The Poison Doctor entered the classroom.
Senior Ho, being an outsider, couldn’t even step into the academy building, so it seems only Older Brother Do-gyeong came along.
“He is the new Herbology teacher and one of the three great masters of the Central Plains, the Poison Doctor Tang.”
Clap, clap, clap!
As the academy friends greeted the Poison Doctor with fervent applause, he looked bewildered. It was a bit different from what I expected.
Usually, the elders from the Tang Clan wear big smiles just by looking at us, other little kids.
As expected, the Poison Doctor…
He’s a tough opponent, being the source of worries for the Tang elders!
“Then, Elder, I look forward to your guidance.”
“Wait a second! Do-gyeong! Shouldn’t you at least tell me what you’re supposed to teach?”
“Well, can’t you just ask the kids what they’ve been learning?”
“Do-gyeong!”
“Alright, it’s time for me to go to class too, Elder.”
He’s the Older Brother who once cleaned out the Family Head’s hidden weapons pouch. No mercy for the Poison Doctor either!
A moment of silence fell over the Herbology classroom. The bright-eyed gazes of my academy friends gathered on me.
Well, there’s no avoiding it. I have to step up.
“Grandfather!”
“Gr-grandfather?”
“Last time, we decided to make something called Wall Soup!”
“Ah, I see… Thank you.”
As expected, a formidable opponent. Normally, calling them grandfather brings a smile, but he looked fired up, fist clenched.
Usually, Rye-ah is beautiful and graceful, but right now, she was radiating peak-level adorableness.
Black Cat Sister and Miss Yeo Il-ye, who were well aware of Rye-ah’s cuteness, squealed and showered her with kisses and affection as soon as she showed up like this, losing their mental faculties.
Hehe.
I hope the sisters pet me again. If I handle this well, they might shower me with love!
“Okay. Please wait a moment.”
The Elder rummaged through the herb shelf, pulling out various ingredients. It was quite a sight, with dozens of materials laid out.
“Cough, gather around everyone.”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
Clearing his throat, the Poison Doctor began to explain.
“What do you think medicine is?”
“Bitter stuff!”
“Yucky things!”
“Good for the body!”
“The things that heal when eaten!”
“Hahaha, well, all those are correct.”
The Elder nodded with a satisfied smile.
“There are two main types of medicine. One is a remedy that heals pain. The other is a supplement that replenishes what’s lacking to prevent illness. The Wall Soup we’re making today falls under the supplement category.”
As he noticed the confused looks of the friends, he realized the explanation was too complicated and simplified his words.
“When you eat Wall Soup, your body becomes stronger.”
“Wow!”
“Awesome!”
The Elder continued explaining, grinning at the children’s reaction.
“Do you know what this is?”
“It’s rice!”
“That’s right. Now, do you know what this is?”
“Umm… It’s powder!”
“Haha! Correct. What kind of powder is it?”
“I don’t know!”
The Elder chuckled and took out a brush and paper, labeling the various ingredients’ names.
“Pine pollen…?”
“It’s the pollen from a pine tree.”
There were also pine needles, beans, chrysanthemum seeds, jujubes, peanuts, chestnuts, licorice, and more.
“Wall Soup can be thought of as something similar to food that’s easy to eat. Have you all ever tried a Tang-gwa (Korean sweet)?”
“Tang-gwa!”
“I want to eat Tang-gwa!”
“Hahaha, isn’t it funny that after eating Tang-gwa, you suddenly become hungry after a while?”
“That’s right!”
“So you want to eat again!”
“Wall Soup is a food and medicine that lies between rice and Tang-gwa. Usually, if you eat one piece, you feel as full as if you had a meal. Now, let’s each make our Wall Soup using our preferred ingredients. For that, first, we need to grind the ingredients in a bowl.”
The Elder briefly explained how to use the bowl.
“This stick is used for pressing. You should turn it without smashing it down.”
“Twirl, twirl~”
“Ah, that jujube is too big to grind whole. Why not tear it a little with your hands?”
“I’ll do that!”
Rye-ah and the friends diligently ground their ingredients. Rye-ah chose pine needles, beans, and chrysanthemum seeds. All ingredients that kids usually avoid!
“Rye-ah is amazing! She picked the bitter chrysanthemum seeds!”
“Ew, I don’t like beans…”
“Hahaha, it’s okay for each to choose their favorite ingredients.”
The Elder smiled at our conversation, clearly pleased. It seems the effort put into dressing up nicely wasn’t in vain. With Rye-ah emanating peak cuteness and even the friends who dressed up well showing their heartfelt affection, the Elder couldn’t help but smile little by little.
After diligently laying out the ground ingredients on our pinkies and having them checked by the Elder, we placed them on the scale.
“Try to add ingredients until the scale levels.”
So, only a certain amount of ingredients remained on each of our pinkies.
“Now, how do we need to combine these ingredients?”
“Press it hard!”
“Since it’s powder, it won’t stick!”
“I got it! We’ll add water!”
“That’s close! Some ingredients will stick together if you add water. But there are also ingredients that won’t stick even with water.”
“Umm… glue?”
“That would be inedible!”
“We can stick it with rice paste!”
“But that would spoil quickly.”
After listening to our opinions, the Elder took out a box.
