Chapter 206
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 206
Chapter 206. Yangyang Martial Arts Academy (5)
I placed the contract on the table and said, “Isn't something strange about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“This contract. The people who wrote this contract are the former Chairman and the former Principal, right?”
“That's correct.”
“That's correct.”
“I don't know about the Principal, but the Chairman would never write a contract like this. Isn't it strange that a contract written by someone who manages so many people and so much land is only one line long?”
Head Escort Ha nodded in agreement.
“It is indeed strange. The previous Chairman was a well-known wealthy man in this area. And someone who handles that much money would have at least made the contract look proper, even if it was written out of goodwill.”
Head Escort Ha agreed with me.
He said he was a senior escort to my Master, so he must have seen many contracts like this.
That's why he immediately understood what I meant.
“I know him as a very thorough person. And...”
Ha Hyo-du continued.
“The previous head of the clan was not just a fool who knew nothing but martial arts.”
Yeom Kwan-ju also nodded as he listened to our conversation.
“Now that you mention it, it is indeed strange.”
I said as I looked at the contract.
“There may be something hidden in this contract.”
We began to carefully examine every corner of the contract.
However, no matter how thoroughly we searched, we couldn't find anything unusual.
There were no differences in thickness, no hidden writing, and the contents of the contract were straightforward and intuitive, with no hint of wordplay.
“Huh...”
I sighed, put down the contract, and looked up at the ceiling.
“This is difficult. I'm sure there's something here...”
“That's right.”
Head Escort Ha and Principal Yeom also leaned back in their chairs, looking a little tired.
Ah, is it because I've been looking at this paper for too long? I see afterimages in front of my eyes.
There was definitely something there, and I couldn't give up now.
If I gave up now, I would never achieve my goal of creating the world's best trading company.
I gathered my thoughts and looked at the contract again.
When I saw the seals of the former Principal and former Chairman, I rubbed my eyes.
Was it still blurry?
No, it wasn't blurry.
The small dot on the seal of the Chairman was ink that had dripped...
No, that's not it.
This isn't ink that dripped.
Usually, when all the details have been finalized and there are no more corrections to be made, the contract is written and sealed.
Of course, it's possible that the seal was stamped where ink had dripped from the brush.
However, this isn't a trace of ink.
The shape of the ink stain and the dot were different.
In other words, the small dot on the Chairman's seal was deliberately made.
Come to think of it, the Chairman's seal is a bit unusual, isn't it?
The two looked at me and asked cautiously.
“What did you find?”
“Isn't this a bit strange?”
I pointed to the chairman's seal and told them what I thought, and they both nodded.
“Now that you mention it...”
“It is definitely strange.”
“But this seal. It has a unique shape.”
“Is that so?”
It looked familiar.
I was sure I had seen it somewhere before...
We turned the contract over and over, examining the seal.
“...!”
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck my brain.
I thought I knew what the seal meant.
“I got it.”
“What?”
“This seal represents Seoho and its surroundings.”
At my words, Head Escort Ha and Principal Yan tilted their heads and looked at the seal. They slowly turned the contract over and examined it, and soon their faces showed surprise.
“Huh!”
“It's true!”
It was thanks to my previous life, when I had researched the West Lake area extensively for a business in Hangzhou.
I had walked around this area countless times, examined it myself, and even made a detailed map.
“Then this dot here...”
I nodded and said.
“Yes. There is a high possibility that something is hidden here.”
.
.
.
Although we found a clue, we decided to postpone the search for a few days.
With outsiders in the area, the people of Zhangzhou might be watching us.
Therefore, we must refrain from doing anything that might make them suspicious.
I left the principal's office. Then, with Yeom's guidance, I decided to look around the area.
Hmm, the whole building looks old.
Soon, we saw people taking care of children.
“You seem busy.”
“Yes, we are. Hahaha.”
Although this place has a sign that says “martial arts academy,” it is also a place where children are raised.
In other words, many of the children growing up here are still toddlers.
There were five nannies, but it seemed that they were not enough to take care of all the children.
The children who were still lying down were a little better, but the children who had just started to move around couldn't stay still.
“Can I help you?”
“Are you sure?”
Yeom Kwan-ju said with concern.
“To be honest, the children don't listen very well. And they cry all the time... I don't even know why they're crying...”
Why does it look like I'm looking at a father exhausted from raising children?
“It's not that I dislike children or anything...”
“I know. I understand.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Anyway, I don't have any plans today, so I'll help you out.”
I approached the children with Pal-gap. Yeom explained who I was to the nannies.
“Ah! You're the patron from that time.”
“I can't tell you how grateful I am.”
“I appreciate you offering to help us, but are you sure? Taking care of children is harder than you think.”
“Yes, I'm fine.”
I had to meet Dao Chun-il to get some information, but that was something I could do at night.
I didn't have much to do until dinner, so I decided to earn some points.
“Thank you.”
“If possible, I would appreciate it if you could play with the children so they get tired quickly. Otherwise, they won't sleep well at night.”
“Ah...”
I nodded.
“Not sleeping at night is bad for their growth. I understand.”
After listening to a few precautions, I approached the children.
There were... twenty-three children in total. They were between four and six years old.
I approached the children and smiled gently.
“Hello.”
“Um...”
“Ah...”
The children flinched when a stranger approached them, but they quickly ran toward me.
“Hello.”
They greeted me by bowing, which was completely different from what I had seen earlier.
