“You’ll have to directly give the wages to the work-study scholarship students. That way, you’ll maintain your face, so I’ll give you the vouchers for their wages.”
Completely covering the wages for the work-study students? Just how much is that? I was so surprised by the Chairman’s declaration that I couldn’t easily open my mouth.
Of course, the Chairman lives in a magnificent mansion and comes from a noble background, but for him to be this generous…
What a fascinating proposal.
There’s still a lot of debt left at the Tea Bookstore, and since I don’t know what will happen in the future, it’s better to save money if I can.
If I could hire a competent unpaid employee, it would be good to accept right away.
However.
“Thank you for your offer. But this system I proposed is to help the impoverished writers, and if I don’t pay them, it seems to lose its meaning.”
Accepting a good proposal without hesitation is low-level behavior.
No matter how captivating the offer is, it’s courteous to show humility by rejecting it once.
Of course, I had no intention of firmly turning it down, so I decided to expose a flaw in the logic to convince them.
“Isn’t this the work-study scholarship system you proposed? You drafted the system, persuaded the Literary Association for funding, and announced it to everyone. Even in the court, it could be attributed to one person’s efforts. I’m merely here to assist your intentions, so don’t feel burdened.”
“You, a black-haired barbarian, have made such great support for the foreigner of the Literary Association, and I don’t know what to do.”
So, enlighten me.
I subtly softened my rejection compared to before, showing an attitude that I would accept with just a little encouragement.
“Don’t refuse. Instead, gather more money. Work harder on your business to grow it.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“Didn’t you say you’d do business that leaves people behind like a merchant? If that’s the case, shouldn’t you do big business like the merchant you mentioned? Are you going to be satisfied with just the best bookstore in Yichang?”
The Chairman asked in a tone that seemed to challenge me, as if to say, don’t you have grand dreams?
Of course, I didn’t intend to end with just the Tea Bookstore.
The Rise of the Tang Family has undeniably been successful. However, that’s only within Hubei Province’s Yichang and nearby cities, and within the Sichuan Tang Family.
To save the destinies of the heroines, that’s not enough. For my own renown, I need to elevate my wealth and reputation through business expansion.
“I too want to grow my business and leave a legacy. But I am a black-haired barbarian living in the Central Plains. There are many difficulties in doing significant business amid the prejudices against black hair and strangers.”
There are barriers preventing me from expanding my business.
People I can trust.
Running just the Tea Bookstore is manageable for me, but running a business is different. It’d be nice if I had a trustworthy relative or friend, but as a barbarian, there wouldn’t be such people for me.
I expressed my frustration in front of the Chairman like a young man with grand dreams stuck in the face of reality.
“This young man knows one thing but not two. I understand your predicament of lacking trustworthy companions. However, if you leave people in your business, won’t they just stay put?”
“Are you talking about the work-study students?”
At my question, the Chairman nodded and continued speaking.
“People, unlike animal cubs, never forget those who help them when they’re at their most difficult. Some of them may become writers. They could go into official positions as well. But ultimately, some will have to give up their dreams and focus on survival. If you extend a hand to them at that time, who would dare to refuse?”
Making the work-study students your people to grow the business is indeed a good method.
“Thank you for imparting a great realization to this young merchant.”
I bowed my head to show my gratitude for the Chairman’s teaching.
“The Tea Bookstore, The Rise of the Tang Family, work-study students, and the belief in commerce. Looking at you makes me truly feel the meaning of ‘the waves of the Yangtze River push the former waves back’ (長江後浪推前浪). The waves of the river wash away the old, so I’ll help those who will inherit the will of the merchant and myself, so do your best.”
“The waves of the Yangtze River push the former waves back” implies that no matter how old you are, you’ll be surpassed by the new. It means that in the flow of time, there’s no place for merchants.
Maybe the Chairman felt himself becoming one of the old, he looked at me with a proud expression, smiling bitterly.
“I believe that the waters at the forefront of the Yangtze River don’t merely push back the waters behind them but are instead preparing to embrace the vast sea. As you embrace my small belief like this, I don’t know how to express my thanks.”
I gazed at the Chairman as a person of the new era, showing my gratitude toward him.
“Hahaha! I’m glad I didn’t meet you while I was in office.”
