The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 113

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 113

Chapter 113. The Benefactor of the Sichuan Tang Family (3)

The next day.
I set out toward the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.
Originally, I had planned to visit the salt retail operation in Sichuan Province first to conduct an inspection.
However, the House Master of the Sichuan Tang Family’s relentless momentum had ultimately led to me heading to the estate first instead.
Seated in the carriage, I observed the Sichuan Tang Family House Master sitting across from me.
To be honest, I felt quite burdened and uncomfortable.
After all, I was traveling in a carriage with none other than the House Master himself.
This was my first meeting with the Sichuan Tang Family House Master.
I had never seen him in my previous life, nor in this one.
Yet why did I have the nagging feeling that I had seen him somewhere before?

After a full day of travel, we soon came upon a massive structure with a crimson-tiled roof.
A large plaque displayed bold red characters written with vigorous brushstrokes.
Sichuan Tang Main Family House.
So this was indeed the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.
Here I was, arriving at this place once again.
I had brought Tang Jo-ung here directly when I rescued him before.
The carriage we rode in passed through a side gate near the main entrance and proceeded inside.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Yes.”
We descended from the carriage.
“Great Hero!”
At that moment, a young boy came running toward me.
Upon seeing him, I broke into a smile.
It was Tang Jo-ung.
True to his age, he had grown considerably taller and his frame had become more robust since our last meeting.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes, Great Hero.”
“I still haven’t grown accustomed to being called that.”
“But to me, you are a Great Hero.”
Tang Jo-ung’s eyes sparkled as he spoke those words.
“How old are you now?”
“I’ve just turned eleven.”
“I see.”
The boy’s height reached up to my chest. At this rate, by the time he came of age, he’d likely tower over me.
“Hehehehe, this lad has been eagerly anticipating the day he’d see the Young Master of the Eunhae Trading Company again.”
“I feel rather apologetic about that.”
“It was simply a matter of poor timing. We had no opportunity either.”
“But there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“How did you know that I was the one who saved Young Master Tang Jo-ung? I never revealed my name at that time.”
Dang Gyu-jeong answered my question with a smile.
“Jo Ung remembered it.”
“I see.”
Now that I thought about it, I had mentioned my name back then to reassure Tang Jo-ung.
I’d only said it in passing, yet he had remembered it….
“Then allow me to show you to your quarters.”
The guest quarters that House Master Dang Gyu-jeong personally showed me to was a Separate Quarters situated quite deep within the estate.
The fact that he had given me an entire Separate Quarters meant he was treating me with considerable respect.
“Then rest well, and I’ll send someone around midday tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
The moment the House Master, Tang Jo-ung, and the others left the Separate Quarters, Palgap exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow! This is truly an extraordinary place. They call it a Separate Quarters, but how can this possibly be just a Separate Quarters?”
I nodded in agreement, equally impressed.
“For a Separate Quarters, it’s quite spacious indeed.”
Yeochang’s Deputy had remained at the Sichuan Branch, so my entourage consisted of Palgap and four guards.
I spoke to the Yeo Eung-am Warrior and the Lee Pil Warrior.
“First, I’d like to express my gratitude to both of you. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to receive such generous treatment here at the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.”
“Not at all.”
“We were merely….”
“You’ll say you were simply following my orders. But gratitude is gratitude nonetheless. You granted my request, after all.”
I continued.
“Now then, let’s go inside and rest.”
“Understood.”
Each of us chose a room and went inside. In the meantime, I caught a glimpse of the Lee Pil Warrior.
Ever since we arrived, the people of the Sichuan Tang Family seemed to be glancing at the Lee Pil Warrior repeatedly….
What was that about?
Did they know each other?
Upon entering my chamber, I immediately tried to lie down on the bed, but I was thwarted.
Tap.
Palgap had grabbed my shoulder.
“Young Master, it wouldn’t be proper to lie on the bed in those dusty clothes.”
“…W-what are you talking about? I was planning to wash up before lying down.”
Palgap responded to my protest.
“But why aren’t you going to wash up?”
“I need to train….”
“Pardon?”
“I have training to do.”
That’s right. I still had work left to accomplish today.

