Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: A Thread of Hope (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Elder Jang's aura was choking the breath out of me.
It wasn't killing intent, exactly.
Something stickier and more fishy...
An unsettling energy that words couldn't even begin to describe.
"Uh, oh."
Suddenly, my legs buckled like they were collapsing. And just as I was staggering backward helplessly...
"Miyaaah—"
Maban, who should have been sleeping in the cart, had somehow come right up beside me.
Then his fuzzy head thunked against my calf. Only then did my mind snap back, like I'd been released from a game of freeze tag.
"M-Maban."
The chubby, warm presence that had come to thaw my frozen self.
"Miyaaah—"
The little guy's eyes narrowed into thin slits as he looked up at me. Soon, he was rubbing his small head against my calf.
Only then did calm finally settle over me, bringing peace with it.
This was a first for me.
What on earth was his deal, to possess such a bizarre energy?
'Whew, if it weren't for Maban, I might've gotten hurt.'
The kitchen was like a battlefield.
Take your eyes off it for even a moment, and it could lead to a major accident.
Right now, flames roared fiercely atop the stove, and bubbling oil surged in the wok.
Maban might seem like he just sprawled around all day, packing on the pounds.
But whenever I found myself in big or small crises like this, he always sensed it like a ghost and stayed by my side.
'When I get home, I should boil a whole chicken for him.'
I kneaded Maban's pink belly fat like dough, pretending nothing had happened.
Then I focused on making the Radish Pork Stir-fry.
Time passed, and it was Elder Jang's turn.
"One Radish Pork Stir-fry, please."
He briskly swept the hem of his robe behind him and took a seat at an empty spot.
Afterward, he ordered one dish from Yeon Hye-yoon, the server girl.
"Benefactor, one Radish Pork Stir-fry coming up."
Lately, customers who ate at Waiting People's Restaurant experienced their wind-cold symptoms fading while vitality surged through their bodies.
So they always ordered the main dish, Radish Pork Stir-fry, along with the side, Radish-Filled Flatbread.
This was either to take home and share with their families or to eat themselves.
But Elder Jang ordered just one Radish Pork Stir-fry.
It didn't seem like a first-time visitor's caution. More like he was testing us by ordering just one, distrustful for some reason.
"One Radish Pork Stir-fry going out."
I poured oil into the wok to fill Elder Jang's order.
I whipped up one in no time flat.
"......"
Waiting People's Restaurant was a street stall, but with the growing crowds, even strangers had to share tables.
The mysterious Elder Jang was no exception.
As I handled the influx of orders, I kept an eye on Elder Jang's reaction.
'Who the heck is he? I don't know much about the martial world, but he's clearly no ordinary guy.'
Goosebumps still prickled my rolled-up sleeves.
The silver lining was that it seemed only I could feel that energy.
As if to prove it, the two men sharing his table laughed boisterously now and then, slamming their palms on the table in excitement.
I worried that Elder Jang, who was calmly eating, might suddenly leap up and snap the necks of those two noisy guys.
Before I knew it, sweat beaded on my palm gripping the wok.
"Uh, that gentleman over there...?"
Yeon Somi, who was prepping radishes nearby, glanced at Elder Jang and spoke up.
To satisfy my curiosity, I casually broached the subject.
"You know him...?"
"Of course! That's Elder Jang, who lives near the Qinhuai River. Probably no one in this market doesn't know him."
"I-is that so?"
My round, dumpling-like face had eyes that suddenly narrowed into flat lines.
As if scolding my obliviousness.
No excuses—he was a wandering street chef who drifted from place to place.
He'd only settled in Yanyun Market for less than two months.
So of course he wouldn't know.
"He buys anything good for the body, no matter how priceless. Everyone in the market calls him 'big-shot customer Elder Jang.' Rumors say he was the leader of a trading caravan that roamed the Central Plains in his youth, or that he held high office in the court. Probably just tall tales from his lavish spending."
Like a chick flapping tiny wings, Yeon Somi gestured dramatically with her short arms as she explained.
"I see."
Stripping away the rumors, he was just a very wealthy man who got along fine with the market folk.
Only after confirming those two points did I finally relax. At least he didn't seem like someone who'd harm me.
"And I hear he lives with his young granddaughter, Jang Ryeongwol. But..."
Yeon Somi's shoulders suddenly slumped.
"I heard she suffers from Nine Yin Absolute Pulse. They've tried every rare medicine out there, but no improvement. She's bedridden now. Word is, her condition is so severe that she might not last the year..."
"Nine Yin Absolute Pulse... that's when yin energy in the body grows excessively strong...?"
I trailed off, wanting to ask, '...a disease that shortens life?'
But it felt like presuming her fate, so I couldn't finish.
"Yes, exactly."
"I see."
It was heartbreaking.
But true to form, I just spat out the dry words and glanced at Elder Jang, who had just received his dish.
