After spending a long time foraging through the forest,
So Yeonhee headed back to the stream with a bright smile on her face.
She couldn't help it.
Not only was her basket heavy with all kinds of wild plants and berries, but she had also earned 8 Good Deed Points.
I was worried because buying the radish and soybean paste used up all my points.
This is a huge relief.
If things continued like this, she could earn points simply by catching fish.
Filled with anticipation, she carefully lifted the basket from inside the stone fish trap.
“Wow... We actually caught fish?”
“Seriously. And there's quite a lot of them!”
The unexpected bounty left her siblings staring in amazement.
Of course, Yeonhee's smile widened just as much after seeing that she had earned an additional 3 points.
“Let's see... one, two, three, four... Wow. That soybean paste really works.”
Minnows.
Gobies.
Kkyeokji fish.
Even a mountain catfish about half the size of a palm.
None of them were particularly large, but there were plenty.
Certainly enough to make a big pot of fish stew.
“Just adding radish and soybean paste would make this delicious.”
At her comment, the twins swallowed hard.
Their empty stomachs growled loudly.
“Let's hurry home. Proper fish stew takes time to cook.”
Excitedly, Yeonhee transferred the fish into her carrying basket.
But when she looked at the load—which was now packed so full that she had to press everything down to keep it from spilling over—her heart skipped a beat.
D-Did I gather too much?
For someone supposedly unfamiliar with mountain life, her results were almost suspiciously impressive.
If her siblings thought something was strange, she couldn't blame them.
Actually...
Had they really never found her suspicious before?
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
As she nervously swallowed, her siblings suddenly hit her with the exact question she feared.
“Where did you learn all this stuff?”
“Yeah. I thought you were only good at studying books. You're always buried in them.”
“H-Haha... Wisdom is found in books. I learned all sorts of things from reading widely.”
“Really?”
“Of course. That's why you shouldn't neglect your studies just because they're boring.”
She hastily disguised her excuse as a lecture.
Immediately, Yeonwoo puffed out his cheeks.
“Ugh. That's exactly what our teacher says. People who like books all sound the same.”
“It's for your own good.”
She spoke in the stern voice of an older sister.
Her siblings instantly made disgruntled faces.
Thankfully, the interrogation ended there.
The lecture tactic had worked.
...Whew. That shaved ten years off my lifespan.
Suppressing a sigh, Yeonhee hurried everyone home.
Still...
How long could she keep talking her way out of situations like this?
The anxiety made her heart pound.
People really couldn't live comfortably while hiding secrets.
“Hey, So Yeonwoo. Check whether our sister has a tail under her skirt.”
“No way! It's still daytime.”
“Fox spirits don't only come out at night.”
“But if she can get us food like this, does it really matter if she's a fox spirit?”
Yeonhee's suspicions were correct.
The children were genuinely wondering whether something supernatural had possessed their sister.
However, they hadn't yet decided whether it was a bad thing.
Because the new Yeonhee's talents were simply too useful.
The moment they returned home, she immediately began preparing fish stew with astonishing skill.
She cleaned the fish.
Placed them into boiling water with ginger.
Then simmered them for half a sijin (about an hour).
Afterward, she carefully skimmed away the foam until the broth turned milky white and the fishy smell disappeared.
At first, the children wondered if she even knew what she was doing.
But once the radish and soybean paste went into the broth and a rich aroma filled the room...
Their doubts quickly vanished.
“When will it be done?”
“It needs to simmer a little longer.”
“Can't we taste just a tiny bit?”
Yeonwoo looked ready to throw himself into the pot.
Well, I need to check the seasoning anyway.
The children's pleading eyes looked so pitiful that she finally gave in.
She ladled a small amount of broth into bowls.
“It's hot, so be careful. Just tell me if the seasoning is right.”
The twins swallowed.
Then they immediately lifted the bowls and drank.
“Wow! That's impossible! How can broth taste like this?”
“Fish stew is supposed to taste this good?”
The broth was rich, savory, and slightly spicy.
Not a trace of fishiness remained.
It was easily one of the best fish dishes they had ever tasted.
“Tell me honestly.”
