Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 209

It was a real problem that there were so many heartless bastards in the world.

“If they were scammed out of their savings, how are they managing to live?”

“Fortunately, they have connections with Siyeongwon [a women’s community]. They seem to be getting by working at Siwolgak [a business run by Siyeongwon], but they’re worried about the future.”

“Well, of course, they’re worried. But if they can rely on Siyeongwon for now, it seems like it’ll be alright.”

“Yes, that’s what she’s saying too. But she’s very shocked that her cousin, whom she’s relied on since she was young, would do such a thing.”

It’s always more shocking to be betrayed by someone you trusted than by someone you never trusted in the first place…

“What does this cousin do?”

“She doesn’t really know. He showed up after a long time and said he would make them live in luxury soon, making only empty promises…”

“Oh, dear…”

I clicked my tongue without realizing it. Compulsive lying is hard to cure.

“There was also a woman he was supposed to marry, but the family went bankrupt, and it naturally fell apart. He made excuses, saying he had suffered a lot in many ways.”

“To extort money from a young cousin he hasn’t seen in years… Even if his family hadn’t gone bankrupt, the woman should have run away from him.”

“I agree.”

“Is the place where they used to live okay?”

“They say he took everything, so she came to Siyeongwon.”

What is going on?

“Oh, my. Did she report it to the police?”

“Well, she’s hoping that maybe her cousin will change his mind and come back… Or maybe something happened to him.”

“I don’t think you should be so optimistic about it. But it might be better for her mental health.”

Oh, my. People are too soft-hearted. They need to be a little tougher to survive in this harsh world.

“Those kinds of guys should be caught and made to do hard labor…”

“I agree. They won’t even reflect on their actions.”

“Her younger brother is growing up and eats a lot these days. Really.”

The three of us started lamenting where they couldn’t hear us.

People’s hearts are so strange that some people get upset when you criticize even the person who scammed them, just because they’re family.

Even if that weren’t the case, talking about it from the sidelines isn’t good for mental health.

“Cheonho didn’t know either?”

“I told you, I don’t see them that often. But I didn’t know, even though he frequented Siyeongwon, if not Siwolgak. Well, there are so many people in that neighborhood.”

“Have the number of people increased that much?”

I roughly knew that they were building new houses and the scale was getting bigger.

“The area around Siyeongwon is so scarce in men that if a man comes in, he stands out, but women don’t really stand out. The people who live there would know, though.”

“Ah. The female ratio is still high. Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

“From the beginning, many women come in. But the boys who came to Siyeongwon when they were young have grown up a lot, so there are quite a few in Siyeongwon, but not so many in the vicinity of Siyeongwon.”

How did it end up like this?

Since some time ago, the area around Siyeongwon became known as a good place for women to live alone, and gradually, people with nowhere to turn started combining their houses and combining their lives, and the number gradually increased.

“But recently, I heard that children from Siyeongwon have grown up and are getting married and moving out.”

“Ah, I heard that too.”

Whether it was on purpose or not, as soon as the news that I was starting to grow up spread, the children who had become independent with franchise taverns suddenly got married one after another.

I thought the kids running taverns would get married soon, but unexpectedly, they didn’t.

‘Did you really wait because of me?’

You don’t have to be so considerate…

I also sent congratulatory money to the married kids. I wanted to go in person, but they got married one after another, and I was too busy at the time, and most of all, I was so sleepy that I couldn’t attend, but they all smiled and said it was okay.

I heard that the couple visited Lady Min before the wedding to say hello.

Of course, in most cases, both the man and woman were from Siyeongwon.

Women who grew up in Siyeongwon often had a strong aversion to men they met outside of Siyeongwon.

There were no children who didn’t know that the common sense inside Siyeongwon and the common sense outside were different, and many children were bitter because they didn’t want to create a reason to return to Siyeongwon.

‘Boys who grew up in Siyeongwon are relatively gentle and less violent.’

There are some kids who cause trouble from time to time, but boys who grew up in a female-dominated society where women’s rights are strong are generally more gentle and quiet than those who didn’t.

Sometimes, in a gender imbalance situation, people mistakenly believe that the minority will become the dominant party, but the reality is the opposite. The opinion of the majority becomes stronger, and it becomes difficult for the minority to resist, so they naturally become the subordinate party.

Considering that the opportunity to raise women’s rights was unexpectedly the absence of men due to war, it was not a strange thing.

Thanks to the children who got married one after another, the strange rumor that Nana and Lady Min were teaching the children not to get married seemed to have been dispelled.

Rather, there was even an atmosphere of subtly praising them, saying that the children of Siyeongwon knew the loyalty to the Princess’s household.

In fact, there are many women who ran away from men because of men in Siyeongwon, and there are many women who came in because it was difficult to live alone, so even now, there are many guys who joke around, saying it’s a widow village.

Everyone in Siyeongwon learns self-defense, so if they get caught, they are very likely to get beaten up.

“Hmm… it seems like it’s still too much of a female-dominated group.”

“Isn’t that a bad thing? Isn’t it better than just men being together?”

“Well, that’s true.”

It can’t be helped. Even among the children who lived in Siyeongwon as children and became independent after becoming adults, the proportion of men is relatively high.

Independence is due to economic reasons, but it seems that there is a great fear of women living alone outside of Siyeongwon.

Yeah, well… it’s a dangerous world…

They need a guardian, and it’s not difficult for me to lend my name.

“The business at Siwolgak is mostly finished, so I should go to Siyeongwon now.”

“You’ve been too neglectful of Siyeongwon because you’ve been busy these days.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m still a bit sleepy, so it’s a bit hard to go around.”