* * *

Click.
Lee Pil Warrior closed the door and stepped into the chamber.
The quarters were spacious enough that each person had been assigned their own room.
And this was the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.
Ordinarily, guards worked in pairs and shared chambers—it was the best way to respond to any unforeseen crisis.
But it was unthinkable that anyone at the Sichuan Tang Family Estate would harm their benefactor.
There was no need for two guards to share a single room.
He knew the safety of this place all too well.
He sat down in the chair before the table and exhaled deeply.
“So I’ve come back here after all.”
Now, having abandoned his station to serve as Eun Seo-ho’s guard, this place didn’t feel suffocating at all.
‘Before, it felt like a prison.’
But there were not a few people here who knew his face, so soon enough Eun Seo-ho would learn the truth about him as well.
Yet he felt no real concern.
It was because he understood what kind of person Eun Seo-ho was—someone he had walked alongside every step of the way.

* * *

The next day, around noon.
A man arrived at the Separate Quarters where we were staying.
He was the House Master’s Deputy Officer.
“I’ve come with the House Master’s orders to escort you all to the Banquet Hall.”
“Understood. Please give us a moment to prepare.”
We finished our preparations and followed the Deputy Officer to the Banquet Hall.
“It was quite difficult to receive you, sir. You’ve been remarkably active and unpredictable, after all.”
“I apologize for the trouble. Haha.”
“Thanks to your actions, we can now confidently host you without worry. We’ve confirmed that you’re not involved with those who kidnapped Jo Woong.”
“….”
“If you felt uncomfortable, I’m sorry. But please understand it as a measure of how much we trust you.”
“It’s fine. For a family of the Sichuan Tang’s stature, trusting someone carelessly would be dangerous.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Still, it’s lamentable that this is an age where one must suspect everyone who approaches.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Truth be told, I had no desire to be treated as a benefactor of the Sichuan Tang Family.
That’s why I traveled freely throughout the Central Plains without much concern.
Learning that my actions had inadvertently earned the Sichuan Tang’s trust gave me an odd feeling.
Thanks to that, I could enter the Sichuan Tang so easily—this is why one can never predict how life will unfold.
“The Sichuan Tang Family has seven banquet halls in total. Each hall has its own name. The largest is the Wood-Colored Banquet Hall, where everyone in the Sichuan Tang can gather.”
“That must be quite spacious.”
“Indeed. Though it’s rarely used more than a few times a year. Haha.”
The Deputy Officer continued.
“The place you’ll be going to is the Yellow-Colored Banquet Hall, reserved exclusively for honored guests.”
Soon we arrived at what they called the Yellow-Colored Banquet Hall. And I understood why it bore that name.
The entire banquet hall was practically covered in gold.
Wow, even the dining table is made of gold.
“Welcome, welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting us to such a prestigious gathering.”
“What are you saying? Who else would I invite if not you?”
The House Master seated us at the central dining table.
Present at the banquet were the House Master, Tang Jo-ung, and Lady Hong-ri, Tang Jo-ung’s mother and the House Master’s third wife.
As soon as we sat down, various dishes began to arrive.
To be honest, I hadn’t expected much from the cuisine. Sichuan food is quite different from Hubei food, after all.
But the dishes placed before us seemed strangely familiar.
“Could it be that you have Hubei dishes as well?”
At those words, Lady Hong-ri spoke.
“Since you are all from Hubei Province, I was concerned the Sichuan cuisine might not suit your palates, so I specially brought a master chef from Hubei Province.”
Such thoughtfulness….
“When the Sichuan Tang Family decides to treat honored guests properly, we do it right. Haha!”
I cupped my fist in salute and spoke with a smile.
“I was so moved I nearly shed tears in that moment.”
“Haha! It’s gratifying to hear you say so. Come now, eat your fill.”
“I shall eat with gratitude.”
I picked up my chopsticks and began to eat.
“Wow….”
What is this? Why is it so delicious?
“This is truly exquisite.”
“I’m relieved it suits your palate.”
At Tang Jo-ung’s words, I nodded in agreement.
“It’s genuinely delicious. You should eat plenty as well.”
“Yes, Elder Brother.”
As I continued eating with evident pleasure, the House Master’s expression grew warm with satisfaction.
