The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 96

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Seo-yu and Bi-neung’s dormitory was located inside Cheongjuk Hall, right in front of the bamboo forest, somewhat separated from other quarters but larger in size.

 

Thanks to this, the wooden floor was spacious enough for two people to sit comfortably with room to spare, but Seo-yu hesitated, unsure if she should do as this grandfather she was meeting for the first time instructed.

 

Then the old man glanced up at Seo-yu and said.

 

“What are you doing? This old man’s neck hurts.”

 

“Ah, yes!”

 

Seo-yu hastily sat down next to Grandfather. Soon Grandfather fumbled around and held something out.

 

Seo-yu’s eyes widened.

 

‘It’s rice cake?’

 

What was wrapped in oak leaves was rice cake. White rice cake was slightly visible between the leaves.

 

“Eat it. It wasn’t made long ago, so it should be edible.”

 

“Are you giving this to me?”

 

“Yes. I was saving it to eat by myself, but I’ll specially give it to you.”

 

When she carefully unfolded the broad tree leaves, delicious-looking rice cake covered with fluffy powder appeared.

 

It looked so tasty that it made her mouth water, but Seo-yu didn’t rashly reach for the rice cake.

 

“But Bi-yeon…”

 

Seo-yu hesitated and corrected herself with a shy face.

 

“Um, Mother said I shouldn’t carelessly eat things strangers give me.”

 

She called her Mother!

 

Although she couldn’t say it directly to Bi-yeon yet, Seo-yu still felt proud. If she kept practicing like this, maybe someday she could call her that directly.

 

Hearing those words, the old man nodded his head.

 

“You’ve been well educated. That’s right. If you keep accepting and eating anything carelessly, trouble will come someday.”

 

While saying this, he broke off a piece of the rice cake Seo-yu was holding and brought it to his own mouth.

 

“However, there’s nothing in this rice cake that would cause problems. Would a physician do such a thing?”

 

Seo-yu, who had been captivated by the chewy yet fluffy-looking cross-section of the rice cake, tilted her head.

 

“Are you also a physician, Grandfather?”

 

“Yes. Bi-neung is your partner, right? I’m the one who brought that child here.”

 

“Oh, then are you the Herb Gatherer Grandfather?”

 

Her voice rose in surprise. The old man burst into hearty laughter.

 

“That kid introduced me like that? Hahaha, yes. That’s right. I’m the Herb Gatherer Grandfather.”

 

She had heard about it from Bi-neung. There was a strange Herb Gatherer Grandfather who came to the forest every day, and that grandfather had invited her to the Medical Academy.

 

‘So that’s why he came looking for Bi-neung!’

 

Seo-yu’s face brightened considerably as her suspicions disappeared.

 

“Would you like to try a bite?”

 

“Yes! Thank you, Grandfather!”

 

Seo-yu quickly bowed in greeting and picked up the rice cake, her eyes sparkling.

 

“White poria powder is sprinkled on it!”

 

Looking at the white rice cake, she initially thought it was white rice cake. But looking closely, the surface was very fine and had a slightly yellowish tint for something made with rice flour.

 

“Ho, you figured that out from just a glance? How clever. That’s right. It’s poria rice cake.”

 

The old man was impressed. Meanwhile, a smile spread across Seo-yu’s lips as she tasted the rice cake.

 

‘Wow, it’s incredibly soft!’

 

A sweet yet subtly astringent taste spread throughout her mouth, and when the two flavors mixed, she could feel a peculiar nutty richness.

 

“My goodness, how amusing. Is it really that delicious?”

 

“Yes! Incredibly so!”

 

“Everyone else says it’s too astringent and won’t eat it, but this little one has quite unique tastes.”

 

“But when it meets the sweetness, it becomes this delicious! Besides, lotus seed is good for your health. It helps purify your blood too.”

 

Munch munch. Seo-yu took another bite of the rice cake.

 

“Wow, there’s Chinese yam in it too! The nutty flavor must have been thanks to the Chinese yam.”

 

Seo-yu wasn’t picky about food. She hadn’t grown up in an environment affluent enough to be selective about food, and it hadn’t been long since she’d escaped that life.

 

To Seo-yu, food was anything edible that wouldn’t kill you, and in that regard, this poria rice cake was a sweet and delicious treat.

 

Such a very delicious rice cake that she couldn’t understand why others had refused it, saying they wouldn’t eat it!

 

‘She noticed the white poria, lotus seed, and even Chinese yam?’

 

Meanwhile, the Herb Gatherer Grandfather, Elder Qilin Gi Tae-heum, lit up with interest.

 

White poria powder was difficult to distinguish from rice flour by appearance, and the lotus seed had only been used as soaking water, so you couldn’t detect it without distinguishing its subtle fragrance.

 

Moreover, dried Chinese yam was an ingredient that people commonly mistook for undercooked sweet potato when added to rice cakes.

 

Yet this young child had recognized all of it at once after just one or two bites.

 

‘She’s no ordinary child. Taking such a child as a disciple would be quite rewarding to nurture.’

 

Intrigued, Tae-heum casually asked.

 

“But child, you said your name was Seo-yu. Which household are you from?”

 

“I’m called Hwang Seo-yu. I’m the youngest of the Golden Dragon Family.”

 

“Huh? The Golden Dragon Family?”

 

At the unexpected name, Tae-heum’s eyes widened before narrowing again.

 

‘Indeed, her aura is quite extraordinary.’

 

Each beastkin possessed their own unique aura. Seo-yu’s aura, while not massive, was remarkably clear.

 

‘But she doesn’t seem very dragon-like. Rather, she feels closer to our kind…’

 

Tae-heum felt a sense of familiarity from this child he was meeting for the first time. It was a unique aura that even evoked a strange longing.

