Five buildings were built in a closed yard in five days. There was a log cabin above hundred square meters in the center and four buildings were built around that.
Geom Woo-bin who came out of the house in the center inhaled the early morning air deep into his lungs. The smell of the river flowing across the Reed fields tickled the tip of his nose pleasantly.
Do Pyeong-su opened the door of the northern house while yawning.
“Hey abolition, why did you wake up already? Get some more sleep.”
“Today is the first day at work. Have you forgotten?”
“Oh no, you don’t have to do such things.”
“I’d feel sorry if I don’t sell the liquor made by the priests. Of course, I also have to learn to work. I’ll be back.”
As Geom Woo-bin walked out of the door gallantly, Do Pyeong-su ran after him immediately. No Moorim people know that they settled outside Hangzhou, but they have to always consider that one in a million would be knowing.
“I hope the great abolition grows strong faster.”
Just like the priests desired, as time passed Geom Woo-bin didn’t neglect the seniority.
By learning the method taught by Yeon Geum-Hong not only was Geom Woo-bin’s pace slow but also his body movements were progressing slowly, similar to that of a drunkard.
“If I add Chwihwa Naksu’s martial arts to Sibbo Baekyoung’s method…”
Geom Woo-bin who stretched his arms out as hard as he could, sat down clutching his hands.
As he was immersed into seniority, he didn’t see the huge rock that was on the roadside and he banged his fists against it.
“Grrr…”
Geom Woo-bin who relieved his pain for a while hastened his way back.
When Geom Woo-bin was holding his hands in pain, Do Pyeong-su too felt a pain as if his fist had fallen apart.
It was the first time he felt an emotion like, “I’d rather be sick.” At someone else’s pain.
Do Pyeong-su who passed by the rock that hit Geom Woo-bin, stepped backward and smashed the rock.”
It was because Geom Woo-bin could accidentally get hit again.
“He could even trip over it.”
Do Pyeong-su also got rid of the remains of the rock and went back after Geom Woo-bin.
Geom Woo-bin arrived at the boarding house after walking for two hours. It took him twice the time as he came practicing martial arts.
The world’s best boarding house that was located outside the city, was a shabby boarding house where it wasn’t known for what reason it was called the world’s best boarding house.
“Hello!”
Geom Woo-bin greeted vigorously while entering the boarding house. The owner Seo Pung-sig who came out yawning from the kitchen was surprised.
“Why did you come here so early?”
“If I have to learn to work I have to come early, shouldn’t I? I’ll start with cleaning.”
Looking at Geom Woo-bin sweeping the floor with a broom and wiping the table with a cloth, Seo Pung-sig nodded with a satisfied expression.
Although it’s the first day he could immediately say that Geom Woo-bin is an excellent worker. At first, he refused to hire him as he was too young.
“It’s alright even if you’re not paying a lot! Please just let me work!
Geom Woo-bin’s expression was desperate and the owner eventually decided to hire him when he said, “There are four priests to be fed.”
World’s best boarding house was a cheap accommodation for the travelers who are in visiting terms with Hangzhou and except that it is cheap, it was just that level of a boarding house which wasn’t very competitive.
Thanks to the few customers Geom Woo-bin’s day wasn’t very busy, so he could learn from time to time how the boarding house runs.
It is because he wanted to know how the boarding house runs so that he can estimate how to sell the liquor made by the priests.
It would be nice to work in a well-running boarding house or a bar in Hangzhou’s town, but it was not a place for an eight-year-old kid to work.
World’s best boarding house was the only place where he managed to get a job after being rejected twelve times.
He became familiar with the work as it’s been a month since he became a waiter, and he even gained the knowledge of liquor.
“Grain wine goes well with meat than fruit wine. How about three-grain wine instead of plum wine?”
“Does the three-grain wine go with this?”
“This one’s from a new supplier and it tastes amazing.”
“How does a young guy know the taste of liquor?”
Even while two guys in their 40s were saying that Geom Woo-bin ordered the three-grain wine.
“Welcome! Mr. Jang Dae-in!
Jang Deok-pal who entered the boarding house carrying a piece of big luggage of his own asked in surprise.
“Do you remember me?”
“Twelve days ago, you settled for lunch at our boarding house and went with a soju, right?”