“Hm?”
“You aren't really our sister, are you?”
Yeonhee froze.
Yeonsu continued.
“You've never learned cooking. So how can you make something like this? And where did you learn about fish traps and soybean paste? Just recently you couldn't even tell poisonous mushrooms apart. Something's weird.”
“W-Well...”
Faced with the sharp questioning, Yeonhee's face stiffened.
Unable to come up with a convincing lie, she could only stammer.
As her hesitation grew, Yeonsu became more and more convinced something was wrong.
But even she wasn't prepared for Yeonhee's answer.
“Maybe you're right.”
“What?”
“To be honest... I'm not entirely sure who I am anymore.”
Even Yeonhee herself probably hadn't intended to say it.
There was an old story called The Butterfly Dream.
The tale of the philosopher Zhuangzi dreaming he was a butterfly.
Using that story as an analogy, Yeonhee explained her memories of her previous life.
She described them like a dream.
A dream so vivid that it had left her uncertain about who she truly was.
They might think I'm crazy.
The fear definitely existed.
But she didn't want to deceive her siblings.
More accurately—
She didn't want to betray their trust anymore.
And that honesty was rewarded in a rather unexpected way.
“So... in your dream, you abandoned us, and then we tried to clear Father's name and were killed by the Fourth Prince?”
“That's... more or less what happened. Though he wasn't actually a prince there...”
“But why would that be your fault?”
Why?
Because she had abandoned them and chosen to live alone.
At least, that's what she believed.
Unable to get angry while carrying that guilt, Yeonhee lowered her head and mumbled:
“Life isn't all about money, but I ran away to live by myself. I knew there weren't any adults left to take care of you...”
Yet after hearing everything, Yeonsu immediately shouted:
“That's complete nonsense!”
“What?”
“How is any of that your fault? We were adults too! Why would we need someone taking care of us? And the one who killed us was the Fourth Prince!”
She sounded utterly incredulous.
At the same time, however, she thought she understood why her sister had dreamed such things.
She blames herself for the family's downfall.
Meanwhile the actual liar—the Fourth Prince—was probably living comfortably.
Yeonsu clenched her fists.
“Listen carefully. It was only a dream. Something like that would never happen.”
“That's right, Big Sister. We're all alive right here.”
The twins comforted her.
Stop clinging to the past.
Stop blaming yourself.
Their firm voices felt incredibly reassuring.
“Are you crying?”
Before she realized it, tears had slipped from her eyes.
So Jin considered himself fortunate.
He had lost both his father and elder brother on the battlefield.
He had been betrayed by the lord he trusted.
Yet he had survived.
His grand mansion was gone.
His luxurious silk robes were gone.
But he had protected his family.
Once, he had been called a hero of the nation.
Now he was digging dirt in a remote mountain valley.
Yet he wasn't sad.
How could he be?
Everyone he loved was still beside him.
At least...
That was what he had believed before his eldest daughter collapsed after eating poisonous mushrooms.
Could such a clever child truly have failed to recognize poisonous mushrooms?
When he looked at the face of his daughter, who had seemed ready to give up on everything, he finally understood.
His own incompetence had harmed his family.
“Take a break. You've been working for hours.”
“No. Bamboo roots spread quickly if left alone. I need to remove as many as possible before winter.”
Thud.
His hoe struck the hard earth.
Again.
And again.
His palms burned.
He knew he was using more force than necessary.
Still, he couldn't stop.
Then—
Crack!
The hoe snapped in half.
...I sold a pair of silk shoes just to buy this hoe.
He stared blankly at the broken tool.
Then at his calloused hands.
Once, those hands had commanded tens of thousands of soldiers.
What good was that now?
He couldn't even provide proper meals for his children.
Darkness settled over his heart.
Then—
“Father!”
Yeonwoo's voice rang out from across the field.
The boy was breathing hard, but his voice was bright and excited.
“Big Sister made fish stew! She says to come home quickly!”
So Jin slowly raised his head.
...Fish stew?
The unexpected words made him look toward the house.
And there—
Against the evening sky—
A thin stream of smoke rose gently from the kitchen chimney.
