I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 20
#020 The Meat Tub is Important
While he was holding the child, Lizzie approached him.
Holding Dorothy with one arm, Joo-hwan pulled Lizzie in with the other. Lizzie, whose short stature didn't even reach his chest, pressed tightly against his side.
However, when he suddenly came to his senses, he realized the child's clothes were damp for some reason. A strange smell began to waft up from where the child's legs were. It seemed she had urinated.
"...."
Yes, it was definitely urine. The smell confirmed it. But Dorothy's face was so bright and innocent that he couldn't bring himself to show he'd noticed. She would catch a cold if she didn't change her clothes soon.
"####."
When Lizzie said something to Dorothy, the child suddenly slipped from his arms and stepped onto the floor.
Was she not afraid of the blood-covered men? Her small feet pattered as she ran between the men who lay groaning on the ground.
Small footprints were left on the ground. The urine-soaked footprints followed one after another in a crooked line, looking like stamps made of water.
Running past the men, the child clung to the tub containing the wolf meat. Dorothy grabbed the wooden tub with both hands and grunted. After exerting herself like that for a moment, Dorothy eventually flopped over the top of the tub. It seemed she had intended to carry it.
But the tub was too heavy for a child's strength. It was far too heavy for her. Her face turning red, Dorothy now tried to drag it along with a groan.
Unlike the child, Lizzie couldn't bring herself to look at the fallen men. She averted her gaze slightly and only watched Dorothy.
"###."
Lizzie said something similar to before toward Dorothy.
At those words, Dorothy pulled the tub with all her might, her face turning red as if she were in a hurry.
Surely Lizzie hadn't told the child to bring the wolf meat; she was likely telling her to change her wet clothes. And Dorothy probably thought that if she went inside, someone might steal the meat.
"...."
Dorothy's obsession with meat was fearsome. He could see her tenacity in refusing to leave it outside.
Perhaps because she put too much strength into pulling the tub, Dorothy let out a 'poof' sound as she passed gas. Lizzie, who was standing nearby, laughed as if it were absurd. She was finally laughing like her usual self. Something welled up inside Joo-hwan's heart. What a relief.
Joo-hwan walked over to the child and picked up the wooden tub. The tub, which wasn't that large, looked incredibly small when Joo-hwan held it.
"#####."
Dorothy looked up at Joo-hwan with sparkling eyes, as if looking at a hero. It seemed she found it amazing that he could easily lift what she found too heavy to move.
To receive such a look from a child just for lifting one tub—becoming a hero was truly easy. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Joo-hwan scratched the back of his neck for no reason.
Clap, clap. He heard the sound of hands clapping from the side. Turning his head, he saw Lizzie looking at Dorothy with a somewhat stern expression.
"#### meat #### inside ##."
She spoke while pointing toward the house with her finger. She was likely telling her to leave the meat and get inside quickly before she caught a cold. As he learned more words, the number of things he could understand through context was gradually increasing.
Dorothy looked at the wooden tub and Joo-hwan with a troubled expression. Back and forth, the child's face moved busily.
After alternating her gaze between Joo-hwan and the wooden tub a few times, the child suddenly smiled brightly. It seemed she felt the meat was safe if left with Joo-hwan.
Even if it was something silly to an adult, it must have been a serious matter for Dorothy.
He felt he could take it as a bit of an honor.
Dorothy answered Lizzie loudly and ran inside. Droplets of urine dripped from the running child's body.
Lizzie chased after her in a panic. If she didn't take off her clothes as soon as she went inside, the floor would become a mess of urine.
Though such things wouldn't matter at all to the child.
After Lizzie and Dorothy entered the house, Joo-hwan set the wooden tub down and turned around.
One of the village men had fainted, but the remaining two were still conscious.
The men were writhing in pain and letting out groans.
As he took a step toward them, Gus blocked Joo-hwan's path.
He said something while shaking his head. He was likely saying that he shouldn't kill them.
