“I’m so hungry, it’s pathetic.”
This is a fact I’ve felt deeply after living as a barbarian in this world for a whole year, looking like a beggar.
One meal, miss one; two meals, miss one; next, three meals, miss one. When was the last time I ate? I’m hungry. So very hungry. If it goes in my mouth, I want to shove anything in.
Hunger gnaws at your mind.
Had I not been able to strengthen my body and hone my mind with the knowledge of the world I fell into, I might have already fallen off the wrong path.
“Did everyone have lunch?”
After closing time, I gathered the staff and stood before them.
“……”
No one answered. Those staff members struggling to make ends meet were avoiding my gaze.
“I understand there are those who skipped lunch. We set a specific time for you to eat.”
Starting off with a problem statement, I said this looking disappointed, lowering my gaze.
“Are you gathering us to return our lunch time, for those who aren’t eating?”
“No way? We want lunch too.”
A sense of unease spread among the employees. After all, in a world where there’s no lunch break as a work privilege, it’s only right to feel anxious.
Even for a place where you’re paid to eat three meals a day, many work while just gnawing on an onion during lunch break.
I understand their unease, but I didn’t gather them to declare a lunch time confiscation.
“I know why you’re skipping lunch.”
Anxiety can also be a form of interest. By showing I understand the problem, I gathered all their attention towards me through a statement that would alleviate it.
They still have a long way to go for payday. Even when payday comes, they wouldn’t be able to afford lunch.
I understand your situations. Now, the staff must be curious about what the manager is about to say.
What words will come from my mouth?
“I’ve made a contract with the nearby inn for lunch. If you say you come from Da Seogak, they will serve you a meal.”
Of course, that’s great news.
“They said they’ll provide meals…?”
“Really?!”
“Even successful post officials buy their own lunch?”
“Is this like a scholarship benefit?”
The staff looked at me in disbelief, eyes wide open.
“I’ll be covering all expenses from my own pocket. If you’re hungry, you can’t work well. Go eat at the nearby inn.”
I was already looking out for Im Ha-yeon’s meals; this isn’t a big deal.
“Just bring it back for tonight.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Taking care of the employees is the manager’s duty.”
“Ugh!”
As the daughter of a benefactor, she doesn’t want help, but as an employee, she’s okay with it. She tries to find reasons for help she’s going to receive anyway.
Wouldn’t it be nice if she were just purely happy like the other employees?
“Providing lunch as part of the bloodline salary is great.”
Hmm. Salary comes from the literary association. I got a discount saying we’re going to have group meals, too.
“Are you sure the manager isn’t a foreigner who doesn’t know?”
“Providing lunch during lunchtime makes me wonder if I’m not at Da Seogak anymore.”
“Hey, even the ones managing go without lunch or buy their own.”
“Oh my gosh.”
The staff smiled with joy.
It’s too early to be surprised.
“And there’s one more thing I’m going to provide.”
To inform about another employee benefit, I called out loudly through the joyful atmosphere.
“Another?!”
“What on earth?!”
Now, here’s the main point.
I scanned the astonished staff and pulled out an item from behind the luggage I had set down.
“From now on, I’ll be providing work uniforms.”
If you’ve become a Da Seogak employee, you must wear a uniform.
“Are you saying you’ll provide clothes too?”
“I told you to come dressed decently at first, but then a slightly different problem arose.”
I said this while looking grimly at the dirty clothes of the staff who had been working for the past few days.
They all thought they could eat lunch in decent clothes since they arrived at Da Seogak, but the reality was they showed up in their best outfits from my previous days of negotiating.
“Hahaha…”
“I’ll have comfortable and tidy uniforms made for the male employees. You must wear the uniforms while on duty.”
“Will the female employees wear different clothes?”
That’s a good point.
Actually, this is why I gathered everyone. I have something important to announce.
“From now on, the female employees on the second floor will wear these clothes.”
I held up a luxurious black outfit made from fine fabric before the staff.
“What’s that?”
The identity of the black outfit I held up.
A treasure of the Central Plains.
The greatest invention of the Huaxia civilization.
A dress that contains everything in this world.
Its name is…
“Qipao.”
———
Qipao.
Also known as cheongsam, it’s a dress that any character from China is sure to wear alongside a bun.
