They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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88. Sautéed Mugwort and Meat (2)

“Jackpot, meow!”
“I think I picked such good mugwort because Hae-tae was right beside me?”
“So it’s thanks to me, meow?”

Hae-tae perked up his ears as if he didn’t quite understand.

“I told you to harvest from the growth point, didn’t I? If you hadn’t listened to that~you would’ve just harvested ordinary mugwort.”

I carefully transferred the mugwort into the basket. The leaves, still glistening with the winter sunlight they’d absorbed, sparkled brilliantly.

“That was a satisfying harvest.”
“You’re right, meow!”

Hae-tae raised his chubby pink front paw, which had been pressed against my calf, high into the air.

“Give me a high-five, meow.”

I lifted my palm and gently struck it against his paw.

Clap!

The crisp sound felt like a reminder that today’s harvest had gone well. Before the moment faded, I picked up the basket.

“Let’s head back now.”

Hae-tae nodded in agreement.

“Finally, cooking time, meow!”
“Yes!”

I gripped the basket tightly and passed through the Dimensional Space’s doorway. The sensation beneath my feet flickered momentarily before returning. I emerged from the winter landscape in my mind back into the tangible reality of the kitchen.

“First, let me go into the Refrigerator and find the meat.”

I first washed the soil from my hands and wrists, then gently brushed it away. Next, I retrieved the garland chrysanthemum from the basket and placed it in the sink.

“Refrigerator, Refrigerator.”

There should be some leftover meat in the Refrigerator.

“Ground pork.”

I retrieved the ground pork I’d set aside from making braised meat and placed it on the cutting board.

“What are you making?”
“San-bi is apparently the only one who likes garland chrysanthemum.”
“She has unusual tastes.”

I was genuinely surprised that she enjoyed garland chrysanthemum.

“There’s a Chinese dish called garland chrysanthemum and meat stir-fry. I’m going to make something based on that.”
“That sounds delicious!”
“Doesn’t it?”

My mouth was already watering at the thought of the garland chrysanthemum and meat stir-fry taking shape in my mind. I pressed down on the ground meat to check its quality.

“Taste matters, but for San-bi, I need to use quality meat.”
“Doesn’t everything taste good when you stir-fry it?”
“That’s just because you’re special.”
“Poor quality pork tends to have a gamey smell. Especially for people with sensitive stomachs—they can immediately tell when the ingredients aren’t good. I need to be careful from the very beginning.”

The moment I looked at the cutting board, the grade of the ground pork appeared before me.

[Delicious 1++ Special Ground Pork (S)]

“I don’t mind if you cook for me with inferior ingredients.”

At those words, I naturally turned my head toward Hae-tae.

“I’m going to make food with quality ingredients for you too!”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my cat!”

Hae-tae’s gaze lifted slightly.

“…Then so be it, meow.”
“Don’t say that again.”

Feeding my pet Divine Being food made from subpar ingredients was absolutely forbidden. Forbidden.

I returned to the sink and carefully separated each leaf of the chrysanthemum greens under the running water, washing them thoroughly.

“I should make something hearty for breakfast.”

I turned on the heat and warmed the pan. I drizzled it with the minimum amount of olive oil. I gently shook the water from the chrysanthemum greens and caught them in a colander. The sound of droplets falling to the floor echoed softly.

I placed the washed greens directly on the cutting board and picked up my knife. I adjusted my grip on the handle and held the blade firmly.

I spread my feet shoulder-width apart against the counter and bent my torso slightly forward.

Today, I wouldn’t rush.

‘I’ve done everything I needed to do.’

After cutting the chrysanthemum greens to the right size, I brought over bean sprouts and baby cabbage, cutting them into half-length pieces.

As the pan heated, I added the sliced scallions to render their oil. Only once the scallion oil was fragrant did I add the meat.

Sizzzzle—

A delicious sound burst forth, then subsided. I stirred the ground pork with a spatula, making sure it didn’t clump together.

“Now.”

As soon as the juices from the ground pork began to release, I added the bean sprouts and baby cabbage cut into half-lengths.

The natural sweetness of the baby cabbage bloomed, and the crisp texture of the bean sprouts rose to the surface.

I tossed in the chrysanthemum greens and stir-fried everything together.

The final touch.

“The seasoning…!”

I added a spoonful of minced garlic and a spoonful of soy sauce to bring out the heat and deepen the umami.

“The aroma is absolutely intoxicating!”

As I spread the seasoning, the fragrance rose up and Hae-tae lifted his head. I watched him while adjusting the taste with just a pinch of sugar and pepper.

“Meoooow!”

Just before turning off the heat, I drizzled sesame oil in a circle around the pan. The nutty aroma spread on the residual heat. After letting it cook a bit longer from the residual warmth, I finally gazed upon the completed stir-fry.

The chrysanthemum greens had wilted, but….

‘The color turned out beautifully.’

“Hae-tae!”

Hae-tae quickly got up and rushed over, settling beside me.

“The smell alone is bewitching!”
“The chrysanthemum greens and sesame oil aroma are insane.”

I picked up a bite-sized portion with my chopsticks and blew on it gently. Once the steam had cooled slightly, I held it up to Hae-tae’s mouth.

“Meoooow!”

Hae-tae’s cheeks puffed out as he took the chrysanthemum greens and meat stir-fry into his mouth. Watching him, I felt my own mouth water.

“The flavors are so harmonious!”
“How so?”
“At first, I didn’t taste much chrysanthemum greens flavor and thought it was lacking. But when I chewed it more, the aftertaste came through beautifully!”
“What about the seasoning?”
“I wish it were a bit saltier. It really needs to be eaten with rice!”

So I didn’t season it heavily enough?

“I want more!”
“With rice?”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Don’t mock me, meow.”
“No, it’s not that kind of mockery.”

