Chapter 4: Catching Meat

A young lady who had never gotten her hands dirty in her life suddenly claiming she was going to catch fish in a mountain stream.

Wouldn’t it be more realistic to pray for food to fall from the sky?

Unlike So Yeonhee, who brimmed with confidence thanks to her years of mountain living, her siblings looked at her with nothing but concern.

“I didn’t know fish liked dojang (豆醬: a fermented soybean paste made by fermenting soybeans with other grains).”

Hearing Yeonsu’s somewhat skeptical remark, So Yeonhee quickly explained.

“More accurately, it’s doenjang. You mash fermented soybean blocks (si, 豉) together and let them age in brine. The liquid that absorbs the flavor becomes soy sauce, and if you season the remaining solids with salt and press them down, you get doenjang. Fish absolutely love its strong fermented smell.”

Although this world resembled East Asia, its fermented soybean culture had yet to fully develop.

There seemed to be plenty of fish sauces and meat-based fermented sauces, collectively called yukjang (肉醬), but soybean products like soy sauce and doenjang didn’t exist yet.

Fortunately, I have Jijang Mall.

The mall stocked seasonings from modern food companies, so getting a container of doenjang wasn’t difficult.

Though transferring it into a traditional jar was a bit of a hassle.

At first, she’d planned to keep it in its plastic container.

Then she realized that the Korean writing and picture of fermented soybean blocks on the label would look far too strange.

This was an ancient world filled with superstition.

If someone mistook it for some bizarre curse or dark sorcery, it would only cause trouble.

She already behaved somewhat differently because of the memories of her modern life.

She had no intention of leaving behind even the smallest clue that might arouse suspicion.

Thankfully, the previous owner had left plenty of household items in this cottage.

She simply claimed she’d dug the earthenware jar out of the yard.

No one questioned it.

“Anyway, now that we have a basket and some doenjang, catching fish won’t be difficult.”

“Really? We don’t need nets or fish traps?”

“Of course not. Actually, bamboo fish traps are harder to use. You have to understand the current perfectly before setting them.”

Some people insisted the entrance should face upstream.

Others argued it should face downstream.

Even experienced elders couldn’t agree on the proper way to set traditional fish traps.

Despite lingering doubts, the three So siblings eventually followed her down to the stream.

The crystal-clear water was even more transparent than glass.

Schools of tiny fish swam beneath the surface.

“Wow…”

“It’s practically half water, half fish!”

“You’re right!”

“If we catch all those, we’ll have enough to eat for days!”

Of course…

That was only if they could actually catch them.

The children were delighted by the sight of so many fish.

Still, they kept themselves from getting overly excited.

They already understood one simple truth:

No matter how many fish were in the water, they were worthless if you couldn’t catch them.

Meanwhile, So Yeonhee eagerly rolled up her skirt.

The streams near her mountain cabin in her previous life had been clean.

But they had never held this many fish.

She couldn’t hide her excitement.

“Yeonsu, Yeonwoo.”

“Can you gather stones around this size?”

“Then let’s build a long stone wall shaped like a funnel, starting from the edge of the stream and leading toward the center.”

“A stone wall?”

“What do we need that for?”

“We’re making an eosal.”

“A fish trap.”

An eosal, also known as a doksal, was a method humans had used to catch fish since the Stone Age.

Primitive though it was…

It remained remarkably effective.

Even today, some islands around Jeju and the southern coast still relied on similar stone traps.

At the mouth of the Geum River, people traditionally used a wooden version known as a juksal.

“If we stack the stones like this, the waterway narrows, making it easier for fish to gather.”

“And if we make a rounded enclosure at the end…”

“The fish won’t be able to escape easily.”

“That means we can catch them without using a net.”

“With our bare hands?”

“Sure.”

“As long as your hands are quick enough.”

After listening to her careful explanation, the children still looked doubtful.

Nevertheless, they diligently gathered stones from nearby and began stacking them.

When she’d first suggested it, she’d thought they might refuse, as if she were crazy.

Their willingness to help was almost surprising.

Why did they suddenly change their minds?

Do they really want to eat fish that badly?

