The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 30

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

The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 30

Chapter 30. The Deputy Guild Leader Gong Pyo-sik (1)

That evening.
I made my way to my Quarters with weary steps.
“Young Master, you’ve returned?”
Palgap, who had been cleaning my Quarters, greeted me.
“Yes.”
“What shall I prepare for your evening meal?”
“Today, I…”
After a moment’s thought, I spoke to Palgap.
“Keep it simple. I need to eat quickly and head somewhere.”
“Where are you going, sir? Should I arrange for a Guard Warrior to accompany you?”
“No, I’m just planning to go to the Separate Quarters.”
I needed to inform the man who created the mechanical dolls about what I’d learned today.
“The Separate Quarters? Ah! You’re going to see Master Craftsman Gong, aren’t you?”
Though Gong Mil was only ten years old, Palgap respectfully referred to him as Master Craftsman Gong, honoring his extraordinary talent.
“That’s right. So prepare some appropriate refreshments for me.”
“Understood, sir.”

After dinner, Palgap and I made our way to the Separate Quarters in the Outer Hall where outside guests stayed.
As we approached the Separate Quarters where Gong the Potter’s family was lodging, Gong Rae came scurrying across the courtyard.
“Young Master!”
“What were you doing?”
“I was playing and drawing pictures on the ground.”
The courtyard was covered with various drawings….
Wait, these aren’t drawings—they’re characters.
“Were you practicing writing?”
At my question, Gong Rae twisted her body shyly as she answered.
“I just saw my older brother studying from his books and tried copying them.”
For something she claimed to have merely copied, the characters were written with remarkably elegant penmanship and perfect precision.
The characters Gong Rae had written were the final passage of the Thousand Character Classic: “謂語助者 焉哉乎也”.
I asked Gong Rae on a whim.
“Have you already mastered the entire Thousand Character Classic?”
At my question, Gong Rae smiled and nodded, then quickly pressed her index finger to her lips.
“Shh!”
“Hmm?”
“My older brother will be upset if he finds out.”
Now that I thought about it, Gong Mil had said he hadn’t finished the Thousand Character Classic yet.
And here was a five-year-old who had already completed it!
A pair of prodigies were right here before me.
That such gifted siblings had their talents snuffed out and died because of that wretched Jin-gyeon Trading Master was infuriating.
My blood pressure rose again.
But….
Since that person no longer existed in this world, I needed to calm myself.
Just then, Gong Do-gong’s Wife emerged from inside, having apparently overheard my conversation with Gong Rae.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived. Welcome.”
“Good evening. Have you had your meal?”
“We just finished eating.”
I turned to look at Palgap, and he immediately held out the pouch he’d been carrying.
“I thought the children would enjoy these, so I brought them. Please accept them.”
“Oh my, thank you so much.”
I asked Gong Do-gong’s Wife as she accepted the pouch.
“By the way, where is Gong Mil?”
“Ah, he’s in the workshop.”
“The workshop?”
“His personal workshop.”
A small room within the Separate Quarters where Gong the Potter’s family stayed had been converted into a workshop for Gong Mil.
And apparently, except for mealtimes and study sessions, he spent his entire day there.
Still, he really ought to move his body more to maintain his health.
I headed toward Gong Mil’s workshop, and Gong Rae clutched my sleeve, following close behind.

