The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 55

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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 55

Chapter 55. False Rumors Take Shape Thus (5)

The children began to take interest.
“A secret song?”
“What is that?”
“Tell me too!”
“I shouldn’t… but since you said I resemble the Jamu Doll, I’ll tell you.”
This was precisely the method I had devised.
To shift perceptions of the Jamu Doll Company through song.
While I had come to Sichuan covertly to catch the rat in the Sichuan Branch, this was also part of my purpose.
People instinctively reject anything artificial. Thus, I sought to borrow the power of children.
For children are among the most natural beings in the world.
And so, naturally, the perception would shift.
For this operation, capable and trustworthy individuals were dispatched to each province.
After teaching the children the song, I rose from my seat.
“Now let’s go eat lunch.”
“Honestly, shouldn’t we eat Sichuan cuisine since we’ve come to Sichuan?”
Though only a day had passed since arriving, we had eaten nothing but plain noodles and dumplings, avoiding Sichuan’s signature dishes.
Palgap seemed rather tired of it.
At his words, I regarded him briefly before asking.
“Have you ever eaten Sichuan food before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Are you confident with spicy flavors?”
“I’m from Chongyang County as well.”
Chongyang County lay close to Honam, so its cuisine resembled that region’s.
Honam cooking is spicy.
But it differs somewhat from Sichuan’s heat.
Honam’s spice carries a hint of sweetness, while Sichuan’s is a numbing, tingling heat.
The Sichuan spice that makes one’s tongue tingle and go numb causes sweat to pour forth with merely a single bite.
No wonder the Sichuan people are said to fear nothing spicy.
The first time I tasted Sichuan cuisine was five years hence.
I had come to Sichuan when I took over management of the Eunhae Fabric Shop and needed to inspect the silk goods directly.
And boldly, I ordered mapo tofu.
My uncle tried earnestly to dissuade me, but I declared confidently that I would be fine.
In the end, I suffered from stomach pain throughout the night.
Ah….
Recalling that moment, shame suddenly welled up inside me.
I let out a sigh.
“Don’t just eat it here. If you’re going to eat, go back to the company headquarters.”
Lee Pil Warrior spoke, observing my reaction.
“Sometimes people learn best through direct experience. And today, I myself have been craving the food of my hometown for quite some time.”
Hometown food?
“Are you originally from Sichuan?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then we needn’t worry about running out of food.”
We headed toward a nearby inn.
And I ordered plain dumplings. Not all Sichuan cuisine was spicy, after all.
Yeo Eung-am Warrior also ordered dumplings.
“I’d rather not pursue the kind of learning that requires suffering through experience. Haha.”
“A wise choice.”
And Palgap and Lee Pil Warrior ordered mapo tofu.
Soon the food arrived.
A small pot brimming with vegetables and meat, stir-fried with fiery spices.
“Wow! It looks absolutely delicious.”
“Yes, eat well.”
It does look appetizing, doesn’t it?
I counted precisely to three.
One,
Two,
Three.
And Palgap… well, he certainly didn’t disappoint my expectations.
“Oh? This is delicious. The numbing sensation has quite a distinctive character.”
“…”
Lee Pil Warrior burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! So Palgap knows this taste! Phew! It’s been ages since I’ve had real food like this.”
They were eating the mapo tofu with expressions of pure contentment.
“…”
I watched Palgap’s expression closely, but there was no sign of him forcibly enduring any tongue pain.
He was simply eating with genuine enjoyment.
It was like watching a bear contentedly devouring a honeycomb while bees buzzed angrily around its snout.
Did Palgap have a bear’s tongue as well?

After finishing the meal, I set out once more to find other children to teach the song to.

Several days passed like this.

