Chapter 408
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 408
Chapter 408. The Long-Awaited Harvest (3)
Soon after, I heard urgent voices.
“Come to your senses, Baek-wol!”
“Baek-wol!”
When I turned my head, I saw someone lying on the ground with people gathered around them.
I rushed over to them and asked, “What's going on?”
“What's going on?”
“Baek-wol suddenly collapsed.”
When I looked down, I saw a woman lying on the ground, her face pale blue, as if she were about to die.
“Let's take her to a physician.”
At my words, Pal-gap immediately picked her up.
“Where is the nearest physician?”
The waiter who had been serving us stepped forward and led us there.
“Follow me.”
We hurriedly followed the waiter to the physician's house. However, it was farther than we had expected.
I was sure I saw the physician's flag on the way here.
“Is the physician's house this far away?”
“...Other physicians do not treat courtesans.”
“Why is that?”
However, he did not answer my question, and soon we arrived at a physician's house.
“There is a patient!”
At the waiter's words, a woman rushed out from inside. Then, she saw the courtesan Baek-wol on Pal-gap's back and said urgently.
“Lay her down here!”
Pal-gap laid her down on a flat bed, and the physician took her pulse.
“She has a stomach ache.”
I knew it...
I thought her blood wasn't circulating well, and now I knew why.
The physician brought some needles and inserted them into Miss Baek-wol's body. Then he lifted her up and tapped her back strongly.
Puk! Puk! Puk!
After patting her back several times, something came out of Miss Baekwol's mouth.
Huh? What is this...
“Rice cake?”
“Yes, it is rice cake.”
Pal-gap replied to my muttering.
Meanwhile, Miss Baekwol's complexion returned, and she turned her head away, looking embarrassed.
The physician clicked his tongue and said,
“You didn't chew properly and swallowed it, which blocked your blood flow.”
Everyone looked at Miss Baekwol, and she said in a small voice,
“I was hungry... So when I cleared the table, the leftovers looked so delicious...”
So... you were so hungry that you gobbled up the leftovers and got sick?
I asked the waiter.
“Are things really that bad at the brothel? Are the girls unable to eat properly?”
The waiter hesitated, and the physician stepped forward to answer.
“Cheongpa-ru is still better than other places. It's not much, but they provide two meals a day.”
Baek-wol said in a tearful voice.
“My mistress did nothing wrong. It's all because I have such a big appetite. My mistress is such a kind person.”
“It's true that other places make the courtesans pay for their own meals, but Cheongpa-ru provides them for free, so it's a really good place.”
The physician continued.
“Anyway, how much is today's consultation fee?”
“Can I pay for today's consultation later? I haven't had any customers lately, so…”
Baek-wol looked desperate, and the physician looked embarrassed.
I sighed and asked.
“How much is it?”
“What?”
“I'll pay the bill. Please take a rest. Physician, can you come here for a moment?”
I took the physician aside.
“What is it?”
I asked bluntly.
“How many physicians are there here?”
“More than ten, I think.”
“I saw many flags of physicians on my way here from Cheongpa-ru. But the waiter ignored them and brought you here. The other physicians won't treat courtesans.”
She nodded in agreement.
“That's right.”
“Is there a reason?”
“A reason... Yes, there is.”
She smiled bitterly and continued.
“They say they can't treat lowly courtesans who sell their bodies for a living. They say it's contagious.”
Was it the same with physicians in other places?
“I don't know about other places, but here, that tendency is particularly strong. Maybe it's because there are so many taverns and courtesans.”
“...”
“That's why even minor illnesses often prove fatal. Like my mother.”
She didn't say anything else, but I assumed that her experience had motivated her to study medicine and become a physician.
“That's unfortunate.”
I said, taking a gold coin from my pocket.
“This is for your treatment.”
When she saw it, her eyes widened and she waved her hands in refusal.
“What? That's too much!”
Yes, even I think it's a lot.
I'm doing this because I'm a little annoyed.
