Chapter 164: Chapter 164

* * *

Fortunately, the misunderstanding did not last long. In the first place, it wasn’t a misunderstanding that could last long. Jang Geon explained Jin Gyeon as a Shaolin Temple monk and Seo-ha as a secular disciple of Shaolin and his friend’s daughter. Hearing just that much, Jang Un seemed to guess Seo-ha’s tragic life and pressed no further.

“Last time was the same, what on earth do you take me for?”

“H-Huh? No, well… ahem…”

When Jang Geon asked with a slightly displeased expression, Jang Un avoided his eyes with an embarrassed look. Jin Gyeon laughed heartedly looking at him, and Seo-ha quietly watched those adults. They had just entered the house and gathered around the table.

“Welcome, everyone. To think you are Young Master’s friends, it is truly a pleasure to meet you.”

Jang Un’s wife, Madam Yeom, greeted them while bringing out tea. However, unlike Jin Gyeon who chanted a Buddhist honorific as a Shaolin monk to return the greeting, Seo-ha merely bowed her head silently without a word as if she felt awkward. Madam Yeom smiled even after seeing Seo-ha like that, and as she set down the teacups, she said with slight surprise:

“Oh my, you have truly pretty eyes, don’t you?”

Seo-ha raised her head to look up at her in startle. The child’s deep blue eyes sparkled. The girl blinked those large eyes for a moment, twitched her lips, and replied in a tiny voice:

“…Thank you.”

It seemed she had deliberated for a long time over what to answer to Madam Yeom’s compliment. It was also a reaction unlike a child. Madam Yeom smiled softly, nodded her head, turned back to the other adults, and said:

“I will fetch some refreshments as well. Please enjoy the tea.”

As Madam Yeom left outside like that, Jang Un let out a dry cough and sipped his tea.

“So, you are a monk of Shaolin?”

“Amitabha, this humble monk is called Jin Gyeon. Meeting Warrior Jang’s elder brother like this is truly a pleasure.”

“Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you too. I went to Shaolin Temple just once when I was young. I still remember that quiet grand temple wrapped in faint mist in the early morning.”

Jin Gyeon was delighted.

“Oh, you have visited the main temple?”

“Mmm, following my mother when I was young…”

Suddenly Jang Un’s mouth shut. Jin Gyeon tilted his head at that sight, then soon noticed that Jang Un had shut his mouth after stealing a glance at Jang Geon.

Family affairs are bound to be complicated anywhere. Even he had stories of his martial brotherhood. That was why Jin Gyeon hurriedly continued speaking:

“Certainly, the main temple wrapped in early morning mountain mist is picturesque and beautiful. Many guests visiting the main temple wake up early or stay up all night to view that scenery. Even so, this humble monk prefers bright day. Sunny sunlight, ridge lines glittering green, clearly visible roof tiles and green paint. One might call it the wriggling of life that can only be seen in broad daylight.”

“…Listening to your words, a temple in broad daylight seems nice as well. Hehe. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it that way.”

The two men, Jang Un and Jin Gyeon, hit it off well just as Jang Geon thought and smoothly carried on a gentle conversation. Jang Geon quietly lifted his teacup to cover his mouth and listened to their talk. However, the thoughts that started from the story Jang Un brought up a moment ago did not easily erase and revolved inside his head.

Mother. Strictly speaking, Lady Yang of the Central Plains Jang Clan. It wasn’t that she told Jang Geon not to call her mother from the beginning.

Jang Geon, who remembered his past life, was bound to display extraordinary traits from a very young age. He tried his best to act and think like a child, and since mind follows body, living as a child meant there were many times he acted like a true child.

However, past four or five years old, as his mind gradually filled out, it became harder to do so. A child who was more like an older brother to Jang Un who was three or four years older, and at times displayed intelligence equal to his father or clan elders, could not live as an ordinary child. The clan elders began to suspect and expect that Jang Geon might be a genius appearing once in several centuries.

Disliking that expectation, Jang Geon ultimately confessed that he remembered his past life in a spirit of letting whatever happens happen.

Yet the clan’s reaction was lukewarm. Perhaps they thought Jang Geon was so smart that he deliberately acted that way to lower people’s expectations. In fact, some elders even scolded him saying it was just Jang Geon’s solitary imagination.