It might be fine now since it was self-defense, but killing someone could lead to some kind of sanction. Perhaps he would be executed or reduced to a slave. Considering there was someone locked in the carriage who could have been a criminal or a slave, that was likely the case.
Gus pointed toward the house and shook his head again.
Right, I understand. Joo-hwan inhaled and exhaled. Being locked in prison, executed, or becoming a slave would be problematic. Lizzie and Dorothy would be left all alone. If he disappeared, the two of them would likely end up with other men.
Joo-hwan calmed his heart a little and glared at the faces of the fallen men one by one. I'll remember you bastards. If I see you even one more time...
He muttered that to himself, but he likely wouldn't see them again.
These men were more likely to die even if left alone.
This was a medieval village with no proper medical facilities, and a completely remote rural one at that. There might be some herbs, but there certainly wouldn't be a doctor. There wouldn't be a mage either.
There was no way a person whose nasal bone and cheekbones had collapsed, leaving their entire face sunken, could survive in a village like this. Even if they did survive by some miracle, they certainly wouldn't be able to return to a normal face. The nose and facial bones had already caved in. Since plastic surgery wouldn't be possible, it wouldn't be restored.
He wondered if they would even be able to breathe properly.
It was the same for the other men. One had his arm completely broken in the opposite direction, and the other likely had his internal organs in a mess, even if it wasn't visible. He had used almost no restraint in his strength.
The broken arm might set, but it was certain he wouldn't be able to use it properly. Joo-hwan had twisted it once more while bending it back so that the bone would shatter. If that arm ever moved like it did before it was broken, it would truly be a miracle from God.
Joo-hwan looked at the fallen men once more. Yes, that would certainly be the case. If they were lucky enough to survive, an even harder life awaited them. It would be hell. Good.
Joo-hwan turned his gaze away from the men and exhaled. It seemed his heart had finally calmed down a bit. This was also because Lizzie and Dorothy had smiled for him.
If the two of them had suffered more than what Joo-hwan had seen before he arrived home, Lizzie and Dorothy wouldn't have been able to smile like that.
Today's events would have remained as an indelible wound, constantly casting a shadow over the two of them. Neither Lizzie nor Dorothy would have been able to smile at Joo-hwan. Belatedly, he felt truly relieved.
As if gauging Joo-hwan's emotions, Gus tapped Joo-hwan's arm. Then he pushed his back toward the house. It seemed he would take care of the fallen men himself.
"...."
When Joo-hwan nodded, Gus showed a smile as if he were somewhat relieved.
Joo-hwan approached the wooden boxes that the men seemed to have brought.
The two wooden boxes contained tools such as iron hammers, nails, chisels, cylindrical wooden mallets, and saws. Joo-hwan knew common things like hammers, but there were some items he had no idea how to use.
Regardless, such tools would be essential for a mountain cabin that had to be self-sufficient. He suspected they had brought back things that originally belonged to this house.
Joo-hwan placed the wooden boxes inside the house and picked up the meat tub and the wolf skin. Dorothy's voice could be heard through the slightly open window. She was giggling and laughing at something so fun.
Seeing Joo-hwan go inside, Gus turned around. It seemed he intended to leave the men as they were and head down the mountain. He was likely going to the village. Was he going to call someone? Hmm, he might end up fighting again.
Joo-hwan went inside and closed the thick door of the cabin. Inside the door was the wooden box containing the tools. Joo-hwan took out the largest hammer from inside. He quietly leaned the hammer against the wall so he could grab it easily at any time.
*
The warm air starting from the hearth gradually spread in all directions.
However, the entire house was quite cold. It seemed better than the house he had briefly stayed in when he first arrived in this village, but it couldn't be compared to the insulation of modern Earth.
'I'll have to do something about this as soon as possible too.'