With sleeveless designs to emphasize beauty and a daring side slit on the lower body that reveals enticing thighs, it accentuates the beautiful curves of a feminine figure.
One American First Lady remarked that after seeing the qipao, she understood why birthrates were high in China; it’s the embodiment of an outfit that arouses male hearts.
Da Seogak is in the Central Plains.
What ought to be the uniform for Da Seogak?
Naturally, it had to be the qipao.
My logic shot like a three-stage booster into the sky.
‘I never imagined it would be crazily expensive.’
Making them out of expensive silk caused my eyes to spin in disbelief.
Moreover, what I ordered was a modernized version of the dress. No wonder special orders raise the price even higher.
I nearly let my logic booster explode in midair.
If the second-floor employees weren’t all beauties, I would have given up.
It’s a worthwhile investment. The impact would surely be immense. After much deliberation, I decided to contract and got a sample dress delivered.
“Qipao?”
“I’ve never seen that dress before?”
“Isn’t it Hu clothing?”
The qipao is a Manchu garment. Since I modified it, of course, it might look exotic.
“It is a dress from another country, but it’s also worn in northern regions.”
To prevent any arising prejudices, I corrected the misunderstandings. Since it’s made of silk, it might not be familiar, but it’s also worn by wealthy families in this martial arts romance world.
“Is that a barbarian dress?”
“A barbarian dress?!”
The staff displayed reluctance, crinkling their faces at the word.
Anytime the word “barbarian” comes up, they frown. The barbarian stigma in this world is unavoidable.
In the past, I might have said, “Sorry for the barbarian, I’ll give up.” But now I have no intention of stepping back.
“You dislike that it’s a barbarian outfit?”
I looked at the staff with apparent disappointment.
Now, I’ve thrown a delicious bait. What fish will nibble?
“Of course! How can a woman from the Central Plains wear barbarian clothing…”
“You idiot!”
Too late. I’ll reel it in right now.
“Since it’s barbarian clothing you dislike, you must despise obeying a barbarian’s commands even more.”
Where do you think the manager of the Da Seogak is from?
Disliking barbarian clothing equates to disliking me.
“That’s not…”
Let’s spring this to life! I started with the resentment against barbarian stigma regardless of the employee’s response.
“I hired you as employees to provide hope for those in hardship, regardless of your hair color! I’m providing lunch! And clothes! Yet you’re rejecting it because it’s something a barbarian might wear?! I don’t need individuals like that. Get out now. I’ll give you the wages for the work you’ve done.”
With a firm gaze, I pointed to the Da Seogak entrance.
“I’m sorry!!! I didn’t mean it like that!!!”
The staff member who dismissed the barbarian insult recoiled, bowing deeply towards me as if his face would touch the ground.
The rest of the employees, realizing their mistake, remained silent and observed the situation.
This is a righteous punishment.
“Once only. Should I ever hear of more barbarian discrimination, I won’t stand for it.”
In other places, you might get away with refusing to wear barbarian attire, but saying you won’t wear it here is utterly unacceptable. Do you understand?
“I won’t say that again!”
“Does anyone else have something to say?”
I surveyed the other employees with a warning gaze.
“I do.”
One female employee from the second floor raised her hand.
“Speak.”
Please don’t say, “Since you’re a barbarian, I don’t want to wear it.” That would genuinely hurt my feelings.
Fortunately, the second-floor employee mentioned something different than I expected.
“Isn’t this too revealing for the figure? Only shameless courtesans wear such things.”
With one brow furrowed, the female employee pointed at the qipao.
Yes. This outfit does entice customers to come over. How can I respond to that? As I mulled over it, I heard her muttering under her breath, only loud enough for me to hear.
“That’s not true… What does she think courtesans are?”
Im Ha-yeon seemed displeased with the rude remark about courtesans, whispering something the female employee couldn’t catch while glaring at her.
The female employee continued, unaware of Ha-yeon’s words.
“I am not a shameless courtesan; I am a scholar. And wearing such clothing would attract too much attention to the dull figures among the employees.”
The female employee cast a sidelong glance at Im Ha-yeon while saying this. Dull body figure, huh? That’s actually a voluptuous figure.
Is it that an educated scholar feels the need to be modest? Then I have something to say.
“Calling courtesans shameless? In the northern regions, noblewomen wear garments like this. Do the other employees think the same way?”