Elder Jang closed his wrinkled eyelids slowly before the Radish Pork Stir-fry, with its long plumes of white steam rising.
'Food tastes best hot and fresh. Why isn't he eating? Does he not like something about it?'
By now, the mystery was solved. I'd concluded he wasn't a threat to me.
Yet for some reason, he kept nagging at my mind.
Not pity, mind you—don't misunderstand. Who was I to feel sorry for anyone?
For reference, even when I saw injustice, I held my tongue.
If I ever spoke up, I'd just hightail it with only Maban in tow, yelling 'Run for your life!'
"...!"
It was then, lost in thought for a moment.
Elder Jang's head tilted back slightly.
And soon, a faint, lazy smile crept onto his lips.
As if he could guess the taste just from the aroma teasing his nose, without touching a bite.
Elder Jang opened his eyes.
He picked up a pair of chopsticks from the wooden holder in the table's center. He lifted a portion of the Radish Pork Stir-fry and brought it quietly to his mouth.
"Munch munch."
With lips pressed tight as he chewed, a satisfied smile slowly bloomed on his face.
Soon, his torso twitched faintly atop the chair, almost mischievously.
"Wha-what is, this... Wha-what... Wha."
He'd probably tried to maintain a stoic facade for dignity's sake, but failed in the end.
Whether from the flavor or the medicinal effects, it was clearly a positive reaction.
'He'll probably buy a few Radish-Filled Flatbreads too.'
I smirked on one side and subtly gripped some flatbread dough.
An additional order from Elder Jang seemed all but certain.
"Aaaah! You scared me!"
I jumped in shock, yelping like a startled deer.
Because the face of Elder Jang, who had been eating at a distance just moments ago, was now right in front of my nose.
Between us, there was barely room for a sheet of bamboo paper.
His hot breath wafted over, leaving no gap to breathe as it seeped straight into my nostrils.
So startled, I flung the dough I'd been holding right at him.
"Hey, you. You're quite the interesting fellow. I don't know what trick you used to make such wondrous food, but after eating yours, my blood flows freely and heat surges through me. Make me five Radish-Filled Flatbreads too—for my one and only granddaughter."
He'd somehow caught the dough I'd tossed in panic, and now held it in his hand.
He was grinning.
'He looks good when he smiles. But how did he catch the dough I threw? Amazing reflexes?'
Elder Jang handed the dough back to me, then returned to his seat and resumed eating the Radish Pork Stir-fry.
I couldn't pinpoint why, but my cooking seemed to offer him some small comfort.
Cooking really was my calling, after all.
'Hmm, his granddaughter has Nine Yin Absolute Pulse. I can't cure it with my current dishes, but I hope it at least eases her symptoms for a day.'
I shaped the dough into rounds, rolled them out on the board, and pondered.
What could I do? Was there anything that might help?
Serve Jang Ryeongwol, who has lost her appetite, a meal to aid her vitality recovery.
🎁 Reward: Food Virtue +50,000 points, New Trait Ability unlocked
Did the status window read my mind or something?
A quest had arrived concerning Elder Jang's granddaughter, Jang Ryeongwol.
'Whoa, 50,000 points? And a new trait ability on top?'
Guess my gut feeling was spot on, as they say.
Maybe due to the quest's difficulty.
The status window offered generous points plus a new trait ability as rewards.
For reference, my only trait ability so far was 'Medicinal Cuisine,' gained on the first day of awakening.
'Alright, let's make some Medicinal Cuisine to help restore her vitality, even if just for a little while.'
I decided to focus on what I could do.
I eyed the reinforced radish Yeon Somi was prepping and carefully assessed inwardly.
'That reinforced radish won't do.'
The reason was simple.
Even with the same points, the depth of reinforcement varied by the number of ingredients.
In other words, dumping the same points into one radish versus spreading them across many made a huge difference in potency.
So the one Yeon Somi was handling wasn't suitable.
It was just one from the radish mountain piled up last night.
I resolved to pour all my current points into a single radish.
Even though the goal was vitality recovery, for a granddaughter suffering Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, something powerful was needed.
I quickly borrowed a sturdy radish from the Liu family stall selling vegetables right next door.
I'd pay later.
I placed the radish on the cutting board and commanded the status window.
'Dump all my Food Virtue Points into this one radish.'
Red energy shot up like smoke, enveloping the radish on the board.
Soon, its flesh quivered faintly, slowly emanating power infused with red energy.
This was the first time I'd dumped all points into a single ingredient.
The status messages were markedly different from before.
Worried it might jump up like last time and run around the shop, I gripped the reinforced radish tightly with both hands.
'Good, it's not moving.'
Unlike my fears, the point-loaded reinforced radish stayed put.
But the change was...
'What the heck is that.'
Of course it wouldn't be that simple.