The physicians who refuse to treat courtesans because they are considered lowly, and the courtesans who accept this with resignation.
Aren't courtesans human beings?
They are people with precious lives, people who admire beauty, and people who shed tears when they see someone in need.
Yet, when they need them, they stick by their side and drink with them, but when they need them, they pretend not to notice...
Huh, I got too excited.
I calmed myself down and said, “If I heard correctly, the other geisha probably don't have money to get proper treatment. So, please use this money to treat them.”
“If what you say is true, the other courtesans won't be able to get proper medical treatment because they don't have money. So, when the courtesans come, please use this money to treat them.”
“...You are a kind person.”
“Please don't say that. I'm just being impulsive.”
* * *
Cheongpa-ru.
Roo-joo Cheongpa looked at the spot where Eunseo-ho had just been standing.
He had expressed his intention to take over this tavern.
He said that he liked the tavern and that he liked her too.
She instinctively rejected him.
This was because there had been many men who had tried to get her.
Even though Eun Seo-ho was a hero known as Sunhyeokmi, she did not let her guard down.
Even men who were called heroes looked at her with lust in their eyes.
But... Eun Seo-ho was different.
There was no lust in his eyes when he looked at her, and he saw her only as a business partner.
“Huh...”
She let out a sigh.
In fact, the situation at Cheongpa-ru was not very good.
She had saved every penny and cut back on her spending to get this far, but she was reaching her limit.
She got up from her seat and took a letter out of the closet.
“If you become our branch and our eyes and ears, we will protect Cheongpa-ru. So please come back.”
Cheongpa sighed.
There was no sender, but she knew who it was.
Hao Clan.
It was an information organization consisting mainly of courtesans and waiters.
In other words, she was being asked to become a branch of the Hao Clan.
However, Cheongpa was not very keen on this offer.
She did not want any outside forces interfering with her tavern.
The Hao Clan had long coveted Cheongpa and Cheongpa-ru, which were rumored to be the best in Hangzhou, but she had been able to reject their offers because she was financially secure.
“How did I escape from there!”
In fact, she was originally from the Hao Clan.
However, she left the Hao Clan when she established Cheongpa-ru.
After that, she ran Cheongpa-ru happily, but... a sudden famine struck, and a prohibition on alcohol was imposed.
With no end in sight to this misfortune, she was at her wit's end.
While she was agonizing over whether to accept Hao Clan's offer with tears in her eyes, a man named Eun Seo-ho appeared.
“Lu-ju.”
At that moment, she heard the waiter's voice from outside.
“Come in.”
Roo-joo quickly put away the letter and said so.
The door opened and the waiter entered.
He was someone who had been with him since he built Cheongpa-ru.
“I heard that Baek-wol suddenly collapsed.”
“Yes. So I took him to Physician Jami, and he was treated safely.”
“I'm glad. Is he all right now?”
“Yes.”
“You must be worried about the medical bill. I'm sure you paid it on credit, but with this money...”
However, the waiter shook his head.
“There's no need to worry. Captain Eun Seo-ho, who was here earlier, paid it for you.”
“Captain Eun?”
“Yes.”
The waiter nodded.
“And earlier, Physician Jami told me that Captain Eun gave him some money to use for the other courtesans' medical expenses.”
“What a mysterious man.”
He couldn't think of anything else to say.
He had only ever spent money to satisfy his own desires, and no man had ever done anything like this for a courtesan before.
“By the way, why did Baek-wol collapse?”
“That is…”
The waiter bowed his head and replied.
“She was hungry, so when she refused a customer's meal, she swallowed the rice cake without chewing it. That's why she got sick...”
"...
Cheongpa bit his lip.
Normally, when a customer refuses a meal, the waiters and kitchen staff get to eat the leftovers.
However, the courtesan was so hungry that she broke the rule.
“The meals provided to the courtesans have been a little poor lately, haven't they?”
“Even so, the courtesans are grateful just to be provided with meals at no cost.”
