Two days later, on the evening after sending back a man from the Man Geum Battlefield, I mentioned I would check out the Wuhan branch of the Tea Bookstore.
“Before we begin the feast, let’s hear a few words from our leader amongst the Joseon people of Wuhan! Club Leader Kang Yoon-ho!”
“I’m Kang Yoon-ho. On a good day like today, who needs lengthy speeches? Let’s celebrate our first innkeeper, Choi Pyosa, or rather, Choi-kyuj! And everyone, let’s eat and drink to our hearts’ content today!”
I attended the opening celebration of Choi Pyosa’s inn with Im Ha-yeon.
“Oooohhh!”
“Choi-kyuj, say a few words!”
“Thank you all for coming today! I’ve prepared plenty of meat and alcohol, so feel free to take some home later!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Hehehe! I’ll eat until I burst!”
“What is this celebration for?”
“I’m opening the inn starting tomorrow. Have a bowl of noodles and take this flyer!”
Amidst the struggling Joseon people in Wuhan, it was a rare occasion to celebrate.
On such a day, everyone was greasing their bellies, momentarily forgetting their worries while laughing and chatting.
It’s all thanks to our Club Leader. If you just follow what the Club Leader says, inns pop up. Spreading the rumors while putting gold on my face was just a bonus.
I took a sip of some low-proof alcohol while scanning the crowd for someone.
While everyone had smiles on their faces, one woman looked a bit gloomy.
Where is she? Oh, there she is.
As soon as our eyes met, I waved at Im Ha-yeon, but she quickly averted her gaze. Why isn’t she coming this way?
“Did you have a fight with your sister-in-law?”
One of the inn’s delivery workers asked.
“Why?”
“Your sister-in-law’s face looks gloomy. Usually, she’s the friendliest one, but now she seems a bit withdrawn. Although nobody said it, we’re all worried.”
“It wasn’t a fight…”
After the luxury brush incident and the Man Geum Battlefield, Ha-yeon’s expression hadn’t been great throughout the feast.
“If it wasn’t a fight, then obviously the Club Leader must have done something wrong.”
“Clearly, it’s the Club Leader’s fault.”
“See, I told you.”
The young ones snacking on meat chimed in.
“Hey, I’m the Club Leader, and you’re acting like this?”
“Children usually take care of their mothers more than their fathers.”
“You little rascals.”
Is this what it feels like to struggle raising children? I never expected to suddenly empathize with the woes of a married man.
“Club Leader, I don’t know what happened, but don’t let your pride ruin your relationship further.”
“There’s nothing to be prideful about.”
If it were my fault, I’d bow my head and apologize. But there’s nothing to apologize for, which is the real problem.
“Club Leader, whatever it is, being pretty makes everything forgivable. I’ve seen so many rich men who have to spend fortunes even just brushing past your sister-in-law, but they all look dull compared to her.”
“That’s right. Because your sister-in-law approaches us warmly, we can even talk. Normally, everyone would just freeze up!”
“I know that Im Ha-yeon is pretty.”
She could have easily become the best courtesan in Hubei. She must be the heroine of this martial arts visual novel for a reason.
Hearing the news that I fought with Ha-yeon, everyone at the banquet started chiming in.
“She’s not just pretty, she treats her staff kindly. She’s resourceful. She doesn’t discriminate against anyone with black hair. She practices martial arts and is also very capable.”
“Exactly. Women are naturally petty sometimes. When that happens, if the Club Leader takes the first step, it could resolve things.”
“Club Leader, as someone who has succeeded in love, would you like to hear a great method to cheer up your sister-in-law?”
“What is it?”
I looked at the staff holding a bottle of alcohol with a confident expression.
Someone who succeeded in a love marriage as a Joseon person.
What on earth is he trying to say?
Everyone at the banquet turned their attention to the man who spoke.
“Just close your eyes, pick her up, and lay her down on the bed.”
“Hah…”
What nonsense is this? I held my head with one hand and sighed.
“Of course you’d say that!”
“No, I’m serious. There’s nothing that can resolve an awkward emotional fight better than that.”
“Don’t you have anything you can’t say to the Club Leader?”
“I’m telling you because you’re the Club Leader. I once saw you, and it felt like a dragon was soaring. I nearly stopped breathing…”
“Ouch!”
Another worker beside him smacked the man’s head.
“Club Leader, I think this guy’s already drunk. I’ll take him away.”
“I’m telling the truth! My wife, even after fighting with me, asks me to slap her butt in bed…”
“Ouch! Stop hitting me!”
“Shut up!”
In the end, the drunken man was dragged off to a corner.
