Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Ordinary Daily Life (1)
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It was 4 a.m., before the sun had even risen.
Dorothy dropped by my trailer with Nancy in tow. The only light in the trailer park came from her car headlights.
"Jake, look after Nancy for me. Sorry to keep asking."
"No worries. I've got nothing going on today."
"Nancy's food is in the fridge—chicken nuggets. Just microwave them for three minutes, and also..."
"Dorothy, I'll take good care of Nancy's meals, so don't stress."
"...Thanks."
Dorothy knelt down and hugged Nancy.
"Nancy, be good while Mommy's at work, okay? Don't give Jake a hard time."
"Okay. I'll listen to Jake."
"...Our little angel, such a good girl. Mommy's gonna be home late, so you go to sleep first."
"Got it. If work's tough, Mommy, take it easy. Don't push yourself."
Dorothy bit her lip at Nancy's surprisingly mature response. She slowly stroked her daughter's hair.
"...Okay. Mommy's fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
Dorothy's car pulled away, leaving just me and Nancy. The little girl sat on my sofa, still looking half-asleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"Hey, little one, wanna sleep more?"
"No... I'm hungry."
A glance at the clock showed 4:30 a.m. A bit early, but it was time for breakfast.
"Alright. What do you wanna eat?"
"Um... cereal..."
I headed to the kitchen and pulled out some Fruit Loops and milk. The colorful cereal filled the bowl, and when I poured in the milk, the pieces bobbed to the surface.
Crunch-crunch-
Nancy scooped up the cereal with her kid-sized spoon like a pro. Her eyes were still half-closed.
"Tasty?"
"Yeah..."
"Hey, Nancy."
"Yeah?"
"What do you want for lunch?"
Nancy pondered seriously. A little wrinkle formed on her tiny forehead.
"Um..."
"What do you usually have at home?"
"Frozen chicken nuggets, pizza rolls... microwave burritos."
"Every day?"
"Yeah. Mommy gets tired cooking... but it's okay, it's super tasty."
I'd half-expected it, but hearing that she ate nothing but frozen food every day made my heart sink a little.
"Alright, today I'll make something delicious. What do you want?"
"I like anything you make, Jake!"
"Pick one anyway. What should I whip up?"
"Um... then Korean food!"
"Korean food?"
"Yeah! Last year at school for multicultural day, a Korean kid brought kimbap and it was amazing! I wanna eat that!"
Ah, got it. Kimbap... tougher than I'd figured.
"Something besides kimbap? Needs a lot of ingredients—might be hard today."
"Any Korean food's good!"
"Okay, let's check the fridge first."
I opened the fridge. There was a bit of beef left. I'd bought it for steaks, but what if I made bulgogi for Nancy? She'd love it.
"How about bulgogi?"
"What's bulgogi?"
"Korean marinated beef. It's sweet and delicious. Goes perfect with rice."
"Ooh, wanna try!"
Decision made: bulgogi rice bowls for lunch. But there was a problem—the beef in the fridge was only about half a pound. Not enough for two.
"Nancy, after breakfast, wanna hit the store together?"
"Sure! But..."
"Yeah?"
"If there's stuff left in the fridge, we shouldn't shop..."
She crossed her arms, deep in thought. Guess Dorothy had drilled that into her. A six-year-old already so thrifty.
"Haha, it's fine today. We'll just buy what we'll eat."
"...Really?"
"Totally. Hurry and eat so we can get ready."
9 a.m.
I took Nancy to the supermarket.
The closest was Dollar General, just five minutes from our trailer park. But that wasn't where we were headed.
Dollar General was one of those budget chains that popped up in poor neighborhoods. Sure, prices were low, but it was mostly processed stuff—frozen pizzas, canned goods, ramen, snacks. Barely any fresh meat or veggies, and what little there was looked iffy.
For the fresh beef I wanted, I needed to drive fifteen minutes farther, to Taylor Market on the outskirts of Austin.
"Jake, can't we go to that store?"
Nancy pointed at the passing Dollar General.
"No good meat there."
"Why?"
