LIGHTNOVELSTORY I Will Raise It as the Best Family in the World
Chapter 27
After finishing the conversation with Jegal Dam and returning to Red Mist quarter, Woonyeong slumped down.
She pretended to be calm, but talking with a difficult opponent was mentally exhausting. It was a relief that Jegal Dam seemed to have understood Woonyeong’s words, so there was no need to worry. He’s not stupid. No, he’s too smart, that’s the problem. It seemed she had pushed the young child a bit too hard, but Woonyeong did her best. Although the shock would be great, overcoming it was something Jegal Dam had to do. ‘Well, he’s not weak. He’ll do well. If he can’t… I’ll just beat him up a few times later to make him come to his senses.’ “Young Miss, are you… alright?” Sogyo, carefully removing the ornament from Woonyeong’s head, asked gently. “I’m okay.” Woonyeong answered and started organizing the things she had to do. Since she needed to hurry, she became anxious. “Hyangah, could you call the Head Cook Wang for me? Tell him to bring whatever’s ready. He’ll know what that means.” “Yes, Young Miss.” “And go to the Head of the Household and tell them to buy up all the fragrant meat mushrooms. It doesn’t matter if the price goes up; just secure as much as possible. Tell the adults that I’ll speak with them myself.” “Fragrant meat mushrooms?” “Yeah. And since Young Master Jegal will be staying for a few days, make sure everything is prepared so he’s comfortable.” “Yes, Young Miss. I will deliver the message to the Head of the Household.” Hyangah nodded in response and quickly disappeared. “Sogyo.” “Yes, Young Miss.” “I’ll rest for a bit. When Head Cook Wang comes, call me.” “Yes, Young Miss. Please rest.” Her young body easily got tired and exhausted. Although she had formed her dantian, her body, which had not been properly trained, was extremely weak. ‘I need to quickly accept and expel all the poison. Sigh, how long will this take…’ Grumbling, she crossed her legs, following the Three Talents Mind Technique to start regulating her internal energy. “Head Cook Wang has arrived, Young Miss.” “Come in.” Woonyeong got up and said, followed by the sound of the door opening. Woonyeong gave two instructions to Head Cook Wang. One was to prepare a high-class dish using fragrant meat mushrooms. “Now, please try the dishes that have been prepared. This one is a fried dish coated in batter made with fragrant meat mushrooms.” In the future, it was necessary to ensure that not only the Seol Family but also many people visited Hong’an County. The goal was to develop special dishes so that many people traveling to and from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, would remember Hong’an County. Hong’an County could no longer remain an unknown small county. The name of the Seol Family, as well as Hong’an County, had to be widely spread so that even the smallest incident could easily spread the news. While it was necessary that no tragedies like those of the past occurred at the Seol Family, even minor incidents shouldn’t be forgotten without notice. “This is a dish steamed with vegetables and topped with a special sauce made with yuzu juice. You can change the sauce or use seasonal vegetables to create a variety of flavors.” “Wow, it looks really delicious. Should I try it?” Woonyeong picked up her chopsticks and began tasting the dishes that Head Cook Wang had presented. It tasted like meat, but it had a different chewy texture than meat, so it felt like she was eating a completely new dish. As she tasted each dish, Woonyeong hummed with delight. Because all the dishes were really delicious. “This is a fragrant meat mushroom dumpling, and this is a porridge made with fragrant meat mushrooms. And this one is rice cooked with fragrant meat mushrooms.” Head Cook Wang continuously brought out dishes made with fragrant mushrooms, and Woonyeong let out delighted exclamations. “This is what you specially ordered, Young Miss.” “Wow, it looks delicious just by looking at it.” It was only natural, as it was a dish stir-fried with beef and fragrant meat mushrooms. “Yes. If you try it, you will see that the Young Miss was right. Stir-frying fragrant meat mushrooms with beef deepens the flavor of both the meat and the mushrooms.” She could no longer listen to the explanation. Woonyeong hurriedly took a bite of both the fragrant meat mushrooms and beef stir-fry at once. This was truly heavenly. It was just as Head Cook Wang had described. The meat and mushrooms enhanced each other’s flavors, resulting in an even richer taste. “Sogyo, Hyangah. You guys should try this too.” “Can I?” “Of course, of course. More people need to try it to truly understand the flavor.” “Thank you, Young Miss.” Sogyo and Hyangah also picked up their chopsticks and began tasting Head Cook Wang’s dishes. Soon, they were expressing their admiration with the same expression as Woonyeong. Head Cook Wang had a