Chapter 89
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 89
Chapter 89. For My Aunt (1)
Yoo So-ak closed the book.
“That's all for today.”
“Thank you for your teaching.”
“Thank you for your teaching.”
Two young men sat upright in front of Yoo So-ak.
However, they were too young to be called young men.
They were Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song.
They were about to come of age this year.
Two years ago, they met at Eun Seo-ho's coronation ceremony and began studying under Yoo So-ak.
They were fierce rivals and also close friends.
Thanks to their mutual encouragement, they were now nearly fifteen years old and studying the Book of History.
It was an amazing achievement.
Inspired by Seok Il-song's work at the Trading Company, Kwak Hyung-jin also decided to get a job.
Kwak Hyung-jin was quickly hired by Go Il-pyeong, the Chief Administrator and Captain of the Eunpungdae.
“Oh! Looking at you, you seem to be skilled in martial arts. Your father is Kwak Head Escort? You are learning your family specialty? Is that right? You are already studying the Analects of Confucius? You are smart. That's great! I have a lot of work to do. Can you help me?”
“I will do my best.”
He was in need of a capable assistant.
However, those he brought from Jaegyeonggak all left after a short time.
It was not easy to deal with those who had trained in martial arts.
However, Kwak Hyung-jin was smart and not intimidated by the warriors, so Go Il-pyeong could not let such a talented person slip away.
Kwak Hyung-jin was like a fish in water.
Under Yoo So-ak's guidance, his document writing skills improved day by day.
And the chronic problem of the Eunpungdae, which was not delivering documents on time, was also solved.
This was because he would rush over and urge them to deliver the documents as soon as he received a request.
“You said you would give me the list of warriors on duty tomorrow by this morning, right? Why haven't you given it to me?”
“I said I'll give it to you.”
“Give it to me right now!”
“That guy is really pushy.”
“He's just a kid, but I won't leave until you give it to me.”
“Oh, come on...”
The martial arts that Kwak Hyung-jin is learning are Tae-eum Byeonghae Shin-gong and Jinseol Shik-gum, which are family specialties.
He is learning the same martial arts as Eun Seo-ho.
Although he has less inner arts and is less accomplished than Eun Seo-ho,
the Taeum Byeonghae Shin Gong is a new martial art modeled after the harshness of the winter sea.
The energy was too much for ordinary warriors to handle.
In addition, Kwak Hyung-jin was not intimidated by the warriors because he was used to feeling his father's presence.
In the end, the Eunpungdae warriors, who had always caused trouble for other departments by putting off paperwork, were forced to immediately complete their paperwork because of Kwak Hyung-jin.
As a result, the work was completed quickly, and Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong and Eunpungdae Vice Captain Yoon Chung-jin were both satisfied.
“I brought back some talented people. Hehehe.”
In this way, Seok Il-song grew to be recognized as a talented individual at the Ministry of Finance, and Kwak Hyung-jin grew to be recognized as a talented individual at the Eunpungdae.
“The day after tomorrow is your vacation.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Eunhaesang Trading Company has two official vacations.
One is on the day of Boknal, and the other is in winter.
The Bok holiday was chosen from among the three hottest days of summer, and employees could take three consecutive days off.
Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song chose to take their vacation during the last of the three hottest days of summer.
“There are no classes during your vacation, so enjoy it to the fullest.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I will.”
“So, what are you planning to do during your vacation?”
“Well...”
“I'm not sure.”
They soon realized something important.
They had been given three days off, but they didn't know what to do with themselves.
“Think about it.”
“Yes.”
They greeted Yoo So-ak and left the annex where he was staying.
Yoo So-ak was staying in a separate building within the Eunhae Trading Company.
“Let's go. I'll take you to Eunpungdae.”
“Okay.”
Seok Il-song was staying with Yoo So-ak, so he could have gone to Jaegyeonggak with him later.
However, he chose to take Kwak Hyung-jin to Eunpungdae and then go to Jaegyeonggak.
“By the way, what are we going to do during our vacation?”
“I wonder...”
At that moment, they spotted a familiar figure standing in front of them.
It was Eun Seo-ho.
Eun Seo-ho was their benefactor.
He saved Gwak Hyung-jin, who was on the verge of death in a bamboo forest near his house.
He saved Seok Il-song, who was wandering around like a beggar.
That is why Eun Seo-ho meant so much to the two of them.
“I heard that you caught the evil energy called Shaanxi and punished him.”
“Did you say you have three trading companies in Shaanxi under your command?”
“You are truly amazing!”
“My father will praise Eun Seo-ho.”
They quickly greeted him.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
Eun Seo-ho greeted them warmly.
“Hello. Looks like you're coming back from studying.”
“Yes.”
“That's right.”
Because it was Eun Seo-ho, they asked him about their current concerns.
“We have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“We got vacation time.”
“I see. So you're going on vacation the day after tomorrow? I'm jealous.”
He sounded genuinely envious.
“What do you want to know?”
“How do you spend your vacation?”
Eun Seo-ho laughed at their question.
“I don't have any vacation.”
“What?”
They were taken aback for a moment.
“I haven't had any vacation since I became a captain.”
“....”
“But you can take two days off officially in the summer, right? But I'm so busy that I can't even take that.”
“....”
“If you're not too busy, you can take a day or two off unofficially.”
From their perspective, Eun Seo-ho seemed extremely busy.
They wondered if he even had any days off to rest.
He was too busy to even take the vacation he was entitled to.
Kwak Hyung-jin spoke up.
“Actually, we don't really know what to do during our vacation.”
Seok Il-song continued.
“What should we do?”
Eun Seo-ho smiled and replied.
“First, have fun.”
“Huh?”
“Go out to the market and see what's there, and watch the street performers. If you play around like that, you'll think of something you want to do.”