“It brings me joy to see you eat so well.”
“I fear I’ve been eating with such abandon that I may have displayed poor manners, given how delicious the food is.”
“Not at all. It’s quite rare to see guests of the Sichuan Tang Family eat with such enthusiasm.”
“Ah….”
I grasped the meaning behind his words and nodded knowingly.
The Sichuan Tang Family was a martial clan that dealt in poisons.
He was obliquely referring to how guests feared poison in their food and thus couldn’t eat properly.
“It seems many people harbor suspicions toward the Sichuan Tang Family.”
At my words, the House Master burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
His laughter was so genuine that those nearby were startled.
Still laughing, he wiped tears from his eyes and spoke.
“You’re truly a remarkable young man! Yes! That’s exactly it! When there’s suspicion, that’s what happens.”
“It’s unfortunate that such exquisite dishes cannot be properly savored.”
At my words, Palgap and the four guards nodded in agreement.
The food was indeed that delicious.
“So you’re saying you have confidence in our Sichuan Tang Family.”
“That is correct.”
“You never considered the possibility that poison might have accidentally been added to the food?”
“Would the Sichuan Tang Family be so careless as to make such a rudimentary mistake?”
“Of course not.”
“And would the House Master lack the skill to neutralize any poison created here?”
“There is no poison created by the Sichuan Tang Family that I cannot counteract.”
“Then what concern or worry could there possibly be?”
At my counterquestion, the House Master laughed heartily once more, then looked at Tang Jo-ung and spoke.
“Jo Woong, you’ve met a truly exceptional person.”
At those words, Tang Jo-ung cupped his fist in salute and spoke.
“I share that sentiment.”
With that, the meal concluded, and tea was brought out alongside refreshments.
I lifted the teacup and took a sip to taste it.
“Can you tell what kind of tea this is?”
“The liquor is clear and the flavor fresh yet invigorating—I would say it’s tea harvested from the high mountains of Emei Mountain.”
“Correct. Truly, the discerning eye of the Small Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company, renowned for tea, is evident.”
“You honor me with such praise, though my skill is modest.”
“However, I confess I don’t know the precise details of what transpired when you rescued Jo Ung. Would you be willing to recount those events?”
At that request, I nodded.
“Of course, it would be no trouble.”
I had explained this to Lady Hong-ri before, hadn’t I?
Or had I not?
There was no harm in explaining again, and the House Master, being Jo Ung’s father, deserved to hear the account.
I began from when I entered Sichuan Province and recounted the events to him.
“…And so we subdued the kidnappers, loaded them onto the cart, and brought them to the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.”
“I see. I, Dang Gyu-jeong, express my gratitude to you, Eun Seo-ho, for your decisive action, and to the two warriors who moved alongside you.”
He rose from his seat and clasped his fists in salute.
We too quickly stood and returned the gesture.
“Though our efforts were modest, I’m grateful we could be of service.”
We sat down again.
The House Master spoke to us with a serious expression.
“The Sichuan Tang Family repays both debts and kindness without fail. This is something all who belong to the Sichuan Tang Family must uphold.”
“….”
“Therefore, will you allow me to repay this kindness?”
“To be honest, I did not rescue Jo Ung in hopes of gaining something. I simply witnessed kidnappers and saw a child being abducted, so I acted. Had it been any other child, I would have done the same.”
At my words, both Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior nodded in agreement.
“However, to continue refusing your sentiment would only burden the Sichuan Tang Family, so I will accept your offer.”
I continued.
“But I have no immediate need. I thought that someday the Sichuan Tang Family’s aid might be necessary, and so I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“Could you provide a document containing a pledge that in the future, you will offer assistance in matters that cause no loss to the Sichuan Tang Family and where your aid would be appropriate?”
At my request, the House Master smiled broadly.
“You are truly considerate. The way you set two conditions and request a document with such a pledge shows your thoughtfulness.”
“I am humbled.”
“Very well. I shall provide you, Eun Seo-ho, and the two warriors with a document containing such a pledge.”

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