They're so well-behaved.
I looked at the nannies, wondering what was going on, and they all looked puzzled.
Why are they acting like that? Isn't it good that they're well-behaved?
Palm-up muttered in a voice that was barely audible.
“As I thought, this world is a dirty place where even children only show their bright side.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I tilted my head and turned back to the children.
“Let's play together today.”
Then I asked Pal-gap to bring me a bottle and a string.
I took them, tied the string to the bottle, and said to the children,
“Now, try to catch this bottle. The children who catch it will get some delicious dangho-ro as a prize.”
“Wow!”
“Let's start!”
When I shook the bottle so that it was just out of reach of the children, they ran around trying to catch it.
“Here, try to catch it.”
“Wow!”
“Ugh!”
“Ouch!”
“I got it!”
When it seemed like they were getting tired of trying to catch it, I lowered the bottle a little so that they could catch it.
“Wow! I got it!”
When a child finally caught the bottle, hope filled the eyes of the other children.
After playing with the children for about an hour, some of them began to tire.
But I was fine.
Even if playing with children is hard work, my physical strength and inner arts as a martial artist easily compensate for it.
Even after reaching my peak, I never neglected physical training as taught by my master, so now I can hang from a tree for three days and four nights without getting tired.
Hmm...
Should I be grateful to my master?
With that in mind, I adjusted my aim so that all the children could catch the bottle.
I had planned to give all the children dangho from the beginning.
Tangho-ro is a snack made by skewering mountain ash berries, coating them with sugar water, and letting them harden.
Of course, since the sugar has to be hardened before eating, it can only be eaten in the cold winter.
Zhejiang is originally a warm region, so it can only be eaten in the middle of winter, but this time, the weather turned cold early, and vendors selling tangho-ro have already started to appear.
The reason for giving tanghulu to children is because the fruit of the Japanese snowbell tree is effective in preventing colds. It is also good for fatigue recovery and skin beauty.
Of course, it is also because the only fruit left in winter is the fruit of the Japanese snowbell tree, but it is made into tanghulu because of these effects.
And it tastes sweet and sour.
Sitting with the children eating dangho-ro was not so bad.
When I saw that the children had finished eating, I got up from my seat.
Now that they have eaten, it is time to move again.
If they eat and do not move, they will gain weight and become sluggish. That is not good for learning martial arts.
Clap, clap!
“Now, shall we play another game?”
“Yes!”
.
.
.
As the sun began to set, the children looked tired and sleepy.
It was only natural after running around for so long.
Seeing this, the nannies put the children to bed and came to me with expressions of gratitude.
“You played with them so well!”
“You are amazing.”
“We can rest comfortably tonight.”
“Hahaha.”
I was just playing hard, but I felt embarrassed to be praised.
“Are you okay? Aren't you tired?”
I smiled and replied to their question.
“I'm fine. It's nothing...”
I glanced at the room where the children were sleeping and asked the nannies.
“By the way, there aren't as many children as I expected for the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
I heard that the Northern Sea Ice Palace is quite large.
“That's because the women of the Northern Sea Ice Palace don't usually get married.”
Marriage is not prohibited in the Northern Sea Ice Palace, but these women entered the palace for their own reasons.
That is why they do not think about marriage.
“Even if they happen to meet a man and get married, in most cases, the father raises the children, but there are cases where that is not possible.”
The nanny looked sad.
“The father of the child dies, or...”
Or abandoned them.
“I'm worried. Moving in this cold weather...”
“Yes, I know.”
“I'm worried the children will catch a cold.”
They had worked here for a long time, so they knew the situation.
The martial arts academy had to move during the winter.
Come to think of it, the Chairman is even more despicable.
He knows this is where the children live, yet he wants them to move in the middle of winter? Is he out of his mind?
This winter was so cold that the water in Seoho froze solid.
Seoho is located in a warm area, so it doesn't usually freeze.
.
.
.
That night, I secretly left the martial arts academy.
Then I quietly walked around Seoho and enjoyed the atmosphere.
There is something called the Ten Views of Seoho at Seoho. One of them is Dan-gyo-jan-seol (Remaining Snow on a Broken Bridge).
It is a scene where snow piles up on the bridge, making it look as if the bridge is broken.
However, it has been several years since it last snowed, so it is unlikely that I will be able to see it again for a while.
Still, there are people enjoying boat rides in this cold weather.
As I was looking at the scenery, a familiar presence quietly approached me.
“Long time no see.”
It was Dae-do Chun-il, who is now a member of our Trading Company's intelligence unit.
When I turned around, I saw a man standing there with a face completely different from the one I knew.
His voice had also changed.
As expected, his disguises were incredible.
He quietly began his report.
“The name of the current chairman is Sung-joon. Compared to the previous chairman, he lacks ability, but he is not that incompetent.”
“I have a feeling about him.”
“Yes, compared to the previous chairman, who was highly respected, the current chairman is greedy and does not have a very good reputation.”
As expected...
There are many people in this world who are underestimated.
“The previous chairman, Sung-myung, was a great man who was both talented and highly respected. It is said that the current prosperity of Sungga is largely due to his efforts.”
“I see.”
“It seems that this incident was caused by the greed of the current chairman, Sung-joon. I heard that he wants to start a new entertainment business.”
Wait, “start” a new entertainment business?
That means the previous chairman had nothing to do with that business.
If he made money in Hangzhou, it would make sense for him to try something like that. Why wouldn't he?