The Chairman widened his eyes at my words, bursting into hearty laughter soon after.
“Pardon?”
“Whether I’d have to make you one of my people or not. If not, I would’ve advised the emperor to listen to your words and not yours, saying it’s a sweet trap!”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Hahaha. Yes, I’ll write the vouchers for the emperor’s expenses right away, so take it with you.”
———-
“Let’s start with self-introductions. Just tell us your name and age simply.”
The next day, I gathered the work-study students at the Tea Bookstore for the customary self-introduction that marks the start of the new semester.
Starting with the familiar face of Im Ha-yeon.
“Me? Am I first?”
As I pointed at Im Ha-yeon, she seemed surprised, her eyes widening unexpectedly.
“I-I’m Du Eung-hyang.”
Why does she use a pseudonym creatively? Du Eung-hyang at the Tea Bookstore, of all places.
“Pfft!”
“Really?”
“The young lady is quite the jokester from the start.”
“Sis, should I go with Gu Suk-jung then?”
“A-uh, well, actually my name is I….”
A runaway courtesan trying to use her real name? This young lady is going to get herself into big trouble.
Of course, using a nickname that turns out overlaps with others, and naming characters is indeed troublesome, but using her real name is risky.
“Ahem!”
I cleared my throat awkwardly to catch Im Ha-yeon’s attention.
She looked at me, flustered. Use a different name, So-so, or Yeong-yeong. There are many common names.
I shook my head to dissuade her.
“I-I’m Kang Ha-yeon. I am 19 years old. Nice to meet you all.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how absurd it felt.
Why Kang? If you’re going to change it, why not change your name completely? It’s not like you’re working as a courtesan; it should be enough just to change the surname for a pseudonym.
By the way, was Ha-yeon 19? She’s the same age as So-hee.
Well, since she was an apprentice courtesan, she wouldn’t likely be over 20. Just like how idols debut in their late teens, in this world, courtesans also officially become one in their late teens.
“My name is Gu Suk-jung! No, I mean Ha So-so! I’m 18 years old! Nice to meet you!”
“My name is….”
“My name is….”
Maybe it was because of Im Ha-yeon’s blunder that the stiff atmosphere thawed, and everyone continued their introductions smoothly.
“Now, let’s clean up!”
I wrapped up the introductions and started the cleanup with the staff.
“Everyone, please move around and clean the dust stuck in the gaps, and be thorough with wiping the floors!”
“How could there be so much dust on these books?”
“There’s dust on the books. They should look presentable, so make sure to dust them off with care.”
Having more people is really nice. We’ll finish quickly.
————
“Today, we’ll finish early.”
Just one more day of cleaning, and we can open for business!
Before sunset, seeing that we were progressing much faster than expected, I stopped work and declared a premature end to the day.
“Really?”
“Wow! We finished early!”
“I’ll be leaving now!”
“Im Ha-yeon.”
I called out to Im Ha-yeon, who was about to leave the Tea Bookstore.
“What is it?”
Did I look like I was stopping her from leaving? Im Ha-yeon asked me with a distrustful expression.
I thought about whether to show my tyrannical employer side, considering keeping her for the night shift, but I opted to display my employer’s prowess as planned.
“Take this.”
I took out a small bundle from one corner.
“What’s this?”
“Dumplings. I bought them from a restaurant earlier.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“It would be tough until next month’s salary. Make sure to eat, alright?”
She came to Yichang without a single coin. Sure, I gave her a bit of money, but she’d be struggling to manage meals after buying her writing materials.
“You don’t have to help me with this…”
I saw her devouring noodles during lunch earlier. As soon as the sweet and sour pork came out, her hands moved faster than her eyes could follow. She would have made a good pickpocket.
Im Ha-yeon hesitated, stepping back, still seemingly unwilling to accept my help.
Really? Well, I’ve got a counter too.
“It’s to ensure you don’t slack off while working.”
I’ve figured out how to deal with you. You’ll accept a reasonable logic.
So, if I say I’m looking after you as your employer and not your father, she should accept it.
“Okay, then.”
Did my logic work? Im Ha-yeon nodded, accepted the bundle, and left for the day.
She’s really a challenging employee to deal with.
*
“Am I going crazy?!”
