Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Chapter 74 Foot Bath Water Should Not Be Drunken

Lee Ji-eun stirred her feet in the water and leaned back on the sofa.

The sound of the television played in the living room as accompaniment.

The two of them sat there, and the hot water in the washbasin slowly cooled down.

After a while, Li Ran lowered his head and rubbed his feet, feeling the water temperature, then turned to look at her, "Do you want some hot water?"

""

"No need, I'm almost done." She shook her head.

Lee Ji-eun took her feet out of the basin.

Water droplets slid down her feet and dripped into the basin.

She picked up a towel from the side and wiped the water between her toes, then prepared to take the foot bath basin to empty it.

Before she could even lift the basin, Xiao Hei suddenly came over.

"Glug glug~"

"ah!"

Seeing Little Black burying its head in the foot bath water, she nudged its head. "This is foot bath water! You can't drink it!"

Li Ran raised an eyebrow and looked over as well.

Little Black was pushed, and it lifted its head out of the basin, licked its lips, and its tail was still wagging.

"Oh." Lee Ji-eun moved the basin to the side, and Xiao Hei followed, resting its head on the rim of the basin.

"Alright." Li Ran put on her slippers, leaned over, and lifted its head away. "You're addicted to drinking, aren't you?"

Little Black twisted and turned in his hand, broke free, circled half a circle around the basin, and found a new angle.

Li Ran gently patted its head, then pinched its cheek. "Want some more?"

It then reluctantly took two steps to the side.

Lee Ji-eun picked up the basin. "I'm going to pour some water."

Xiao Hei sat down at Li Ran's feet and looked up at him.

"Why are you looking at me?" Li Ran glanced down at it. "Why are you drinking someone else's foot bath water? You little pervert."

He put his feet back into the basin.

"I remember there was water in the dog bowl, didn't I?" he said, glancing at it to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

Little Black stuck out its tongue and licked its fur, then looked at him with an innocent expression.

Lee Ji-eun rinsed the basin, put it back in its place, and then went back to the living room to sit down.

She picked up the remote and casually changed the channel; the channel she had just been on was now unavailable.

Li Ran's feet were still in the basin, where the hot water had cooled down but retained a little warmth.

Xiao Hei circled around once, finally resting his chin on Lee Ji-eun's instep and looking at her face.

She glanced down at it and then pinched its face with both hands.

"You can't drink the water used to wash your feet, you know? It's unhygienic!"

Xiao Hei's face was being pinched by her, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

Lee Ji-eun released her grip and lightly flicked its forehead.

Little Black sneezed, shook its fur, and turned to walk back to its den.

Lee Ji-eun looked at its round, chubby back and shook her head.

"Has it gotten fat?"

Li Ran rubbed the soles of her feet in the basin, and the hot water flowed down her feet, dispelling the lingering coolness.

"Maybe. Lately, Brin has been trying to steal its food, and Little Black's eating speed has increased a lot."

She blinked. "Isn't there cat food in its bowl?"

"Dog food tends to have more oil and a stronger aroma, so Brin keeps wanting to try it."

"It's fine to eat it occasionally, but you definitely can't feed it the same food all the time. Cats are obligate carnivores, while dog food is an omnivorous formula with insufficient taurine content, so it's not good for their health to eat it long-term."

"You know quite a lot?" Lee Ji-eun raised an eyebrow.

"It's all fragmented knowledge I gleaned from watching videos," he shook his head. "I know a little bit about each area, but only a little. If I go any deeper, I'm completely clueless."

"And sometimes what you see on social media isn't even accurate. I saw a marketing account spreading it the day before yesterday, but it was debunked the day after tomorrow."

Li Ran took her feet out of the basin and wiped them with a towel.

"How was your trip today?" he asked casually.

"It's fine." Lee Ji-eun brushed the stray hairs from her forehead with her hand. "It's just that sometimes the wind is a bit strong."

"This is what it looks like over on the beach." He nodded.

"Hmm," she thought for a moment, "the cherry blossoms are blooming better than I expected."

"You've come at the right time. In another two weeks, it will be almost all gone."

"That just so happened that I encountered it at its most beautiful time; it was a kind of fate."

Lee Ji-eun's eyes returned to the television.

The variety show hosts on TV changed locations and started climbing a mountain. One of them started complaining after only a few steps, while the other laughed beside him.

Li Ran stood up, carried the basin to the bathroom, and poured out the water.

When he returned, Lee Ji-eun was still watching TV, while the complaining host was sitting on the floor, refusing to move.

"What are your plans for the afternoon?" Li Ran asked.

"No." She pulled her legs in a little more. "I'll just stay here."

"What would you like to eat for lunch?"

Lee Ji-eun thought for a moment, then said, "It's up to you."

"OK."

"Oh, by the way," she turned to Li Ran, "can I learn a few home-style dishes from you?"

Li Ran was somewhat surprised, "Why do you suddenly want to learn to cook?"

"I'll do it occasionally, the kitchen's just sitting there anyway. Might as well use it." She blinked. "Can you teach me?"

Li Ran nodded. "No problem."

He glanced at the time. "I'm about to start cooking anyway. Want to come and watch?"

Lee Ji-eun casually turned off the TV and stood up with Lee Ran.

Li Ran got up and rummaged through the refrigerator in the kitchen, then put a few ingredients on the stove. "Here, pick whatever you want to make."

""

She stood to the side and glanced at it. "How about learning to stir-fry some vegetables first?"

He took out the greens and handed them to her. "Pick them out first, break off the old leaves, and the root part here," he pointed, "break them off right here."

She took it and started breaking it apart by the sink, rinsing it several times, shaking off the water, and letting it drain.

Should we add garlic?

"Put in a few cloves." Li Ran peeled the garlic and pushed it over. "You try taking a picture."

She picked up the knife and patted it sideways, causing the garlic skin to crack.

She peeled off the skin and then started cutting, using a bit too much force, making a thumping sound on the cutting board.

"You don't need to use so much force."

"I know." She moved gently, gathered the minced garlic together, and looked up. "Is this enough?"

Li Ran glanced at it, nodded, and said, "That's enough."

He turned on the gas stove, and flames appeared, causing the water droplets in the pot to sizzle and evaporate.

"First, heat the pan, pour in the oil, and wait until the oil is hot before adding the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic until it's fragrant before adding the vegetables, understand?" Li Ran handed her the cooking oil next to her.

"You're the one operating it, I'll just lend a hand," he added.

She nodded and poured some oil into the pan.

Lee Ji-eun stood in front of the stove with minced garlic in her hand, glanced into the pot, and asked, "Now?"

"Wait a little longer, add it after the oil and flour start to crack."

A few seconds later, fine lines appeared on the oil noodles.

"That's fine."

She added the minced garlic, and with a crackling sound, the aroma immediately filled the air.

"Cook the vegetables now," Li Ran continued, standing to the side.

She poured the vegetables in, the oil splattered a few times, she stepped aside and started to stir with a spatula.