The ones who truly believed those words of a past life were only his father, his brother Jang Un, his youngest sister Jang Yeon, and Lady Yang, who faced him every day.

And in the end, unlike his siblings who viewed him just as he was, or his father who didn’t care what was inside as long as it made the family name known, Lady Yang donated large sums of money to Shaolin Temple or invited Taoists to purify Jang Geon’s soul. That continued until before Jang Geon turned ten, before she recognized that Jang Geon had been Jang Geon ever since he first came out of her womb.

“…You rascal, Jang Geon. Are you listening?”

Lost in past thoughts while holding a teacup and gazing at the table, Jang Geon slowly raised his gaze at the sound of Jang Un calling. Jang Un, Jin Gyeon, and even Seo-ha were looking at him.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“…Sister-in-law brews tea very well.”

It was obvious that wasn’t it, but Jang Un asked no further and laughed heartily. Then he asked again:

“Since you weren’t listening, I’ll say it again. Don’t think of going anywhere for a while; stay right here.”

“…What do you mean by that? Stay inside the house continuously?”

Jang Un shook his head.

“No, not that. Stay in New Sichuan. Don’t just disappear somewhere like before. Because there’s a fellow currently crossing the sea diligently.”

Jang Geon stared at Jang Un for a moment without understanding what he meant. And soon understanding the meaning of those words, his eyes widened unconsciously.

“…Is Yeon coming?”

“Yes, you rascal. That girl says she absolutely must see you, so she’s dragging her husband along. It’s already been months since we received a letter saying they were preparing to depart, so by now they must have almost arrived.”

“Did the family permit that?”

Jang Un shook his head again.

“Would they have? But even the family elders can’t stop that tomboy girl anymore… If she failed to join the army like that, her heart should have shrunk, but why is this girl becoming more and more brazen… In any case, she doesn’t intend to stay that long; she’ll just see our faces, do a bit of sightseeing, and return. Since it turned out like this, we should also see the face of our poor brother-in-law who will be captured and live under her.”

Jang Geon slowly set down his teacup and smiled faintly. When boarding the ship departing for the New Continent in the past, he thought he would never meet his family again. However, it seemed the bond of family did not sever so easily.

Just then, feeling a sudden gaze, Jang Geon stole a glance toward the door. And there he was able to confirm four pairs of eyes peeking inside through a thin gap in the door. Those kids were hushing their voices and being careful in their own way, but as troublemakers always were, it was clumsy as could be.

And those troublemakers’ gazes were directed at Seo-ha, who was sitting quietly sipping tea.

“Ahem…”

“Humph…”

Jang Un and Jin Gyeon also noticed the situation roughly after hearing the kids’ squirming noises. Only Seo-ha was unaware of the situation by herself, fidgeting with her teacup with lowered eyes.

Jang Geon pushed his chair with a screech and stood up from his seat. And without hesitation he approached the door and yanked it open. With an *ooh-ack* sound, the four kids of this house tumbled in a heap and spilled onto the floor.

The Jang siblings and Dan siblings looked up at Jang Geon with round, blinking eyes. Seeing that, Jang Geon suppressed a laugh with effort and said:

“You brats. Who told you to eavesdrop on others’ conversation?”

“…Hehe. We heard there was a pretty older sister…”

“What?”

At the imagination-exceeding answer of little Jang Sang, Jang Geon turned his head unconsciously to look at Jang Un. Hearing his son’s answer, Jang Un covered his eyes unconsciously, and Jin Gyeon merely laughed softly while rolling his prayer beads.

While the adults were embarrassed, the kids who had fallen on the floor quickly got up from their spots. Among them, Jang Sang’s younger sister Jang Yeong covertly approached Seo-ha.

“Sister. Play with us. Adults’ talk is boring, isn’t it?”

At the feisty Jang Yeong’s words, Seo-ha widened her eyes, twitched her lips while reading the adults’ expressions. The child’s swaying eyes ultimately looked at Jang Geon.

Jang Geon smiled and nodded his head.

Finally, a smile rose on Seo-ha’s face as well. As the girl stepped down slightly from her chair, Jang Yeong quickly approached and held her hand. Seeing that Seo-ha seemed ready to hang out together, the expressions of the other three kids brightened too.

