A young lady who had never done a day's manual labor 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 Yeonhee, who was brimming with confidence thanks to her years of mountain-living experience, her siblings looked deeply concerned.
“I didn't know fish liked bean paste.”
Yeonsu's somewhat skeptical remark prompted Yeonhee to quickly explain.
“More specifically, it's doenjang—fermented soybean paste. You ferment soybean blocks in saltwater, and over time the flavor seeps into the liquid. That liquid becomes soy sauce, and the remaining solids are pressed and seasoned to make doenjang. Fish absolutely love its strong fermented smell.”
Although this world resembled East Asia, its fermented sauce culture wasn't very developed yet.
There were plenty of fish sauces and meat-based fermented condiments.
But soy sauce and doenjang, made through long-term soybean fermentation, didn't seem to exist.
Fortunately, I have Jijang Mall.
The mall stocked seasonings from every imaginable modern company.
Getting a container of soybean paste wasn't difficult at all.
Though transferring it into another jar was a bit of a pain.
At first, she had considered keeping it in its original plastic container.
Then she'd remembered the Korean writing and product images on the packaging.
This was an ancient world full of superstition.
What if someone mistook it for some kind of sinister magic?
The modern memories already made her behave differently from the original So Yeonhee.
She didn't want to leave behind anything that might attract suspicion.
Thankfully, the previous owner left plenty of junk in this cottage.
She'd simply claimed she'd dug up the jar in the yard.
Everyone had accepted the explanation without much thought.
“Anyway, now that we have a basket and soybean paste, catching fish won't be difficult.”
“Are you sure we don't need nets or fish traps?”
“Of course. Traditional bamboo traps are actually harder to use. You have to understand the current perfectly before placing them.”
Some people claimed the opening should face upstream.
Others insisted the opposite.
Even experienced fishermen couldn't agree on the proper setup.
Despite their doubts, the three So siblings eventually followed her to the stream.
When they saw schools of fish swimming beneath water clearer than glass, they couldn't help but gasp.
“Wow. It's practically half water, half fish!”
“Seriously! If we catch all those, we could eat well for days!”
That was assuming they could actually catch them.
The children were excited, but not overly so.
They already knew that fish in the water were meaningless if you couldn't catch them.
Meanwhile, Yeonhee was practically vibrating with excitement.
The mountain stream near her previous home had been clear as well, but it had never contained this many fish.
“Yeonsu, Yeonwoo, can you gather stones about this size? Then let's build a long funnel-shaped stone wall from the edge of the stream toward the center.”
“A stone wall? Why?”
“To make a fish trap.”
Fish traps made from stones—sometimes called fish weirs—had been used since the Stone Age.
Primitive though they were, they remained effective enough that some island communities still used them.
The estuary of the Geum River had even employed a similar wooden version known as a juksal.
“If we narrow the flow with stones, fish naturally gather in one area. Then we build a rounded enclosure at the end. Once the fish enter, it becomes difficult for them to escape.”
“And we can catch them with our hands?”
“Sure. Assuming your hands are fast enough.”
Despite their lingering doubts, the children diligently began collecting stones.
Honestly, Yeonhee had expected them to refuse and treat her like a lunatic.
Their cooperation was surprising.
Why the sudden change of heart?
Do they want fish that badly?
Then again, it made sense.
The family had survived on thin gruel and boiled vegetables for months.
Today I'll make a proper fish stew and nourish everyone.
The children were still growing.
The mere mention of meat had apparently motivated them enough to ignore the hard labor.
Watching them work, Yeonhee silently vowed that no child in her family would ever go hungry again.
About fifteen minutes later, the trap was complete.
It actually looked fairly impressive.
Yeonhee coated a basket with soybean paste and sank it diagonally inside the stone enclosure.
She secured it with a large rock so it wouldn't float away.
Finally, she covered the trap with leafy branches to provide shade.
Done.
“Whew. Finished.”
“Will this really catch fish?”
“Of course. Now we just wait about two hours.”
But wasting time wasn't exactly in a Korean person's nature.
Picking up the remaining basket, Yeonhee grinned.
“Well then, shall we take a little walk through the forest?”
After all, autumn forests were nature's treasure vaults.
Her steps quickened with anticipation.
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
As a result, she completely missed the strange expressions on her siblings' faces as they followed behind her.
The autumn forest truly was overflowing with food.
Wild greens.
Wild ginger.
Kudzu roots.
Yams.
And even clusters of plump chestnuts.
Of course, collecting them wasn't entirely smooth.
“Guys! Let's gather some chestnuts!”
“What? No thanks. What if those spikes stab our hands?”
“Yeah. I've heard even small injuries can become infected.”
Their concerns weren't unreasonable.
This world had no disinfectants.
No bandages.
Even a minor wound could become serious.
But did you really need to touch the spiky husks directly?
“Don't worry! Just use your feet to open them and collect the chestnuts.”
Yeonhee spoke confidently.
Her siblings looked unconvinced.
People were afraid of getting pricked even when using their hands.
Opening chestnut burrs with their feet sounded absurd.
Yet, astonishingly...
She actually did it.
Choosing a burr that had already started to split open, she pressed both feet against its sides.
Crack.
The husk opened.
A shiny chestnut rolled out.
“...That actually works?”
“I honestly thought it wouldn't.”
Yeonsu and Yeonwoo stared back and forth between the chestnut and their sister.
Their intense admiration was almost embarrassing.
“Your shoe soles are thick enough that the spikes won't reach your feet. Just don't step on the green ones. Only choose burrs that are already turning brown.”
As she spoke, Yeonhee quickly looked away.
Something about their expressions felt strange.
It wasn't simple suspicion anymore.
Their feelings seemed much more complicated.
Well, I understand.
Someone who had grown up pampered in the capital was suddenly roaming the mountains like a seasoned forager.
Of course it looked suspicious.
Still... I'm their sister.
They're not going to report me as some kind of mountain spirit, right?
Just as she began regretting showing off too much...
She spotted a grove of hawthorn trees.
“Wow! Hawthorn berries! These would make amazing snacks!”
Shouting excitedly, she ran toward them.
Then she carefully began picking fruit and placing it into her basket as though nothing unusual had happened.
“We probably don't need those.”
“Yeah. They're way too sour.”
“You shouldn't be picky about food! If something is edible, you should be grateful!”
The So family was poor.
They weren't in a position to judge food by taste or nutrition.
Besides, wasn't there a saying that sincerity could move heaven itself?
The three children were desperately trying to survive.
Surely even heaven would reward such effort with food.
Thinking shamelessly along those lines, Yeonhee diligently continued gathering berries.
[Good Deed (Minor) Completed: You obtained food for your family.]
[2 Points Earned.]
[Current Points: 8 Points]
Of course...
It wasn't as though she had become obsessed with foraging just because she earned Good Deed Points every time she found food.
