Chapter 62
Trading Company's Youngest Son Chapter 62
Chapter 62. Let's Catch the Mouse (7)
The matter with Dan's Trading Company was resolved better than expected.
In exchange for not making this public, Dan's Trading Company agreed to pay a huge amount of compensation.
They signed the contract and insisted on it, but what could they do?
We had the justification, and they were in the wrong.
We used all our spare funds to buy salt, but we suffered huge losses due to the newly enacted salt distribution law.
On top of that, we have to pay compensation.
The trading company won't go bankrupt right away, but it will be difficult to stay afloat for the time being.
The root cause of this whole affair is the false rumors about the martial artist.
Because of that, our mole in the Sichuan branch of the Eunhae Trading Company was exposed, and things turned out like this.
That's why you shouldn't have messed with the martial artist.
You thought you could mess with my goose that lays golden eggs and get away with it? You were wrong.
I always repay kindness.
And I always repay grudges.
This time, Hyang-ok took action herself, wielding her sword and taking care of Yeong-po and the Dan Trading Company.
Those who saw her spread the news of her exploits throughout the Sichuan branch.
Seeing Hyang-ok take the lead in dealing with them, not only the branch's warriors but also the employees' loyalty has increased.
The fact that the daughter of the head of the Trading Company, a girl who is only sixteen, took the lead in fighting those who threatened the Trading Company has inspired them.
This is what I intended.
People are weak when it comes to appearances. That's why sometimes it was necessary to show them this.
That is why I brought Hyang-ok with me.
* * *
Eun-myung was looking out at the garden from his office.
It was almost June.
That meant it would soon be hot.
“Will it rain a lot again this year?”
He usually felt depressed, but lately he had been feeling a little different.
He didn't know what this feeling was, but he knew the reason.
It was thanks to Eun Seo-ho, his eldest brother's youngest son and his nephew.
When Eun Seo-ho came to the Sichuan branch, he thought he had to guide him well since he was there to gain experience.
When he heard that the Sichuan Tang Clan was looking for Eun Seo-ho, he was worried that something might have happened.
However, over the past month, he had been able to see Eun Seo-ho's abilities clearly.
He turned the false rumors about martial artists into something that benefited the Eunhae Trading Company.
He used this to lure the Dan Trading Company and, in turn, damaged their reputation.
The spy planted by the Dan Trading Company made them distrust their own company, and he used this to make them buy salt from him.
In the meantime, he distributed salt for free to improve his reputation and completely integrated the Sichuan branch, which had been a little unstable.
The Dan Trading Company, which suffered huge losses due to the salt, admitted that they had planted spies because of Eun Seo-ho's plan.
As a result, they had to pay huge compensation.
The spy, Yeong-po, was forced to reveal everything he knew and was handed over to the county office.
He will probably be severely punished.
All of this happened in less than a month. It was all done under Eun Seo-ho's leadership.
The favor he did for the Sichuan Tang Clan was nothing compared to what he did here.
Even he himself realized that he had done something truly cruel.
It was as if he was looking at the Sichuan Tang Clan, who were known for their relentless revenge.
“What kind of child would have such a cruel heart... How could such a child come from the gentle Hyung-nim?”
He shook his head.
Not only did he have the strategic thinking to see two steps ahead, but he also had the determination to see through others' thoughts.
Still, he was a child with a good head on his shoulders, which Hyung-nim liked.
He felt very secure knowing that such a child was in Eunhae Trading Company.
He felt sorry for the other trading companies.
He felt especially sorry for Dan Trading Company, which had caused this mess.
“Why did they mess with him? If they had just left him alone, they could have kept what little they had.”
He chuckled.
Eun Seo-ho was the wing of Eunhae Trading Company.
With Eun Seo-ho as its wing, Eunhae Trading Company would surely rise to greater heights.
The title “world's best trading company” suddenly came to mind.
Eun Myeong-sang laughed.
“No way... Even if that's true, it can't be that far...”