* * *
I watched Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song walk away.
Vacation...
I'm jealous.
Due to delays in Shaanxi, my two days of official vacation were gone.
That was because I had a lot of work to do to enjoy my vacation.
After pausing for a moment, I quickened my pace.
My father was calling me.
“Did you call me?”
My father pointed to the low table.
“Sit down.”
“Yes.”
Seeing that he was urging me to sit down at the table, I sensed that he had a long story to tell.
A maid brought tea.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You must go visit your aunt.”
“...What?”
In response to my question, my father handed me a letter.
“Your second cousin passed the civil service examination.”
“....”
I took the letter and read it.
It said that my second cousin had passed the civil service examination and that a banquet would be held to celebrate.
To pass the examination, one had to first pass the local examination, then the provincial examination, and finally the national examination.
Those who passed became students at the national academy.
Then, all the students would gather to take an exam, and those who passed would become giants.
Becoming a giant meant that one could be appointed to a low-ranking government position, but in order to become a core bureaucrat in the central government, one had to pass the final exam.
My second cousin passed the final exam.
This was something to be celebrated.
Passing the final exam was extremely difficult.
The exhibition is the final stage, where the best candidates are selected and assigned to government positions.
This is where the top candidate is decided.
“So, I want you to go in our place and take care of your grandfather. As you know, Jeong-ho and Jin-ho are both away.”
“I...”
“You know you have to go to Beijing anyway. You went to the Trading Company in Shaanxi, aren't you going to report on that?”
“...”
My father was right.
After conducting an inspection, I had to write an inspection report and report on the inspection findings within a month.
I was planning to go at the end of this month...
“When should you leave?”
“You should leave the day after tomorrow at the latest.”
“I see.”
My aunt married into a merchant family in Beijing.
So when I went to Beijing before, I visited my aunt's family.
“Get ready.”
“...Yes.”
I left my father's office.
I have to meet my second cousin...
To be honest, I was a little uncomfortable meeting my second cousin.
He was a scholar, so whenever we met, he would talk about Confucius and Mencius, which was very boring.
When I went to Beijing by myself before, I was in the middle of my studies, so I just met my aunt and came back.
But this time, I was going to meet my second cousin officially.
It was a matter of courtesy to spend some time with him.
Unless he was very busy, I had to spend at least an hour with him.
My ears are going to bleed.
To be honest, I don't like talking about Mister Confucius. That's why I think Chief Administrator Yoo and his students, Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song, are so amazing.
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it, Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song said they were taking three days off starting the day after tomorrow, right?
I turned around and headed back to my father's office.
“Father, I have something to tell you.”
.
.
.
I asked my father for permission to take Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song with me to Beijing.
The excuse was to broaden the horizons of these children who would become the future talents of the Eunhaesang Trading Company.
And I needed someone to keep my grandfather company.
That afternoon.
When I told Seok Il-song and Kwak Hyung-jin about the trip to Beijing, they were very happy.
“You're going to Beijing?”
“Is that true?”
Seeing how happy they were, their superiors, Chief Administrator Yu and Chief Administrator Ko, couldn't bring themselves to say no.
That was my plan.
And since I wasn't assigned to any important tasks yet, I was able to take a month off.
.
.
.
The next morning.
As soon as I finished my breathing exercises, my Master appeared.
“Good morning.”
“Master, you're here?”
“Then let's begin today's training.”
Starting today, I will begin learning the eighth technique of the Jinseolshik Sword Technique.
The name of the eighth technique is Iljeonhyungbing, which means “a single point of ice.”
It means “a single icicle.”
“You must concentrate on a single point and attack. It can be called a one-hit kill technique.”
“It must require a lot of concentration.”
“Just as you say, Master.”
I wonder how long this technique will take.
Just hearing about it makes it sound like it will take a long time.
Today's training was also a meaningful time.
Although I silently shouted, “I hate you, Master,” inside my heart.
“Today's training is over.”
“Thank you for your teaching.”
Master looked at me and said.
“Hyung-jin is excited. He said he's going to Beijing.”
“Ah...”
Then, suddenly, Master bowed his head to me and gave me a clasped hands greeting.
“Huh? Master?”
I was surprised by Master's behavior.
“Please take good care of Hyung-jin.”
“....
It was like a father bowing his head for his son.
I also bowed my head respectfully.
”Yes, I will return safely."
.
.
.
After breakfast, I headed for the train station.
That was where I was going to depart from.
When I arrived at the station, everything was already prepared.
Then I heard someone running toward me. I turned my head and saw Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song.
“Sorry we're late.”
“I'm sorry.”
“It's okay. You're not late.”
My grandfather hadn't arrived yet, so we weren't late.
But the two of them were carrying a lot of things.
“What did you bring so much?”
“Clothes... and snacks for the trip.”
“...?”
“The chief administrator packed them for us.”
Raising Chief Administrator Yoo and Seok Il-song, he has become like a father to me.
I looked at Kwak Hyung-jin.
He, too, was carrying quite a lot of luggage.
He scratched his cheek and replied.
“My mother…”
“I see.”
At that moment, my grandfather appeared. He was dressed up nicely for his first outing in a long time.
We divided ourselves into the carriages.
My grandfather rode with the two boys, and I rode with the female officer of the Eight Armored Guard.
I had some things to do on the way.
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
At my grandfather's words, we departed, seeing our family off.
Kwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song were very happy to be going with my grandfather.
It seemed that they were hearing quite useful stories.
So I told them to listen carefully and remember them.
These were precious stories that money couldn't buy.
.
.
.
A few days later, we arrived in Beijing.
The journey to Beijing was not that difficult.
The road was well paved.
Thanks to the message we sent to let them know we were arriving soon, my aunt, uncle, Sun-il, and Sun-mi came out to greet us.