Chapter 277
The Youngest Son of Eunhaesang Trading Company Chapter 277
Chapter 277. Unexpected Guests (1)
Finally, the main building of Eunhaesang Trading Company came into view.
The female warrior who had been following behind on horseback said to the male warriors Myeongjong and Chang-woon.
“That is the main building of Eunhaesang Trading Company.”
“What?”
“You mean there?”
They asked in surprise.
“It's much bigger than I thought.”
The two warriors said they had heard of our trading company, but judging from their reaction, it seemed they had only heard the name.
No wonder they were so surprised to see the headquarters.
“Of course it's big! It's the second largest trading company in Hubei!”
It may be second now, but soon it will be the largest trading company in Hubei.
With that hopeful determination, I entered the main office as the deputy manager.
“Whoa!”
The coachman stopped the horse.
Pal-gap quickly got out of the carriage and unfolded the footrest.
When we got out of the carriage, all the family members came out to welcome us.
“Did you have a good trip?”
My parents and I bowed politely in response to my grandfather's gentle question.
“I had a good trip, Grandfather.”
“I had a safe trip, Father.”
“I had a good trip, Grandfather.”
“I'm glad you're all safe.”
After greeting my grandfather, I turned my gaze to the side. Jin-ho and my two sisters-in-law also looked healthy.
Hyung-nim Jung-ho is currently in Beijing overseeing the establishment of a branch office there.
When I go to Beijing, Hyung-nim Jung-ho will return to the main office.
The establishment of the Beijing branch office is a very important task, so one of the captains had to be assigned to it.
After greeting everyone, my parents and grandfather went inside.
Fortunately, Gun-hyeok and Bo-yeon hadn't forgotten my face. They laughed cheerfully as soon as they saw me.
Pal-gap muttered something when he saw that, but...
Anyway, I feel sorry for my eldest sister-in-law, who is alone. I should hurry to Beijing and take over for Hyung-nim.
“Did you have a good time?”
I tilted my head at Jin-ho's question.
“What was it?”
“Don't you know? The dragon and phoenix duel. Ah... I wanted to see it too.”
Seeing her look like a sad puppy, I felt a little guilty.
But when I thought about it, I was glad I went.
Unlike in my previous life, my mother had come to watch the dragon and phoenix duel. In that situation, Jin-ho wouldn't have been able to watch the duel because he would have been busy bringing me fish bones and lime powder, just like in my previous life.
If something had happened to my mother...
The thought alone was terrifying.
But it didn't matter now because it hadn't happened.
I smiled and replied.
“It was great. Oh, Hyang-ok also participated.”
“Hyang-ok?”
“She came with the Emei Sect disciples. So, it was the third round of the finals? She made it that far.”
“Wow, that's amazing!”
“Don't congratulate her when you see her next time.”
“Why?”
“She was eliminated, and I'm upset.”
“Ugh!”
Knowing Hyang-ok's personality, Jin-ho flinched.
“Thanks for telling me. So, what was the result?”
“The winner was Young Master Peng Gang-woon of the Peng Family, and the runner-up was Miss Jegal Yu-ah.”
“Really? The Jegal Clan's Miss Jegal was the runner-up?”
Jin-ho was more surprised that the Jaegal Clan's Young Master came in second than that Peng Gang-un of the Peng Family won.
Jin-ho also knew
that the Jaegal Clan's martial arts skills were not highly regarded.
“But who are the two new faces behind him?”
I introduced the two warriors to my brother.
“They will be members of my bodyguard. They are martial artists from the Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan Sect, but due to circumstances, I have decided to take them in.”
“I see.”
I introduced Hyung-nim to them.
“This is my second older brother.”
“My name is Eun Jin-ho.”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Myeong-jong.”
“My name is Chang-woon. Nice to meet you.”
After exchanging greetings, Jin-ho patted me on the shoulder.
“You must be tired. Go and rest.”
“Yes.”
I headed to my annex with everyone else. Come to think of it, with six bodyguards now, it would be difficult for everyone to stay in the annex.
