Chapter 77
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 77
Chapter 77. Moonlight Old Man (4)
I smiled at his words.
“That's right. Gong-rae said he would sing for us, didn't he?”
“Yes.”
Gong-rae smiled shyly, but soon settled into position and sang with a serious expression.
Wow...
He sang really well.
Pal-gap and the two bodyguards were also completely absorbed in Gong-rae's singing.
But I had heard that song before in my previous life.
When working for the Trading Company, I often visit brothels.
I met a courtesan named Yeong-hwa at a brothel in Hunan Province.
Yeong-hwa was a talented courtesan with a quick wit and deep knowledge.
Yinghua was very talented and knowledgeable, and she mainly entertained high-ranking officials.
Her most outstanding talent was singing.
She sang so beautifully that even the birds stopped singing when she sang.
One day, I saw Yinghua sitting alone in the garden of the brothel, singing. However, her song was different from the one I had heard before.
It was a very simple but warm song.
I asked her about the song.
“I've never heard this song before.”
“I'm sure you haven't. I wrote this song myself when I was a child.”
“I see.”
“I'm sorry. Actually, today is the day I was sold to the brothel. I was thinking of my parents and Orabeoni, and I ended up making a fool of myself.”
“I see.”
Feeling sympathy for her, I said to her, “Shall I try to find out about your parents?”
She shook her head at my suggestion.
“No, it's okay. If I hear anything, it will only make me feel excited and then sad. I'll just think of it as good news that I haven't heard anything.”
“No, if I hear anything, it will only make me anxious and hurt. I'll just think that no news is good news.”
That was my last encounter with Ang-Hwa.
A fight broke out between martial artists there, and I lost my life in the melee.
Ang-Hwa, like her name, died too quickly.
The song she sang then is the same song Gong-rae is singing now.
No!
This doesn't make sense!
Ang-hwa said she wrote the song herself, didn't she?
No, that's not true.
It makes sense.
There was a reason why Gong-rae looked strangely familiar when I first saw him. If he grows up like this and wears heavy makeup...
The face of the Yeo-hwa I know...
I cursed.
Captain Jin-gyeong. You son of a bitch.
You worked Gong-mil to death and sold Gong-rae to a brothel?
Even though Captain Jin-gyeong was already sentenced to death, you killed him too nicely.
I was so glad that I came back in time.
In this life, I will make Gong-mil and Gong-rae happy.
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The next morning.
As usual, I practiced sword fighting.
“That's all for today. Tomorrow, we will start a new technique.”
“Ah!”
When I brightened up, Master smiled.
“You look happy.”
“Of course. Learning something new is always a joy, isn't it?”
Lately, Master seemed to be much happier than before.
At least he smiled sometimes.
“Starting today, my son Hyung-nim will be receiving instruction from Chief Administrator.”
“From Chief Administrator Nae?”
“Actually, Hyung-jin has started studying the Analects of Confucius. However, I am not knowledgeable enough to teach him, so Chief Administrator Nae offered to teach him together with Seok-il-song, the boy he is in charge of.”
“I see.”
“So I accepted his offer.”
“You did well.”
So that's what Chief Administrator Yoo was talking to Master about.
But Chief Administrator Yoo made the suggestion first?
He must like Seok-il-song more than I thought.
He probably did it to make Seok-il-song a friend.
“The Chief Administrator is a talented man who passed the civil service examination, so he will be an excellent teacher.”
“I am truly grateful.”
* *
Jin So-mi returned to Eunhae Trading Company with a trembling heart.
She was honestly very nervous on the day she met Eun Jeong-ho's parents. She was worried that they might cancel the marriage.
Seeing her worry, her father, Principal Jin Jin-hak, spoke to her in a warm voice.
“Don't worry. They are not the kind of people who would break their promise.”
“But will they accept me as family?”
“If you want to know, try making a mistake on purpose.”
“What?”
