Chapter 420
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 420
Chapter 420. Wedding Gift (2)
Mister Bok-yeong did not answer my question and pulled me by the hand.
“Let's talk about it inside.”
As I was being led away by Mister Bok-yeong, a gatekeeper approached him with a troubled look on his face.
“Young Master, I know you have a guest, but you must follow the rules...”
Even so, when we tried to push past the line, we were met with disapproving glares.
However, Young Master Bok-yeong said confidently,
“This is my older brother, Jin-woo.”
“...!”
At those words, the gatekeepers' expressions changed instantly, and they bowed deeply toward me with clasped hands.
“We welcome Captain Jin-woo!”
“We apologize for our rudeness. Please come in.”
Some of those who had been glaring at me just a moment ago nodded their heads.
What on earth is Jin-woo?
I entered, and Mister Bok-yeong took me to my quarters.
“Is this my quarters?”
“Yes. Jin-woo is given his own quarters.”
It was my first time entering my quarters.
It was very comfortable and beautifully decorated, and the garden was also beautiful.
My quarters even had a direct view of the garden.
“Thank you for giving me such a nice place.”
“Don't mention it. It's only natural for Hyung-nim's friend Jin-woo.”
“That Jin-woo. What is he?”
Bok-yeong Gongja smiled at my question and said, “Ah, I'm sure you're very curious.”
“Yes, I am.”
Only then was I able to hear a proper explanation.
“Jin-woo literally means ‘true friend,’ but in our family, it has a stronger meaning. It means someone who will take care of your wife and children if something happens to you.”
He continued.
“This includes property.”
“What?”
I asked in surprise.
When forming relationships with others, even if they are more than old friends, as sworn brothers, they cannot touch each other's property because they are strangers.
But to entrust them with property...
For merchants who value money like their lives, that meant the highest level of trust.
“That must have been really amazing.”
“Of course. In my family, when we get married, we can choose only one Jinwoo. We send them a gorgeous red wedding invitation, and if they accept the invitation, it means they agree to become our Jinwoo.”
I tilted my head at his words.
“Red wedding invitations? Aren't wedding invitations usually red?”
“No. In the Liaoning region, they usually use yellow, which is less noticeable.”
Ah...
Now I remember.
“As you know, this area of Liaoning is home to many bandits.”
“That's right.”
“Now, several masters are putting pressure on them, so they don't dare come down this way, but I hear it used to be very difficult. Especially during events such as weddings, when people gathered in one place, bandits would rush in and cause great damage.”
I guess it makes sense that bandits would target a place where people gather to celebrate.
Still...
“They target weddings! How unethical!”
“Would they be bandits if they had ethics? Anyway, the biggest reason the bandits knew about the wedding was because of the red letters. So, to hide them, they changed the color of the wedding invitations.”
“I see.”
“The same goes for Jin-woo. Because of the bandits and wild animals, he never knows when he will die, so you can see it as a kind of arrangement for his wife and children.”
“He was more trusted by Captain Bok-yoon than I thought.”
I smiled awkwardly.
“I would like to see the head of the Trading Company and greet him. And I must also greet Captain Bok-yoon.”
“He is meeting with someone else right now. He said to come see him as soon as he is finished.”
I shook my head.
“If that is the case, please let me know later. As Mister said, Jin-woo must act appropriately.”
“Yes, sir.”
.
.
.
However, Captain Bok-yoon came to see me the next day.
I wanted to say that it was too much to ask me to come back the next day, but I decided to let it go.
“Are you all right?”
When I saw him looking pale, I couldn't help but ask.
“Yes, I'm fine.”
“Are wedding preparations usually this difficult?”
He smiled awkwardly at my question.
“My family is like that. We invite as many people as possible, so...”
Even if it's just a cup of tea, if there are a lot of people, it's bound to take a lot of time.
“Yesterday, I drank over a hundred cups of tea. As a result, I couldn't sleep at night.”
Actually, I often drink tea because it keeps me awake, but too much of anything is bad for you.
“It's important to build relationships with others, but please take care of yourself. It would be a disaster if you hurt yourself before your wedding.”
“I understand.”
“By the way, I was surprised. You said my name was Jin-woo?”
At my words, Captain Bok-yoon smiled awkwardly again. That smile made me realize what was going on.
“You didn't tell me on purpose.”
“Actually... yes, I did.”
He bowed his head and clasped his hands together.
“I didn't tell you because I thought you would feel uncomfortable and not come to my wedding if I told you in advance. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“No, it's not that!”
I waved my hand.
I can't scold him when he acts like this.
Of course, I had no intention of reprimanding him.
“I was just curious. Why did you choose me as the deputy captain?”
“Isn't it because you saved my life?”
“That...”
“Don't say you did what was natural. It may have been natural for you, but you saved my life.”
He continued.
“Besides, when I was kidnapped in Luoyang and replaced, you were the first to rush to my rescue, weren't you?”
“That was also my duty.”
“I…”
I interrupted him.
“Captain Jinwoo is my friend.”
“…”
He looked as if he had lost his words, but soon smiled and said, “He is also capable enough for me to entrust my family to him.
It seems I chose Jin-woo well. Then I will take your request to be Jin-woo as your permission.”
“I don't want to bring such dishonor upon my friend by letting Jin-woo run away.”
We ate breakfast together.
And for him, who had been drinking too much tea lately, I made some yuja tea.
It was yuja tea with dried apple, and it had a subtle apple aroma that was quite nice.
I think it would be good to mix other fruits in it. Tangerines, plums, or peaches would be good, and lychee, a fruit that only grows in the south, would also be good.
This. Should we make it into a product?
Tea is an integral part of the lives of the people of Jeonju.