There’s nothing wrong with laughing at something cute. I added a spoonful of soy sauce and stir-fried it once more over the residual heat.

“Wait. I need to serve rice too….”

I retrieved the steaming rice from the cooker and placed it before Hae-tae.

“Scoop some for me, meow!”

Saliva was already pooling at the corners of Hae-tae’s mouth.

“You’re drooling.”
“Meow!”

Watching Hae-tae wipe the drool away with a front paw, I chuckled and spooned some rice onto a small plate.

“How shall I shape the rice into a nice round ball for you?”

Hae-tae settled onto his haunches and crossed his front paws like a human, striking an imperious pose.

“Give it, meow.”
“Judge Hae-tae, you must taste this mugwort and beef stir-fry and award it a score.”

Hae-tae’s arrogant expression softened as he nodded.

“Hand it over, meow.”

I shaped the rice into a round ball on a spoon and topped it with the mugwort and beef stir-fry.

“Here you go.”
“Meow.”

The solemn Hae-tae opened his mouth wide and ate it. The soft sound of careful chewing filled the air—deliberate, unhurried, thorough.

‘Is he really judging this?’

I rested one hand on the counter and waited for the verdict.

“Ji-gu, meow.”
“Yes? Yes.”

Hae-tae spoke with such earnest gravity, never dropping the “meow,” that I had to bite down hard on my lower lip to suppress my laughter.

“When did you first want to cook, meow?”
“Me? My grandmother used to cook a long time ago. I wanted to carry on her legacy.”
“I see, meow.”

Hae-tae swallowed the last bite, as if understanding completely.

“Surprisingly simple flavors, meow.”
“Simple?”
“But those appealing tastes are delicious, meow. The sweetness of the cabbage taps against the tongue, and the crisp texture of the bean sprouts trains the teeth, meow.”

I covered my mouth with my hand and listened to the critique with utmost seriousness.

“Excellent, meow.”
“So then….”

Hae-tae’s eyes widened as he pointed a front paw at me.

“You pass, Ji-gu, meow.”
“Yes!”
“But listen, meow!”
“Yes?”

It felt like being plunged from scalding water into ice-cold water.

“In side dish cooking where rice is essential, never forget the rice, meow!”
“Ah! You mean not to lose sight of the fundamentals!”
“Exactly, meow!”

Hae-tae thumped his chest with his front paws.

“I can tell you made this thinking of that child, meow.”

Warm steam still rose from the stir-fried dish remaining on the counter.

“Good? Then that works.”

I transferred the chrysanthemum greens and beef stir-fry into a side dish container and rolled my eyes.

“What time is it now?”
“They should be arriving soon, meow.”
“Arriving?”

I checked the wall clock—it was approaching evening. They would be here soon. True to winter’s nature, the sun had set early, and heavy darkness had settled in.

I hurriedly wiped the sauce off the side dish container. At that moment, the door opened.

“Boss! We’re here!”
“…Boss, I’ll be by the heater!”

The voices of the most energetic Song Ae-rim and Cheon-ru pierced my ears.

“Just wait a moment. Everything’s ready.”
“It already smells delicious!”

My eyes met Lim San-bi’s as she looked at me from the counter in front of the Kitchen.

“Smells good, doesn’t it?”
“As soon as we walked in, I caught the scent of chrysanthemum greens—it smells amazing!”
“Oh, really~?”

The children who had been ailing from the cold approached Lim San-bi’s side and watched me, like chicks waiting for fresh feed.

“Just a little longer.”

The children’s eyes already showed no patience. Cheon-ru’s eyes had grown wide, fixed on the chrysanthemum greens and beef stir-fry. Only the Twins kept their hands neatly folded, waiting obediently.

“The chrysanthemum greens smell so good!”

I brought the side dish container out toward the counter. All the children’s gazes followed it.

“This is mugwort and beef stir-fry.”
“Mugwort and beef stir-fry?”
“Yeah. You mentioned you liked mugwort, so I added plenty of meat and vegetables to make it a hearty meal.”
“C-can we taste it?”

Lim San-bi’s voice trembled slightly as she stammered.

“Want to try some?”
“Yes…!”

The rest of the children eagerly raised their hands as well.

“Me too!”
“…Me as well.”
“I too wish to taste your side dishes, proprietor.”

Cheon-ru seemed to want it the most.

“I’m drooling.”
“Heh!”

Cheon-ru wiped the corner of his mouth with a nearby napkin, his lips curving upward.

“It’s evening—didn’t you eat dinner?”

The children shook their heads with innocent expressions.

“You want to eat?”
“Yes!”

They cried out in unison.

“Do you really want to eat?”
“Yesss!”

I laughed at their drawn-out response.

“Alright, alright.”

The children’s faces lit up at those words. Now they understood why our Grandmother Hyang-suk had always looked after them.

She had always tended to the children who were often around her.

“Then just a little bit each?”
“Yaaaaaay!”

I couldn’t let their expectations get too high without delivering.

“This is a side dish.”
“A side dish is even better!”

Jung Cheon-ru approached me with a serious expression.

“I’ve been waiting for this day alone.”
“…What drama are you filming?”

Song Ae-hyuk interjected.

“Ae-hyuk.”
“…”
“Never mind.”

I spooned rice into small bowls and topped each with stir-fried beef and chrysanthemum greens. The children received their bowls with both hands.

“Go ahead and eat.”

It wasn’t some formal food distribution.

“One!”

Song Ae-rim counted from the counter.

“Two!”

They picked up their chopsticks in unison.

“Three! Let’s eat!”

Before I could even finish speaking, the children buried their faces in their bowls and ate. Chopsticks moved frantically without anyone needing to be told who should go first. And as if on cue, every hole in the food grew larger simultaneously.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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