A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 52

52. Trouble at Soeun Bureau (2)

The preparations at Soeun Bureau wrapped up after sunset. While the workers had all gone home, Eun Chobin still had tasks to finish.

After personally inspecting the preparations with a lantern, she spent the late hours in her father’s office, organizing ledgers and documents.

Clack.

Eun Chobin looked up at the sound of the door opening. The elderly Chief Manager was holding a cup of tea.

“Aren’t you tired, young lady?”

Eun Chobin forced a wry smile and put down her brush.

“I am tired. And I’m not a little girl anymore, Chief Manager.”

The Chief Manager smiled and placed the teacup in front of Eun Chobin.

“Take a break for a moment.”

“I was just about to. Ugh.”

Eun Chobin stretched her arms above her head, arching her back. The fabric of her blouse stretched, outlining the curves of her breasts.

The Chief Manager frowned.

“Young lady, please be more modest. You are a grown woman now.”

“Pfft.”

Eun Chobin laughed.

“Save that for Sehwa. Modesty and I are strangers.”

“Still, young lady…”

“Enough. I’ll take the nagging later, so please cut me some slack for now. I have a lot to do.”

Holding the warm teacup, Eun Chobin savored the brief respite.

“How is Father? Saryang Bureau [a bureau specializing in silk and textiles] was supposed to send someone today, right?”

With existing partner merchants refusing to help, Soeun Bureau had no choice but to rely on Saryang Bureau.

The answer to their rather unusual request for an advance payment to fund the escort—a first transaction, no less—was due today.

“The discussion is probably taking a bit longer. Don’t worry; I’m sure there will be a positive outcome.”

Eun Chobin sighed softly.

“This escort is already through unfamiliar territory, and the newly hired guards and porters are unreliable. To top it off, we’re short on supplies and have to ask for an advance… Honestly, this is the most chaotic escort ever.”

As the bureau declined, skilled guards and porters left in droves.

The current staff was hastily gathered, a motley crew of questionable talent, making them unreliable and unlikely to perform well.

Even the paperwork Eun Chobin was currently doing would have been mostly prepared by experienced guards in the past.

“Was this too reckless a choice?”

Eun Chobin’s face darkened.

“It will be alright.”

The old Chief Manager said with a gentle smile.

“You and the Bureau Chief can do it.”

It was merely the old Chief Manager’s hopeful sentiment, but his words of blind faith comforted Eun Chobin.

“Yes, we can do it. No, we have to do it.”

Eun Chobin steeled her resolve and took a sip of the warm tea.

“What about the young man who came this afternoon?”

Eun Chobin looked up.

“Who? Oh, you mean Young Master Son?”

“Yes. If Sehwa of Hoyeon Martial Hall [a renowned martial arts school] introduced him, then perhaps…”

The Chief Manager’s thoughts were clear.

Since Sehwa from Hoyeon Martial Hall had sent him, they hoped he would be skilled in martial arts.

“He’s not that kind of person.”

Eun Chobin shook her head.

“As far as I know, he’s just a bookseller.”

“Do you know this young man?”

“Only by reputation.”

Clack.

Eun Chobin put down her teacup.

“I didn’t realize it at first, but when I heard he was Teacher Soso, I remembered immediately. You know, the one who caused a stir a few years ago when he passed the preliminary civil service exam?”

“Ah.”

The Chief Manager seemed to recall it as well. And he had recently heard rumors about him again.

“The one who failed the main exam and returned…”

“Yes, that’s him. He’s quite well-known among the young ladies of Cheongwon. If he had passed this exam, quite a few families would have reached out to him with marriage proposals.”

The greatest concern for families with daughters of marriageable age was rumors about promising young men. Naturally, he would be a topic of conversation.

“Weren’t you interested, young lady?”

The old Chief Manager asked with a twinkle in his eye. Eun Chobin chuckled.

“I just heard it from Sehwa. I don’t have time for that now. I don’t know what Sehwa is thinking, saying he knows how to use a sword…”

Eun Chobin grumbled.

“What are you going to do?”

“In the past, I would have sent him back immediately. We can’t accept someone who knows nothing about escorting goods.”

Eun Chobin said with a frustrated expression.

“But what can we do in our current situation? We have no choice but to make him useful somehow…”

Eun Chobin suddenly looked at the Chief Manager.

“You talked to him earlier, didn’t you? What did you think?”

“He seemed alright to me.”

The old Chief Manager said in a quiet voice.

“He said he would do anything to help. His attitude was humble, and his eyes were clear. He seemed quite sincere for a young man these days.”

“Hee. He made quite the impression on you.”

