#Acquiring the Farm (3)
It had been a while since Dominic had his last drink.
Back in the village, when Dominic was solely responsible for seafood als, there were drinking sessions almost every third day. But ever since Dominic unexpectedly beca the village chief, he was so busy that he hardly had the ti to enjoy a proper drink.
"Ugh... my head."
Dominic began with beer, then wine, and finally so liquor. It felt like his head was going to split open the next morning.
Dominic couldn't even recall how he made it back to his lodgings.
"This is why you shouldn't mix drinks. It always has a bad aftereffect."
"It's quite a ride on the carriage, are you okay?"
"Well, there's no choice. Ugh!"
Ian was in the inn room, where Dominic was supposed to be alone.
'Why is that man here without making any sound?'
It seed like this world had no concept of privacy.
"When did you arrive?"
"Just now. A ssenger ca, saying the luggage carriage you ordered yesterday is waiting. Hurry down."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I'll quickly pack my belongings and head to the kitchen, then I'll be right there."
They say to strike while the iron is hot.
Dominic paid the auction amount and imdiately took possession. He wanted to inspect the condition of the farm he had won at the auction as soon as possible.
However, he still couldn't ride a horse, and there were various items to transport, so he had reserved a luggage carriage the night before.
He had asked Anton, so so of the crops and seeds that could be obtained imdiately would have been handed over by the inn's workers at dawn.
"You should have drunk in moderation."
Still suffering from a splitting headache, a queasy stomach, and a dry throat, Dominic regretted it, but what was done was done.
**
Thud, thud.
Rumble, rumble.
From a distance, it was a peaceful scene.
The green fields, fluffy clouds in the sky, and the luggage carriage moving along the quiet dirt road were sights that cald the observer's heart.
"Ugh!"
But soone said it, right?
Life is a cody from a distance, but a tragedy up close.
"Ugh! Cough, cough! Ugh!"
"Can you stop now?"
Ian, riding ahead on his horse, frowned.
"I'd like to stop too. Ugh! But do you think I'm doing this on purpose? Ugh!"
It was clear that he was terribly hungover.
There was a trail of vomit behind the carriage.
"What a nuisance. Tsk tsk."
"Its a deserted road anyway. Ugh!"
Even though there was nothing left to throw up, the hangover continued to make him nauseous.
"Please have so of this, chief."
The boy sitting in front of the carriage and driving the horse handed Dominic a bottle of water with a concerned look.
"Thanks. Ugh!"
"I'm sorry that the road to the farm is all dirt..."
"Why are you apologizing? It's just how the road is."
"Still..."
"I should be grateful that we're not lost, thanks to you."
"No, no! You saved from being imprisoned and even gave this job!"
The boy driving the carriage was the sa one who had handed Dominic the promissory note from the Rondo Trading Company.
"Laki, you said it's been a while since you visited the farm, right?"
"Yes. I haven't been there once since joining the Rondo Trading Company. I didn't have any vacations..."
"It might be good to spend a few days there and catch up with your family."
"Hehe, yes. Thank you, chief."
The boy who was brought to court to stand as a witness had turned pale upon seeing the na of the farm Dominic had won at auction.
He said it was where his family lived.
'I can guess the situation without asking.'
Dominic deliberately refrained from asking why his family was working on that farm.
It was quite obvious.
Hadn't the auctioneer ntioned it when introducing the farm at the auction?
The farm workers were victims of illegal usury, and they would regain their freedom as soon as the ownership changed.
"We'll prepare a al when we arrive."
"No, it's okay."
"But still..."
"I'm saying that because there's sothing I want to eat. Ugh!"
"Here, water! Water!"
It was a peaceful afternoon.
How much ti had passed?
"We've arrived, Chief. Here it is!"
Dominic, who had been lying in a corner of the carriage, sat up at Laki's excited voice.
Sticking his face out of the halted carriage, he was refreshed by the rustic scenery.
"It's nice."
"Isn't it?"
The boy, who had seed prematurely matured, now wore an innocent smile fitting for his age.
'Kids should grow up like kids.'
Then it happened.
"Laki!"
"Mom! Dad!"
From a distance, a middle-aged couple ca running, calling out their son's na loudly.
"Sir, let's leave them be. I need to check out the farm too."
"...Right."
With a slightly pale face, Dominic slung a small backpack over his shoulder and walked in the opposite direction of the approaching family.
Ian followed him.
"I thought it was small when they said it was, but..."
"It's still a place called a farm."
"Indeed, right?"
A brief look around revealed that the farm was definitely larger than a few fields.
