Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Part 2: Entered the Central Plains, but Everything Feels Nothing but Strange (3)
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He opened his eyes to find a beauty sitting right beside him. Bang Jinbo's face turned bright red in an instant. As if finding his reaction adorable, Moon Sookyung burst into laughter.
“Hohoho!”
Feeling awkward for no reason, Bang Jinbo scratched his head with his fingers.
Moon Sookyung spoke up.
“Little brother, you must be great at cooking?”
“Well... I just like it...”
“Impressive. How did you identify all those ingredients just from one taste?”
Bang Jinbo's face flushed even deeper at her praise. Seeing his pure innocence only made Moon Sookyung like him more.
“Then you must be good at cooking too?”
“Just a little.”
“I'd love to try a meal made by you sometime.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jinbo took it as polite flattery, so he didn't think much of it.
He looked up at Damho, who was silently eating his meal. Even with such a striking beauty chatting right next to him, Damho kept eating without a word—it was just like him.
He probably wouldn't even blink if lightning struck right beside him. That was the kind of man Damho was.
Moon Sookyung's voice reached Bang Jinbo's ear again.
“Are you heading to Hongam Mountain Manor too, little brother?”
“No.”
“Then where?”
“To Lake Dongting.”
“Why Lake Dongting?”
“Just to meet someone...”
“Really? I've never been there myself.”
A hint of envy flickered in Moon Sookyung's eyes for the first time.
She had spent her whole life in Gansu Province. She was content with life here, but that didn't mean she had no longing for other places.
Lake Dongting was a place so enchanting that poets and scholars never stopped visiting. Naturally, it was one of the spots Moon Sookyung had always wanted to see.
It was then.
“Junior Sister, enough with the idle chatter.”
Jwa Sangcheon's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
His face was openly displeased. He didn't like seeing her chat amiably with some fat nobody.
Noticing Jwa Sangcheon's glare, Bang Jinbo said to Moon Sookyung,
“Then enjoy your meal, sister.”
“Yeah! Sorry for bothering you while you were eating. Dig in.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jinbo returned to his meal with focus. He forgot all about his chat with her and savored the flavors.
In the meantime, roast duck and bamboo leaf wine arrived at Moon Sookyung and Jwa Sangcheon's table. Moon Sookyung stopped paying attention to Bang Jinbo.
Damho wasn't making a fuss like Bang Jinbo, but he was fully appreciating the food too.
At last, the long meal came to an end.
“Wow! So good.”
Bang Jinbo set down his chopsticks with a satisfied face.
“How was it for you, brother?”
“Tasty.”
“Really tasty, right? How do they make flavors like this?”
“Still, your cooking is better.”
“Brother?”
Bang Jinbo's eyes lit up with emotion. He never expected Damho to say something like that right now.
“Thanks, brother. Just hearing you say it means a lot.”
“I don't say empty words.”
“I know.”
Bang Jinbo grinned widely.
“Brother, can we stop by the market tomorrow? I want to browse and buy some good ingredients if I see any. Okay?”
“Sure.”
Damho nodded and rose from his seat. Bang Jinbo followed behind him with a smile.
‘Hehe! I wonder what ingredients they'll have in Lanzhou?’
He was already curious and excited.
Even after returning to their room, Bang Jinbo couldn't sit still. He spent the night studying the cookbook his father had left him. In the end, he stayed up all night wide-eyed.
***
The next morning, Damho and Bang Jinbo left the inn and headed to the market. Bang Jinbo's eyes were bloodshot from following Damho, but the moment they arrived, his face lit up with energy as if nothing had happened.
“Wow!”
Vast arrays of shops lined the main street. Freshly butchered meats, chewy dried jerky, fish caught from nearby lakes—countless ingredients were everywhere.
It looked like paradise to Bang Jinbo. Forgetting Damho was even there, he dashed into a shop.
Bang Jinbo held up a piece of dark jerky from the stall to the owner.
“What kind of jerky is this?”
“Made from mutton.”
“They make jerky from lamb too?”
“Of course! Our shop's secret method eliminates the gaminess—tastier than beef jerky, even.”
“Really?”
“Want a taste?”
“Wow! Can I?”
“Naturally.”
The shop owner smiled and tore off a piece. Bang Jinbo chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor.
“It's really good.”
“See?”
“Yes! The best jerky I've ever tasted.”
“Ha ha!”
Bang Jinbo gave a thumbs-up, and the owner beamed happily. He could feel the sincerity.
“I'll take two pieces.”
“Got it.”
The owner wrapped the mutton jerky in paper with a smile. Bang Jinbo paid and tucked the package under his arm.
“Come back again.”
“Yes!”
With a cheerful reply, Bang Jinbo headed to the next stall.
On the stall were twenty black lumps in a row, each the size of a child's fist, shriveled so tightly their identity was a mystery.