* * *

In a marketplace street of Sichuan.
Children hummed a tune as they walked.
“Jamu Dolls with souls, Jamu Dolls that earn you money….”
Hearing that song, the adults in front of the tavern sipped their rice wine and conversed.
“Come to think of it, I’ve been hearing that song quite often these days.”
“Ah, the song about Jamu Dolls earning you money?”
“But I heard there’s truth to that claim?”
“What?”
“We’ve all heard the talk about Jamu Dolls having souls in them.”
“Because of that talk, even the nearby shop owner felt uneasy and locked those dolls away in his warehouse?”
“But I heard the soul in that doll makes you money. Apparently, many people have actually earned tremendous wealth from it.”
And that rumor soon began to spread throughout Sichuan, no—across the entire Central Plains.
.
.
.
The Dan Merchant Guild Master was listening to his subordinate’s report.
“So, all the Jamu Dolls sold out?”
“Yes, sir.”
“They sold out in less than a month? Didn’t you say there would be leftover inventory?”
“That was the case, but… it seems to be because of that rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. The rumor that the soul in the Jamu Doll makes you money.”
He had heard of that rumor as well.
But he knew that rumor wasn’t true. Because the notion that Jamu Dolls contained souls wasn’t true either.
He knew this better than anyone, since he himself had created and spread that rumor.
“What’s the source of the rumor?”
“We’re investigating, but it’s unclear. The rumor is spreading through a song that children sing, but we haven’t been able to determine who started it first.”
….
The Dan Merchant Guild Master furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue.
“Whoever devised this strategy was quite clever.”
“Sir?”
“This is definitely a scheme from the Eunhae Trading Company’s side. In other words, they turned our own rumor against us.”
“Then shouldn’t we also use that rumor? By saying that not only Jamu Dolls but our company’s dolls also make you money?”
At his subordinate’s cautious suggestion, the guild master pondered for a moment before nodding.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”
“Understood.”
“But why haven’t I heard from that man?”
“Sir?”
“That branch manager of the Eunhae Trading Company should have contacted us beforehand if something like this arose.”
He stroked his chin and continued speaking.
“It seems the compensation is insufficient, so I’ll need to provide more generous gifts.”
“Will it be alright to invest that much?”
“It’s fine. We’ll simply extract far more in return.”

* * *

Through the window of the Inn, I gazed upon the moon.
Seven weeks had already passed since I arrived in this place.
I turned to Palgap and asked.
“You’re not experiencing any stomach troubles or anything?”
“None whatsoever, sir.”
“….”
Lately, Palgap had developed a taste for Sichuan cuisine and continued eating it constantly.
Yet he suffered no digestive ailments.
Palgap… could his insides be made of iron as well?
“By the way, about that rumor circulating these days.”
“Ah, the rumor that Dan Clan dolls also generate wealth?”
“Yes, that one.”
“Finally, you’ve taken the bait.”
“Sir?”
As Palgap tilted his head in confusion, I chuckled softly and spoke.
“You’ve just swallowed the first lure I planted in this scheme.”
I had two objectives in mind.
The first was revenge against the Dan Clan Merchant Guild, who conceived this very plot.
I wasn’t merely aiming to shift people’s perception of Jamu Dolls through the song I created and spread.
Those who own Jamu Dolls are typically wealthy individuals.
From an outsider’s perspective, it would be impossible to discern whether they earned their wealth because of the Jamu Dolls or simply earned it independently.
By merely opening this small crack, the rumor began rolling forward on its own momentum.
That rumor would soon be revealed as false.
But as the rumor causes Jamu Dolls to sell, and those responsible for spreading the initial false rumor witness this phenomenon, they will naturally capitalize on it.
Just as they’re doing now.
People are not fools.
When one or two related rumors accumulate, they dismiss them, but once it exceeds three, they begin sensing something amiss.
What result would then emerge?
The reputation of Dan Clan dolls, which belatedly rode the rumor wave, plummets to the ground.
The Dan Clan Merchant Guild would naturally be forced to contain the rumor as false.
Then the rumor about spirits dwelling within the dolls would also become false.
If three different rumors about the dolls circulate within a month, people would surely sense something is wrong.
Will people not notice the true source of these rumors?
No.
If they do, the Dan Clan Merchant Guild’s reputation will plummet even further.
Palgap nodded at my explanation.
“Ah, I see! As expected of Young Master! You’re remarkably clever.”
“I am rather clever, yes.”
“But here’s the thing, sir. The Jamu Doll Company sold well because of the rumor that the soul within it brings wealth, but it’s a shame to lose the profits we could gain from that rumor.”
“No, that rumor must disappear quickly.”
“Pardon? Why is that?”
“If the rumor persists, eventually the sluggish Government Authority will take action. It would be problematic if they stepped in, calling the dolls deceptive objects that mislead people.”
I continued.
“So even knowing the Dan Clan Merchant Guild’s reputation will suffer further, we must suppress this rumor quickly.”
“I see….”
“What I want is for people to love the Jamu Doll Company for what it is, without any rumors clouding it. The Jamu Doll Company should shine on its own merits.”

