Chapter 25
The Youngest Son of Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 25
Chapter 25. More Than Expected (2)
My father asked me back.
“A secret agreement?”
“Here is the content.”
I took out the contract I had signed with Jang Dae-soo and handed it to my father, who read it.
“....”
While reading the contract, my father opened his eyes wide and asked.
“Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“Are Seolhoncho, Baekho-ryeong, and Seolsam really in Oedong-san?”
“Yes.”
I took a small paper envelope from my sleeve and handed it to him.
“I brought a sample to be sure.”
Yeon-gak picked up the envelope I had placed on the table and quickly opened it.
He took out the sample of Yeongcho I had collected and examined it.
Yeon-gak's hands trembled.
“It's real... It's really Yeongcho...”
A trading company that is part of the Baekdae Trading Company must have its own specialty items.
And currently, our Trading Company's main product is medicinal herbs.
That is why I was able to obtain the medicinal herbs that were used to cure my illness in my previous life.
The children of the Eunhae Trading Company receive systematic education on medicinal herbs from a young age.
Even so, it is difficult to distinguish between different types of medicinal herbs without actually seeing them.
My father also asked me this question, as he found it puzzling.
“But these herbs haven't been brought to the Trading Company in the last ten years. How did you know how to identify them?”
“It's not that difficult if you remember what you've studied.”
I replied with a smile, and my father looked skeptical but let it go.
“But if these weren't herbs, why did you make such a secret agreement?”
My father continued to scold me.
I had expected this, but I had already thought of an answer.
“If someone else found them, they would take them away, right? So I thought it was necessary to secure priority.”
“That's not the problem. The Boss might use this as an excuse to persecute the Trading Company.”
“That's okay.”
“...?”
“Look there, in the fifth line, there is a clause that says, 'Neither party shall hold the other party liable for any unavoidable circumstances that prevent the transaction from being completed.
I continued.
”I asked if it was okay since it might not be a young plant, and they said it was fine, so I wrote it in the contract.“
”Ah... That's why this clause is there.“
”Yes."
I added that clause just in case my father or others pointed it out, but it is definitely young grass from O-dong.
I just checked the footnote.
“This transaction is to be kept confidential. Please keep that in mind.”
“The sweeter something is, the more likely it is to attract insects.”
The reason why even young herbs could be traded secretly was because they were young herbs.
The source of young herbs and medicinal herbs was mostly a secret, and it was tacitly agreed upon by all those who traded them.
“Is there anything else to report?”
I shook my head at my father's question.
“No.”
“Then you may leave. We have more to discuss.”
* * *
Eunwolgak.
Eun Seo-ho left, and Eun Gil-sang laughed hollowly.
“I thought he was just lucky, but I was wrong. He's a man with good luck. He went on his first mission and brought back a tremendous treasure.”
Chief administrator Go Il-pyeong replied.
“That is true, but it wasn't just luck and good fortune. According to the report from team leader Jeong Chung and his team members, the young master seems to be very clever. Of course, it was the Jin-gyeong Trading Company's own fault, but the way he lured them into a trap and dealt with them shows his intelligence.”
“On top of that, he is very bold.”
Sang-yu-gakju Yeon Da-mi added.
In her hand, she held a sample of the herb that Eun Seo-ho had collected.
“How could you make such a proposal to the Boss of O Dong-san!”
“Your unyielding stance is what makes you a true merchant.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Go Il-pyeong's words.
“But,”
At that moment, Se-pung-gak Jik-byeong-cheol spoke up.
“Why did you make that Palm print craftsman work for you?”
“Well, he hasn't been approved by the Trading Company yet, so you had no choice but to make him work for you. It was an urgent situation.”
Jik-byeong-cheol smiled at Go Il-pyeong's words and continued.
“Young master didn't say a word about transferring him to the Trading Company. It was as if that had been his intention from the beginning.”
Yoo Da-mi chuckled at his words.
“Our master is very perceptive.”
“Then?”
She nodded at Go Il-pyeong's question.
“Just as you said. That's why I had to negotiate with the young master instead of the Palm print.”
“It must have been difficult for you.”
Yoo So-ak said.
“Negotiating with you?”
“...It was difficult.”
But Yeon Da-mi's expression was strange.
“I said it was difficult for me.”
“What?”
“You weren't normal. You couldn't have learned how to negotiate. It's obvious. You were born with it.”
“Ha ha, you flatter me. You are the pride of our Trading Company!”
“That's right. Ha ha ha.”
As everyone was laughing, Jeok-Byeong's eyes sparkled.
He was curious about what Eun Seo-Ho was thinking.
* * *
That evening.
Daeng-daeng-daeng-
Ten bells rang.
It was the sound that signaled the beginning of the hour of You (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) and also the end of the workday.
Tack.
I put down my brush and said,
“Chief administrator, it's time to go home.”
He looked disappointed at my words, but when I accepted the chief administrator's offer to be his assistant, I had made a condition.
Therefore, he had no choice but to nod his head.
“You may leave.”
Still, thanks to everyone's hard work today, there was considerably less work to do.
I stood up from my seat and said to Chief Administrator Yu.
“Chief Administrator, please don't overwork yourself. It's better for your health to go home.”
“I'd like to, but I can't. There's too much work to do...”
As he said that, Chief Administrator Yu coughed. It was obvious to anyone that there was much less work to do.
“Yes, you're right.”
“See you tomorrow.”
