Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: New Employee
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The Lin family fruit seller across the way pressed a cloth to his mouth amid a nonstop barrage of coughs.
The vegetable vendor next to him turned his head and hacked out a "keh-keh."
And it wasn't just them.
Passersby were covering their mouths with sleeves or the backs of their hands, letting out dry coughs.
"Ah, they said wind-cold was spreading like a plague... It's worse than I thought."
The severity varied, but everyone seemed to have caught the wind-cold without exception.
That was when it happened.
"That damn apothecary owner, it's not like he's boiling gold nuggets, but he's charging a hundred coins for a single packet of wind-cold medicine that should cost ten... More like a den of thieves than an apothecary."
"If you don't have money, just die, that's what they're saying. They slap 'Benevolent Heart Hall' on the sign and suck us dry."
"Someone I know couldn't get medicine, mistook mountain poison weeds for herbs, brewed them up, and went blind."
"Heh heh, even complaining to the authorities is useless—they say the apothecary owner has powerful backers."
The common folk's grumbles and laments, heavy with sighs, pierced my ears.
But there was no solution.
Soon enough, they trudged off down the narrow alley, kicking up thick clouds of ancient dust with footsteps like iron rods.
"This is big trouble."
I nodded slowly. And right then.
Bang, bang.
Status windows filled with customer reactions scrolled up one after another. With so many visitors, the crimson neon glow flashing in the air seemed endless.
That light bloomed like lotus flowers, dyeing the entire market red.
"What a sight. Almost a shame it's only for my eyes."
The points had piled up ten times higher than before.
Partly because so many people had visited, but mostly because the warmth spreading through their mouths had heated their insides thoroughly.
"Nothing beats a hot broth when it's chilly."
My chest swelled with pride for no reason.
Cooking was truly the best for me.
Yeon Hye-yoon, restored to health by the Hot and Sour Soup, and the Lin family fruit seller hunched over coughing both entered my view at once.
"Starting tomorrow, maybe go beyond nourishing dishes... and sell medicinal cuisine good for wind-cold?"
Lest there be any misunderstanding, I'm not some righteous hero from a movie bursting with a sense of duty.
My Food Virtue Points had built up nicely, and I was curious just how far my potential could stretch.
Selling medicinal cuisine from a street stall was bound to cause some unexpected happenings.
To achieve my goal of dying a natural death, I needed to live quietly without drawing eyes, but the path to becoming the world's greatest chef was equally important.
"It's decided. Starting tomorrow, sell medicinal cuisine for real."
I judged it was time to hit the blazing griddle.
I finished the day and returned home.
When I left, the pitch-black sky had hung overhead, and now returning, it still cradled that heavy darkness.
Maban was so exhausted he sprawled out in the room beyond the kitchen, sleeping soundly.
Like a human, he lay on his back with belly exposed toward the ceiling, his overly plump pink tummy fat spilling to the sides.
"Aigoo, so fat he's snoring through his nose..."
He even snored like a middle-aged man, droning away.
I left the wooden partition door open.
Using his sleep-talking as radio background noise, I attempted to enhance ingredients for tomorrow's business.
"Between radish and green onion... which to enhance?"
I alternated glances between the radish and green onion on the cutting board, pondering.
The green onion had been the ingredient that cured Yeon Hye-yoon's wind-cold before.
The radish was in season, its deep sweetness from the cool weather, firm yet tender texture.
Looking at the radish again, its effects appeared.
✨ Main Effects
🔥 Digestion Promotion – Diastase and amylase in radish act as digestive enzymes, effectively relieving indigestion. 💨 Cough and Phlegm Relief – Expectorant action dissolves phlegm and soothes coughs, aiding respiratory issues. 🛡️ Immune Boost – Rich in vitamin C, supports immunity, prevents and aids recovery from colds. 💧 Diuretic and Detox – High water content helps expel bodily waste, reducing swelling. 🌿 Antioxidant and Anticancer – Glucosinolate inhibits cell damage.
"Hm, soothes coughs... effective for cold recovery... Let's go with radish this time."
After deliberation, I chose the radish.
Cooking comes before medicinal cuisine, after all.
I decided to trust the radish's energy, infused with both the chill of heaven and the warmth of earth in peak season.
"Radish, you're up today."
I gazed at the radishes piled sky-high, like those at a high official's house in kimchi-making season.
And commanded the status window.
"Use all my points to enhance the radish."
A red energy rose like smoke from inside the radishes, soon forming a massive fiery whirlwind.