“Are you in there? It’s me, Seo-ho. I’m coming in for a moment.”
With those words, I carefully stepped into the workshop.
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
Gong Mil sat before his work table, carving wood with a small blade.
So absorbed was he in his labor that even as I entered, he remained utterly focused on shaping the wood.
“Oh….”
“Shh.”
I gestured for Gong Rae to be silent.
There was no urgency to my visit, and I had no wish to disturb such profound concentration.
So I watched quietly instead.
I was curious what he was creating, after all.
As one hour passed, then another, my eyes grew wider and wider.
I recognized what Gong Mil was crafting—I knew it well.
Following the mechanical dolls and self-propelled carts, this was something nearly every household possessed.
A device with wings spinning on all four sides, generating wind to provide cool relief—something I myself found invaluable during the summer months.
So the name would be….
“A wind-maker?”
Hearing my voice, Gong Mil lifted his head and, startled, quickly rose from his seat.
“Young Master! When did you arrive? How long have you been here?”
At his words, Gong Rae spoke up quickly.
“You came about an hour ago.”
“Oh! My apologies. When I concentrate, I tend to lose awareness of my surroundings….”
I waved my hand dismissively at Gong Mil’s apology.
“No, I wanted to watch you work. Don’t worry about it. But what are you making now?”
“Ah, this?”
Gong Mil scratched his cheek as he spoke.
“Last summer, Rae was suffering terribly from the heat. I thought it would be wonderful to have something that could fan itself. But at the time, I lacked the materials, so I could only imagine it. Now I’ve finally made it.”
He lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. You’ve provided such a wonderful place, yet I’m wasting materials making useless things….”
I took hold of Gong Mil’s self-reproaching hand.
“No! It’s magnificent!”
“Sir?”
“Keep creating and researching just as you are now. That’s precisely why I built this workshop for you.”
“Thank you, Young Master. But….”
Gong Mil tilted his head hesitantly as he spoke.
“You called it a wind-maker just now….”
“Ah, I thought the thing you just made seemed like it creates wind.”
Though my explanation was improvised, Gong Mil nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased.
“A mechanical fan! How wonderful!”
“And let’s try selling those as well.”
“This? Will something like this actually sell?”
“Of course!”
I spoke with absolute conviction.
Far more than the mechanical dolls—they would sell tremendously.
To the point where it had become an essential summer commodity, something every household that wasn’t impoverished would procure without fail.
“Ah, now that I think about it, I’ve forgotten the very reason I came here.”
I smiled faintly.
“All one thousand mechanical dolls you made—they’ve sold out completely.”
“…What?”
Gong Mil’s expression, which had flickered with incomprehension at my words, gradually transformed into one of sheer astonishment.
“R-really? They all sold? Every single one?”
“Yes.”
I told him plainly.
“You’ve become a true Master Craftsman. Congratulations.”

* * *

Several days later.
I ventured out to the Marketplace.
All employees of the Eunhae Trading Company received one official day of rest every ten days.
And today was mine.
Though it was precious time, I had forgone the comfort of my Chamber to come to the Marketplace because there was something I needed to acquire.
Palgap spoke to me with an anxious expression.
“Young Master, isn’t this West Street?”
West Street was where the Blue Pavilion and Red House—establishments of pleasure—were located, along with gambling houses.
That’s precisely why Palgap wore such a worried look.
“What? I’m an adult too. Is there something wrong with coming to a place like this?”
“It’s not that, sir… but you see… this is a place where anything could happen, and no one can predict what. So….”
“It’s dangerous?”
“Yes, that’s it, sir.”
Palgap nodded. I chuckled softly.
“Did you think I came here to drink cheap wine at some Tavern?”
“…I wish you had, sir.”
What? What does he mean by that?
When I looked at Palgap with a puzzled expression, he let out a sigh.
“Other young masters from other houses spend all their time drinking and chasing after women, but you don’t do any of that—you just work….”
“I like alcohol too. And I like women as well.”
“But sir, I’ve never seen you drink, nor have I ever seen you chase after women.”
In my previous life, I enjoyed drinking and visiting the Entertainment District as well.
Ah, I only went to the Entertainment District for work.
Was there a courtesan I favored?
Since I can’t recall, I suppose there wasn’t one.
There’s nothing to say to that.
“Still, at least you don’t cause trouble like the other young masters. You’re blessed beyond measure.”
“Of course I understand, sir. All you do is drink in the afternoon, after all.”
Ouch! That stung.
“In any case, I’m simply worried because you seem to have suddenly become an adult, young master.”
Palgap certainly has keen instincts.
I chuckled and replied.
“I can’t remain a child forever, can I?”
With those words, I headed toward a small Miscellaneous Goods Shop without even a sign.
It was called a Miscellaneous Goods Shop in name only, but in truth, it was a place where people sold their possessions to raise money for entertainment.
As I entered, Palgap and the two Guard Warriors behind me wore expressions of bewilderment.
And for good reason—there was absolutely no reason for me to be here now.
“Who are you?”
An elderly man approached and looked me over before asking.
“You’re not here to sell something, are you? What are you looking to buy?”
“How did you know I’m not here to sell something?”
The old man answered my question.
“I’ve been running this shop for so many years now… it’s obvious at a glance, but if I had to explain, it’s the look in your eyes.”
“The look in my eyes?”
“You have composure. But those who come here to raise quick money always seem anxious about something.”
“I see.”
Indeed, his eye for detail was remarkable.
I smiled and spoke.
“Actually, I noticed a few interesting items and decided to come in.”
“Take your time looking around.”
The old man sat in a chair, and I began examining the items in the Miscellaneous Goods Shop.
He appeared to be an ordinary old man, but the mere fact that he operated a Miscellaneous Goods Shop in the Entertainment District suggested he was anything but ordinary.