Eun Chobin said, sounding amused.

“Well, he seems to have a decent head on his shoulders, so he might be helpful in that regard.”

Looking at the pile of documents and ledgers in front of her, Eun Chobin sighed.

“The problem is that we have to teach him everything from scratch.”

And during the escort, no less.

If they had a little more time, she could gradually teach him the bureau’s work, but they didn’t have that luxury now.

Rustle.

Eun Chobin picked up her brush again. The brief respite was over, and her brush raced across the ledger once more.

The Chief Manager quietly left the office so as not to disturb her.

∴

It was quite late when the Bureau Chief of Soeun Bureau returned.

Clack.

“Come now, Chief Manager. I’m not that drunk.”

The drunken Bureau Chief, supported by the old Chief Manager, entered the office.

“You’re back… Ugh, the smell of alcohol.”

Ignoring Eun Chobin’s grimace, the Bureau Chief, delighted to see his daughter, said with a beaming face.

“This is great, Choah. This is just great.”

“It is?”

Forgetting the smell of alcohol, Eun Chobin asked back.

“Yes. Saryang Bureau agreed to provide the advance, and they’ll give us as much convenience as possible in the future. Here, look.”

With a shaky hand, the Bureau Chief pulled out a letter from Saryang Bureau from his pocket.

Eun Chobin quickly took the letter and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming its contents. This letter, guaranteeing payment from Saryang Bureau, was as good as a promissory note.

“That’s a relief.”

Only then did Eun Chobin breathe a sigh of relief, looking at her drunk father with a slight frown.

“But why did you drink so much?”

“Couldn’t just let the person who brought good news leave like that, could I? Hosted a little get-together for the first time in a while. Hahaha.”

The Bureau Chief burst into a hearty laugh. Even though he was drunk, Eun Chobin felt relieved to see her father’s smiling face, which she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“You did well. You should rest now.”

Eun Chobin and the Chief Manager supported the Bureau Chief to his bedroom. As his drunkenness increased, the Bureau Chief could barely stand on his own.

Clack.

It was the moment the three of them entered the Bureau Chief’s room.

“Ugh!”

The Bureau Chief, who had been completely out of it, suddenly started vomiting.

“Father!”

Eun Chobin was shocked. Even when drunk, her father had never been like this before.

For the Bureau Chief of an escort company where connections were important, drinking parties were common. And the Bureau Chief was particularly strong when it came to alcohol.

No matter how drunk he got, he could always go on an escort the next day after just one night of sleep.

“Are you alright? Father!”

The Chief Manager quickly brought medicine. However, the Bureau Chief vomited even that up and eventually began to suffer from severe gastroenteritis.

A doctor was hastily summoned in the middle of the night, but the Bureau Chief’s symptoms did not improve.

“What happened? Why did Father suddenly…”

“Well, it seems that his body was weakened by overwork, and then he suddenly drank too much…”

The doctor could not pinpoint the exact cause. The only suggestion was that something he ate for dinner might have been bad.

The doctor prescribed medicine, but the unconscious Bureau Chief couldn’t even swallow it properly.

In the end, the escort was postponed and did not depart on schedule. However, to meet the tight schedule, they had to leave within three days no matter what.

Eun Chobin’s heart began to burn with worry for her father and concern for the escort.

*

*

*

‘Are we really leaving tomorrow?’

Son Bin thought as he returned home.

Due to the Bureau Chief’s sudden illness, the Soeun Bureau’s escort was delayed. During that time, Son Bin had been learning about miscellaneous paperwork and escorting from the old Chief Manager.

He also learned for the first time from the Chief Manager that guards had to know how to set up a pot, repair shoes, and keep their hair neatly trimmed.

All because of the nature of escorting, where they had to travel long distances and meet people. Fortunately, Son Bin was quite used to traveling long distances.

Today, Son Bin was returning from learning various things from the Chief Manager.

He also heard that they would be leaving for the escort tomorrow, as they could no longer delay the departure.

It wasn’t sudden for Son Bin, who was already roughly preparing. Although, in truth, there wasn’t much to prepare.

‘The problem is the sword…’

The biggest deficiency in this escort was the martial strength to protect the goods. Joek Sehwa of Hoyeon Martial Hall had asked Son Bin because he knew how to use a sword.

‘The Chief Manager said I don’t have to worry about it, but.’

In reality, neither the Chief Manager nor Eun Chobin seemed to expect that from Son Bin. In fact, Eun Chobin didn’t even have time to properly look at his face.

She was always busy, and when she wasn’t working, she was personally taking care of the unconscious Bureau Chief.