He was satisfied with being one of the top ten trading companies in the world.
But for some reason, he felt that even the world's best trading company was possible.
At that moment, he heard footsteps outside and the voice of his bodyguard.
“Director, Eun Seo-ho is here.”
“Ah! Tell him to come in.”
Soon, the door opened and a young man entered.
It was his nephew, Eun Seo-ho.
“Are you here? Sit down.”
“Yes.”
Eun Seo-ho sat down at the table he pointed to, and Eun Myeong-sang sat down in front of him.
He brewed tea himself and poured it into cups.
“Drink.”
“Thank you.”
After drinking the tea, Eun Seo-ho said to him.
“Uncle, we are planning to return home tomorrow morning.”
“Already?”
“It's been a month. We've finished our work, and my father must be wondering what we've been doing here.”
“I see.”
Eun Myeong-sang felt a little sad. But it was time to let them go.
“I understand. I will keep that in mind. But when are you planning to go to the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
The Sichuan Tang Clan had secretly contacted the Sichuan branch of the Eunhae Trading Company.
When they learned that the reason they were looking for Eun Seo-ho was to repay his kindness, they contacted the Sichuan Tang Clan with relief.
They asked them to understand that they couldn't visit now because they had work to do.
Eun Seo-ho's answer was completely unexpected.
“I don't plan on going to the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“What? You're not going? Why not?”
“If I go to the Sichuan Tang Clan, it will seem like I saved their child because I wanted something in return. I don't want that.”
“But...”
“And even if I don't go, I don't think the Sichuan Tang Clan will persecute the Sichuan branch here, will they?”
“That's true. If anything, they helped us with our work...”
Having said that, Eun Myeong-sang hesitated.
“You're not aiming for that, are you?”
“No, that's not it. I'm very busy. I have a lot of work to do, so I can't spare any more time.”
“I understand if that's what you want.”
Bang.
Eun-myeong-sang put down his teacup and said.
“Thank you.”
“...What?”
Eun Seo-ho tilted his head at his sudden words, and Eun-myeong-sang smiled and said.
“I caught the spy.”
“That was my duty.”
“You also raised the reputation of the Sichuan branch.”
“That was also my duty.”
“I am also grateful that you made your cousins recognized as pillars of this branch.”
“They are my cousins.”
Eun Myeong-sang laughed at his words.
‘Yes, this is the kind of guy he is.’
He stood up from his seat and picked up a small box on the table.
He handed it to Eun Seo-ho.
“Here you are. You just turned fifteen, and I haven't given you a present yet. This is your birthday present.”
Fifteen was the age of adulthood.
Even though he didn't usually give presents, he always made sure to give them on this day.
“Thank you.”
* * *
I left my uncle's office with a box in my hands.
It was a birthday present from my uncle.
“Young master, let me carry that box for you.”
I shook my head at Pal-gap's words.
“No, I want to carry it myself.”
“Yes, sir.”
When I opened the box in front of my uncle earlier, I was surprised, but I managed to keep my expression from showing.
That was because I knew what it was.
But I couldn't let him know, so I tried desperately to keep my expression from showing.
The gift my uncle gave me was a wristband.
It is mainly used to wrap around the sleeves of clothes to keep them from getting in the way when handling weapons.
The one my uncle gave me was more for protecting the arms.
It was made of soft black leather that could wrap around the arm from the back of the hand to the elbow, and it was elegantly embroidered with Shu embroidery, one of the four great embroideries of Sichuan.
Wristbands were essential for merchants.
This is because the sleeves of their robes would get in the way when using brushes and reading documents.
I also wear a wrist guard now.
This wrist guard that my uncle gave me is one of the Shinkou.
The name of this wrist guard is Mutsukewan.
It means “uncut.”
The embroidered leather is just for show.
The cloth woven with silk thread inside prevented my arm from being cut even when struck with a sword.
However, no one now knows that this is one of Shinpei's items, called Mutsuwan.
