Chapter 253
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 253
Chapter 253. His Situation (2)
Seeing this, the headmaster looked perplexed.
“No! Isn't that a letter of resignation?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I told him to wait a little while so I could think of a way to help him... I guess he's giving up on his past...”
“It seems so. He has already stated several times that he wants to give up the past exam.”
What on earth is going on?
Jeong-ho asked the head of the academy.
“Can you explain what is going on?”
The head of the academy hesitated, but unable to withstand our gaze, he began to explain.
“He is one of the giants produced by our academy, Man-suk Kwan-saeng. He is from Hebei.”
“Now I remember. Isn't he a beneficiary of our Eunhae Trading Company's scholarship program?”
“That's right.”
“I heard that he became a giant and is planning to take the exam.”
“That's also correct.”
He sighed.
“But he says he's giving up on the exam.”
“I heard that earlier, but I don't understand. What happened?”
Of course, even if he doesn't take the exam this time, he can still take it next time as long as he qualifies as a giant.
However, the exam isn't held every year, but only once every three or four years.
If you miss it once, you have to wait a long time for the next opportunity.
Moreover, he had been working hard for the past to prepare for it, and now he was giving up on the past.
And with only half a month left?
“What... is the reason?”
“That is...”
The one who answered my question was the teacher who had informed me of Man-suk's withdrawal.
“Because he has to support his younger siblings.”
“...?”
According to his explanation, Mansuk was the eldest of eight siblings.
Recently, he suffered a tragic loss when his father passed away in a martial aunt.
His mother had already passed away six years ago.
With debts incurred from his mother's illness, he was paying them off day by day, but with his father's death in an accident, the house where the children lived was sold and fell into the hands of a loan shark.
Still, the loan shark was merciful and did not touch the siblings, only disposing of the house.
However, the siblings, who suddenly found themselves homeless, are now living with their uncle.
“Still, thanks to the Eunhae Trading Company's scholarship program, I was able to continue my studies and become a giant.”
“Then you should look to the past even more. If you pass the exam and become an official, you will be able to support your siblings, even if you are not wealthy.”
“I think so too. That's why I studied so hard, because that's what Man-sook thought too.”
The head of the academy spoke solemnly.
“And he is a student who has a very high chance of passing this exam. He knows how to pass.”
“Why would someone like that...”
“We suddenly received a letter from his uncle, who had been taking care of his younger siblings. It said that he could no longer take care of them.”
“What was the reason?”
“I don't know. Man-sook didn't tell me that much...”
He continued.
“But the fact that Man-sook, who was so eager in the past, gave up his past and returned to his hometown must mean that it was an urgent matter.”
The benefits of the education system only lasted until passing the local civil service examination.
Even if he passed the local civil service examination, he could only become a low-ranking official.
I thought I knew what Man-sook was thinking.
He probably wanted to support his younger siblings by working as a low-ranking official.
To be honest, I could have just ignored this story.
Man-sook wasn't the only one who couldn't take the exam due to circumstances.
But I felt that I couldn't do that.
I stood up and said,
“I can read your father's letter to Jung-ho, can't I?”
Then I asked his teacher,
“Where is Man-sook's house?”
.
.
.
He said that Man-sook's hometown was a small seaside village in Hebei.
I immediately told Pal-gap.
“Pal-gap. Let's get ready to go out.”
“How long will we be gone this time?”
“I don't know. But it won't be too long.”
“Yes, sir.”
Less than half an hour after I told Pal-gap, we were ready to leave.
“Wow! You got ready really fast.”
“Didn't I tell you? I'm always ready to leave whenever you say so.”
The bodyguards nodded in agreement with Pal-gap's words.
“Hahaha, that's right.”
This time, the injured warrior Yeo-eung-am was absent, and another person joined the group.
He was a student from the same region named Yoon-byeok.
“You must be busy preparing for the exam. Is it okay for me to accompany you?”
“Don't worry about that. The exam will be based on your usual performance.”
“That may be true, but…”
“By the way, I would like to express my gratitude to the Eunhae Trading Company.”
What does he mean by that?
“Actually, Man-sook and I are alumni of the same academy. And thanks to a recommendation letter from our teacher, I was able to enroll in the Hyeonghak Academy. But... to be honest, it costs a lot of money to study at the Hyeonghak Academy.”
“That's true.”
“That's why Man-sook wanted to give up entering the Hyeonghwa Academy, but then she became a beneficiary of the Eunhaesang Trading Company's scholarship program. That's why I'm so grateful. She studied really hard. Even among us, her nickname was Dok-sook.”
This meant that she studied so hard that all of her fellow students admired her.
Yoon Byeok continued.
“By the way, Mansuk's uncle must have had some reason for doing that. He was the one who volunteered to take care of those children in the first place.”
“Is that so?”
Honestly, even if it was only for a few months, taking care of seven children was no easy task.
And even though he knew that Mansuk would pass the exam if he waited a little longer, he sent that letter.
He waited several months, so why couldn't he wait a few more weeks?
In just a few weeks, he could become a relative of a central government official.
After driving for about an hour, we heard the voice of Seo Woo-mu.
“Liege.”
I opened the window.
“Yes, what is it?”
“There's someone walking ahead. Judging by his school uniform, it's likely to be a student from the Hyeonghak Academy.”
Hearing that, I looked out the window.
Sure enough, someone wearing a blue student uniform was walking listlessly.
I told Yoon-byeok to take a look, and he leaned his head out the window.
“It's Dok-sook... Yes, it is him.”