It seemed that I would have to build a separate building next to the annex, just like in my previous life.
I entered my room.
Seeing that there was not a speck of dust, it seemed that the servants and maids had cleaned thoroughly after hearing that I was coming back.
It felt strange to be back home after such a long time.
But it was not a strange feeling in a bad way. It was like the feeling of encountering something I had missed.
The conclusion was clear.
Home was the best place to be.
.
.
.
That evening, I went to see Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong.
I wanted to ask him to train Myeongjong and Chang-un.
“Come in.”
When I entered his office, the Chief Administrator greeted me with a hearty smile.
“Hahaha! It is an honor to have the hero of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel, Sun Hyang-mi, visit such a humble place!”
It hadn't even been a day, and the Chief Administrator already heard about it!
Father...
“Stop teasing me. I'm already feeling burdened and embarrassed.”
“Hehehe! I know you're not. You're probably racking your brains trying to figure out how to use the title of hero.”
“...”
Damn, the Chief Administrator knows me too well.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Actually, I rescued two warriors in Luoyang.”
I explained the situation to him in detail. The Chief Administrator needed to know about this, even if the others didn't.
“So, you saved them just before they were about to be excommunicated.”
“Yes.”
The Chief Administrator tapped the table for a moment, then nodded.
“I understand. I will teach them well.”
“I beg you. Oh, and I think they will need about three months of training. They lack practical experience.”
“In that case, as you say, they will need about three months of training.”
With that, I finished my speech and stood up.
“Young master.”
Suddenly, the Chief Administrator bowed his head to me with clasped hands.
I was surprised and waved my hand.
“Why are you doing that? Please raise your head.”
“No. I am expressing my gratitude to you, Captain. If the Trading Company's head and his wife had suffered because of what happened at the dragon and phoenix duel…”
“…”
“I would not have been able to repay the favor you did for me.”
The Chief Administrator continued.
“Therefore, I am grateful to the Captain. I will never forget this kindness.”
I didn't expect to receive gratitude from the Chief Administrator.
It was a little embarrassing, but I didn't feel bad.
The Chief Administrator raised his head again and said,
“Where are the two warriors?”
“They are right in front of us.”
“They were fast.”
We left the Chief Administrator's office.
In front of it, Jin-yu and Yeo-eung-am were standing with Myeong-jong and Chang-woon.
“My name is Go Il-pyeong. I am the Chief Administrator of Eunhae Trading Company and the Captain of Eunpungdae.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Myeong-jong.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Chang-woon.”
They clasped their hands together in a bow.
“Starting tomorrow, you will undergo three months of training at Eunpungdae. Only then will you be able to serve as bodyguards for the members of Eunhaesang Trading Company. So work hard.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We will.”
The Chief Administrator nodded.
“I know you must feel sad and worried about your future right now. I understand how you feel. But now that you are here, do your best. If you do, your names may one day resonate throughout the martial arts world. Just like I earned the title of Ilgeomjincheon.”
At the words Ilgeomjincheon, the eyes of the two warriors lit up.
The title of Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong was well known in the martial arts world.
According to the Chief Administrator, he was in a similar situation to the two warriors...
That's why his father didn't oppose taking them in.
.
.
.
The next day.
I practiced breathing exercises in the courtyard of the annex for the first time in a long time.
I hadn't heard that my Master had returned yet, so today was a day of personal training.
I reviewed what I had learned one by one.
I couldn't let my Master hear that my skills had deteriorated.
After finishing my morning training, I washed up and headed to the dining hall.
“The hero is here!”
I couldn't help but sigh at Jin-ho's playful voice.
“Ah, brother!”
“Why? You're a hero. The hero of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel! It's even written here in this book...”
The book was the one Pal-gap had been reading earlier, titled Thirty-Six New Heroes of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
“How did you get that?”
“How did you get it? I asked Yoon Hang-soo.”
“How did you know about that book?”
“Of course I know! I have it on my bookshelf, starting from the 15th edition.”
“....”
“It's written right here. Seon Hyeok-mi, Eun Seo-ho, Master Baek Jeok-geom, and Master Seo Woo.”