“The answer is honey. By applying honey, it becomes nutritious and can be stored for a long time.”
No way!
So Wall Soup is supposed to be sweet! I thought it was going to be bitter, so I picked the chrysanthemum seeds!
What a tragic mistake! How could I ruin something sweet by putting something bitter in it?
The Poison Doctor added honey to our pinkies. The sweet smell made my mouth water.
“Hey, you punks! This isn’t a snack, it’s medicine, so don’t sneak a taste!”
“Ugh…”
Look at these friends, gulping down saliva. Seeing the urgency in Rye-ah’s eyes glancing at the pinkies of her friends, she opened her mouth.
“Everyone! Think about your pockets.”
“Ah, right..!”
Some friends seemed to be lost in the immediate sweetness like magic, but under Rye-ah’s fierce gaze, they quickly turned their heads away.
“Haha, now use honey to combine your ingredients.”
Soon, the classroom began to fill with a sweet smell. Various ingredients and honey stuck to our hands, making it hard to… ah, I mean, it was difficult to combine everything into a shape, but we started rolling towards creating a round form resembling Rye-ah.
“Everyone, listen while making. When making medicine, many such temptations will appear. When you have the elixir before you, the temptation to eat the sweet honey in front of you will arise countless times. Each time, remember this: that honey you’re swallowing now can heal someone’s pain.”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
Thankfully, thanks to Rye-ah’s glare, we didn’t have a disaster of sucking the honey dry. Rye-ah is awesome! I think I owe Black Cat Sister and Miss Yeo Il-ye about ten or twenty pets each for that.
“If you succeeded in making the shape, please set it down.”
So we carefully placed our sticky ones down. Looking around at the others, they were all lumpy and crooked, but Rye-ah’s shape was the prettiest!
“Wow, everyone did well. Like everything else, cleaning up is an important part of medicine too.”
After placing the Wall Soup in a box with the Elder, we cleaned our sticky hands from the honey and various ingredients, tidying up the messy classroom before sitting down.
“Now, let’s taste the Wall Soup we made.”
“Really?!”
“Wow!”
“Haha, that’s right. The most certain way to know the medicine’s effect is to experience it directly. However, don’t just shove anything into your mouth.”
The Poison Doctor handed us our Wall Soup. The moment the friends received it, they immediately popped it into their mouths, their expressions melting.
“It’s so sweet…”
“It’s different from Tang-gwa…”
The Poison Doctor finally placed Rye-ah’s Wall Soup into her hands. Rye-ah swallowed hard, then presented the Wall Soup to the Poison Doctor.
Could this be a reversal of misfortune? To be honest, if the chrysanthemum seeds hadn’t been in there, even patient Rye-ah might have fallen for the temptation of sweet honey.
But Rye-ah overcame it!
What a resolve for Tang-gwa!
“My child…?”
“Grandfather, you should have some too!”
The Elder’s eyes twitched. Rye-ah flashed the smile she practiced in front of the mirror earlier.
“You’re part of Tang-gwa’s family too, so you have to share!”
“…..”
The Poison Doctor silently stared at Rye-ah for a moment before nodding.
“I see.”
He split Rye-ah’s Wall Soup in half. The Elder placed one half in her mouth and, slowly, the other half in his own.
“It’s delicious, right?”
“Haha, I see.”
To be honest, Rye-ah didn’t particularly enjoy the bitterness of chrysanthemum seeds, but it seems the Elder liked it.
“This is the best Wall Soup I’ve ever had.”
Why do adults like bitter things so much, whether it’s alcohol, cigarettes, or tea?
Will Rye-ah also come to like bitter things once she becomes a full adult? Somehow, I hesitate at the thought of becoming a complete adult.
But anyway, hearing the Elder say it was the best Wall Soup he ever tasted makes me happy.
“Then, that’s it for today’s lesson.”
The friends, in a sugar rush, rushed at him. Grandpas and grandmas love it when kids hug them.
Oh wait, there’s a variable! If they grab his pants or sleeves with their sticky hands, it will ruin his clothes!
“Today was fun!”
“Let’s make sweets together again next time!”
“You’re coming tomorrow, right?”
“Haha, sure, I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Seeing the Elder’s beaming smile, I let out a secret sigh of relief. He was smiling just like any other grandpa or grandma in the Tang Clan, so it seems he’s returned as part of the Tang Clan already.
We went out to greet the Poison Doctor together. We waved until he disappeared into the crooked path.
“Rye-ah, so are you going to teach me pocket magic now?”
“Of course! I’ll teach you starting tomorrow!”
“Hey! Tell me from today, I’m curious!”
“Either way, it’s time to go home. See you at the academy tomorrow!”
“Che!”
Rye-ah waved at her friends, who looked disappointed, and she started to run.
Rye-ah is a good kid, no, an adult who keeps her promises. She doesn’t lie or deceive anyone.
But today, Rye-ah is tired. While her plan worked, the Poison Doctor was no easy opponent.
So today, she should quickly return home, brag in front of Older Brother Do-gyeong, and receive all the pets from her sisters.
I wonder if they’ll let me sleep with them even if I throw a fit. No, I’m determined to sleep with them. After all, today Rye-ah worked hard enough to deserve that reward.
With such expectations, Rye-ah went half-running back home.