Then again…

It made perfect sense.

Recently, the So family had survived on nothing but thin porridge and boiled vegetables.

Tonight I’ll make a proper fish stew and help everyone regain their strength.

The children were growing.

Their meals had been pitifully inadequate.

No wonder the mere mention of meat made them forget the hardship of the work.

From now on…

Whatever happens, I’ll never let them go hungry again.

About fifteen minutes later…

Their stone trap was complete.

Smearing doenjang inside the basket she’d brought, So Yeonhee submerged it at an angle within the trap.

She secured it with several large rocks so it wouldn’t float away.

Finally, she covered the trap with leafy branches, creating shade above it.

“All done.”

“Will this really catch fish?”

“Of course.”

“Now we just wait about one shichen.”

(Approximately two hours.)

But no true Korean would waste time simply waiting.

Tucking the remaining basket under her arm, So Yeonhee smiled.

“Now then.”

“How about we take a quick look around the forest?”

After all…

An autumn forest was a treasure house.

Her steps naturally quickened.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

She never noticed the complicated expressions on her siblings’ faces as they followed behind.

The autumn forest truly overflowed with food.

Wild greens.

Wild ginger.

Kudzu roots.

Chinese yam.

She even discovered a large patch of plump chestnuts.

Though…

Gathering them wasn’t exactly easy.

“Guys!”

“Let’s pick up those chestnuts!”

“What?”

“No way.”

“What if the burrs stick into our hands?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard even a small wound can get infected.”

Their concerns weren’t unfounded.

This world had no disinfectant.

No bandages.

Even minor cuts could become serious injuries.

Still…

Did anyone really need to use their hands to open ripe chestnut burrs?

“Don’t worry!”

“Just step on the burrs with your feet to peel them open.”

“Then pick up the chestnuts.”

She sounded completely confident.

But her siblings’ doubtful expressions remained.

Opening chestnut burrs with your feet?

Even using your hands carefully risked getting pricked.

How could that possibly work?

Yet…

To their astonishment…

It worked.

Choosing burrs that had already begun to split open, So Yeonhee lightly pressed the sides with both feet.

Crack.

The burr opened.

A shiny chestnut rolled out.

“…It actually worked?”

“I really thought that was impossible.”

Yeonsu and Yeonwoo stared back and forth between the opened burrs and their sister.

Their burning gazes were so intense that her cheeks almost tingled.

“The soles of your shoes are thick enough that the spikes won’t reach your feet.”

“But don’t step on green burrs.”

“Only use the ones whose spikes have started turning brown.”

“Got it?”

As she explained, So Yeonhee quickly looked away.

Her siblings’ expressions were becoming increasingly strange.

It wasn’t simple suspicion anymore.

Their eyes carried complicated emotions.

Well… I understand.

Someone who had spent her entire life as a pampered noble lady in the capital…

Was suddenly roaming the mountains like they were her own backyard.

Finding food with practiced ease.

Anyone would think that was suspicious.

Still…

I’m their big sister.

Surely they won’t report me to the village as some kind of monster…

Just as she began regretting overdoing things in her eagerness to find food…

She spotted a grove of hawthorn trees.

“Wow!”

“Hawthorn berries!”

“These would make wonderful snacks!”

Shouting happily, she hurried over.

Pretending to know nothing unusual, she enthusiastically filled her basket with the bright red berries.

“I don’t think we need to eat those.”

“Yeah.”

“They’re way too sour.”

“They make your tongue sting.”

“You can’t be picky about food!”

“If it’s edible, we should be grateful!”

The So family was poor.

They weren’t in a position to judge food by its taste or nutritional value.

Besides…

Didn’t people say that sincere effort moved even Heaven?

The three siblings wandered through the forest doing everything they could to survive.

Surely Heaven had been touched and rewarded them with food.

With that shameless little justification in mind…

So Yeonhee diligently continued gathering berries.

[Minor Good Deed Achieved: You gathered food for your family.]

[2 Points have been earned.]

[Current Points: 8]

It definitely wasn’t because she got excited every time Good Deed Points appeared for gathering food. Absolutely not.