Im Ha-yeon shouted as she fluffed her pillow in a shabby inn.
“Why?! Why did I have to say I was Kang Ha-yeon?! Ugh!”
The image of the man’s smiling face flashed in her mind. He must’ve figured out where that surname came from.
Self-introduction? Why on earth is that necessary? Im Ha-yeon felt her teeth clenching at the memory of the incident.
Caught off guard by the unexpected start and her very first introduction. There was no way she couldn’t be flustered.
She had no prepared alias, and when she said her previous alias of Du Eung-hyang, it just made her the laughingstock. Should she use her real name? In a moment of panic, her mind went blank.
If that man hadn’t warned her, she would have carelessly revealed her real name.
What should she do? She felt overwhelmed with confusion. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Kang Yoon-ho, that man.
What name should she have used?
In the end, the only alias that came to her was Kang Ha-yeon.
‘In foreign lands, women take their husband’s surnames after marriage. What if he has some weird misunderstanding about this?’
That man has black hair, so it’s possible he could misconstrue things like that. Im Ha-yeon lay on the bed, kicking her feet in anxiety.
Please don’t misunderstand. I only said that because I was flustered, nothing more. Should I go tell him? No, that wouldn’t do. It would only make me seem more anxious.
‘Ugh! Really! It’s all because I spent too much on those writing materials!’
Im Ha-yeon glanced at the high-quality writing materials that didn’t match the shabby inn room and thought.
A plethora of writers applying for an event. Naturally, if anyone were to judge, they’d recognize right away if quality writing materials were used.
Afraid of losing points for using cheap materials, she had spent all her money on the writing tools.
‘In the end, I got rejected.’
Recalling the fact that she was rejected, her previously racing heart calmed down.
She thought she had written a fun piece, thinking she could win an award. In reality, she couldn’t even win an encouragement award.
The frustration she had almost managed to forget pressed heavily upon her heart.
‘What if I hadn’t applied for work-study? What would have happened?’
Is it right for her to work under Kang Yoon-ho? Im Ha-yeon agonized over her decision to submit her application.
So what would she do? The only options she had learned were those two. She had nearly spent all her money.
She felt like there was nothing she could do.
‘Let’s apply for work-study.’
In the end, the only path left for her was to apply for work-study.
It’s supported by the Literary Association, after all. That man merely lent a hand. Im Ha-yeon began to rationalize to herself.
What if Kang Yoon-ho created this system for her sake? When she felt a strange sense of needing help, the man’s face flashed in her mind.
‘Perhaps he’s not a bad person after all…’
Im Ha-yeon thought of his words in the Literary Association.
“Becoming a writer is arduous for anyone. But especially for those writers who have to think about where their next meal will come from, it’s really hard.”
“I want to give hope to those individuals through myself and the Yichang Literary Association.”
His words were genuine enough to resonate within her. It made her wonder if he might have once had dreams of being a writer himself.
To think that he created a work-study system because of her would be too far-fetched. Yet, he extended a hand to those in despair, just like Tang Jung, whom Im Ha-yeon admired.
Could it be that, just like what one of the men at the association said, he’s a good businessman but not an unscrupulous merchant…?
When her train of thought reached that far, Im Ha-yeon jolted up with a start.
“Ugh! The evil merchant exploiting Writer Ho Pil! I can’t let my guard down!”
That man is the worst kind of person, isn’t he? And on top of that, he exploits Writer Ho Pil, someone she respects.
Don’t let your guard down, Im Ha-yeon!
“I’m so hungry…”
With all these thoughts swirling in her head, her stomach started to rumble.
Im Ha-yeon got out of bed, opened the bundle that Kang Yoon-ho had given her, and took a bite of the kimchi dumpling.
Perhaps it was because she had been working hard, or perhaps it was because the man had brought back some tasty dumplings, but somehow it tasted better today.
*
In the end, we finished cleaning in two days.
“Cleaning is done!”
“Manager! We’ve finished everything!”
“Everyone worked hard. Now I can hang this sign.”
I pulled out the sign I had prepared and held it up, making sure everyone passing by the entrance of the Tea Bookstore could see it.
[Tea Bookstore. Normal operations start tomorrow.]
Finally, we can begin again.
