The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 611

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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 Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 611

Chapter 611. On the Way to Beijing (3)

I could only tilt my head in confusion at the Provincial Inspector’s sudden shift in expression.
But he said nothing more about it.
“Well then, eat.”
“Ah, yes.”
I picked up my chopsticks again.
“Um, Provincial Inspector.”
“Speak.”
“I was thinking of expanding the scale of our Eun Hae Trading Company’s Guizhou Branch somewhat.”
“To what extent that you’re bringing it up to me separately?”
“I’m considering expanding it to around ten thousand or fifteen thousand pyeong.”
“That’s quite a substantial expansion.”
“Yes. It’s because the volume of goods our Eun Hae Trading Company will be trading in Guizhou Province is increasing significantly….”
I added another reason.
“That way, it will be more comfortable for Gwak Vice-Manager to stay in Guizhou Province. I’m planning to build a separate residence for Gwak Vice-Manager at the Guizhou Branch.”
“Hmm… you.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think I would readily agree to this if you negotiated with me about it?”
Gulp.
I swallowed hard, waiting for what would come next.
“Then that’s the right answer.”
“Sir?”
“Hehehehe, this hardly constitutes an abuse of power.”
I laughed awkwardly.
I felt embarrassed for being unnecessarily tense.
“It’s worth having tedious negotiations with other merchant guilds.”
“Thank you for saying so.”

Time passed in this manner, and now it was time for me to take my leave.
“Then, take care of yourself.”
“Yes. Please stay well.”
Seo-hyang’s Mother approached me and took my hand.
“Thank you.”
At her sincere words, I bowed my head gently.
Having concluded our long-awaited reunion, we made our way back to the inn.

* * *

Magistrate Dong Hui of Guizhou watched the departing figures of Eun Seo-ho and his party with a satisfied expression.
‘Just as I thought.’
He knew well because he had investigated Eun Seo-ho from multiple angles.
How meticulous a person he was.
But bonds of fate cannot be obstructed by such things.
And he knew this better than anyone.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Don’t they suit each other well?”
At his question, his wife also smiled and nodded.
“Yes, they do.”
His wife too acknowledged the connection between the two.
She also knew that beside Eun Seo-ho was the safest place for her daughter.
The reason he had softened his gaze when questioning Eun Seo-ho earlier was precisely because of his daughter.
In her hair was a hairpin adorned with pearls.
An expensive item she could not have obtained herself in her current circumstances.
It was certain that Eun Seo-ho had given it to her, since he had mentioned going to Haenam Island for pearl trading.
Pearls carry the meaning of protecting the wearer and wishing for good fortune to bless them.
And in Dong Hui’s family, pearls given by a man to a woman carried a profound meaning.
The meaning of “You are my woman.”
Dong Hui stroked his chin.
‘That child could not possibly be unaware of it, yet the fact that she wore it regardless means she too has feelings for the Small Merchant Leader of Eun.’

