"Because you told us to rebuild the kitchen."
"I told you to lift the tables, collect the bowls and help the injured people," he replied as though the difference should have been obvious. "The last time I tried to boil rice, even the dogs refused to eat it."
An elderly woman who had clearly known him for years shouted from behind the crowd, "That was because you forgot to add water."
"I added water."
"You added it after the rice had already burned."
"That detail is not important now," Lee Hyeom replied shamelessly, causing several townspeople to laugh again, although he still bent down and lifted one side of the damaged table because helping with the heavy work was safer than allowing anyone to ask him to touch the cooking pot.
Eunuch Jang, who had been standing beside the remaining sacks of grain with his sleeves already rolled up, looked at him with open disbelief.