I lamented as I climbed onto Jeok-a [her horse].

To be honest, it’s not that enjoyable to ride a horse when it’s hot and humid.

What’s enjoyable about watching a horse pant and walk?

Cheonho said something similar.

“Now that it’s getting hotter, it’s going to be hard to carry the young lady around on my back… This is a big problem.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

Why do I feel like Cheonho is speaking for Jeok-a’s heart?

But it’s not strange. Cheonho or Soi still carry me on their backs or hold me for a while after I fall asleep shortly after eating, and then lay me down, so it’s not strange to worry about that in hot weather.

“Hmm, that’s right. For a while, it’s going to be hot, so should we fill a place with cool water and go inside?”

“That would be a big problem in its own way…”

“Just soak your feet, just your feet.”

I hate summer. It’s hot and sticky, food spoils quickly, and I can’t wear short sleeves.

‘Should I really run away to Gangwon-do [a mountainous province in Korea]?’

But there are bugs in Gangwon-do in the summer… Sizes I can’t handle.

Leaving behind the people who were preparing to leave for Gangwon-do, we headed to Siyeongwon.

Since siblings have come to Siyeongwon, there are things to tell them about the new family members.

‘She still seems to trust her cousin, but she’ll definitely get scammed again later.’

Originally, bad guys are good at recognizing innocent and gullible people.

And gullible… Unfortunately, innocent and kind people get scammed and then get scammed again.

Even if they don’t get scammed, they get extorted.

‘Lady Min was also someone who was extorted by her brother before coming to Siyeongwon.’

The problem is that even if you’re not gullible, there are cases where you can’t escape due to the structure.

In this case, blood ties are really the enemy.

Considering that the siblings at Siwolgak relied on their cousin when they were young, there is a possibility that the cousin abandoned taking care of his siblings and ran away.

It’s unfortunate… But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to cheat young children who are struggling to make a living.

‘Ugh. What is life?’

In fact, I wasn’t going to Siyeongwon because of those siblings.

This time, many people from Siyeongwon were scheduled to be dispatched to Gangwon-do.

I don’t know who will go, but I should say hello in advance. You never know what will happen later.

When I went to Siyeongwon after a long time, an unexpected and enthusiastic greeting awaited me.

“Young Lady! Oh my goodness!!”

“Ah, uh? Jia?”

It was Jia, who had been away from Siyeongwon for a long time because of the smallpox vaccination.

When I gestured to Cheonho, who was trying to stop Jia from rushing at me, to step back, Jia ran up to me, hugged me tightly, and started sobbing.

‘Oh, did something happen?’

She had been wandering in other areas for quite a long time, so of course, there would be difficult things… I thought until then, but then I realized it when I saw the people of Siyeongwon around me all wearing happy faces.

It was just a reunion of emotion. More than anything…

“You’ve really grown a lot.”

“Um. Somehow, Jia didn’t see me.”

“Really. I only heard that you would get better, that Doctor Sehwa was treating you, but you’ve grown up like this while I haven’t seen you.”

But I was still much smaller than Jia, so Jia easily picked me up.

What on earth has she been doing that she seems to have gotten stronger?

Jia, who had done more work than I had ordered, grumbled at me for no reason.

“You only give me work to do…”

“There aren’t many people I can trust to give work to, you know?”

“You always say that.”

No. It’s really rare to find a talent who does well no matter what you ask them to do.

I comforted Jia, saying she had worked hard.

In fact, not only Jia but quite a few people returned to Siyeongwon after a long time.

“I’m glad you came back before it got too hot.”

“I tried to come back before the rainy season. It would be a big problem if the road was cut off by floods in the middle.”

Even though they’ve all grown up, they started telling me about their experiences like little children because I was there.

I like listening to stories, so I tend to listen quietly.

Ah, there’s no radio in this neighborhood. The opportunity to hear stories from kids who have gone far away is not that common.

Behind them, adults, including Lady Min, were watching me surrounded by children (around their early to mid-20s) and listening to stories with happy faces.

“Jia is amazing. Whenever there is a lawsuit wherever she goes, she steps up and helps.”

“I don’t know how she memorizes that thick legal code.”

“Among the people who met Jia, there may be people who just think of Jia as a foreign lawyer [someone from outside the community who knows the law]?”

The children who were with her were praising her here and there, but Jia shook her head with a calm face as if she was already used to it.

“It’s not that great. It’s just that I have a good memory.”

“That’s great!”

“She wins the lawsuit and turns around confidently! Everyone looks at her with great respect!”

What should I do? I feel like I should buy them some alcohol. They’re already drunk on the atmosphere without even drinking.

“Well, she saved them from losing their land and house, so she’s a benefactor.”

“She even stopped them from being sold as slaves.”

“Jia is amazing.”

When I added a word, the children writhed, saying, ‘Keeeueueue~’.

I really feel like I should feed them some alcohol.

‘Everyone doesn’t drink in front of me, so I can’t help it.’

I’m a very young child anyway, even though I’ve grown up a bit now, so everyone doesn’t drink in front of me, so it seems like there’s been a rule that they’ve set among themselves for a long time.

I need to grow up quickly and buy them some alcohol…

It was a heartwarming story, but in the end, there was also a sound of resentment.

“Ugh! But after helping them like that, I hear them say, ‘Marry my son!'”

“I really don’t know where they’re trying to push their son who secretly gambles and makes gambling debts. It’s really absurd!!”

“No, I really wanted to go back and overturn the verdict! Take it all back!”