'I see why there was talk of a community farm to feed the village people.'
At a glance, it seed large enough to accommodate a place the size of Evergreen Village.
And the soil was all black.
Bending down to touch it, even Dominic, who was no expert, could feel its richness.
"There was a reason it was expensive for a farm of this size."
He had spent all his savings, money borrowed from Anton and the bank, on this land.
He had worried in case the quality was not as expected, but it turned out to be a relief.
"So, shall we start with the most pressing matter?"
"The pressing matter?"
"A hangover redy."
Dominic, who had muttered that he felt like he was dying, skillfully gathered dry grass and twigs and lit a fire.
"Aren't you going to check out the farm?"
"Will the land run away if I don't look now? You'll eat, right?"
"...Well, yes."
Ian seed a bit embarrassed, and his ears turned slightly red.
"Oh! It's still fresh!"
Dominic took out two glass bottles from the depths of his backpack.
"What's this?"
Ian asked.
One bottle seed to contain cow's innards, but he couldn't imdiately identify the lumpy contents of the other.
"Ever seen tripe before?"
"...Tripe?"
"Cow's stomach."
"Ugh!"
This ti, the sound of nausea ca from Ian, not Dominic.
"You're not saying you're going to eat that, are you?"
"Oh, would you prefer yours without the tripe?"
Indeed, those who can't eat it, can't eat it until the end.
With that said, Dominic nonchalantly started boiling the chunk of tripe in the bubbling water.
"In the anti, I'll prepare so radish..."
During harvest season, the side branches of radishes were picked, dried, and eaten during lean tis.
Things like cow's innards, offal, and tripe were the sa.
For those without, these were excellent ingredients.
'It's not that I can't eat it. It's different from fresh vegetables.'
Of course, Dominic ate it purely for the taste.
Dominic asked the inn's worker to pre-boil the radish greens and squeeze out the moisture. He then put them in a wooden bowl and added soy sauce, red pepper paste, red pepper powder, pepper, soybean paste, minced garlic, and ginger that he had brought from the village. Just preparing it made his mouth water.
"The tripe is well-cooked! Ah, it's heaven."
Dominic admired his cooking skills as he looked at the flawlessly boiled cross-section of the tripe.
Seeing him, Ian's ears turned red, feeling embarrassed about himself.
'I tried to observe the lives of commoners up close... I still have a long way to go.'
However, Dominic seed not to care about Ian's self-reflection. He was entirely focused on making the hangover soup. He added the boiled offal, innards, and the seasoned radish greens to the boiling water and increased the heat.
"...Add the tripe."
"I thought you weren't eating it."
"I want to try."
"...? Well, it's good you changed your mind. The soup would feel incomplete without the tripe."
Dominic, as if waiting for Ian's words, also added the large chunk of tripe to the pot. The familiar aroma began to spread.
"Just by slling it, it feels like it's curing the hangover."
Beside him, rice in the pot was almost ready.
'When it cos to hangover redies, it's Yangpyeong hangover soup!'
Bean sprout soup was good too, but unfortunately, bean sprouts weren't a commonly available ingredient in this world.
'When I return to the village, I'll grow them right away.'
He had asked for seeds, so it should be possible soon. The day he'd get to enjoy Jeonju-style bean sprout rice soup with thinly sliced squid wasn't far off.
"Co on, be careful since it's hot. Oh, you can tell by the color, right? It's spicy."
Dominic had even added the rarely used Cheongyang pepper. It was a proper hangover soup. It looked quite good considering it was made hastily. The spicy aroma stung the nose, and the soup, with a hint of chili oil on top and filled with ingredients, seed quite generous.
'Did I make too much?'
Dominic, who had been responsible for feeding fishern who ate twice as much as the average person, had unintentionally developed a heavy hand. Even this hangover soup filled an entire pot.
"Well, if there's any leftover, we can eat it tomorrow."
As he nonchalantly said and scooped up a ladle,
"Ugh!"
The alcohol-tornted stomach relaxed in an instant, and a burp naturally ca out.
"Nothing beats a hot, spicy soup for a hangover!"
There was a guy who cured hangovers with pizza or burgers, one who said Pyongyang cold noodles were the best, one who just drank water, and one who insisted on more alcohol for hangovers. Among friends in his previous life, there were diverse preferences for hangover foods, making it difficult to agree on a choice after drinking. But now, it was different.
'If you're holding the ladle, you decide. If you don't like it, make it yourself.'
Dominic was always a fan of hot and spicy soup for hangovers.
Gulp-
"...?"
While devouring the hangover soup and rice, he heard soone nearby swallowing saliva.
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