 

Though she didn’t feel like a fellow qilin, to Tae-heum, who had observed many dragons over the long years, Seo-yu didn’t appear to be a dragon either.

 

‘This child is a Golden Dragon? I’d like to see her beast transformation once.’

 

If he wanted to see it, he should just ask.

 

Tae-heum, who was unusually impulsive for someone from the Qilin Family, was just about to ask Seo-yu to show him her beast transformation.

 

Then he heard words he never expected.

 

“My master is Master Hyeon-ya, and I heard Master Hyeon-ya also graduated from the Medical Academy.”

 

“Master? You mean Hwang Hyeon-ya?”

 

He frowned, then asked back in a disbelieving voice.

 

“Ha! You’re that bastard Hyeon-ya’s disciple?!”

 

“Huh? Yes, that’s right.”

 

When Seo-yu answered quietly, overwhelmed by his tremendous presence, Tae-heum clicked his tongue.

 

“He kept whining that there was no one worthy in his bloodline to take as a disciple, but that was all just talk from someone with a full belly! No wonder those Twin brats kept going on about their youngest.”

 

Tae-heum recalled yesterday’s events.

 

Hyeon-ya had sent what was practically a notification rather than a request, saying he had something to ask and would visit the Medical Academy, and had brought two nephews with him.

 

‘Grandfather Qilin, do you know our Youngest? Hwang Seo-yu, she’s our Youngest.’

 

‘How would I know your Youngest?’

 

‘Why don’t you know? Our Youngest is really good at studying. She entered the Medical Academy in first place this time.’

 

‘Is that so? She must be a smart child. This old man just returned to the Medical Academy today and knows nothing.’

 

‘Yi-ryeong, stop asking questions. Grandfather says he doesn’t know anything.’

 

‘Nothing? Then isn’t he a fool?’

 

‘Hehe, with such a glib tongue, she’s truly Hyeon-ya’s niece.’

 

‘Why does my name come up there?’

 

Meeting the Twins like that, he could truly feel they were of the same bloodline as Hyeon-ya in many ways.

 

However, this small child before his eyes felt completely different from them.

 

“Oh? Have you seen Sister Yi-ryeong and Brother Li-gon?”

 

Just looking at her now, with her big round eyes asking the question, didn’t she look truly innocent?

 

She was on a completely different level from Hwang Hyeon-ya, who made talking back with a sullen face an everyday occurrence, regardless of whether someone was an adult or not.

 

“Yes. If you climb that mountain visible in the back, there’s a hut where I live. They came to visit together.”

 

“By any chance, do you mean yesterday?”

 

“That’s right. Did you know about it?”

 

“Master said he had someone he knew at the Medical Academy. He also said he was going to meet them. So that person was you, Grandfather!”

 

“What an amazing connection this is!”

 

Still, the fact that she captured his heart was similar to Hyeon-ya.

 

“Call me Grandfather Qilin. I live in that hut up on the mountain, so when that Bi-neung fellow comes, visit together next time.”

 

“Yes! When Bi-neung comes, I’ll definitely tell her that Grandfather came and we’ll visit together!”

 

“Oh my, such a bright child who listens well too.”

 

“Hehe. Thank you for the compliment, Grandfather.”

 

Seo-yu smiled brightly.

 

Her eyes curved so adorably as she expressed joy with her whole body that Tae-heum understood for the first time the hearts of his friends who used to boast, ‘Our grandchild, you know!’

 

Of course, he too had several grandchildren.

 

‘Our children are all so quiet that they lack charm.’

 

The nature of the Qilin Family members was, to put it nicely, peaceful, and to be honest, bland and dry. Even the young grandchildren were like that.

 

This was why Tae-heum, who was temperamental, had been called an eccentric qilin both inside and outside the family his whole life.

 

‘It would be nice if I could see her often.’

 

Was it because she was the disciple of Hyeon-ya, whom he rarely held close?

 

For some unknown reason, he felt drawn to this child he had only briefly met due to an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

 

‘She seems to like rice cakes, so should I prepare a few more varieties?’

 

Looking fondly at the now-clean oak leaves, Tae-heum fell into the pleasant worry of what kind of rice cakes to prepare next time, a feeling he hadn’t had in a while.

 

* * *

 

Another dormitory of the Medical Academy, Yeonshim-jae.

 

Unlike Cheongjuk Hall where several buildings are attached together, the spacing between quarters is wide, so it’s mainly used by students approaching graduation.

 

In such a dormitory, there was one unique new student.

 

The lucky protagonist was none other than the daughter of Sa-ryeong-ryeong and the prospective daughter-in-law of the Qilin Family, Nok Su-jeong.

 

And Su-jeong was currently very angry.

 

“That wench dared to look me straight in the eye?!”

 

“Ah, Miss. Please calm down…”

 

Cho-ok pleaded, but Su-jeong paid no heed and hurled the inkstone water dropper in her hand at the wall.

 

Crash!

 

“Ahhh!”

 

The ceramic fragments shattered with a clear sound and struck Cho-ok’s forehead, creating a wound. Cho-ok clutched her injured forehead and collapsed.

 

Originally, the Medical Academy did not allow maids to accompany students, but Su-jeong had brought her maid Cho-ok into the Medical Academy using her frail body that could collapse at any moment as an excuse.

 

Thanks to this, on days like today when Su-jeong was in a bad mood, Cho-ok had to tremble in fear, not knowing what might happen.

 

Drip.

 

A drop of blood that had formed on her forehead fell to the floor. While applying hemostasis to her stinging wound, Cho-ok lamented inwardly.

 

‘In the past, Miss Seo-yu would have taken it all!’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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