"It's... kinda complicated."
How to explain to a six-year-old? I started slow as I drove.
"In our neighborhood, even if there is fresh meat or veggies, not many people buy them. They're pricey, don't keep long, gotta eat quick. Spoils and it's all wasted."
"Whoa, can't do that! Teacher said wasting food is bad."
"Haha, exactly. That's why we're going to a neighborhood where lots of people buy meat and veggies. That's where the big supermarkets are."
It was the classic food desert issue, but too advanced for a kid. Nancy nodded like she got it. She thought for a bit, then asked again.
"So our hood can't buy anything?"
"We buy from dollar stores and convenience spots. Lots of frozen and snacks, right? You've seen 'em."
"Yeah, our house has tons."
"My fridge too. Pretty sure everyone's like that around here."
"But... Mommy says eating too much of this stuff's bad for you. She worries all the time."
Smart kid.
"Mommy's right. Too much salt and oil—not good if you eat it often. But sometimes you gotta. Weird, huh?"
"Yeah, weird. Why?"
"Fresh veggies and meat cost more. And they don't sell 'em nearby..."
Was I explaining too hard? But Nancy scrunched up her face and said,
"So we have to eat only bad stuff?"
"Kinda, yeah."
"That's too weird."
"Yeah. Super weird."
"Then everyone in our hood stays sick forever? That's not fair!"
I was stunned a six-year-old could think like that.
"You're so smart! Yeah, that's why we gotta be careful."
"Jake, what about Mommy?"
"...Huh?"
"Will Mommy get sick too?"
Her voice was full of worry. It tugged at my heart.
"No, Nancy. Mommy's healthy, don't worry. And now we've got each other. If the family eats tasty, healthy food more often, we're good."
"Then it'll be okay?"
"Yeah, obviously."
Nancy let out a sigh of relief. We soon pulled into Taylor Market and parked. This place was worlds apart from our neighborhood—huge clean lot, carts gleaming like new.
"It's a bit pricier here, but tons of fresh meat."
"If pricey, buy less. Mommy taught me."
"Wow, Nancy's super smart."
Buoyed by the praise, my little princess beamed as I took her hand and we headed inside. Fresh flower arrangements greeted us at the entrance—stuff we'd never even see back home.
"This is the veggie section..."
Lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers... tons of varieties, all crisp and glossy.
"Whoa, so colorful and pretty!"
"Right? They get fresh ones every day here."
We reached the meat counter, our goal. Holding Nancy's hand, I stood before the chilled display cases. The prices were no joke.
Ribeye steak - $12.99/lb
Chuck roast - $7.99/lb
Ground beef - $5.99/lb
"Pricey..."
Sirloin or tenderloin best for bulgogi, but this wasn't a butcher—cuts weren't that specialized.
"This one?"
I picked up a chuck roast. Two pounds, sixteen bucks.
On the way to checkout, Nancy pointed at the frozen foods aisle.
"Jake, look over there."
I checked it out with her.
Frozen pizza - $3.99
Frozen chicken nuggets (20 pcs) - $6.99
Frozen burritos (5 pcs) - $4.99
Frozen fries - $2.99
One pack of fresh meat could buy four or five of these. No wonder folks without much cash defaulted to frozen. Nancy fiddled with a box of nuggets with her small hands.
"Jake, we have this at home. Eat it every day."
"Tasty?"
"Um... tasty, but really salty."
"Yeah? How do you eat it?"
"Load up on ketchup and ranch."
"From now on, less sauce. Not good for you."
My heart ached again.
"When Mommy's busy, I'll cook more often. Healthy and tasty stuff."
"Hehe, great. Can Mommy eat with us too?"
"Of course! I'll make enough for Dorothy too."
Checkout: sixteen dollars. As we got in the car, Nancy asked,
"Jake, when we get rich, can we eat lots of good-for-you food?"
"Yep. That's why everyone wants to get rich."
"Then let's get rich quick! So our whole family stays healthy."
I laughed and ruffled her hair. One more reason to hustle and get rich quick.