Perhaps it was because of the ceiling that was wide open to the sky. Though he didn't know for sure, he suspected the cold air coming in from there accounted for half the chill in the house. He wanted to do something about the ceiling. His head felt cluttered because there were so many things to do.
Dorothy was standing next to the hearth, taking off her lower garments. The garment that looked like a long top barely covered the child's bottom.
The clothes she was wearing earlier were a long, one-piece skirt that reached her ankles, but her current clothes looked like a short one-piece that had been reduced in size. Seeing as the sleeves were short and it was a bit tight on her body, he wondered if it was something she had worn when she was younger.
Lizzie wiped Dorothy's body with a water-soaked cloth. It didn't seem easy because the child was squirming and moving around. The urine-soaked one-piece was folded small and placed on the stones surrounding the hearth.
Lizzie said something in a low voice as if scolding her for constantly moving, and the child looked at Joo-hwan. Discovering him, Dorothy's face broke into a wide smile.
"Meat ###."
"...."
He was a bit disappointed. He thought she would call him 'Daddy' as soon as she saw him, but he lost to the meat. As expected, food was the best thing for a child.
Dorothy raised both hands high and fluttered her palms like a butterfly, calling for Joo-hwan.
"Daddy! ##. Daddy!"
As he approached, Dorothy escaped from Lizzie's hands and lunged into Joo-hwan's arms. He held her with one arm instinctively, and her smooth bottom, like a frog's, was damp. If she moved away from the hearth, the air would quickly turn cold, and her wet skin would soon lose its warmth.
"You'll catch a cold."
When Joo-hwan quickly took the child back to the fire and set her down, Lizzie called Dorothy's name and raised her eyebrows. Somehow, her scolding appearance looked a bit awkward. It made him want to laugh for some reason.
When they first met, these two seemed cautious as if they hadn't known each other for long, but now Lizzie was nagging like a young mother.
He already knew from spending the night together that Lizzie was a woman who didn't know men. So Dorothy was likely a sister with a large age gap, but seeing the two of them like this gave him the feeling of a mother and daughter.
Because that was a bit strange, Joo-hwan watched the two of them quietly. Looking at them like this, they didn't seem to resemble each other at all. Perhaps they were half-sisters.
But seeing Dorothy call him 'Daddy' made the situation strange again. Could it be that the word wasn't 'Daddy' but 'Oppa' (older brother)? 'Oppa' felt even more awkward, and he didn't know.
While Joo-hwan was spacing out, Lizzie and Dorothy moved busily.
Dorothy checked if the meat in the tub was okay, and Lizzie tried to catch the squirming Dorothy to wipe her bottom and legs.
Whether it was ticklish or fun, Dorothy giggled and ran around in circles with Joo-hwan in the middle. Lizzie, who repeatedly missed trying to catch the child, eventually got angry.
Joo-hwan grabbed Dorothy, who was running around half-naked in circles, and set her down in front of Lizzie. When Lizzie chattered some kind of scolding, Dorothy became as quiet as a puppy with its ears down.
Beside the two of them bickering, Joo-hwan added a bit more firewood and sprayed water on the red-hot embers to make charcoal. While scraping the ashes out with a flat shovel, Joo-hwan surreptitiously grabbed the hammer he had leaned against the wall.
As he stepped out the door, he saw men hurrying toward the cabin from a distance. Gus the hunter, the village head, and a few men he didn't know.
Joo-hwan stood tall in front of the door holding the hammer and waited for them to approach.
The air had become even cooler before he knew it. Winter days were very short, so as soon as the sky turned red, it quickly became pitch black. Knowing this, the village men held unlit torches in their hands.
He glanced to see if the men were carrying any weapons besides the torches.
The man in the back seemed to be hiding a weapon behind his waist, but there was nothing in the other men's hands. There were only clubs tied to the waists of two men.
That level was probably just for guarding against wild animals.
The village head only had something like a bundle of fabric tucked under his arm.
It seemed they hadn't come to fight Joo-hwan.
