Chapter 297
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 297
Chapter 297. The Academy Specializing in Rehabilitation (2)
I blinked.
I had encountered someone I didn't expect to see here.
It was the old man from the general store.
“No, Elder. What are you doing here?”
“I came at the request of a close friend.”
“What?”
“The principal of this academy is a close friend of mine.”
The principal of Jeongin Academy is his close friend?
I had no idea.
“But what are you doing here?”
“Ah, I was asked to deliver a letter to the father of a student who entered the academy. And I also came to offer some sponsorship from our trading company.”
“Sponsorship? That boy will be happy.”
Jeong-ho quickly clasped his hands together and greeted him.
“I am Eun Jeong-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
The old man at the general store was the one who had dealt with the assassin who had burst in during Jeong-ho's ceremony to become the captain of the youth group.
Perhaps because of that, Jung-ho's eyes were still filled with gratitude when he looked at the old man from the general store.
The old man from the general store strode into the academy and looked back.
“What are you doing? Come on!”
“Ah! We're coming! Let's go!”
Jung-ho and I hurriedly followed him.
We were immediately led to the reception room.
We were served tea, but it wasn't very good.
However, considering that the academy was run by donations, I could tell that they were treating us with sincerity.
“Does the tea suit your taste?”
I nodded in response to the elder's question.
“It's drinkable.”
“I hear you're quite picky about tea, aren't you?”
“Does it matter whether the tea is high-grade or low-grade? What's important is the heart that goes into the tea.”
The old man at the general store smiled at my words.
After waiting for about a moment, an old man entered the reception room.
He was about the same age as the old man at the general store.
“That man is the principal of this academy.”
At his words, I quickly stood up, and Jung-ho followed suit.
We clasped our hands together in a bow.
“Eun Jung-ho of Eunhae Trading Company is here to see the principal.”
“Eun Seo-ho of Eunhae Trading Company is here to see the principal.”
He responded to our greetings with a gentle smile.
“I am Yeong Se-ho, the principal of Jeongin Academy.”
He invited us to sit down, and we sat back down.
The principal first looked at the old man at the general store and said,
“By the way, why are you here? Do you know these people?”
“Ah...”
He nodded.
“They are famous people where I live.”
“It doesn't seem like you're just here because they're famous.”
The old man just smiled and didn't answer.
The principal looked at us and said,
“So, what brings the two captains of the Eunhae Trading Company here?”
He knew that we were captains.
Yeong Se-yoon, principal of Jeongin Academy.
He was a man with more connections than I had expected.
“First, we have come to deliver this letter.”
I took the letter out of my pocket and handed it to him. The principal looked at the envelope and nodded.
“Ah, this is a letter from the father of a student at the academy.”
“Yes. I was asked to deliver it.”
“I see. I will deliver it. But is that the only reason you came all the way here?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Our trading company would like to sponsor this academy.”
“Sponsor... Doesn't Eunhae Trading Company already run a chemistry academy in Beijing?”
“That's right.”
I nodded.
“But the Hyeonghak Academy is a place for the past. It's different from here.”
“That's true.”
“And I heard that the tuition here is very cheap.”
Principal Kwan had many connections, so most of the expenses were covered by donations from his acquaintances.
“We at Eunhae Trading Company would like to do our part to help many people get on the right path at a low cost.”
The principal did not answer right away, but looked intently into my eyes.
Unlike earlier, his gaze was sharp, as if he were trying to see right through me.
“Are you trying to get involved in the academy's operations under the guise of sponsorship?”
“No, that's not it.”
I replied firmly.
“What would I gain from doing that? Honestly…”
I sighed.
“Even if you asked me to get involved in the academy's operations, I would decline. I have too much work to do.”
The old man at the general store nodded at my answer.
“That's true.”
“But from the way you ask, it seems that someone has tried to interfere with the academy's operations under the pretext of sponsorship before.”
The principal nodded at my words.
“Of course. There were more than a few. By the way, looking at your eyes, it's clear that you want something...”
I smiled awkwardly.
“Hahaha, you're very perceptive. Actually, there is something I want.”
“So you're finally telling me. What do you want?”
“I want talented people.”
The principal tilted his head at my words, and I continued.
“The students who enter this academy may have been misguided, but they have been corrected through the education provided here. That is why I believe they are talented.”
I continued.
“Isn't that right?”
“Of course they are talented! I can say that with confidence.”
“That is why I am sponsoring you, to obtain such useful talent.”
“Those are not bad conditions.”
Not bad?
From the principal's perspective, it was a very welcome offer.
Although this academy is officially called Jeongin Academy, it is more commonly known as a rehabilitation academy.
It is an excellent place for rehabilitating problem children, but in reality, it requires a lot of patience.
It also requires an unwavering philosophy and belief in education.
That is a very difficult task.
In his previous life, the Principal was unable to find a successor for this academy and passed away.
From my perspective, it was a great loss.
This is because the graduates of this academy spread out and made great contributions in various fields.
If I had known about this place earlier, I could have recruited the best talents here.
In my previous life, there were things I regretted while growing Eunhaesang Trading Company.
That was the lack of talented people to place in various positions.
A captain cannot do everything alone. I needed people who could work wholeheartedly in the right place according to the captain's wishes.
I needed people like that.
When I think back on my past life, it is people who make money and people who lose money.
That is how important people are.
In particular, the money earned by talented people more than compensates for their labor costs.
In other words, investing in people is investing in the future of the Trading Company.
I looked at the Principal.
He was trying hard to appear dignified, but I knew the situation at the academy.
The financial support was gradually decreasing.
The problem was the series of bad harvests since last year.
With food prices skyrocketing, it became difficult to run the academy.