“What are these?”
“Dried sea cucumbers.”
“Dried sea cucumbers? You mean dried trepang?”
“That's right. Quite the delicacy.”
Bang Jinbo's eyes widened at the merchant's answer.
Sea cucumbers were rare treasures from the ocean. Impossible to find in the deep inland like this.
Properly sun-dried in the shade, they became dried sea cucumbers with flavor rivaling the fresh ones, storable for ages. But even so, spotting them inland was no easy feat.
“Wow!”
An exclamation escaped him naturally.
He'd heard plenty about them from his father Bang Ugwang, but this was his first time seeing one. With a treasure from his dreams right before his eyes, Bang Jinbo didn't know what to do.
He asked cautiously.
“Expensive, right?”
“You bet.”
“How much...”
“Five silver taels each.”
“Gasp!”
A cry burst from Bang Jinbo's mouth.
Five silver taels was several months' living expenses for an ordinary family. Even a kid like him knew that.
Bang Jinbo turned away dejectedly, not daring to buy any. But Damho was standing right in front of him.
Without a word, Damho handed him a bill. It was for a hundred silver taels.
“Brother?”
“Buy them.”
“But they're too expensive.”
“I gave you the money. Spend it however you want.”
Damho turned and walked away without waiting for a reply. Watching his retreating back, Bang Jinbo clenched his fist.
“Brother!”
“Buying or not?”
The merchant's voice came from behind.
Bang Jinbo whipped around.
“I'm buying. All of them.”
His bold voice echoed through the shop.
Bang Jinbo emerged from the shop with a face full of joy. He never imagined finding such rarities as dried sea cucumbers deep inland.
If he used them well, he could attempt dishes he'd never even dreamed of before.
Just thinking about it made him happy. The emotions showed plainly on his face.
Bang Jinbo was easy to read. So Damho thought as he turned his head.
The street was now bustling with people.
Bang Jinbo looked up at Damho with sparkling eyes.
“I'm hungry, brother.”
And sure enough, they hadn't eaten breakfast before leaving, so his stomach was empty.
Damho nodded, and Bang Jinbo grinned, tugging his hand. By now, Bang Jinbo could tell exactly what Damho was thinking from his gestures and glances.
Damho rarely spoke much. But his body language and eyes conveyed plenty.
“On the way here, I saw a beef noodle stall. The smell was amazing—has to be delicious. Hehe!”
Bang Jinbo rubbed his hands in anticipation.
He might not notice much else, but when it came to food, Bang Jinbo's senses sharpened. The moment they entered the street, he'd scanned countless stalls and instinctively picked the tastiest-looking one.
With eager excitement on his face, Bang Jinbo headed to the stall he'd marked earlier. But upon arrival, a puzzled look crossed his face.
The broth was boiling vigorously, yet the elderly stall owner sat there in a daze.
“Granny, not open for business?”
“Business? I want to, but...”
“Why not?”
“My shoulder's been killing me since earlier.”
The old woman rubbed her shoulder. At her age, there wasn't a part of her that didn't ache. It had been bearable until now, but this was too much. She couldn't knead dough like this.
“I even started the broth at dawn...”
She sighed.
The day was hot. If she didn't use up today's broth, it'd spoil fast. For someone living day-to-day, it was a huge loss.
She needed to knead noodles and prep ingredients to sell, but her shoulder made it impossible.
Hearing her plight, Bang Jinbo's face darkened. Seeing the old woman's grim expression tugged at his heart—he couldn't just stand by like a stranger.
Glancing between Damho and the old woman, Bang Jinbo bit his lip as if making up his mind.
“Granny.”
“Yes?”
“I'll prep the ingredients and knead the noodles for you.”
“You?”
“Yes!”
“Nah, how could you?”
“I know a bit about cooking, looks aside. Teach me, and I can do it.”
“Even so...”
The old woman hesitated.
Bang Jinbo looked to Damho.
“Brother, I want to help Granny. Okay?”
Damho nodded silently, and a bright smile bloomed on Bang Jinbo's face.
The old woman finally relented. Right now, she needed any help she could get—even a cat's paw.
Bang Jinbo rolled up his sleeves.
“What first?”
“Noodles first.”
“And the dough?”
“Lift the stall cover below—there's a big tub with prepared dough inside.”
“Wow! So chewy. You can't get this texture with just flour.”
“Yeah! I mix in a bit of cornmeal.”
“No wonder the color. I never knew. How'd you figure that out?”
“Just comes with trying things. Nothing special.”
Bang Jinbo chatted amiably with the old woman, like grandparents and grandchild.
Damho watched them silently.
There was nothing for him to do here. Just observe.
Under the old woman's guidance, Bang Jinbo began rolling out the noodles.
His face brimmed with vitality, eyes sparkling—as if light emanated from Bang Jinbo himself.