My hair, tied in a single ponytail, danced wildly like well-dried fermented mackerel in sea breeze.
The radishes, mere ingredients moments ago, now evoked intense heat, vitality, and an awe-inspiring mystique.
"...!"
Because.
One of the stacked radishes suddenly sprang up and started hopping around like a Taoist from a past-life children's cartoon.
"Wh-what."
For a moment, I recalled the time I prepped the enhanced green onion.
The green onion roots wriggling like earthworms on the cutting board.
I'd dismissed it as seeing things then, but now it seemed like a clear omen.
"Hm, the radish... is running away."
The silver lining: only one out of the heap was like that.
And that radish didn't last long.
It got caught by the deep-sleeping Maban and pummeled with several cat punches before tumbling over.
"Ah, since Maban's a raccoon dog, maybe call them civet punches?"
A minor issue, but the radish didn't move anymore.
Still, it felt iffy to cook it right away, so I set it aside in the corner of the room.
If it stayed like that after a few days, I'd steam it with honey into honey-steamed radish.
The next day came.
Thankfully, the hopping radish from yesterday was still.
Maban poked and played with it like prey.
Soon bored, he yawned widely and leisurely.
"Maban, time to head to the market."
"Miyaaa~"
As always for over ten years.
I pulled the cart under the inky blue sky, Maban jingling bells at my feet.
We arrived at the market.
When I left home, the sky had been sunk in dark sleep.
But here, it was awakening life's bustle, gradually staining the heavens red.
I headed to my usual spot.
"Benefactor, did you rest well through the night? Fortunately, the sun is warm today."
"Greetings. This girl woke up thinking of working with the great hero and started dancing for joy."
The empty lot usually greeted me, but today the mother and daughter were already there, welcoming me.
"Thank you so much for coming out early in the morning."
Unlike the chilly yesterday, today was quite warm.
"Great hero, what dish will you prepare today to astonish this girl? I can hardly wait."
Somi chirped like a sparrow, her cute lips flapping.
Hye-yoon beside her tilted her head curiously, face full of anticipation.
I looked at them and said,
"Today, we'll sell Radish Pork Stir-fry and Radish-Filled Flatbread."
Today, I planned Chinese home cooking using the "enhanced radish."
"White radish" represents the season of cold winds, its roots condensed with sweetness that shines especially when stir-fried with pork.
Autumn radish and pork were considered a perfect match, hence today's menu: Radish Pork Stir-fry and Radish-Filled Flatbread.
First, Radish Pork Stir-fry was exactly as named: thinly shredded radish and sliced pork seasoned with soy sauce, then stir-fried in oil with various spices.
Above all, this dish delivered salty, appetite-whetting flavor from cheap ingredients, a staple side on Chinese home tables.
Radish-Filled Flatbread was a snack with radish and meat filling in dough, pan-fried flat in oil, resembling hotteok in appearance.
It was a type of pan-fried flatbread, fried shallow in oil.
One bite brought crispy edges, subtle radish sweetness, and meat juices blending in the mouth.
I briefly explained the dishes to the mother and daughter.
"For today's Radish Pork Stir-fry and Radish-Filled Flatbread, I'm using pork belly."
I shook the pork belly wrapped in bamboo shoot husks.
In an era without plastic bags, they used paper, cloth, bamboo leaves, etc., for packaging food.
"B-benefactor, p-pork belly... do you mean that all-fat pork cut?"
Hye-yoon's eyes flicked toward the pork belly.
But wrapped in bamboo husks, its appearance was hidden.
"Yes, that's right, Hye-yoon."
The mother and daughter's lips twitched down briefly, then slowly rose toward their ears.
"Ah, I see. Benefactor. Radish Pork Stir-fry with pork belly... Sounds promising."
"Ah, I'm looking forward to it too, great hero."
Their round eyes spun in the air before dropping downward.
An awkward silence followed.
They clearly struggled for words.
"I thought they were pros at flattery from all the seal-summoning acts, but apparently not."
A realization today.
The exaggerated gestures and expressions from yesterday weren't empty flattery—they were genuine reactions.
"Ho, ho, ho."
"Hee, hee, hee."
Unable to find words, Hye-yoon and Somi forced awkward laughs.
It reminded me of subordinates clutching their stomachs and fake-laughing at a boss's lame dad jokes.
"Hm, guess they're really not excited."
A strange sense of challenge bubbled up. I rolled up my sleeves meaningfully, steeling my resolve.