I bowed with my hands clasped together and left, heading straight for my quarters.
“Young master, are you here?”
“Yes, I'm here.”
“Are you really coming home from work?”
I replied to Pal-gap's question while lying on my bed.
“Yes.”
“You must be tired. But Chief Administrator Yu is being too harsh. You haven't even recovered from your trip, and he's making you work.”
“It's because I'm too competent.”
In fact, working before I had fully recovered from my trip wasn't too much for me.
Returning to my office and getting back to work as soon as I got home was the most natural thing in the world for me before I lost my life.
I just wanted to rest when I could.
Once I officially became a Captain, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the luxury of resting after returning from a mission.
There is a saying that goes like this.
I wanted to rest, so I quit my job and opened a small shop, but now I can't rest at all.
So, I'm going to rest before I become a Captain.
Later, even if I want to rest, I won't be able to do so as I please.
“What would you like for dinner?”
“Shall I eat with the Gong Dao family?”
“Then I'll prepare it.”
* *
I got up from my seat upon hearing the bell ringing at 5:00 a.m.
I did some breathing exercises and changed my clothes.
During my travels, I had no choice but to practice in the evening, but now that I had a regular schedule, I was able to practice martial arts again in the early morning.
As I opened the door and stepped outside, my master arrived at the front yard of my residence.
“Greetings, Master.”
My master responded to my clasped hands greeting with his own.
I told him that such courtesy was unnecessary, but he still treated me with respect.
“Did you rest after your training yesterday?”
I smiled bitterly at my master's question.
“I worked.”
“I see.”
My master also looked a little disappointed, but he spoke firmly.
“However, it is not good to skip or reduce your training because it is difficult. People are not that weak. If you can endure it, you will become stronger.”
“Yes.”
It was as I expected.
“Then let's begin training.”
“Yes.”
Training began with running.
I ran around the courtyard with sandbags tied to my body.
The front yard of my residence was quite large, so just running around the courtyard was enough to leave me breathless.
“Phew, phew. So now I should do the horse stance?”
My master shook his head at my question.
“No.”
“...?”
“You can practice that separately at night. Now that you have built up your strength, you can continue training on your own without my guidance.”
My master continued.
“Starting today, I will teach you sword techniques.”
“Sword techniques...?”
“Yes.”
My master smiled.
“You have laid a solid foundation, so now you are ready to begin learning martial arts in earnest.”
I cheered inwardly at his words.
It meant that the day when I could openly use my martial arts skills was not far off.
“Starting today, you will learn the Jinseol 12 Sword Technique. This sword technique was created based on the nature of snow. The higher your skill level becomes, the more you will realize how excellent this sword technique is.”
“I understand just by hearing the name.”
I replied with a smile.
“It seems to be a sword that embodies the heaviness and lightness of snow, the rapid movement of snow in a snowstorm, and the changes in snow when it is blown by the wind.”
My master's eyes widened at my words.
“That's amazing. You're right. How did you know?”
How would I know?
It's a sword technique I learned in my past life.
“You said it's the nature of snow. And snow doesn't have just one nature.”
“You are very clever.”
My master looked satisfied.
“You will also learn footwork.”
“Footwork... Is that how to walk?”
Of course, I know what footwork is.
I learned footwork in my previous life.
However, I asked the question even though I knew because it might seem suspicious if I knew too much.
“It would be more accurate to understand it as how to move. Whether you wield a sword, a Dao, or your fists, fighting means that you have to move your body in accordance with your opponent.”
“That's right.”
“Footwork allows you to move your body efficiently. Its usefulness in actual combat is even greater. Therefore, it is essential that you learn footwork.”
“Yes.”
“The footwork I will teach you is called muheonbop. It is also one of our family's martial arts specialties. If you master it, you will be able to walk on snow without leaving a single footprint.”
In other words, it is a footwork technique that allows you to walk without leaving any traces.
Not leaving any footprints is more useful in many ways than you might think.
I benefited greatly from this footwork technique in my previous life.
“First, let's learn how to handle a sword.”
.
.
.
Five days passed.
I looked at my palms and sighed.
My palms were covered in blisters.
It was only natural.
I had spent the entire morning practicing the basic stance with a wooden sword a hundred times.
There are nine basic stances in sword fighting.
That means swinging the sword 900 times.
And that's every day.
My master's belief and teaching philosophy is that one must stick to the basics.
That is why my hands are covered in blisters every day.
Still, after a month or so, calluses will gradually begin to form.
I know from experience.
The time was slowly approaching when I would be able to use my martial arts skills in earnest.
However, that did not mean that I would reveal my true abilities.
I had to deceive the Baekcheon Trading Company and the Martial Alliance in order to expand my range of movement.
.
.
.
I was working at the Jaegyeong Hall when I was called to the Eunwol Hall, and I went inside.
It seemed that no one else had arrived yet, and I was the only one there.
I sat down on a chair in front of a long table.
As I sat there, my past life suddenly came to mind. At that time, I was sitting to the left of the seat where Jung-ho sat.
And here, meetings involving tens of thousands of nyang were held every day.
But...
Even though it was something I had experienced, it now felt like a dream.
I sighed at the fact that I had to walk the same path I had walked to become one of the three greatest trading companies in the world.
Of course, those were happy days.
However, running a trading company was not always fun.
Still, with the memories of my past life, I would be able to move forward more quickly this time.
At that moment, the door opened and someone entered.
I quickly stood up from my seat.