As the atmosphere cooled, the people gathered at the banquet shifted to another topic while I chuckled to myself, holding my drink.
‘How can I cheer up Im Ha-yeon?’
I wished I had never been caught with that luxury brush in the first place.
I should have put it in a safe rather than a drawer. Though opening a safe or a drawer wouldn’t make that much of a difference for a woman like her, so I felt the future might remain unchanged.
‘Besides this ridiculous idea of laying her down on a bed, is there a better way…?’
As I followed my train of thought, I scanned the crowd for Im Ha-yeon again. Just then, I locked eyes with her, who had been looking at me.
Why is she looking this way?
As soon as we made eye contact, she quickly averted her gaze with a startled expression.
Could she have been listening to our conversation?
Her ears reddened in a way that made it more obvious.
“Club Leader!”
If I approached her today, it’d just feel out of place. While I sat awkwardly, celebrating innkeeper Choi Pyosa approached with a flushed face from drinking.
“Choi-kyuj, congratulations once again.”
“Thank you very much. But…”
Choi-kyuj seemed unable to lift his head, almost as if he felt too honored.
“What’s the matter?”
“Is it true that you’re pushing for my inn’s opening as part of a celebration?”
Is that why?
It’s already the fourth branch in Wuhan. Since openings were spaced out to avoid competition, there might have been concerns about not getting enough word of mouth.
I’ll promote it as best I can but that wouldn’t be enough.
The locals need to realize the convenience of delivery food quickly.
Word of mouth needs to spread like wildfire.
To achieve that, I took out my new card.
“Of course. All the delivery riders who have mastered Light Body Movement will be directed to your inn for the time being.”
“Hey buddy, are you still sleeping with a woman?”
In a residential area of Wuhan, a martial artist working as a guard for a wealthy house woke his slumping friend.
“Ugh… what? Did the sun rise already?”
The friend scratched his messy hair and squinted at the sunlight streaming through the window.
“The sun rose ages ago.”
“I wanted to sleep in a bit after yesterday’s drink…”
“Today’s shift starts from noon. If you don’t want to work hungry until dinner, get up fast.”
The martial artist kicked his friend slowly to wake him.
Although he was guards at a wealthy house, lunch was not provided. He would be running out of time if he wanted to eat before work. The martial artist cursed the rich man inwardly, thinking those with wealth were the greediest.
“Just order food.”
The friend, however, seemed indifferent to the problem, rolling over to sleep again.
“Order food? Are you telling me to go fetch it now?”
Has this guy finally lost it? Just as the martial artist’s foot was about to stomp down.
“No, here this.”
The friend handed over a piece of paper while still lying down.
What could this paper possibly be? The martial artist slowly read the writing.
“Opening of the Yungi Inn branch. Comfortable ordering with Nine Black Qi Hands from home? What is this?”
The paper turned out to be an advertisement for a newly opened inn.
“Have you not heard about the recent delivery of carrier pigeon food?”
“Oh! I heard the rumors here and there. I passed by an inn called Yungi Inn on my way.”
“Looks like I got a Nine Black Qi in hand. What do you want to eat?”
The friend rubbed his sleepy eyes and picked up the menu that was near the birdcage.
“Should I try ordering food for the first time? Then don’t order something expensive since I don’t have money. Get something cheap with a lot of food.”
“Then we should order a set menu. I’ve tried it once, and it was quite filling.”
“But it’ll take time to bring it back and forth. Wouldn’t it be faster to eat out while ordering?”
Though the martial artist had heard about the convenience of delivery food, he still felt that delivery food was different.
Wouldn’t it be faster to just go to the inn, order, and then head back to the house? He worriedly asked.
“They say they have a quick delivery service at the branch. It’s a month-long free trial, so I’ll give it a try.”
The friend marked something on the paper and soon sent out the carrier pigeon.
“Quick delivery?”
The martial artist tilted his head, watching the scene unfold.
Isn’t delivery just…delivery? How could it possibly be faster than actually going to the inn and ordering?
Just as the martial artist was about to insist on going out.
“Yungi Inn here! Is this the person who ordered food?”
The food had arrived.
“Huh?! Isn’t it too soon since I sent the pigeon?”
“Was it that fast? But the inn is quite far away. Were they just in the next room or something?”
Isn’t this way too fast? How long had it been since they sent the carrier pigeon? The two looked at the delivery person with astonished faces.
“Haha. If you order with the quick delivery, the riders who have mastered Light Body Movement come to you.”
“What?! Do the Joseon delivery guys know Light Body Movement?”