* * *

The next morning.
My entourage and I departed from the inn.
Our next destination was the main headquarters of the Eunhae Trading Company in Hubei Province.
There were many matters we needed to discuss.
Thanks to Ju Gang Ma, we arrived at our destination swiftly once again.
“Gasp! Small Guild Master!”
“Third Sub-unit Leader, you’ve arrived?”
As we entered the Eunhae Trading Company headquarters, everyone greeted us with surprise and warmth.
“It’s been quite some time, everyone.”
“We heard you accomplished something extraordinary at the Martial Arts Grand Conference.”
At Han Haeng-su’s words, I scratched my head and replied.
“I was simply fortunate.”
“Come now! Can such feats be attributed merely to good fortune?”
“That’s right. Only the Third Sub-unit Leader could have accomplished such things.”
I laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
“Jin-ho also achieved considerable results.”
Everyone nodded at my words.
“Of course. He trained in the Training Ground whenever he had spare time.”
Ah…
I understood what this uncomfortable feeling was.
Jin-ho’s efforts were visible to everyone, so they were expected; my results exceeded expectations, which is why they reacted this way.
I spoke seriously.
“May I ask one favor of you?”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“When Jin-ho returns, please tell him he did well. That he worked hard. That you’re proud of him. That he is the pride of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Pardon?”
“No effort is ever guaranteed. The results obtained through effort are not guaranteed either.”
“You’re right.”
That voice belonged to Father.
Father approached us with a smile on his face.
“Just as you say, there is no such thing as guaranteed effort. And all results are not guaranteed either.”
“Father!”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard to get here. First, go wash up. As it happens, I have no evening engagements today.”
“Yes. I’ll wash up and come see you shortly.”
I headed toward my quarters.
Wow…
It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen Mun Gok Hall.
The servants and handmaidens of Mun Gok Hall, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, welcomed me warmly.
Despite my sudden return, everything was spotless, showing they maintained it diligently at all times.
I washed, dressed properly, and headed to the Dining Hall, where I shared the evening meal with Father.
“Yes, it seems your trip to Haenam Island went well this time.”
“Yes, the results were better than expected.”
I had already sent word about what happened on Haenam Island through Geumryeong in advance.
This matter was related to establishing a docking station for the Eunhae Trading Company’s ships on Haenam Island, and Father is the Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company.
“So currently, the Crown Prince himself is handling the aftermath on Haenam Island.”
“You managed to slip away quite skillfully.”
“Yes.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“I came by not only to inform Father, but because there are more than one or two matters that require discussion at the Eun Wol Pavilion.”
Then I pulled out the documents I had prepared and handed them over.
They were quite a thick scroll.
Father unrolled and read through them, then nodded.
“Yes, I’ve been pondering these matters myself. But… I’m concerned that you’ll have to bear all the hardship.”
That was understandable—these were matters I had initiated and matters directly concerning me.
If I were to step back and delegate to someone else, there was a risk the work wouldn’t proceed properly.
“Don’t worry. I have the stamina for it.”
“That’s true enough.”
“I’m making an effort to sleep three hours a day.”
Otherwise, Master would surely visit again and resort to the extreme measure of knocking me unconscious.
As Father and I shared our evening meal, Mother and the rest of the family returned home.
Since it was late, I only greeted Grandfather and Mother.
.
.
.
The next day.
I rose as always and performed my energy cultivation practice.
It felt strange to practice energy cultivation at Mun Gok Hall after so long.
With such thoughts, I had barely finished my cultivation when a welcome visitor entered the separate pavilion.
“Master!”
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has. But how did you know I had arrived?”
“You’ll find out later.”
Master asked me that.
“Have you gained any insight into the Seolpung Sword Technique?”
I shook my head.
“I continue to ponder it, but I still don’t understand what you meant about the sword not being confined within form and technique.”
I recalled the arrangement I had encountered from the Ancestor when I visited Chuk Yong Palace before.

“In truth, the Snowwind Sword Technique is not a sword technique.”
“Pardon?”
“It is not a sword confined within form and formula. Perhaps you will not grasp this truth until many years have passed. Hmm, I have already made arrangements for this as well, so one day you will face it.”
“….”
“Furthermore, if you master the Extreme Ice Sword that I will teach you now, you will be able to take one step closer to understanding it.”

I had learned the Extreme Ice Sword from my Ancestor as well, yet I still could not grasp the subtle meaning of those words.
“Master, do you understand?”
“Somewhat… I believe I do.”
“Is that so?”
As expected of my Master.
At some point, our relationship had transformed from one where I unilaterally learned martial arts from my Master into one where we researched the martial techniques of Seolpung Palace together.
But I did not think this was a bad thing.
It meant I could be of help to my Master to that extent.
“Then, draw your sword.”
“Yes.”
And as always, we began our sparring match, swinging our blades toward each other.
.
.
.
A short while later, I lay sprawled in the Separate Residence Courtyard, gasping for breath.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Meanwhile, my Master stood with his breathing undisturbed.
How incredibly strong was he, anyway?
Still, I was grateful that he allowed me to face him with my full strength.
“We shall end here for today.”
At my Master’s words, I rose to my feet and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you for your instruction.”
My Master returned the bow and spoke.
“I depart on my travels again this afternoon. I am fortunate to have been able to teach you before I go.”
“I am equally fortunate.”
I continued.
“I had thought I would not see you again before this year ended.”
My Master let out a soft chuckle.
What?
It was truly rare to see an expression cross my Master’s face.
“Take this.”
With those words, something flew toward me from my Master, and I caught it instinctively.
Opening my palm, I found a small turtle carved from stone.
“What is this?”
“Wasn’t your birthday just recently? This is a birthday gift. I carved it from stone myself.”
“I… well…”
For a moment, I couldn’t think of what to say.
It wasn’t a precious artifact, nor gold—just a turtle carved from stone.
But it was carved by Master’s own hands.
A turtle symbolizes wealth and longevity.
My heart swelled at the affection Master had poured into this turtle.
“I’m embarrassed it’s not gold.”
“Not at all.”
I shook my head.
“How could anything be unworthy when it comes from Master?”
“Thank you for thinking so kindly.”
“I’m the one who should thank you for such a precious gift.”
As I bowed respectfully and then straightened, Master had already vanished from the room.
I gazed at the turtle in admiration.
How on earth did Master create such an exquisite piece?