However, when they are pregnant, they don't drink tea because it is said to be bad for the baby, and I heard that it is more difficult than I thought.
When they are pregnant, they also crave sour foods.
If we make this right, it could be a good product.
As I was thinking about it, I heard the voice of Captain Bok-Yoon's escort from outside.
“The Trading Company Captain and his wife are here.”
The door opened, and Captain Bok and his wife entered.
“Greetings, Captain and Mrs. Bok.”
“Yes, thank you for coming all this way. If I had known you were coming yesterday, I would have come to see you, but you told me not to tell you, right?”
“Yes, I did. It was late, and I didn't want you to put me before your other guests.”
I said with a smile.
“I am Jin-woo, the son of Captain Bok-Yoon. From what you said, it sounds like you are almost family... If you treat family as guests, then they are no longer family.”
Captain Bok and his wife smiled warmly at my words.
“You are right.”
“It is truly reassuring to know that Eun is our Yoon's son-in-law.”
We conversed in a harmonious atmosphere, and then the Trading Company head and his wife and the Captain left for their appointments.
Now I can relax a little, right?
I thought, but I was mistaken.
Being Jin-woo was a more important position than I had thought.
The maid of the Captain visited me.
“I am here to see the Captain. I am the maid of the Captain's wife, Bok.”
“Yes, I am Eun Seo-ho, the Captain of Eunhae Trading Company.”
“First of all, thank you very much for becoming Jin-woo's captain. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes.”
“Now, I will explain what Jin-woo will be doing.”
She explained everything to me in detail.
“Jinwoo, you must take care of everything related to the wedding, starting from when the Captain goes to pick up his bride at her parents' house.”
“What?”
“Literally everything. From the guest list to the seating arrangements for the banquet, and even the wedding attire and food.”
“What if something goes wrong?”
“If you give me instructions, such as replacing someone, they will be carried out immediately.”
“How much authority do I have?”
“If there is a serious problem, you can stop the wedding with the approval of the Trading Company.”
Huh...
She really has a lot of authority.
At this point, she's practically the same as Captain Bok-Yoon himself.
“Your authority is frighteningly strong.”
“And before the wedding, you will see the bride's face before the groom.”
“What?”
At this point, I was really surprised.
The groom could only see the bride's face when he entered the bridal chamber.
Until then, the bride wore a red veil.
It was an unwritten rule that the groom could not see the bride's face until they entered the bridal chamber.
But Jin-woo saw the bride's face first...
“Why does someone else see the bride's face first?”
“It is to make sure that there are no problems when the bride and groom get married.”
“...Don't they already know each other's faces?”
“Sometimes a third party's eyes are more accurate.”
It also serves to prevent marriage by deception.
It was certainly a role that someone on the border between family and friends would play.
And it also meant that they trusted each other.
“I understand.”
“Then I need to take your measurements for your wedding attire.”
“What? Wedding attire?”
“It's the wedding dress you'll wear on your wedding day. Jin-woo will wear a special wedding dress.”
Then the maids came in and measured my body.
I don't know why the maids' faces were red as they took my measurements.
Then, guided by the maid in charge, I observed the wedding proceedings.
According to her, the groom would go to the bride's house and bring her back.
The wedding would take place at the trading company.
This was because the bride's house was too small.
As I was looking around, I saw someone rushing over with a serious look on his face.
What's going on?
“Captain! I have something urgent to report!”
Hearing his words, the head of the Trading Company quickly came out.
“What is it?”
“It's... I'll tell you inside.”
It seemed that it was something that couldn't be said in front of many guests.
The head of the Trading Company headed for the inner quarters, and I followed him. As Jin-woo, the second head of the Trading Company, I was allowed to enter the inner quarters.
My quarters were in the inner quarters to begin with.
After entering the inner quarters, Captain Bok asked again.
“So, what is it?”
“The fine horses we were training to deliver to the imperial palace have run away.”
“What?”
Hearing this, Captain Bok was so surprised that he almost fell backward.
Chak!
I quickly grabbed the senior trading company president and prevented him from falling backward.
“Are you all right?”
“Thank you.”
At that moment, the junior trading company president, Bok-Yoon, rushed over, having heard the news.
“Father! I heard that the fine horses that were to be delivered to the imperial palace have run away.”
“Yes. I just received a report.”
“This is serious.”
Hearing this, I asked the person who brought the news.
“How many horses were supposed to be delivered to the imperial palace?”
“Yes? I...”
He hesitated to answer.
He probably couldn't decide whether he should tell me.
“Yoon's Jin-woo.”
He immediately answered the Trading Company captain's question.
“There were 120 horses in total, but 40 have run away. We managed to catch the rest, but they are very fast...”
In fact, I know that horses often run away.
I thought they would be well prepared for such an incident, but they ran away...
Good horses are very expensive.
The two horses that were just passable were worth two silver coins each. And a good horse would be worth about four silver coins.
But if they were horses to be delivered to the imperial palace, their value would be immeasurable.
However, more important than the loss was the fact that those horses were to be delivered to the imperial palace.
If they cannot be delivered to the imperial palace on time...
The news that the fine horses had run away caused everyone's faces to darken.
“We are sending a pursuit party to find the horses...”
It would be fortunate if someone had taken the horses. Then we could somehow resolve the situation.
The problem was if they had been harmed by wild animals.
There was no one who could compensate for the loss of dead horses with money.
How could this happen just before the wedding!
“Hurry up and assemble an additional pursuit team and depart as soon as you're ready!”
“Yes!”
“And make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut.”
“Yes, sir.”
At that moment, I stepped forward and said,
“Captain, I will also join the pursuit team.”