In other places, they have to pay for their own meals.
Cheongpa recalled Eun Seo-ho's gaze and asked the waiter.
“Do you know where Captain Eun Seo-ho is staying?”
“Probably the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy.”
“Send him a message. Tell him I want to see him.”
* * *
I was spending my time at the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy.
I was just playing with the children, but even that was enough to make the nannies at the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy very happy.
The children liked me too.
The children would like it even more if we moved to a new place.
The tavern built on the site of the former Yangyang Martial Arts Academy was called Kahoru.
I plan to return Kahoru to the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy much later.
Once I start taking over the taverns, the people around Seoho will have hope.
They won't starve to death, and they'll be able to earn money.
And since Kahoru is also a tavern, its owner, Sung-joon, will wait for his turn with hope.
That is what I am aiming for.
However, Sung-joon will never see that hope come true.
Isn't that too cruel?
He is ungrateful, so this is the least he deserves.
Even the late Chairman Sung-joon would understand.
By the way, when will we hear from Cheongpa-ru?
I hope they will respond quickly, either accepting or rejecting my proposal.
At that moment,
one of the disciples of the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy approached me and handed me a letter.
“Someone from Cheongpa-ru asked me to give this to the Captain.”
I took the letter, read it, and smiled.
The moment of decision had finally come.
.
.
.
A moment later.
I headed for Cheongpa-ru.
The waiter who had greeted me yesterday welcomed me again.
“Welcome. We have been waiting for you. Please follow me.”
I followed him to the room of Lu Zhu, located on the third floor.
The samurai standing in front of the door looked at me fearfully and reported to the person inside.
“Captain Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhaesang Trading Company is here.”
“Please ask him to come in.”
The door opened.
The door opened, and I entered.
She was still beautiful.
I heard yesterday that she was well over thirty. Could it be related to her martial arts training?
I've heard that there are martial arts that prevent or slow down aging.
“Young Master Eun Seo-ho is here to see you, Lu Zhu. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Please sit down.”
“Yes.”
When I sat down in front of Lu Zhu, she brewed tea herself and poured it for me.
Her every movement was very elegant and graceful.
It may have been due to training, but I think it was more of an innate quality.
I thought that it was probably a combination of these things that earned her the title of “Hangzhou's most beautiful woman.”
“Please have some.”
“Thank you. I will enjoy it.”
I brought the tea to my lips.
Hm? What is this aroma? Is it dragon well tea?
Seeing that she served such expensive tea, I thought I could look forward to today.
Click.
When I put down my cup, she spoke first.
“I invited you here today to discuss the matter we spoke of earlier.”
“Yes.”
“So, how much do you think this tavern is worth?”
“I am thinking of a thousand pieces of silver.”
She thought for a moment and nodded.
“Very well. And is the condition you mentioned earlier, that you would let me run this tavern, still valid?”
“Of course. In fact, I would like to ask you to do so.”
“Can you offer me a lifetime contract?”
“Of course. You built this tavern yourself, so I'm sure you're very attached to it.”
She nodded at my words.
“I will not be involved in the management of this tavern. From what I have seen of your management so far, I think that my active involvement would only ruin things. However, please keep me informed of everything.”
“Very well. Then I will sell you this tavern for 1,000 pieces of silver.”
I cheered inwardly at her words.
After finalizing the contract, I paid the full amount with ten silver bills worth a hundred pieces each right there on the spot.
I then handed over an additional five hundred pieces of silver as operating expenses and went to meet Mr. Wi Jun-deok, the owner of Cheongpa-ru.
“Please come in.”
The shopkeeper welcomed me, and I informed him that I had taken over Cheongpa-ru.
“You are truly remarkable.”
He exclaimed in admiration.
“So, where is the next best location?”
.
.
.
I asked Mr. Wei about the situation at the next tavern and returned to the martial arts academy.
It was already night.
I was about to take a rest after washing up when Pal-gap rushed over.
“Young master! Young master! This is not the time for that!”