Even in 21st-century Korea, childbirth is an incredibly challenging ordeal.
Especially on the continent of Almania, where medicine and nutrition are underdeveloped.
One could even exaggerate slightly and say that if you give birth ten times, there's a chance one of those times you might die.
“Nobles, merchants, serfs—everyone is sensitive when it comes to childbirth, right?”
Even if a woman survives the perilous task of childbirth, her body often weakens considerably.
Regardless of whether she’s noble or poor, seeing a fragile new mother evokes concern.
This is when seaweed soup, which is effective for postpartum recovery, comes in handy.
“It should be well-received. How popular must it be if some postpartum care centers serve seaweed soup three times a day?”
I sat on a chair near the hearth, watching it bubble and boil.
The soup filled the room with the unique savory and salty aroma of seaweed.
When paired with rice, it makes a hearty meal in a snap.
It’s a pity there’s no kimchi, but just the thought makes my mouth water.
“My lord—or rather, young master—let me handle the cooking. You should rest.”
Normally, a noble young master—or a lord of a village, for that matter—doesn’t cook.
At most, the rare exception might roast an animal they caught themselves over an open fire.
“No, Chloe.”
Across the entire continent, there’s probably no one but me who can cook seaweed into a meal.
It’s been simmering for about 20 minutes now, so let’s take it off and try it.
“Bring over two bowls and two spoons, please.”
“Aren’t you the only one who’s going to eat, young master?”
Typically, noblemen dine alone on delicacies.
But sharing a meal with someone is always better.
Especially if that someone is a beautiful woman.
So, on less formal occasions, I take the opportunity to enjoy good food with Chloe under the guise of pampering her.
Naturally, I also aim to make her feel as comfortable as possible.
After all, if you’re always thinking about making money and developing products, your brain will explode eventually...
“Let’s eat together.”
As I ladled the seaweed soup into the bowl, the distinct smell of the ocean wafted up.
To me, it was a fragrant aroma, but Chloe looked slightly apprehensive.
As a serf, she probably wasn’t picky about food.
But that didn’t mean she had no reservations about unfamiliar dishes.
“It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”
Chloe nodded, acknowledging my comment.
“It looks like a bunch of thin, green cloth scraps floating around. It’s weird, like, almost...”
She didn’t finish her thought because it was food I’d made for her, but I could guess what she was thinking.
Probably looks like something only heretics would eat.
Seaweed soup is a dish enjoyed mainly by Koreans and Japanese people. Other foreigners, just seeing it, find it strange.
To the uninformed, it might seem like a soup with bits of green plastic floating around.
If I don’t carefully package this dish with the right words, I know how it’ll be received.
Other nobles would surely call me a monster selling bizarre ingredients.
Of course, I had prepared for this kind of reaction.
“Actually, this seaweed is used as a very special medicinal ingredient in the East.”
“This seaweed from the sea?”
Chloe tilted her head in confusion.
“When I was young, I read in my father’s study that there’s edible seaweed that grows between the rocks by the sea. In a country called Joseon, they use it as a health tonic for new mothers.”
In Almania, there’s a mystique and curiosity about the mysterious East.
People even believe in legends of Prester John, a king from the East who worships Deus and rules a city made entirely of gold.
So, every noble has been scammed at least once by someone selling medicinal herbs, art, or jewels supposedly from the East.
Hearing that it was an Eastern medicine, Chloe seemed to relax her guard.
“I was put off by the way it looked like seaweed, but if it’s medicinal, that’s impressive.”
Taking a spoonful, I found it tasted just like the seaweed soup I remembered.
Ah, if only I had some dried fish to add to it, it would be even better.
“It’s savory and tastes good. Give it a try, Chloe.”
She hesitated with the unfamiliar dish but eventually took a spoonful.
She probably expected it to taste strange at first, given how she squinted her eyes.
“It’s nutty and tasty.”
One spoonful, then another.
She kept eating daintily, like a squirrel nibbling on an acorn.
“I thought it would taste bitter since you said it was medicine from the East, but it’s delicious.”
Hearing her compliment my first attempt at making Korean food in another world gave me a little boost of pride.
“If you mix this with rice, it’s even better.”
I scooped some warm rice and mixed it into the soup.
Chloe smiled as she tasted the combination of hot rice and seaweed soup.
“You should try it too, young master.”
There’s no way this combination could taste bad.
The savory taste of seaweed, paired with pure white rice.
Even the people of Tuscany would find it hard to resist.
When I tasted it, it was so delicious that I almost exclaimed out loud.
“This should appeal to the nobles too.”
The only problem is that it looks a bit strange, but if I market it as a medicinal herb from the East, people will line up to buy it.
An Eastern medicine, good for new mothers, extremely rare.
If I can prove its benefits, it’s sure to sell.
“Now, I just need to see how effective this ‘medicine’ really is.”
They say you should strike while the iron is hot.
I’ll start testing it right away on the new mothers in the village.
In the village of Bio, there was a lot of interest in their new lord.
In a world without newspapers, their usual news involved gossip about the neighbors’ cowshed falling down.
Compared to other lords, Fabio was visibly different.
And that difference alone made him a subject of intrigue, especially for Maria, a newlywed local.
“I think our lord is a good man.”
Even behind closed doors, people speak ill of their rulers.
So it’s not surprising to hear gossip about the lord.
“Right? No one else cares for us lowborns like he does.”
“I don’t understand why he’s giving us so much food just because we’re having kids.”
To Fabio, childbirth might not be a big deal, but in the Tuscany Empire, having children isn’t seen as remarkable.
Nobles, merchants, or serfs alike, women—especially wives—bear between five to seven children on average, and sometimes even ten.
“He gives us salted meat, flour, and barley powder. It’s more than enough.”
Fabio provided supplies to mothers who were over nine months pregnant or had given birth within the last two months.
They received four servings of salted meat, flour, and barley powder.
The reason for the four servings was simple: if they didn’t, the mother wouldn’t get enough nutrition before and after childbirth.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.
“How was that woman when she had her baby?”
Maria asked, rubbing her slightly rounded belly.
“It’s not much, just really painful on the day itself.”
The woman advising Maria laughed slightly.
“Don’t be scared. Everyone does it. And these days, don’t we have the young master making sure everyone’s washed with soap water? No one’s dying anymore.”
“Right, I haven’t heard of anyone dying lately.”
It was no exaggeration to say that in this village, it was common to hear about women dying in childbirth.
One in ten births would result in the mother’s death.
So, a small church in the village held a funeral every two weeks for a mother who had died during childbirth.
“And that seaweed, the one the lord says is a precious Eastern medicine, is remarkable.”
It was a seaweed that villagers ate reluctantly.
Pregnant women on the verge of delivery ate it at least once a day.
“They say you can’t go to the bathroom well after giving birth, but after eating that, it helps with that, and you feel better right away. I was up and about in two days.”
Of course, Fabio couldn’t bear to see them in such a state.
He insisted that women who had given birth stay home and rest for at least two weeks.
“I think that Eastern medicine seaweed is amazing. After giving birth, I felt better right away. I wonder if I should steal some and give it to my husband too.”
“Indeed...”
“That’s why, Maria, you should eat some too. It’s good for you.”
Fabio had planned to sell the seaweed as an expensive tonic for new mothers, just like in Korea.
But in the village, it was already known as a cure-all.
Fabio immediately went to see the Duke.
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TL note:
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the story and the translation. Are there aspects you’re particularly enjoying, or areas where you think I could improve? Your feedback is essential for making this reading experience the best it can be. Looking forward to hearing from you!