Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a woodworking shop that sold anything to fix the door.
If I’d had more time, I probably could have found it, but it was too late now.
When I got about halfway through the market, I noticed the second sun dipping below the horizon.
Panicking, I sprinted out of the village and ran all the way back to the orphanage.
“Hah… hah… Safe!”
Thanks to squeezing out every bit of energy I had—even the strength I used for eating those skewers—I managed to get back to the orphanage before nightfall.
“Alright, let’s put the fruit in the fridge… oh, wait. I don’t have a fridge.”
With no refrigerator, I decided to leave the fruits I bought from the shopkeeper on the table instead.
I could have put them in one of the cupboards, but… well, I wasn’t too keen on that idea.
Those cupboards were all covered in dust.
If I left the fruit in there, it felt like they’d spoil in just a day.
That probably wouldn’t actually happen, but it wasn’t just about hygiene—it was also about how gross it felt.
Better to take the fruit straight from a clean basket on the table than from a dusty old cupboard.
“Oh, right, the money.”
Then there was the leftover change from my shopping trip.
I wondered for a moment where I should store it and decided to put it all in the secret drawer.
It was the same drawer I’d taken the coins from earlier.
Out of all the drawers in the orphanage, this was the only one with a lock.
Granted, it was old and rickety—an adult could probably break it with a bit of effort—but still, it was better than nothing.
“Two silver coins and thirteen copper coins.”
As I counted the leftover change while putting it away, I realized I had three more copper coins than when I’d started.
It was definitely because Mrs. Gordon had miscounted in her rush to close up shop.
She must have been so excited about finishing her workday that she made a mistake in her calculations.
“I’ll be honest tomorrow and return it.”
Sure, I could just keep it, but… that didn’t sit right with me.
It wasn’t my money in the first place, and since it was given to me by mistake, returning it felt like the proper thing to do.
“This will go with me tomorrow…”
I separated six copper coins from the pile in the drawer, setting them aside in a corner.
It was just in case I forgot about it in the morning from being too sleepy.
Yaaawn…
Once everything was taken care of, exhaustion hit me like a wave.
I tried to keep my eyes open, but my heavy eyelids refused to cooperate.
“So sleepy…”
I was tired.
Really, really tired.
Considering I’d spent the whole day running around in this small, fragile body, it wasn’t surprising.
Outside the window, the sky was already pitch dark.
The stars twinkled brightly in the vast, night sky.
Normally, I’d stare at them and marvel at their beauty, but tonight, I couldn’t even move a single step—I was that drained.
“This… this is my limit…”
In the end, I collapsed right onto the floor.
It wasn’t like I had a blanket or pillow anyway.
Wherever I lay down became my bed.
Sure, the hard wooden floor was uncomfortable, but I was so exhausted that sleep came easily…
“Zzz…”
And then, the next morning.
“Achoo!”
I woke up with a cold.
“S-so cold…”
I woke up about five times during the night, so even though I technically got some sleep, my body felt like complete garbage.
My eyelids were still heavy, my throat was swollen, and every time I swallowed, a sharp pain shot through it.
It was obvious—I’d caught a full-blown cold.
“It’s all that stupid broken door’s fault.”
The culprit was none other than the door that had fallen off yesterday.
Whether I slept in the kitchen, the bedroom, the lounge, or even the bathroom, the freezing air constantly whooshed in through that huge, gaping hole.
If I’d had a proper blanket, it might’ve been manageable, but with only a flimsy scrap of cloth to cover myself, there was nothing I could do.
In the end, I spent the whole night exposed to the cold wind, and now I was left shivering and powerless.
“Ughh…”
My body felt weak and sluggish.
Parts of me were burning hot.
“If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve done everything to find that woodworking shop.”
I cursed my past self for not trying harder.
I was freezing.
And yet, I was hot.
I was burning up.
My cheeks felt so hot, it was like they were on fire.
Desperate to cool down, I pressed my face against the cold stone sink in the kitchen.
“Haaa…”
The icy surface met my burning cheeks, and a soothing coolness spread across my face.
“This… this feels so much better…”
Refreshing.
It felt so nice.
Wanting to bask in this wonderful coolness even more, I rubbed my face all over the stone sink.
But before long, the stone had lost its chill, leaving only a lukewarm and scratchy texture that felt unpleasant against my skin.
