Chapter 10: Going to the Mart with Family

In the past, my sister took care of the household chores at our home.

When Grandma was alive, they shared the work, but after she passed away, my sister had to manage everything with Dad.

Naturally, Grandpa never helped.

Sis couldn’t cook well because she never learned from Grandma…

Before Grandma passed, my sister learned everything—laundry, dishes, cleaning.

But cooking was too dangerous for a child, so Grandma never taught her.

Later, when I was young and Grandma passed away, my sister had to cook without ever learning how.

Even as an adult… she never had time to learn cooking.

She was too busy earning money to learn how to cook.

In the end, she couldn’t make delicious meals for her kids, and they remembered her as someone who wasn’t good at cooking.

If she’d had time to learn, the kids might have thought differently.

“U-Uncle! It’s so yummy!”

I’d never heard Hye-yeon raise her voice like that before.

I thought she was a quiet kid, so hearing such excitement from her meant it must really taste good.

…I’m kinda proud.

Seeing the kids eat so eagerly felt more rewarding than cooking for neighbors.

As the kids scraped their bowls clean,

“Um… Uncle?”

“Yeah? What’s up, Hye-yeon?”

“What’s the plan for today?”

First, we’re going to the mart.

There wasn’t as much food at home as I’d thought.

Since I only kept food for myself, there wasn’t much for the kids.

We needed furniture, dishes, and utensils, so going to the mart in the morning seemed like a good idea.

In the afternoon, we’ll organize what we buy, and Ryan’s family is coming over for dinner, so we’ll eat together.

“Oh… okay.”

For school and kindergarten, we’ll probably need Mijeong’s help, so I’ll figure that out later.

At that, Yuri, who was eating, tilted her head.

“Mijeong? Is she Korean?”

Oh, I didn’t mention? She’s Ryan’s wife.

Yuri blinked in surprise.

“A Korean wife?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s why he speaks Korean so well…”

Mijeong is my age.

We went to the same school, after all.

She’s the one who recommended I move here in the first place.

It’ll be fine. She’s a good person.

She’s kind to kids, so they won’t find her scary.

“Uncle.”

“Yeah? What?”

“Can I have another bowl of rice?”

Sure.

I filled Yuri’s bowl with more rice.

Looks like I’ll need to buy more ingredients than I thought.

***

Saskatchewan does have a mart.

It’s there, but it’s not exactly close.

Two hours to get there, two hours back.

The land is so vast, you have to live with a relaxed mindset.

That’s why staying physically fit and exercising regularly is important.

Good thing Ryan pushes me to work out…

That guy works and stays in top shape at the same time.

He’s a beast.

“…Isn’t it kinda boring?”

“N-No, it’s fine.”

“Uncle! We’re okay!”

“Jiyu’s bored!”

They say it’s fine, but their faces can’t hide it.

A one-hour car ride is boring enough, let alone two hours.

But they’d have to get used to it.

“But… Uncle?”

“Yeah? What?”

“Isn’t this car too big?”

After moving to Saskatchewan, I bought two vehicles.

One was a regular sedan, the other a large SUV.

Hye-yeon often shopped for her mom, so she might think a big car isn’t necessary, but you can’t underestimate North America.

You’ll see when we get there.

“Okay…”

One difference from Korea is how open the roads are.

Driving on these wide, clear roads feels so freeing.

“Holy…”

While driving, I spotted a creature in the distance and quickly stopped the car.

“Wow! A deer!”

“Shh, shh!”

Being so rural, you sometimes see them on the road.

A massive moose, as big as a large SUV.

“Eek…!”

Hye-yeon, in the front seat, seemed startled by the giant moose.

But the moose just snorted and slowly crossed the road to the other side.

Phew, that’s a relief. Haha.

“W-What was that just now?”

“A deer!”

Jiyu thought it was a deer, but it wasn’t some frail animal.

I told the kids,

Never provoke a moose if it’s crossing the road. It’s scarier than a bear.

“That… a deer?”

Not a deer, a moose.

It’s the animal that kills the most people in Canada.

Especially during mating season, they lash out at anyone, so the kids needed to be cautious.

When we have time, I’ll get you some moose meat.

“…Moose?”

Yeah. It’s tastier than you’d think. Similar to beef.

“I-I’m good!”

“I don’t need to eat it either!”

“Jiyu wants to try it!”

Alright, alright. I’ll ask Ryan for some later.

He has a hunting license, so he’ll probably bring some if he goes hunting.