It looks like an ordinary arm guard at first glance.
That's why my uncle was able to obtain it so easily.
I didn't learn the true nature of this item until after my uncle passed away.
I happened to receive this armguard among my uncle's belongings.
After the funeral, when I was returning to my home, I was attacked, and I saw a piece of white cloth with the words “Muzetsu-wan” engraved on it between the cut leather.
Only then did I realize that this armguard was not an ordinary item.
After that, Muzetsu-wan was with me almost every day.
Actually, I wanted to tell my uncle about its value, but I didn't.
I didn't want to part with this precious item.
Besides, the cloth inside had a mysterious power that was very helpful to me.
When I was killed by the Baekcheon Trading Company, I wasn't wearing this armguard.
I regretted it.
If I had had this armguard, I might not have died.
It was as if the armguard in the box was speaking to me.
This time, don't ever forget me.
Yes, I understand. This time, I will never let you go.
However, everything has a price.
Later, I will have to give my uncle something of equal value to this armguard.
On my way to my quarters, I ran into a woman walking toward me.
It was Hyang-ok.
“Ah! Seo-ho!”
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? I have to return to the Emei Sect, so I came to tell my father.”
“I see.”
I clasped my hands together and said goodbye to my sister.
“I'm going home tomorrow too. Please be careful on your way home, and stay safe until we meet again.”
“Yes, thank you for all your hard work. Have a safe trip home.”
Just as we finished talking and passed each other, my sister called out to me.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes?”
I turned around, and my sister looked at me and said, “You're actually stronger than me, aren't you?”
“What?”
“...What?”
“My intuition tells me that you are stronger than me.”
Hyang-ok touched the sword at her waist and continued.
“I want to fight you sometime.”
“Calm down, sister.”
“Hahaha. Just kidding. Even I wouldn't be so reckless.”
“...”
“Anyway, let's fight next time we meet.”
With that, Hyang-ok went on her way. Watching her leave, I found myself stroking my arm.
Hyang-ok is scary.
Pal-gap muttered to himself as he looked at me.
“Is it just me? Every time I see Miss Hyang-ok, I feel scared.”
“Me too.”
Seeing that even the timid Pal-gap was scared, it was clear. My sister had a special aura that no one else had.
.
.
.
The next morning.
Our group left the Sichuan branch, seeing everyone off.
With so many people moving around, it felt a little slow.
And since we were in Sichuan, we had a lot of things to take with us.
But I had to hurry.
It was because I had spent more time here than I had expected.
It wasn't just because Jinwoo-rim, the captain of the Yeonpyeong Trading Company, was going to call my father to ask for permission to sell salt.
Even if I wasn't there, my father and the other captains would take care of it.
The reason I was in a hurry was because of the new product that Gong-mil was working hard to make.
So, Pal-gap, Yeo-eung-am, Lee Pil, and I, who were escorting me, decided to go ahead as the advance party, and the others would follow later.
“See you at the main office.”
“Be careful.”
“Yes!”
And so, the four of us quickly headed toward Hubei.
* *
Sichuan Tang Clan.
Clan Head Tang Kyu was waiting for a reply to his letter.
He had sent a letter to Eun Seo-ho, who was staying at the Eunhaesang Trading Company's Sichuan branch. He asked him to stop by the Sichuan Tang Clan when he finished his business.
This time, he was determined to repay his debt. After all, Eun Seo-ho had saved his precious youngest son.
Furthermore, while interrogating those who had kidnapped his youngest son, he had learned who was behind the kidnapping.
He was even more grateful for that.
If it weren't for Eun Seo-ho, he and the Sichuan Tang Clan would have been...
In any case, he couldn't bear to let this kindness go unreturned.
“Clan Head! We're back.”
The trusted servant who had taken the letter returned and knelt before him.
He was delighted and asked him.
“Did you get a reply?”
“Well...”
The trusted servant continued with a troubled look.
“He has already left Sichuan.”