“Merchants are people who are kind and emotionless from start to finish to those they don't like. If they scold you, you can rest assured. It means they have accepted you as family.”
As he said, she deliberately made a small mistake.
Eun Jeong-ho's mother scolded her while comforting her, and she was relieved.
It meant that she had truly been accepted as family.
However, today she was even more nervous than she had been that day.
That was because she was scheduled to meet the head of the Jaegal Clan today.
Born and raised in Hubei Province, the head of the Jaegal Clan was like a star in the sky to her, especially as the daughter of a military family.
“Have you arrived?”
Following the maids who greeted him politely, she headed for the annex where the Grand Master was staying.
“Grand Master, Young Mistress Jin is here.”
“Come in.”
With the Grand Master's permission, the door opened, and she entered cautiously.
“I am Jin So-mi, daughter of Jin Jin-hak, head of the martial arts academy, and I have come to see the Grand Master of the Jaegal Clan.”
When she bowed, the Clan Head nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yes, come and sit here.”
“Yes.”
She sat down in the seat offered by the Clan Head.
“So, are the wedding preparations going well?”
“Yes. Thanks to the efforts of our parents, everything is going well.”
After asking about her recent life to lighten the mood, the Grand Master said to her.
“I am the Grand Master of the Jegal Clan. That means I do not make empty promises. Therefore, my offer to be your guardian is also not an empty promise.”
He really will be her guardian!
Her heart was pounding.
The Clan Head told her about the support he could offer her.
It was like a dream.
“I don't know how to thank you.”
“Just keep working hard like you are now. If anyone asks you who you have to thank, just say it was the Jaegal Clan, and that will be enough.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“By the way, did you thank Captain Seo Ho? He brought you and Captain Jeong Ho together, so you should thank him for playing matchmaker.”
“Of course. I thanked him sincerely.”
“Well done.”
She had hidden her martial arts skills until now because her family was not well-known.
Outstanding martial arts skills and talent were a luxury in a family of low status. Those who envied her would prevent her from blossoming.
Out of concern for this, her father told her not to show her martial arts skills as much as possible.
Therefore, even when Eun Jeong-ho and Wi Seung-jae were about to duel, she hesitated.
It was Eun Seo-ho who broke her out of her shell.
Eun Jeong-ho also said that he loved her.
He even said that he bought a hairpin for her in Beijing.
In fact, she had also had feelings for Eun Jeong-ho for a long time.
It was when she came to the Eunhaesang Trading Company banquet with her father.
Eun Jeong-ho kindly guided her when she was lost and didn't know what to do, and she fell in love with him that day.
Thanks to Eun Seo-ho, she was able to pick up a sword with determination and defeat Wi Seung-jo, who had been harassing her with vulgar words.
She immediately became worried that she had caused trouble.
However, that incident turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Eun Jeong-ho proposed to her, and the head of the Jaegal Clan, who was present at the time, became her guardian.
With the Clan Head's backing, no one in Hubei would dare touch her.
Leaving the Clan Head's residence, she suddenly wanted to see Eun Seo-ho.
“I want to see Captain Eun Seo-ho.”
“I will take you there.”
Soon, she arrived at Eun Seo-ho's office.
[Hyunpungguk (Bureau of Wise Winds)]
She heard from Eun Jeong-ho.
Eun Seo-ho was put in charge of a newly created department called Hyungpung Bureau, which reported directly to the Captain of the Trading Company.
Eun Seo-ho could be seen through the wide-open window.
He was a young man who anyone would consider handsome.
Of course, Eun Jeong-ho was her only love.
Watching Eun Seo-ho busily working, Jin So-mi thought to herself.
She would do anything to help him.
And anyone who got in her way would have to talk to her sword.
* * *
Clang, clang, clang!
The wedding ceremony of Jung-ho and Jin So-mi began with the sound of loud musical instruments.
In that short time, the place where my captain had been announced had been transformed into a perfect wedding hall.