That day, a meeting was convened at the Eun Wol Pavilion.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it truly has been a while.”
Aside from Go Il-pyeong, whom I’d seen at the last Martial Arts Grand Conference, it had been ages since I’d seen Yu So-ak, the Chief Manager and Internal Chief Manager of the Jaegyeong Pavilion, Jeok Byeong-chul from the Sefung Division, and Yeon Da-mi from the Sangyu Division.
“You had your twenty-fourth birthday recently, didn’t you? Congratulations.”
“Happy birthday to you.”
“Haha, thank you.”
I exchanged greetings warmly with a smile.
“Oh, but you probably don’t know yet.”
Yeon Da-mi spoke to me.
“Yu So-ak is getting married next spring.”
“Oh, so you’ve finally set the date?”
At my question, she nodded with a smile.
“Congratulations.”
Yu So-ak responded to my congratulations with an embarrassed expression.
“Ahem, thank you.”
“But when exactly is the date?”
“Early third month next year. Right when the plum blossoms bloom.”
“I see.”
The third month when plum blossoms bloom…
That’s perfectly timed.
By then, the liquor ban will be lifted, so we can hold a grand celebration.
Just then, Father and Eun Jung-ho entered, and the meeting began.
The meeting took quite a while.
There was simply too much to discuss.
“Then, let’s proceed with this plan.”
“Yes.”
The primary focus of this meeting was the ship dock to be constructed on Haenam Island.
It was best to move forward while the Eunhae Trading Company and I were at peak favorability.
We decided to dispatch specialists from the Main Headquarters to ensure swift and efficient progress.
Next was the major expansion of the Luoyang Branch.
We agreed to begin construction as soon as the land was secured.
The construction of the Martial Hall was proceeding smoothly….
Everyone at the Eun Wol Pavilion agreed to establish Beijing as a sub-headquarters.
Eun Jung-ho also approved of this.
“Every time I deliver silk to Beijing, it’s been troublesome having to travel there repeatedly each time.”
Thus, we decided to make the Beijing Branch a sub-headquarters, with Eun Jung-ho stationed there permanently.
It was similar in principle to the Crown Prince going to Nanking.
It was absolutely not to exploit Eun Jung-ho during my absence.
Well, if he’s willing to help, there’s nothing I can do about it.
The expansion of the Guizhou Branch was also finalized at this meeting.
“Ah, now that I think about it, the merchant ships should be arriving in Nanking soon.”
“That’s correct.”
I nodded.
“Seo-ho, I’ll need you to handle this as well.”
“Of course. And I’ll go to Nanking with Jin-ho from Beijing, then have Jin-ho return to the Main Headquarters by ship.”
“That’s a good idea.”

With the meeting concluded, it was already lunchtime.
I wondered what lunch would be today.
Returning to Mun Gok Hall with some anticipation, that’s when I heard it.
“Waaaaaaah!”
Wait? That’s a baby’s cry?
Entering the separate pavilion, I found Palgap pacing anxiously.
“What’s the matter?”
“You’re here at last.”
“Oh! Sister-in-law.”
My Second Sister-in-law was in my separate pavilion, cradling a child in her arms who was crying most pitifully.
It was Hong Ryeo, Jin-ho’s daughter.
She would be turning one year old soon.
“But why is Hong Ryeo crying?”
I asked Palgap, and he answered with a dejected expression.
His face resembled a bear with drooping ears.
“I merely greeted the young lady Hong Ryeo. Yet the moment she saw my face, she started crying like this.”
“Really? Why would that be?”
I tilted my head curiously and approached Hong Ryeo to greet her.
“Hong Ryeo, hello? But why are you crying?”
“….”
The instant Hong Ryeo saw my face, her crying stopped abruptly.
As if she had never cried at all, she reached out her hands toward me and broke into a bright smile.
“Gah! Gah!”
Witnessing this, Palgap muttered as though wounded.
“What a filthy world, where even babies discriminate based on appearance….”
Hmm….
This situation—I feel as though I’ve experienced something like this before.

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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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