proud look on his face. Woonyeong, with a satisfied expression, spoke to Head Cook Wang. “It was all truly delicious. Head Cook Wang, you must have worked so hard. How did you manage to create such dishes in just one day?” “Haha. It’s not like that. Since I like fragrant meat mushrooms, I just made what I had been thinking about for a while.” “Ey, even so, it doesn’t take away from your hard work. You really did a great job. Prepare this for dinner tonight. The adults need to taste it as well.” “Oh my, sure, of course. I will prepare it with all my heart.” “Alright, I trust you, Head Cook Wang. Now, shall we try something else?” “Yes, Young Miss.” Head Cook Wang took out finely ground powders from another basket and presented them to Woonyeong. “This is finely ground powder made from dried fragrant meat mushrooms. Fortunately, I had some dried mushrooms on hand, so it was easy to prepare. As you said, the taste is exceptional even in powdered form.” Woonyeong dipped a finger into the fragrant mushroom powder and tasted it. As expected, the taste was great. The unique savory flavor of the mushrooms remained unchanged even in powdered form. “However, it’s a waste to use the mushroom powder for what you suggested. Given the cost, it’s better to use these mushrooms for cooking instead.” “Ah… that seems to be the case, right? It’s really delicious, but there probably isn’t a large quantity of it.” “Yes, that can’t be helped.” This was the second task that Woonyeong assigned to Head Cook Wang. He would grind various ingredients into powder and make a seasoning that could easily add flavor. In the past, Sword Demon Seol Woonyeong spent more days sleeping in the open under the dew than under a roof. There were many days when she had to travel long distances, and at one point, she even slept on the streets because she had no money. The Central Plains were vast. It was common to travel for several days without coming across a village. Before setting off on a journey, she would prepare dried rations and fasting pills. However, enduring those alone was quite a challenging task. When traveling with highly skilled martial artists, those with extensive camping experience would bring grains, jerky, and a pot. If they hung a pot and boiled grain and jerky in a place where they could get water, they could eat it more easily than dry food. Of course, the taste was terrible. Sometimes, there were people who were good at it, but most of them had no taste. They just ate it to relieve the cold and satisfy their hunger. That’s why Woonyeong thought of making simple seasonings. Since Woonyeong had spent most of her life as a martial artist, her thoughts naturally revolved around things that could change the lives of other martial artists. If made properly, it would be very useful not only for martial artists but also for merchants on business trips or travelers on long journeys. In addition to this, there were a few more ideas in mind, but the plan was to start with something small first. “This isn’t urgent yet, so please continue researching it a bit more. Thank you for all your hard work, Head Cook Wang.” “Oh my, it’s nothing. Seeing you, Young Miss, regain your energy and start working again makes me very happy. Leave it to me. I will do my best.” “Alright, alright. I’ll leave it to you, Head Cook Wang.” As she was talking to Head Cook Wang, there was a commotion outside. “Young Miss, the Head of the Family, the Young Lord, and the Young Master are returning.” “Really? Then I should go out. Also, inform the Young Master Jegal.” “Yes, Young Miss.” Woonyeong got up from her seat and started walking. It was the first time she was going out to welcome the family members returning from their trip. Woonyeong hummed involuntarily, and her steps were light. * * * Seeing her family enter through the main gate, she rushed forward to greet them. “Oh, didn’t I tell you not to run?” “Hehe. Yes, I will.” Seol Wonpyeong said to Woonyeong, pretending to make a stern expression. Woonyeong read the excitement in his voice. So she just smiled and answered. “Did you enjoy the feast?” “That’s how a feast is, well. So, how has Yeong-ah been?” In response to Woonyeong’s question, Seol Wonpyeong and Seol Jadan asked questions one after another. “Excuse me. Head of the Family, Young Lord?” A boy in his early teens stepped forward from behind and called the adults. “Oh, my apologies. Yeong-ah, greet him. This is the eldest son of the Namgoong family, Young Master Namgoong Hwi.” Seol Wonpyeong introduced the boy to Woonyeong. The boy greeted with a bow. “I’m Namgoong Hwi of the Namgoong family. I came with the adults. The Head of the Family often spoke highly of you. As I heard, you are truly beautiful.” Namgoong Hwi, whose cheeks were still chubby from not having lost his baby fat, smiled at Woonyeong. It was truly… a pure and innocent smile.
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