His voice was filled with emotion.
Even if Man-sook had submitted his withdrawal letter and left the academy, it would have been several hours before I arrived.
And unless he was skilled in the movement arts, it was only natural that a horse and carriage would be faster than a person.
Still, we caught up to him faster than I expected.
“Whoa!”
Soon, the carriage stopped.
I opened the carriage door and looked outside.
“Man-suk?”
“Who are you?”
His face was clearly wary.
“Hey! You rotten brat!”
At that moment, Yoon-byeok leaned out of the carriage and shouted, causing Man-suk to panic.
“What? Why are you here? Aren't you studying for the exam?”
“You just withdrew from school. Do you think you can study now? You good-for-nothing!”
“That's... I have my reasons...”
“That doesn't matter! How could you...”
If this continued, it would never end. I gently stopped Yoon-byeok and said, "Let's go.
“Get in. Let's go to your hometown together.”
“No, it's okay.”
“You don't have to refuse. And I heard you were in a hurry...”
He hesitated slightly at my words, but then nodded.
“Then, please take me with you.”
Mansuk got into the carriage, and it set off again.
“...”
There was a moment of silence inside the carriage, and I broke it first.
“So why are you giving up your past?”
“...”
“I know you don't want to talk about it. But as someone who offered you the opportunity to study, I think I have some right to know.”
His eyes widened at my words.
“Were you with the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“To be precise, I am the third captain.”
“I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you!”
The carriage I was riding in was not a carriage belonging to the Eunhae Trading Company, but an ordinary carriage.
So it's possible that you didn't recognize me.
“Then can you tell me what happened?”
“Well...”
He scratched the back of his neck and sighed.
“My uncle... lost all of our family's money gambling...”
“...”
His face turned red.
I couldn't help but click my tongue.
Gambling is a real problem.
“My friends encouraged me to play just one game, and I won ten times my money.”
The rest of the story is obvious.
“So you kept betting, thinking you would win the same amount again, and in the end, you lost not only your winnings but also your entire fortune?”
“How did you know?”
“Winning the first game is called beginner's luck. It's literally luck. It's not skill.”
I continued.
“Luck is just luck. And there's a high possibility that you were lured into a rigged game that attracts people who don't know any better.”
“Even so! For someone who has seven nieces and nephews to support...”
“It's because they are heartless people that they set up such a rigged game.”
“...”
“Anyway, the first winner in gambling is the one who doesn't even set foot in the gambling den, the second winner is the one who quickly leaves after winning the first round, and the third winner is the one who leaves with their wits about them after losing money.”
I smiled bitterly.
“However, usually, people can't leave the gambling table because they remember the money they lost and think they can win it back, or because they can't forget the thrill that makes their hearts race.”
After a moment, I asked Man-sook, the female student.
“So what is your uncle doing now?”
“He said he's going to get on a boat. Fortunately, he only lost his property.”
Should I be glad that he didn't give up everything and commit suicide?
But what did his family and nephews do to deserve this?
Come to think of it, I remember the assistant minister of the Ministry of Finance.
He also incurred a huge debt due to gambling, so he was ordered to set fire to the Ministry of Finance.
Is gambling the problem? Or is it the people who gamble?
.
.
.
Two days later.
We arrived at the hometown of the man who had been staying at the guesthouse.
But... the situation was a mess.
“No, you can't do that! Those are my mother's belongings!”
“Let go!”
“Aah!”
“Mom!”
“Auntie...”
“Oh my...”
Several large men were destroying the household goods.
Next to them, a woman called Suk-ma was sitting down and crying, and several children were crying around her.
But the large men paid no attention to them and loaded everything that looked valuable onto a cart.
“How can people do this?”
“If you want to blame someone, blame your husband who gambled away the family fortune! Why are you taking it out on us?”
“...”
I couldn't bear to watch any longer.
I approached them and said,
“Please wait a moment.”
“Who are you?”
They were about to respond angrily, but they stopped when they saw my clothes.
I was wearing clothes that looked expensive at first glance.
It was worth taking the time to dress up today.
“Um, who are you?”
“I'm from Eunhae Trading Company. It looks like this house is for sale...”
“Hehe, that's right.”
“So how much is this house?”
“What?”
“This house and all the furniture. I'll buy it. How much is it?”
At my words, they looked at each other and said.
“Please wait a moment.”
One of them ran off somewhere, and I said to the men.
“You'll just have to put everything back, so why bother? Just take a rest.”
About half an hour later.
A man came running.
He had a rough face, but from the look in his eyes, I could tell he was a loan shark.
He bowed his head to me with a servile smile.
“Hehe, my name is Byun. Are you buying this house?”
“Yes. How much is this house and its contents? No, to be exact, how much debt does the owner of this house owe?”
“That is... With interest, it is 100 nyang.”
“....”
That's a lot.
I took a 100 nyang note out of my pocket.
“Is this enough?”
“Ah! Yes!”
As he reached for it, I pulled it forward slightly and said,
“Let's write up the contract first.”
“Right, of course. Hehe.”
With that, the contract was finalized, and I gave the servants a few extra coins and told them to restore the house to its original state.
The house, which had been in complete disarray, was restored to its original state in just an hour.
Mansuk, who had been watching quietly, sighed and asked me.
“What do you want from me?”
“What do I want from you? I hear you are very intelligent...”
After thinking for a moment, he immediately prostrated himself.
“I am Mansuk. I will be loyal to you, Captain.”
That's the right answer.
There was no need to kneel all the way down...