* * *

Days later.
The Dan Merchant Guild Master received a report in his office.
Crash—!
“Damn it!”
He slammed his fist upon the wooden table before him.
“Our doll sales have actually dropped further! What on earth is the reason?”
“Well….”
His subordinate continued.
“People’s reputation of our guild’s dolls is declining. They seem to harbor aversion toward them.”
“Aversion? Why? Aren’t they dolls that bring wealth?”
“Well… if one has enough means to display our dolls as decoration….”
“And?”
“They say our dolls appear inferior compared to the Jamu Doll Company.”
“What?”
“Because they appear inferior, people are saying we merely rode on that rumor….”
“What?! Inferior? Dolls adorned with Shu brocade—one of the Four Great Silks of the Central Plains—and Shu embroidery—one of the Four Great Embroideries of the Central Plains—are inferior?”
“….”
He struggled to suppress his anger.
“What should we do?”
The Dan Merchant Guild Master understood his clientele well.
People of considerable pride.
If they had begun to shun the dolls, calling them inferior, this was a danger sign.
If he wasn’t careful, even the few remaining customers would abandon him.
“And the Government Authority’s representative gave us a warning. They said the higher-ups might take action soon.”
This matter had to be resolved here and now.
“Release people immediately. And spread word that the rumors about our dolls earning money are false—issue a correction.”
“Understood.”
The Dan Merchant Guild Master, having issued this command, could foresee the consequences it would bring.
It was reaping what one had sown.
The very scheme he had conceived and executed was now being dismantled by his own hand.
‘But even doing this, I doubt we can restore our reputation,’ he thought.
The realization struck him suddenly.
‘Surely the one who devised a counter-strategy to mine didn’t foresee even this, did they?’
No, that couldn’t be.
He deliberately rejected the thought that had just surfaced.
If the one who had conceived such a strategy truly intended to bring down the Dan Clan Merchant Guild, they would not survive the encounter.

* * *

I was eating dumplings at the inn.
Beside me, Palgap and Lee Pil Warrior were eagerly devouring Sichuan cuisine.
I didn’t want to eat only dumplings either.
But I had no choice. I’d suffered greatly from eating that before.
Should I undergo adaptation training for all the Central Plains’ cuisine in advance for what’s to come?
Sigh….
At that moment, I overheard people seated at the table beside mine conversing in hushed tones.

“So that rumor about Dan Clan dolls making money for people—that’s all false, right?”
“Yeah, I heard that too.”
“Then what about it? Is the rumor about Jamu Doll Company dolls making money also false?”
“Probably.”
“I mean, how could a doll possibly make money for anyone?”
“Now that I think about it, something doesn’t add up.”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t there been a lot of rumors about dolls lately?”
“You’re right.”
“So what if all of this is just false rumors? Think about it. Jamu dolls have souls, the souls of Jamu dolls make money, the souls of Jamu dolls make money—and then Dan Clan dolls also make money?”
“But the rumor about Dan Clan dolls making money is false?”
“So what are you saying? All of it’s false?”
“Then who spread these false rumors in the first place?”
“Who else? The ones who spread the first and third rumors.”
“Wow! I didn’t see it that way, but the Dan Clan Merchant Guild.”
“That’s too much.”

I let out a quiet chuckle.
Let me say it again—people are not fools.
So now, shall I go catch that rat?

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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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