The principal gave up his own food to keep the academy running, but in the end, he passed away without finding a successor, and the academy will be forced to close.
There will never be anyone as sincere toward the students as the principal in front of me.
"The truth is, once they leave the academy, they will have to find jobs on their own, and that worries me a little. But if they work for a reliable company like Eunhae Trading Company, I won't have to worry so much.“
”Then will you accept our company's sponsorship?“
”If you sign a document stating that you will not interfere with the operation of the academy.“
You are very thorough.
”We will do so.“
With that, the principal and we signed a sponsorship agreement.
Then Jung-ho asked, ”May we take a look around the academy?"
“May we take a look around the academy?”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, but there is one thing I need to ask for your understanding.”
The principal continued.
“As you know, this is not an ordinary academy. It is an academy for those who have strayed from the path. Therefore, the education here is not ordinary.”
“Is that so?”
“So please understand if you see something that makes you frown.”
“We understand.”
“Very well.”
In response to our answer, the principal shouted outside.
“Go and bring the assistant!”
“Yes!”
Assistant?
A moment later.
A young man entered the reception room. When Jung-ho saw him wearing a blue uniform, he blinked his eyes.
“Huh? You... aren't you Master Wei?”
“Ah!”
It was indeed Master Wei Sheng-ze, the notorious hooligan from Songyang County, Hubei Province.
He had heard that he was working as an assistant here. But looking at him now, he was not the same young man he had known before.
His eyes were clear, and his movements were dignified.
The Principal nodded.
“The Eunhaesang Trading Company is in Songyang County, so you must know him.”
“Yes.”
Master Wei also nodded.
“They are familiar faces.”
“Good. Assistant Wei is an assistant at our academy and is a very reliable talent. Assistant Wei.”
“Yes, Principal.”
“Show our guests around the academy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Assistant Wei, or rather, Assistant Wei, spoke politely to us.
“Please follow me.”
We followed Assistant Wei out of the reception room.
* * *
After Eun Seo-ho and his party left the reception room,
the old man at the general store, Hwang Bo-hui, looked at his friend.
“So, why did you call me?”
“Before that... Do you know this Eun Seo-ho?”
Hwang Bo-hui frowned at the question.
“Did you hear what I said earlier?”
“It's been a long time since you've shown such interest in someone, so I'm just curious. You don't usually care much about people, do you?”
“....”
Hwang Bo-hwi did not deny it. It was the truth.
“Is he someone you can trust?”
Hwang Bo-hui smiled and replied.
“Of all the people I've met so far, he's the most interesting, mysterious, kind, and cruel... Anyway, that's how he is.”
Yeong Se-yoon said with a surprised look.
“The person you described... is the first person since His Majesty the Emperor.”
“...”
“And when you say that, it means you trust him.”
Feeling a little embarrassed, Hwang Bo-hui urged him.
“So why did you call me?”
“I want you to take care of the academy for half a month.”
“What?”
“It seems that something has happened in my family. I need to go there for a while.”
“So you're leaving the academy to me?”
“As you know, you're the only one I can trust with the academy.”
“...”
“I don't want to go to my family either, but if my family falls, the academy will be the first to suffer, so I have no choice.”
In the end, Hwang Bo-hui pretended to give in and nodded.
“I understand.”
After answering, he continued.
“But instead...”
* * *
Following the assistant professor out of the reception room, Jung-ho and I were silent for a moment.
The assistant professor spoke first.
“I didn't expect to see you here.”
“Me neither.”
In response to Jung-ho's answer, he turned to Jung-ho, bowed his head, and clasped his hands together.
“First of all, I apologize for my rudeness at that time. Please forgive my immature behavior.”
Hearing this, Jung-ho looked at me. I nodded my head.
Jung-ho also bowed his head with his hands clasped together.
“I've already forgotten about it, so don't worry about it.”
“Thank you.”
“However...”
“...?”
“I don't know how my wife feels.”
“Ah...”
He looked as if he understood, with a sad expression on his face.
“Now that I think about it, I don't understand how I could have said such shameless things at the time. But what can I do? What I did back then can't be undone, can it?”
That's true.
You really have reformed yourself.
“So I will do my best to atone for my sins. Please convey that to her.”
“I will.”
“Then I'll show you around the academy.”
The academy was larger than expected.
“That is the dormitory, and that is where classes are held. And that is...”
The assistant showed him around the academy buildings one by one.
Then, he noticed something.
Huh? Is that the smell of alcohol?
I asked the assistant professor.
“Is there a banquet or something today?”
“What do you mean?”
“I smell alcohol.”
At that, the assistant professor's eyes narrowed.
“Where is it?”
I raised my hand and pointed to the side.
“It's coming from over there.”
The assistant professor approached that direction, concentrated on his sense of smell, and then nodded.
“Indeed... It really is the smell of alcohol.”
He immediately ran toward that direction, and there was a commotion.
“Ugh! It's a demon!”
“I thought no one would know about this place!”
“Be quiet! Did you think no one would know you were drinking here?”
Bang!
Splash!
A moment later, the assistant returned.
That's on your face... It looks like blood.
He smiled and said,
“He's still new, so he tries things like that. After three years, he won't do something so stupid.”
At that moment, a carriage approached from the other side.
The carriage looked familiar.
Seeing it, the senior assistant said,
“Ah, it looks like the new students are arriving.”
Soon, the carriage stopped and the door opened. A boy was dragged out from inside...
“You bastards! Where is this? Why did you bring me here?”
Seeing this, the assistant instructor said,
“This new student seems relatively well-behaved.”
How can you call him well-behaved?
Then I heard someone calling my name.
“Seo Ho.”
“Yes?”
I turned my head and saw the old man from the general store.
“Let's talk for a moment.”