There was a Catcher called Ghost Face Broker.
He was known by that name because he always wore a demon mask while working.
Specializing in murder cases, he used his exceptional martial prowess to apprehend all murderers in his jurisdiction and throw them into the Prison.
But there was one murderer he had never managed to catch.
In retirement, he resolved to capture that one murderer who had eluded him.
So he came to this place where that murderer was said to be and began operating a Miscellaneous Goods Shop for a long time.
That old man before me was none other than him.

I learned this fact years before my death, when I had the opportunity to speak directly with the Inspector and heard it from him.
Unfortunately, the old man ultimately failed to catch that murderer and passed away, or so I was told.
In a certain sense, I thought he was quite a remarkable man as I began to look around the Miscellaneous Goods Shop.
That was when something caught my eye.
“Oh! Palgap, isn’t this magnificent?”
“Isn’t it just an inkstone, sir?”
“This isn’t just any inkstone—it’s a Duanxi inkstone. See how faintly the azure pattern shows here?”
“You mean this pattern, sir?”
“Yes. When you dampen it with water or soak it, the pattern becomes much clearer.”
“But aren’t all inkstones the same? Why is this one better?”
“Because the ink grinds neither too coarsely nor too finely, and the ink doesn’t dry too quickly. In any case, once you use it, you’ll see it’s different from other inkstones.”
“Have you used one before, sir?”
“….”
Ah… no, I haven’t.
I have never used a Duanxi inkstone.
Since Duanxi inkstones are expensive, even someone like me couldn’t easily purchase and use one.
My commemorative gift as a junior merchant leader was a high-grade Duanxi inkstone.
I turned my head, fumbling for words.
“I haven’t used one myself, but that’s what I’ve heard.”
Looking at the worn traces and such, it seemed like something that had been kept and used for quite a long time… but why did you end up gathering dust in this place?
There was a bitter taste in my mouth.
In fact, most of the items here had similar stories.
They were sold because the owners had no money for entertainment.
They weren’t sold due to lack of living expenses.
This was the Entertainment District, which meant it was a high-crime area.
This Miscellaneous Goods Shop was in the heart of the Entertainment District.
There were other shops elsewhere where people could sell items to raise money, so there was no reason to come to such a dangerous place.
I chatted with Palgap and picked up several items.
But I didn’t choose the Duanxi inkstone.
I had no reason to boast of my calligraphy skills right now, and I could receive gifts from my elder brothers later, so there was no need to buy it.
So what I chose were a mirror, a bracelet, and a fan.
“How much is it?”
“Well, five silver taels.”
Palgap was startled at an amount equivalent to a commoner’s monthly wages.
“What?! Why is it so expensive? These are all worn-out items!”
But I stopped Palgap and took out silver coins from my purse, offering them.
“Here you are.”
The old man counting the money I handed over looked at me in confusion.
“This isn’t five taels?”
“Isn’t it five nyang?”
“I’ve given you the correct amount.”
What I handed over was ten silver taels.
Had I been ignorant of the items’ true value, I might have considered five silver taels expensive, but to me, it was an absurdly low price.
Ordinarily, I would have celebrated such a bargain, yet my conscience would not permit it.
As a merchant carrying forward my ancestor’s legacy to conduct business with integrity, I could not bring myself to profit through dishonest means.
The reason I offered ten silver taels was simply because that was all the money I currently possessed.
Others might call me foolish for such conduct, but in truth, this was an investment in my future.
Everything I purchased today was mechanical dolls, after all.

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