“Hahaha! That guy has got a good memory, I see. I’m the one who had lunch here once twelve days ago.”
“Do you want dumplings on Sōmen (thin noodles) just like you had back then?”
“No. Today let me go with something expensive.”
Anyone would feel good if someone remembers the one who stops by at the boarding house.
“Then how about ‘Eohyang yuksa’ (Stir-fried pork chops)? The pork and the wood-ear mushrooms that came in this time are very fresh and delicious.”
“Is that so? Then that and, let’s see…. what should I drink?”
“Indeed, it’s Eohyang yuksa that goes with Jukyeopcheong (medicinal liquor).”
“Yes, okay, also bring me a little Jukyeopcheong along with it.
Geom Woo-bin yelled towards the kitchen.
“One serving of Jukyeopcheong with Eohyang yuksa!”
Seo Pung-sig who was looking at Geom Woo-bin couldn’t stop smiling.
He thought it’s a relief that he’s good at even just doing the chores, not only the work was quick but he also got the customer to have a good appetite without making any errors.
It wasn’t a coincidence that the sales went up to thirty percent than usual throughout the month Geom Woo-bin came in.
“I hope he would keep working.”
However, ever since he got a job at the boarding house, he brought forward the time he could work to three months.
“If I give him a sufficient salary he might even change his mind.”
Originally the pay was twenty coins but Seo Pung-sig added five more of it.
Now that it’s the hour of the sheep (1 pm to 3 pm), the number of customers has begun to drop. As his working hours were under engagement in terms of the hour of sheep, he was preparing to go home after cleaning up roughly.
“This is your pay for this month.”
“Huh? There are five extra coins”
“I’ll pay you more next month. So, don’t you have an idea of working continuously and not just for three months? If you do well I can even teach you cooking.”
“I’m truly grateful for your words but I can’t work for more than three months as I have my reasons.”
Usually, one’s supposed to answer by considering the relationship with the owner but Geom Woo-bin’s answer was very clear.
“I cannot!”
“Thank you, I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Geom Woo-bin who left the boarding house ran to Hangzhou town. He thought of buying presents for the priests with his first salary. There were puddles here and there on the path as it rained the previous day. The horses and the carts that were passing by splashed muddy water, so he walked carefully.
“Where is this foolish beggar going splashing muddy water!”
Following the bellow, a young scream was heard, “Whoa!”
A kid about six or seven years old was fallen on the street where the pedestrians and the horse carriages were moving entwined, and four boys looking thirteen or fourteen lined up in front of him.
Food that was begged for was scattered around the grubby kid.
Naive!
Among the four boys, the sturdy boy stepped on the kid’s bowl and broke it.
“How are you going to take responsibility for tarnishing the cloaks of our Hangzhou’s martial artists?”
The four boys wore a black cloak that had the ‘Taegeuk’ symbol on the chest and the back. Among them, the kid’s responsibility was the little muddy water on the pant hem of the sturdy boy.
“You guys are so mean.”
The kid suddenly stood up while rubbing his sore chest.
“You were too mean to break the bowl to a point I can’t beg, weren’t you?”
The kid was bold enough, but it was just up to that.
The boy’s foot was pressed against his ribs, and his instep booted the kid’s face as he bent.
The kid tumbled down bleeding from his nose. The pedestrians remained as onlookers as the things that have nothing to do with them would just be neglected impassively.
But not everyone was like that.
“Mr. Outsider, please stop the carriage.”
At Namgung Hye-yeon’s words, Jung So-myeong first told him to stop the carriage and asked.
“Why did you do that?”
Namgung Hye-yeon glanced through the carriage window where the beggar kid was being beaten. Though the beginning of the incident could be guessed easily, even at the age of eleven she was ashamed of the boys’ behaviors just by looking at it.
Tormenting the weak just because one is strong is one of the behaviors Namgung Hye-yeon despised the most.
“But still, I….”
She just opened the carriage door and one of the pedestrians came in forward.
“That’s a little overboard, isn’t it?”
It’s something an adult should interfere in, but it was another kid who got in the way of the boys and the kid. Would it be just an eight or nine-year-old?
“What’s with you?”
“If muddy water was splashed on the dress you could’ve just washed it, is that something to beat up a child?”
