise me more, you know?”
“Yeah. You did well.”
“Eh? That’s it?”
“…What more do you want?”
She pouted her lips.
Though her boldness felt unfamiliar, that expression was oddly nostalgic.
Then, the woman placed both hands on her hips with a self-assured look.
“I demand it with confidence!”
“…What?”
“A prize!”
“…What kind of prize?”
The woman smiled, warmer than sunlight.
For a moment,
I was captivated by that warmth.
Suddenly, she turned her back and began washing her hands.
After shaking off the water neatly,
She strode right up to me, closing the distance.
“Low!”
“Yeah?”
“Stick out your tongue.”
I had no idea what she meant, so I tilted my head in confusion.
Under her persistent urging,
I reluctantly parted my lips and hesitantly stuck out my tongue.
“Hehe, excuse me.”
“…Huh?”
The woman reached out with her index finger and touched my tongue.
The unfamiliar sensation made me instinctively grimace.
“What are you doing?”
“Wow, it’s so soft.”
“…Stop it.”
“Too bad. You touched my tongue when I was little too, you know.”
It was a direct hit.
By current standards,
It was only once, but still…
If it was my curiosity, I’d probably do it again in the future.
“……”
“Haha, speechless, huh?”
Seemed like she was right.
Given that the “me” in this timeline had already given up resisting, too.
Once I stopped resisting,
The woman began thoroughly exploring every part of my tongue.
“Huh? Your tongue isn’t forked?”
“Since when?”
“Reptiles usually have split tongues, you know?”
“…I’m not a reptile.”
“Ehe, sorry. Don’t make that face.”
She grinned mischievously and continued touching my tongue.
This time,
Her fingers went even deeper.
“Wow, it’s rough here.”
“……”
“Seriously, it’s just like a cat’s.”
“I’m not a cat either.”
“Hmm, but Low, you really are like a cat.”
My expression twisted.
First reptiles, now cats?
‘What kind of nonsense is she spouting?’
I also tilted my head in thought, as if pondering something similar in this timeline.
“Our personalities are alike, and now even our tongues are similar. What should I do? You’re just too adorable.”
“…Why do you like this so much? Is it fun?”
“Yeah!”
There wasn’t a hint of hesitation.
Her eyes and nod were utterly certain.
“…Stop it.”
“Aww, why not?”
“…It’s salty.”
“Hmm, I figured, so I even washed my hands.”
The woman pouted her lips, looking disappointed.
Then, she abruptly brought her face right up close to mine.
“You’re so mean. I went through all the trouble of making five dishes for Lowe.”
“So?”
“At least let me touch you for five minutes!”
“…I don’t like it because it’s salty.”
The woman’s eyes widened.
She stared at me intently before suddenly breaking into a bright smile.
It was a peculiar smile.
Playful, yet
Carrying a hint of something provocative.
“Then, Lowe.”
“Hmm?”
“If not your fingers, can I touch you with something else that isn’t salty?”
“…What?”
I couldn’t even begin to guess, so I tilted my head in confusion.
Instead of answering,
She tilted her head slightly and gazed straight up at me.
A mischievous glint rested at the corner of her lips,
While deep in her pupils, something strangely earnest flickered.
Her gaze was clear yet subtly intense,
Almost as if she was testing me—
Or perhaps simply waiting for my reaction.
“Don’t get it?”
“Nope.”
“Hehe, here’s a hint.”
She took a slow step closer.
Sticking out her tongue playfully with a grin,
She then tapped it lightly with her finger— slowly, deliberately.
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