“Ugh!”
When I made a face as if I had bitten into rotten cabbage, my family found it funny and burst out laughing.
After dinner, I attended the Eunwolgak meeting for the first time in a long time.
As expected, the topic of today's meeting was my becoming the hero of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
“You didn't even attend the duel, and yet you became a hero!”
“This will go down in martial arts history.”
“That's right.”
Ugh... They're really teasing me.
“Come to think of it, the eldest daughter of the Sichuan branch advanced to the finals and received high praise. Shouldn't we send her a congratulatory message?”
“That's right. Jik Juk-cheol.”
Jik Juk-cheol bowed his head at my father's words.
“Yes, I will send a congratulatory letter.”
“Then let's begin the meeting.”
The first to speak was Chief Administrator Yoo So-ak.
“This year's harvest is not looking good. As the third Captain said... a famine is expected.”
It was now mid-October.
The harvest was almost over.
“I knew it.”
“Of course, in our case, we have a large amount of rice stored up, so we don't have to worry for a few years, but if this continues, consumer spending will decline.”
The Chief Administrator nodded at the words of the Chief Administrator.
“As you say, Chief Administrator, if consumer spending declines, it will be almost impossible for the Trading Company to grow next year.”
If consumer spending declines due to a poor harvest, people will not spend as much money.
“Then what should we do?”
Sang-yu-gak answered his father's question.
“We have no choice but to target the wealthy. Even in a famine, the landowners will still be able to make a living.”
“That's true.”
I raised my hand.
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“First, I think we should replenish the supplies at Yeonhwa-ru, which is owned by our Trading Company.”
“Supplies?”
“Yes. When there is a severe famine, the government always imposes a prohibition on alcohol, right?”
“Ah!”
“So we need to make sure that people can enjoy entertainment even without alcohol.”
“I see.”
At that moment, Jin-ho muttered.
“Huh, so we can't drink alcohol? That's too bad.”
“What? Didn't you quit drinking?”
“I just cut back.”
“Don't worry. When the prohibition ends, I'll make sure you get to taste all the alcohol in the empire.”
“Huh?”
I continued.
“This prohibition will probably last quite a while. Who will suffer the most?”
“The brewers, right?”
“I want to gather the brewers who are going out of business under the Eunhae Trading Company. Our company isn't going to go out of business in three or four years, is it?”
My father's eyes lit up at my words.
“You mean we should prepare for after the famine?”
“Yes. We need to invest now in order to have a bright future, don't we?”
Of course, I insisted for the reasons I just mentioned, but there was another reason.
Due to the prolonged famine, the imperial court ordered merchants to trade with foreign countries to purchase grain.
And what foreigners liked most were the various alcoholic beverages of the empire.
However, at that time, many breweries had already closed down and brewers had scattered, so it was quite difficult.
Amidst such circumstances, the Baekcheon Trading Company led the trade with the alcoholic beverages of the Murim family and made a decent profit.
Thanks to that, they rose to this position among the 100 greatest trading companies in the world.
Thinking of the prohibition on alcohol, I am reminded of the taverns in Hangzhou.
I also thought of Seong-joon, the chairman of Sungga, who expelled the martial arts academy and built a tavern in its place.
Come to think of it, I heard that the construction of the tavern Seong-joon is building is progressing very slowly.
That means they are running out of funds.
I should take some time to visit Hangzhou.
As he thought about it, he sighed.
There was much to do, but first, he had to complete the Beijing branch.
“You are right.”
His father nodded.
“And to be honest, it is because of your advice that we are able to discuss this matter so leisurely. If it weren't for your advice, we would have been racking our brains over our tight finances.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with his father's words.
Thus, the meeting concluded with a decision to make a plan and carry it out as I had suggested.
“By the way, tomorrow is your birthday, isn't it?”
Yes.
My birthday was in November, and after this birthday, I would be twenty-one years old.
“Is there anything you want?”
I thought for a moment and nodded.
“Yes, Father, there is something I want.”