“Did you say I can just wash it? Are you going to pay for the laundry?”
The kid placed forward a coin he had in his hand.
“This will be enough, right?”
“A ridicule expression appeared on the boy’s face”
“Does this jerk think we’re beggars? You’ll also have to get beaten…!
“Take this money and leave, or else just get lost.”
The kid’s manner of speaking changed. It was a bit deeper and his voice of will made the boys swallow up their words.
The boy who realized that he had spoken too late shouted fiercely.
“What are you going to do if I don’t get lost?”
“Then you’ve gotta fight me.”
The boys snorted looking bewildered.
They’re boys who learn martial arts in the military and their opponent is just a little kid. However, there was no such thing as fear to be seen in the little kid’s facial expression.
When the boy was about to throw his fist, the kid said.
“If you fight with me, it will become a grudge and I never forget grudges.”
The extended fist suddenly didn’t even flinch.
This was the first threat the boy has ever heard in fourteen years. Of course, among friends, they’ve said “I’m gonna kill you” countless times frivolously.
However, they were just words that were said thoughtlessly, but now the word ‘grudge’ uttered by the kid made him feel astonished as if it was like writing on one’s chest with an icicle hanging down the eaves.
His fists automatically weakened.
“From where did this strange jerk turn up, so inauspiciously. Ptooey!”
Not even towards the kid, but spitting towards the puddle next to him, was all that the boy could do.
The boys who were completely overwhelmed by the kid’s spirit disappeared saying, “It’s not because we’re afraid that we are avoiding the situation, but because we don’t want to get our hands dirty.”
Namgung Hye-yeon watched it interestingly.
“I can’t believe he beat down the bad-tempered guys and sent them back. That kid is amazing.”
She who was muttering asked Jung So-myeong.
“Do you know who that kid is?”
The outsider Jung So-myeong tilted his head.
“I’m not sure. I’m Hangzhou’s social butterfly but I can’t be knowing everything, even the children.”
“Would you look into it for me?”
“As you can see his looks, I don’t think he’s that worth of a guy for you to be interested in.”
The kid who wears cheap clothes surely is not the type to be from a good family. But the reason she is interested in him had nothing to do with the family.
“Why aren’t you taking it?”
While she was talking with Jung So-myeong, the little kid and the beggar were quarreling over a piece of coin.
“I hate receiving help.”
The kid gave the coin which he gave to the martial art boys to the beggar, and the beggar refused that.
“You hate receiving help? Then you shouldn’t have been a beggar at first.”
“What?”
“Living out of people’s sympathy is begging, isn’t it? However, if you hate being pitied then you should stop begging.”
“I take what a grown-up gives but you aren’t any different than me, aren’t you!”
The boy glanced at the beggar who yelled and put the coin back inside his pouch. “You are so mindful about receiving help and you can’t even beg. If the real beggars starve because of the food that went to a child who doesn’t even have that capacity, it will be a loss to other beggars. Give up already.”
Namgung Hye-yeon barked maliciously at the beggar and glanced at the boy’s back as he was getting further away.
“I’m getting more and more curious about who it is.”
Apart from Namgung Hye-yeon’s curiosity, Geom Woo-bin was honestly feeling a little regretful. He didn’t have to say that to a little beggar…
“I have to do my best.”
Geom Woo-bin came home after wandering everywhere in the city buying presents for the priests.
“Abolition, today you’re returning home a little late.”
Seo Seok-san was the first to welcome Geom Woo-bin and then the three priests came to the yard.
“Today I got my first paycheck. So, I bought some presents for you.”
“Presents? What are they?
Geom Woo-bin passed on the red embroidered ‘Norigae’ (tassel accessory) to Yeon Geum-hong who asked joyfully.
“It’s not something expensive. But I think it will suit you if you wear it on your clothes.”
Yeon Geum-hong received the ‘Norigae’ with both her hands and looked at it for a long time. To be honest, it was the first time she had ever received a present from someone. It goes the same with the other three.
Both Jang Man-dok who received a hairband and Seo Seok-san who received a loquat couldn’t hide their emotions.
At last, Do Pyeong-su who received a copy of the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ looked puzzled.
“Abolition, this book for me, is a little…”