Once the moose was out of sight, I slowly drove on.

“…Uncle.”

“Yeah? What?”

“Are there… a lot of animals like that here?”

Plenty. Bears, beavers, wolves… lots. But don’t worry.

Bears and moose occasionally come into town, but other animals don’t usually show up.

“Will it… be okay?”

Don’t worry. I’ve got a gun at home.

“A g-gun?”

Yeah. Here, you have to protect yourself.

Like the U.S., Canada has its share of gun issues.

There are people who misuse them.

But in this harsh rural area, protecting yourself without a gun is tough, so the Canadian government allows gun ownership.

“A gun…”

The kids looked worried.

But I couldn’t tell them not to worry—I’m still not fully comfortable with guns myself.

Guess we’ll just have to get used to it.

The kids didn’t say anything.

They’d been feeling like they were in a foreign country, but the word “gun” made it clear this was a completely different culture.

“We’re here.”

The car pulled up to the mart.

“Wow…”

“It’s huge…”

“So big!”

The kids’ jaws dropped at the sight of the massive mart through the windows.

***

To buy furniture and groceries, we went to the Real Canadian Superstore.

It’s a mart I go to often; they don’t have furniture, but it’s perfect for groceries.

“Wow… it’s huge.”

Hye-yeon was amazed when she saw the mart from outside, but stepping inside shocked her even more.

Korea has warehouse-style stores like Costco, but Hye-yeon had never been, so she was even more stunned.

It’s even bigger than Korea’s megamarts…

The snow had melted for now, but in winter, roads can become unusable from heavy snow.

Complete isolation.

Since you’re often stuck at home, you have to stock up on food, which is why warehouse marts like this are so popular.

Just grab whatever you want to eat.

We wouldn’t come to the mart often after today.

Might as well load up on what they want.

“But we don’t know what to get…”

Oh.

I forgot—the kids don’t speak English.

The Real Canadian Superstore sells some Korean snacks and food.

But the selection isn’t large, so the kids didn’t know what to pick.

Let’s just walk around.

We had plenty of time anyway.

There was no snow forecast today, so I started shopping with the kids.

“Woooow!”

Suddenly, Jiyu stopped and stared at something.

When I checked, it was the candy aisle, full of sweet treats.

“Jiyu, no!”

Hye-yeon quickly picked her up.

She often shopped with Jiyu, and there was one thing Jiyu always did.

She’d stop at the chocolate section.

“Jiyu just wants one! One’s enough! Jiyu wants chocolate! Chocolate!”

“No way! Let’s go.”

“Hmph… Jiyu’s chocolate… Jiyu can eat sweet chocolate…”

I’d heard kids throw tantrums by lying on the floor.

But Jiyu only whined a bit before sulking in Hye-yeon’s arms as she was dragged away.

She’s… better behaved than I thought.

“Unnie never buys it for her.”

She’d been conditioned.

Hye-yeon always shopped on a tight budget, buying only essentials.

Candy or chocolate might cost a thousand won, but that could buy a bag of bean sprouts.

At first, Jiyu threw tantrums, but after two hours of Hye-yeon’s silent glares, she gave up.

Just buy it for her…

“No way. It’ll rot her teeth. And that’s too big.”

Just give her one a day.

“It’ll spoil her!”

Yuri’s firm words left me scratching my head.

Sometimes at the mart, I’d see kids sprawled out in the candy or toy aisles.

Parents gave in and bought what they wanted, so I thought it was fine to do the same.

I’ve got a long way to go.

I thought it was okay to buy it since I had money.

But for the kids’ future, buying everything wasn’t the answer.

It wasn’t about money—it was about discipline.

“Uncle.”

Even so, looking at Jiyu’s sparkling eyes, I couldn’t say no.

I understood why baby animals are so cute.

It’s a survival and protective instinct to get what they want.

…No.

I almost gave in but managed to hold firm and refuse Jiyu’s request.

Her eyes shook as if the world had turned upside down.

“Hmph…”

Jiyu’s face crumpled into a pout.

Having to pass by Canadian specialty sweets instead of Korean ones was like climbing a mountain for her.

I had no choice but to speak up.

If we finish shopping… Uncle will buy you a tasty snack.

“Really?”

Yeah, of course.

“Then promise Jiyu! Promise!”

Jiyu held out her tiny pinky.

I glanced at the other kids, then hooked my pinky with hers.

“Promise.”

“Hehe!”

With that, Jiyu smiled again.