"Yeah, let's get rich fast. Promise."
"Promise!"
We hooked pinkies.
Back home, I started cooking.
"Nancy, grab a chair and park it by the counter. I'll teach you how to make bulgogi."
"Okay!"
She dragged over a little stool and stood next to the counter—her chin just barely reached the top. I took out the beef and laid it on the cutting board.
"First, slice the meat thin."
"Why?"
"Thin slices let the marinade soak in better and cook faster."
I sliced the meat as thin as I could with the knife. Chuck roast was tougher than sirloin, so extra thin.
"Whoa, super thin!"
"Now we make the marinade."
I grabbed a big bowl and added ingredients one by one.
"Four spoons of soy sauce."
"What's this?"
"Salty sauce. Koreans use tons of it."
"Smells weird!"
"Haha, it'll be fine once the meat cooks."
Next, sugar. Sweetness was key after salt.
"Two spoons of sugar. That's the sweet part."
"Sugar in meat?"
"Yep. Korean food's got lots of sweet—that's why it's so good."
"Cool."
"One spoon chopped garlic. Smell this."
Nancy leaned in and wrinkled her nose.
"Eww, spicy! My nose hurts!"
"Hahaha! But cooked, it's delicious."
"For real?"
"For real. Just wait."
Finally, a couple swirls of sesame oil.
"What's this?"
"Sesame oil. Koreans use it a lot. Nutty smell, right?"
Nancy sniffed.
"Good smell! Kinda like butter!"
"Right?"
A sprinkle of pepper to finish.
"Now mix it up."
I stirred with a spoon until the brown liquid was uniform.
"Whoa, smells amazing!"
"Now add the meat."
I dumped in the sliced beef and kneaded it by hand.
"Knead with hands?"
"Yeah, gets the marinade deep into the meat."
"Lemme try!"
"Go for it. Just knead away."
Nancy stuck in her little hands and worked the meat.
"Eek! Sticky!"
"Right? Fun, huh?"
"Yeah!"
We kneaded together. The marinade seeped right in.
"Now wait thirty minutes."
"Thirty whole minutes?"
"Yep. That's how it gets all flavorful deep inside."
"Okay. What do we do till then?"
"Cook rice, wash lettuce... oh, and check the garden."
While waiting, I cooked rice and rinsed lettuce. I also dug out an old flowerpot from the storage auction stash. It was piled in the corner but cleaned up nice.
"Nancy, check this out."
"Flowerpot?"
"Yeah. What if we plant veggies here?"
"Us?"
"Us. Lettuce, basil, that kinda thing."
"For real? Then we eat veggies we grew?"
"Exactly! Whaddya think?"
Nancy's eyes lit up.
"Awesome! Let's plant!"
I set three pots in the yard. Filled 'em with soil from Home Depot. Earthy smell wafted up.
"Texas winters are mild—great for growing veggies."
"Other places super cold?"
"Yeah. New York, Chicago—snowing and freezing right now."
"Whoa, we're lucky!"
"Totally lucky."
Her sweet thought made me grin. I pulled out the seedlings from Home Depot: two lettuces, one basil.
"This is lettuce. Plant like so."
I dug a hole in the center and gently set in the seedling.
"My turn!"
"Come on over."
Nancy dug with her tiny hands and planted the basil.
"Nice job. Now water 'em."
Handed her the watering can.
"Gentle now."
She carefully watered the pots.
"Not too much—a little at a time."
"Okay!"
The water soaked into the soil.
"All done?"
"Yep. Now daily water and sunlight."
"And food grows here?"
"Right. Veggies like at the supermarket."
"Whoa... free fresh veggies?"
Not free with seedlings, but... her sparkling eyes at the "discovery" cracked me up.
"Yep. Our secret, Nancy."
"...Got it! Fresh veggies cost so much... Jake, we're gonna get rich doing this!"
"Hahaha! Yeah, rich in no time."
"Grow these and keep Mommy healthy too. So exciting!"
Watching her pat the pots so tenderly warmed my heart. Yeah, what more could happiness be? This was it.