Do you know how much it costs to make this dress?
“I want to wear silk clothes!”
Ha So-so’s eyes sparkled at the silk-made qipao as she cheerfully exclaimed. Good. That’s the reaction I wanted. That’s one vote secured.
“What about you, Ha-yeon? Do you think the qipao is nothing but a shameless barbarian dress?”
I subtly switched the “shameless courtesan” remark to “shameless barbarian.” Courtesans and barbarians, putting us in a comparable position to pull a vote.
I asked Im Ha-yeon, who had been looking displeased at me and the female employee.
Im Ha-yeon. Speak well. Do you know how much I’ve done for you?
Im Ha-yeon, with a sullen face, looked back and forth between me and the female employee, then finally opened her mouth as if decided.
“If you’ve never seen a courtesan in person, don’t speak carelessly about attire. If a courtesan wants to seduce, she would wear bolder clothing than this. This is merely a beautiful garment. Hmph! Of course, it’s a fit for those confident in their figure.”
I guess she must not have liked the courtesan insult. Im Ha-yeon spoke toward the female employee with a somewhat displeased voice.
“Sigh. Since everyone’s saying this, I’ll wear it. Also, Manager, I didn’t say it like that regarding the barbarian.”
In the end, the female employee lowered her head in surrender, declaring her defeat.
Good. Now the uniform of Da Seogak will be the qipao!
“Why are you treating us like this, even digging into your own pocket?”
As I silently cheered in my heart, one employee raised her hand high to ask.
Why, you ask?
“Because you’re my employees.”
The glory of Da Seogak is my glory.
As you all wear your uniforms and eat lunch at the inn, rumors will spread that the manager of Da Seogak provides lunch to student workers.
Beyond the literary association, my reputation will echo in Yichang.
Da Seogak is doing this, and all of you are building my prestige. Of course, it’s more fulfilling since it’s a good deed.
With a smile on my face, I opened my mouth to the mesmerized staff.
“I will enforce strict punishments as well as rewards. And from tomorrow, the entrance fee for the second floor will be halved, and there will be discounts on books as well. Let’s all work hard.”
“Yes! We will work hard!”
———
Barbarian clothing. Qipao. But beauty knows no borders.
“Hohhh. What… kind of new world is this?”
Though it’s the clothing I decided on, the power of the qipao was utterly destructive.
“Where do I even look?”
“Just look at the book, right?”
“How can you say something so harsh?!”
The female employees wearing black qipaos were alluring like magnets, attracting customers.
“Manager Kang, I have a major dilemma.”
“Sir Son, if you ask for a matchmaker again, you’ll be ousted.”
“No, that’s not it. While the qipao looks good, strangely, I’m more drawn to them wearing white aprons.”
The qipao is expensive silk attire. It costs a fortune to wash. Eventually, after considerable thought, I instructed them to wear frilly white aprons to deal with any potential mess.
Draped in black qipaos and white aprons, it evoked a specific appeal.
I smiled and responded to Sir Son.
“Mae-iytou (妹夷头) attire is definitely alluring.”
“Mae-iytou?”
“A dress worn by exotic women while doing household chores is called maeytou attire. Women’s beauty is visible not just in their appearance but also in how they handle household chores, right? I understand.”
Seeing both the black qipao and white apron, oh, what a genius thought of such an idea. They deserve praise.
“Wow. Exotic places have wonderful cultures.”
With the entrance fee and book discounts, the enhanced motivation from employee benefits, and the addition of qipaos.
Customers began to flock back to Da Seogak energetically.
———
“Ha-yeon? Is something up on the first floor? The ingredients for dinner are on the tea table inside.”
As I was giving instructions to the first-floor staff, Im Ha-yeon, dressed in a black qipao, approached me.
“That’s not why I’m here. Here, I brought this.”
Ha-yeon handed me a box. Where did it go?
“I forgot to take it to the printing shop.”
“Let me take care of that. You’re busy.”
“No, I will take it.”
I declined her again, holding the box tightly.
“Going to the printing shop is nothing serious.”
“No, it is a very, very big deal. So you should go back.”
“What exactly is the reason you can’t go to the printing shop?”
A reason?
There’s a rather huge one.
Since Da Seogak has made the news, I now need to prepare to soar.
“Currently, the third volume of ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ is in print.”
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