‘A sword, huh.’

A sword was necessary. He had Baekro, but he couldn’t dare to carry it around carelessly.

If Baekro were to appear, anyone would realize that it was no ordinary sword. Besides, Baekro wasn’t his sword.

‘Even though I use it every day.’

Son Bin let out a self-deprecating smile. Waking up in the middle of the night and wielding the sword under the moonlight had become an indispensable part of his routine.

It wasn’t that he didn’t wonder what he was doing, but at least when he wielded the sword, he could escape from everything and be free.

The anxiety, the fear, and the loneliness.

‘Hmm. Should I buy another sword?’

He pondered for a moment, but not for long. After all, he couldn’t bring Baekro on the escort.

‘I can just hide Baekro somewhere in the house.’

Son Bin turned around from his path home. If it was a blacksmith in Cheongwon, they would probably have a sword.

∴

Clang, clang.

Listening to the sound of hammering metal, Son Bin entered a place labeled ‘Jeongnyeon Blacksmith.’

The sound of metal came from the backyard, and agricultural tools and implements were arranged by type near the entrance.

‘Hmm.’

Son Bin looked around the blacksmith shop but couldn’t find a sword. Small knives were visible, but there were no long swords that Son Bin was looking for.

“Looking for something?”

A thick voice suddenly spoke. A middle-aged man with a sturdy build appeared.

Judging by his attire, which looked like he had just come from hammering metal, he seemed to be the blacksmith here.

“Do you have any swords?”

“A sword?”

The blacksmith frowned slightly.

“There are small swords over there. If you’re looking for small daggers for women’s self-defense, there are a few over there.”

“Not that, I’m looking for a long sword.”

The blacksmith scanned Son Bin up and down with suspicious eyes.

As Son Bin looked at him with puzzled eyes, the blacksmith scratched his head, went to a corner, rummaged around, and took out two long swords.

“Here you go.”

Son Bin took the two swords he offered. Both were shabby, with worn-out scabbards and covered in dust, making them look unimpressive.

They felt cheap, but he decided to check them out anyway.

‘Hmm.’

The sword didn’t come out easily, so he had to apply a little force. With a click, the sword revealed itself.

Swish.

‘Oh.’

Son Bin was inwardly impressed.

It was definitely a common iron sword that could be found anywhere, but it was by no means a cheaply made one.

‘Not bad? The blade is straight, too…’

The blade was straight and the surface of the sword was clean and even.

‘The feel is good, too.’

Holding the sword, Son Bin lightly slashed through the air.

Whoosh.

The blade cut through the air, making a sound. It was easy to handle and well-balanced, which he quite liked.

“You’re good.”

A voice suddenly came from behind. It was the middle-aged blacksmith who had been watching Son Bin’s actions.

“At that rate, you won’t hurt yourself with your own sword.”

“Do you have any other swords?”

Son Bin asked. If the blacksmith’s skill was this good, he thought there might be a better-made sword.

“No.”

The blacksmith replied in a blunt voice.

“Not many people look for swords here. If you go to Gwangju, there are places that only make and sell swords and knives.”

“Is that so?”

There was no time to go to Gwangju now. Son Bin once again lightly swung the sword in his hand.

‘It’s a decent sword, but… it’s a bit lacking.’

Son Bin couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Of course, he didn’t expect a sword comparable to Baekro, but since the sword he had been holding was Baekro, this one didn’t quite measure up.

Moreover, it seemed like it could be a much better sword if he put in a little more effort, which made it even more so.

“Is it possible to place a custom order?”

Son Bin asked with regret. He was thinking of coming back later to pick it up, even if it wasn’t right away.

“It is, but it won’t be much different from that one.”

The blacksmith said in his still-blunt voice.

“No matter what I make, no matter how much it costs, doing my best when hammering the iron is my motto.”

‘Ah.’

The blacksmith’s words struck a chord with Son Bin.

“I see.”

Son Bin sheathed the sword he was holding. The blacksmith noticed that Son Bin didn’t like the sword and turned to leave.

“Leave the sword there.”

“I’ll take this one.”

The blacksmith, who was about to leave, frowned and looked at Son Bin.

“I like it. It’s a good sword.”

“Hmm.”

The blacksmith, who was looking at Son Bin, muttered to himself.

“I’ll give you a discount.”

“Thank you.”

Son Bin smiled. The blacksmith maintained his blunt expression even while receiving the money.

With that, Son Bin left the blacksmith shop with his newly purchased sword.

‘A new sword…’

Although it didn’t measure up to Baekro, Son Bin was quite pleased with his new sword and returned home with a light heart.