Two lions danced to clear the way, and Hyung-nim, dressed in red ceremonial robes, rode on horseback toward the Jin Martial Arts Academy.
He was going to fetch the bride.
It was customary to hold the wedding at the bride's house, but the bride's house was too small to accommodate all the guests.
Therefore, they decided to bring Young Mistress Jin So-mi to the Eunhae Trading Company to hold the wedding there.
When Miss Jin So-mi arrived at the Eunhae Trading Company in her palanquin, the waiting guests cheered in unison.
It was so loud that my ears hurt, but I couldn't stop smiling.
They say that the louder the noise, the happier the life.
In his previous life, Hyung-nim's marriage was not befitting of the eldest son.
There were circumstances that forced us to scale down the wedding reception.
But not this time.
There were so many guests who came to celebrate.
And as the guardian of Miss Jin So-mi, or rather, my sister-in-law, the head of the Jaegal Clan was also in attendance.
With this, my sister-in-law will be able to move forward without any obstacles.
Hyung-nim and my sister-in-law were able to get married without any heartache.
I felt truly rewarded for playing matchmaker.
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.
.
The day came to an end.
The wedding ceremony, which proceeded according to the set order, ended after it had become dark outside.
That was when the banquet began in earnest.
It didn't matter that it was dark.
Red lanterns lit up the entire place.
I had prepared something for Jung-ho for today's banquet.
“For the bright future of my older brother Jung-ho and his wife, I have prepared a song and a musical performance, though it is not much.”
I took my place with my geum, and Gong-rae, dressed in her best clothes, stood next to me.
Then I began to play the zither.
Playing the zither was one of the basic skills I had learned since childhood.
Thanks to that, I was able to play quite well.
As I played the zither, Gong-rae began to sing. It was a song celebrating the future of the two.
As expected, everyone was captivated by Gong-rae's singing.
Hyung-nim and his wife also listened to our song with happy expressions on their faces.
The song ended.
Amidst everyone's cheers, I handed the two of them the items I had brought with me.
“What is this?”
“It's a wedding gift.”
At my words, they opened the box. Inside were a pair of dolls dressed in wedding attire.
“This is a newly made zither.”
I told them how to play the zither, and they played it at the same time.
Then, the dolls slowly turned, and the clear sound of the instrument could be heard.
“Oh!”
“Wow!”
“No way!”
Just as I was surprised when I first saw it, everyone else was also very surprised.
I recognized the value of the zither when I first saw it.
So, I decided to make it into a product and sell it.
Of course, the first zither was made for me by Gong-mil.
To remember its significance, I decided to number the zithers.
The zithers I gave to Hyung-nim and his wife were numbered one and three.
I presented them to my brother and sister-in-law as gifts at their wedding reception, which was attended by many people.
Judging from the reactions of the guests, it seemed that the publicity had worked.
As the reception continued, my father's attendant and my mother's maid approached us.
“It is time for the bride and groom to retire to their chambers.”
At those words, my brother and sister-in-law blushed.
They knew what that meant.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”
At my brother's words, they got up from their seats.
Then someone whispered in a low voice.
“Should we go too?”
“We can't miss such a good show.”
I chuckled at their whisper.
Where are they going to peek?
At that moment, my mother's maid asked my sister-in-law.
“What is that in your hand?”
“Oh, it's a box for hidden weapons. The Clan Head of the Jaegal Family taught me how to throw them.”
My sister-in-law smiled brightly.
“It's in case someone tries to spy on us on our wedding night.”
She was truly a kind and gentle woman, perfect for my brother, Jung-ho.
I approached the principal of the martial arts academy, who was attending the wedding as a guest.
I spoke bluntly.
“Let me take care of your son's education at an academy I know well.”
I explained the academy to the principal, and before I knew it, he had signed the admission form I handed him.
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The next day.
Master Wei Sheng was taken to the academy by people from the academy.
Seeing that, I felt very satisfied.
Let's meet again when you become a person.