Without anyone needing to stop them, those kids soon giggled and dashed out of the room in a heap. Held by the hand, Seo-ha was dragged along just like that and followed the kids out.

“Oh my!”

Bringing refreshments, Madam Yeom appeared while raising her tray high to dodge the kids dashing in a heap toward her legs. Watching the kids receding down the hallway, she turned her head and asked the adults in the room:

“The children have already gotten close, haven’t they? I brought some snacks for them to eat together though.”

“We will eat those.”

Her tray was received by Jang Geon. Madam Yeom smiled gently and said:

“Alright, then continue your conversation. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

Madam Yeom left the room again like that. After a brief commotion passed, the three men looked at each other and laughed ha-ha-ha without anyone going first. When something light to chew on appeared, Jang Un promptly brought out wine he had hidden, and that spot naturally turned into a drinking session.

A moment later, Dan Sang-woon, who returned home, naturally picked up a wine glass and joined the session. The drinking session naturally continued in the front yard where the evening breeze was cool after dinner, and Madam Yeom or Dan Sang-woon’s wife Chae-yun also lightly held wine glasses. Meanwhile, the children squirmed in the room, engrossed in their own play among themselves. The children didn’t care much about meeting Seo-ha for the first time today. Nor did they ask where her parents were. The children simply focused on the play they were enjoying together at that moment.

Jang Geon sat resting his chin at the continuing drinking session and heard Seo-ha’s giggling laughter from the room. Naturally, a smile came to him too. It seemed he had done really well bringing the child to Jang Un’s house.

And Jin Gyeon quietly rolled his prayer beads, watching Jang Geon’s appearance. In his ears, too, Seo-ha’s laughter was heard.

* * *

The next morning’s breakfast table was truly bustling. It was a table with five children alone. It was a number that would be noisy even if everyone just focused on eating.

After such a boisterous breakfast, Jang Un and Dan Sang-woon went to the merchant guild, the children prepared to greet their writing tutor, Jin Gyeon sought out temples in New Sichuan as he had mentioned, and Jang Geon went with Seo-ha to the merchant guild’s stable.

“You remember Jojo, right?”

“Yes. He was cute.”

At the words that that insidious fellow was cute, Jang Geon slowly shook his head. From Jang Geon’s perspective of having been with that fellow for a long time, it was a statement he could not agree with at all.

Thinking so, Jang Geon opened the door of the stable. Inside, a few horses of the merchant guild could be seen. Seo-ha quickly entered inside and looked around her head to find Jojo.

“…Why is that fellow doing that over there?”

Jojo was found quickly. However, over in the corner of the stable, he was standing showing his buttocks to Jang Geon, so his face could not be seen.

“Hey brat, why are you doing that?”

However, Jojo gave no answer. Seeing his tail swishing, he definitely knew it was Jang Geon calling him. Yet he was stuck in the corner of the stable without even turning back.

Seo-ha turned to Jang Geon and asked:

“Why is he doing that?”

“…It seems he’s sulking.”

Come to think of it, it seemed it had been quite a while since he last rode that fellow and ran. Because matters like the Martial Alliance or the Je Clan took place inside New Sichuan, there was no occasion to ride Jojo and run. That fellow was currently protesting that he was suffocating to death.

“Hey brat, Seo-ha even came to see you, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to see her face after so long?”

At Jang Geon’s words, Jojo covertly looked back. And soon discovering Seo-ha looking at him blankly, he was delighted, turned his body, and approached over here. He quickly stuck his head over the stable fence to welcome Seo-ha. Seo-ha reached out her hand and fiddled with the bridge of his nose.

“Can’t you see me?”

Leaning his shoulder on the fence, Jang Geon asked indifferently, but Jojo didn’t even pretend to notice. It seemed he was properly sulking. That fellow teased Seo-ha with his tongue and snorted. Seo-ha laughed clearly as if that was fun.

Gazing at the two of them with a faint smile, Jang Geon suddenly turned his head at a sign of presence before the stable. The man who appeared with the bright outside behind his back was neither a person of the house nor a person of the merchant guild. However, he was someone Jang Geon knew.

Jang Geon called his name:

“Je Gyu-sang?”

The man who had been a shadow warrior of the Je Clan stood before the stable door carrying a simple travel bag, looking at Jang Geon.

He spoke:

“How have you been? I dropped by to say goodbye before leaving.”