“…Not cool anymore.”
Tch.
Honestly, nothing was going right for me.
Grrrr!
“Ugh.”
On top of everything else, moving around this morning had left my stomach completely empty.
The belly that had been full and content last night was now flat, grumbling loudly as if honking for food.
“Guess I’d better eat something.”
Everyone knows that eating well is key to recovering quickly when you’re sick.
And unlike yesterday, when I had nothing and had to go hungry, today I had plenty of food to eat.
I peeled myself off the sink, waddled over to the table, and sat down.
“Slurp. Looks delicious. Where should I start?”
I peered into the basket of fruit on the table.
Each piece looked fresh and vibrant, practically begging to be eaten.
I considered just grabbing one and eating it, but then my clever brain came up with a brilliant idea.
“That’s it—I’ll make soup!”
Yes, soup.
By turning the fruits into soup, I could stretch the quantity and also enjoy a warm meal, which would definitely help with my cold.
From the basket, I grabbed an apple, a beet, and an ear of corn.
My plan? To make an ABC soup.
For reference.
A stood for apple.
B stood for beet.
C stood for corn.
And thus, the great soup experiment began.
“Are these the right ingredients?
…They’ve got to be, right?”
Since it was my first time trying this, I wasn’t entirely sure if these were the right ingredients.
But as long as it tasted good, that was all that mattered.
“Alright, next…”
It was time to grab some utensils.
I opened the kitchen cupboard and rummaged through the rusty pile of utensils, picking out the ones that were at least somewhat usable.
I found a relatively clean pot that looked like it hadn’t been used much—or at all.
I filled it halfway with water.
Of course, given the era, there was no running water system, so I couldn’t just get water from the kitchen sink.
Which left the question: where would I get the water?
“Oh, there’s a well?”
Turns out, the problem was solved pretty easily.
There was a small well just behind the orphanage, right next to the wood-chopping area.
What a relief. I’d been dreading the thought of walking all the way to the village with a bucket just to fetch water.
Seems like the universe wasn’t entirely against me.
“Alright, now that the water’s sorted…”
It was finally time to start cooking.
I tossed the selected fruits—all of them—into the pot, anticipating the sweet, fragrant soup that would soon emerge.
Next, I picked up a few matchsticks that were lying around on the floor and lit a fire.
Lastly, I made sure to put the lid on the pot.
Thanks to the abundance of dust and dry wood, the fire flared up quickly and settled into a steady, manageable flame before long.
“This should be done pretty soon.”
Sniff sniff.
“Mmm, it already smells delicious.”
I couldn’t wait to try the soup—just imagining it made my mouth water.
What would it taste like? Sweet? Comforting? I could hardly contain my excitement, a smile blooming on my face.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
“Tick-tock… Ugh, when is this going to be done already?!”
I was bored.
Was time always this slow?
Unable to stand the boredom, I tried bouncing up and down in front of the pot, then wandered over to the window to stare at the scenery outside.
I did anything and everything to pass the time.
After what felt like hours—but was probably only a few minutes—I decided the soup was finally done.
“Alright, here we go… unveiling the special soup! Drumroll, please!”
But something was off.
“…Is this supposed to be… soup?”
I had envisioned a thick, warm, and comforting broth.
Instead, what I saw was…
“This is just… steamed fruit.”
What sat in the pot wasn’t soup—it was closer to fruit stew.
“Did I mess up the recipe?”
I thought all I needed to do was toss the fruit in water and boil it…
Was I supposed to add other ingredients?
“How strange…”
Still, it was technically cooked food, and when I tried a bite.
“Nom nom…” —it was surprisingly tasty.
So, at least there was that.
Since this was my first time cooking anything other than instant ramen, it was a colossal failure in terms of execution.
But since it tasted good, I could call it a partial success, right?
“Mmm, tasty.”
And I learned something new.
Steamed fruit is surprisingly delicious.
The warmth brought out the fruit’s natural sweet and tangy flavors, making it enjoyable to eat.
Plus, steaming made the fruit soft and easy to swallow, though it lost the crisp texture.
Still, it checked off my initial goals:
A warm dish?
A smooth, soft texture?
Even if it wasn’t what I originally intended, it turned out to be a complete success!
“Wow, I’m such a lucky genius!”
What a win!