“Haha, it’s a basic requirement to be a Joseon delivery rider. Here’s your order. Where should I set it down?”
“Talk about the delivery nation! Just set it on the table. By the way, what did you order?”
From the value-priced menu of the Yungi Inn.
Did he order the Jajangmyeon or Jjamppong? Or perhaps the Daeji Bulgogi set?
The martial artist eagerly awaited his friend’s answer.
“I ordered the Yungi brunch set.”
“The brunch set of Yungi Inn. Two servings, delivery completed.”
The delivery person skillfully opened the metal bag and laid out the food.
“Ooh. As expected, the portion is generous.”
“Isn’t it nice? It’s good value for the price, I often order the Yungi brunch set.”
“Was the carry pigeon placed in the cage here? I should sign up too!”
“I’ll spread the word to my buddies nearby!”
“Thank you!”
The delivery person who had mastered Light Body Movement delivered delicious food before it even got cold.
The word of the fourth branch quickly spread around, fueled by the rumors of the riders who had mastered Light Body Movement.
“I’ll be off now.”
Having been busy opening the inn branch, it was now time for the Tea Bookstore branch.
Im Ha-yeon saw Kang Yoon-ho off as he headed to check on the nearly finished Tea Bookstore branch.
“Take care.”
Why isn’t he leaving? Im Ha-yeon noticed Kang Yoon-ho’s footsteps weren’t easily parting.
“Won’t you come have a look after you come back? Bring me my keys back.”
An awkward atmosphere had lingered between the two for several days after the luxury brush incident.
The Tea Bookstore branch was a celebration for them and a solution for tackling the exams of the Man Geum Battlefield and the poetry contest more easily.
Kang Yoon-ho was trying to persuade Im Ha-yeon to join him to uplift her spirits, which seemed a bit dark these days.
“I have martial arts training at the school this morning, and I’ll need to train the carrier pigeons in the afternoon.”
Im Ha-yeon politely refused Kang Yoon-ho’s suggestion.
“…”
Kang Yoon-ho looked a bit disappointed.
As Im Ha-yeon watched his expression, she pondered for a moment.
In truth, he hadn’t done anything wrong.
Because he maintained relations with her matchmaker, he was able to open a branch.
She shouldn’t let her insecurities intrude on his life. Im Ha-yeon gathered her thoughts and forced a smile after a few days.
“Have a good trip. Honestly, the tests we have to take right now are absurd. We’re not starting this business with just a few coins, but somehow we’re being told to bring the entire amount listed on the receipts along with requested extra profits.”
“They said they’ll clear the debts of the Tea Bookstore, so it’s worth a try.”
“Yeah. If we add the branch’s profits, it might not be impossible.”
If they had the Tea Bookstore, they might just breeze through the examination like a ship catching the wind with its sails raised.
However, that ship had an unexpected unwanted guest wanting to board.
That’s all it was.
“I’m off now.”
“Make sure you don’t get caught up in any mess at the Man Geum Battlefield and check the Tea Bookstore branch properly.”
Im Ha-yeon tried to muster her energy, holding Kang Yoon-ho’s shoulder to gently push him toward the door.
“Keep that in mind. Also, I think a guest will come today.”
“The guest you mentioned last time? Who is it?”
“That will be part of the fun. Just wait and see.”
Kang Yoon-ho left while wearing a mischievous smile on his face.
——————
“Hah…”
Once Kang Yoon-ho’s presence disappeared, Im Ha-yeon let out a deep sigh.
No one works harder than he does for himself.
He really works without a minute’s rest to save her. Watching him made it quite clear what kind of person shines through hard work.
Im Ha-yeon turned her head, recalling the brush that was in her drawer.
Could the youngest daughter of Jeonggalse doesn’t have ulterior motives?
How could she possibly gift such a frequently used brush? Doesn’t that seem a bit too obvious?
Could it be an overreaction on her part? Perhaps it could be a normal gift as the man mentioned.
No. It definitely can’t be.
Im Ha-yeon shook her head in confusion.
Now, let’s not stay here anymore. It’s time to head to school.
At that moment.
“Sisterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
A familiar voice burst through the office door.
A girl with a bright smile like a wildflower. More cute than beautiful. Im Ha-yeon looked at the girl approaching her, eyes wide with surprise.
The girl was one of the few connections Im Ha-yeon made while in Yichang.
“Ha So-so?”
“Hehe! Love Taoist Ha So-so has arrived! Hae-yun unnie, are you doing well with the manager?”
Im Ha-yeon’s reliable ally in love.
It was Ha So-so, an employee at the Tea Bookstore.
