“Once I started ordering delivery food, I just can’t bring myself to go out and get it anymore.”
“I feel the same way. After working so hard, it’s just better to order in than to go out again!”
The culture of delivery food using the Nine Black Qi Hands was successfully established.
“Order received! Three spicy pork and one stir-fried squid!”
“One black bean sauce and one spicy seafood noodle!”
The innkeeper, who was also targeting the food business, had bought the inn at a relatively low price.
Normally, even if the inn returned to normal, it would have to do half-hearted business by giving up on lodging in residential areas, but things changed when delivery food started.
Of course, it wasn’t without its trial and error.
“There are some thieves taking the bowls I put outside.”
“We’ll shift the delivery to rough wooden bowls and ask when people will be home when delivering. If they don’t return them, we’ll just demand them back.”
“Boss, the handwriting on the order is terrible.”
“This person only eats one type of food all the time. From now on, I’ll make a separate sheet for usually ordered foods and send it along with the Nine Black Qi Hands. Just indicate the bad handwriting and we’ll know what it is.”
“Understood!”
As they continued to endure trial and error, customers and sales increased day by day.
—————–
“I’m back! What’s going on with the Sam-gu brothers?”
In my office on the third floor. Im Ha-yeon returned from her outing and was surprised to see unexpected guests in my office.
“Hello! Sister-in-law!”
“Uh, I’m not a sister-in-law. What have you been up to?”
“The Sam-gu brothers brought letters sent from Yichang. Il-gu, is everything okay at the port these days?”
I pointed to the letters that arrived at the Seocheon Post Office and asked the Sam-gu brothers about their recent activities.
“Thanks to the club leader giving us work from the Seocheon Post Office, we have more trustworthy businesses to rely on!”
That’s crazy. There’s no need to stand stiff like a pillar in the mansion.
“It’s all thanks to the club leader!”
“The Joseon people working at the port praise you every day!”
“As long as you’re doing well, that’s good. Is there anything peculiar or noteworthy happening lately?”
In business, especially from afar, information is invaluable. I asked the Sam-gu brothers just in case.
At my question, Il-gu and Sam-gu showed puzzled expressions, while Choi Il-gu, desperate to answer in place of his younger brothers, strained his brain and spoke up.
“As for peculiar happenings… Today, when unloading from a ship that arrived from Yichang, a woman popped out of a jar.”
“A woman popped out of a jar?”
At the mention of the ‘jar woman,’ I glanced over at Im Ha-yeon, who had been quietly listening beside me. Then, the gazes of all the Sam-gu brothers followed mine and focused on her.
“Why are you looking at me?!”
Just bringing back memories of the past.
“Was she a stowaway?”
I asked Il-gu.
“We thought it was treasure but then the people from the Man Geum Battlefield came and apologized. They said she was a guest who fell asleep inside because it was cozy.”
Choi Il-gu glanced at me, signaling whether he was being deceived, as he earned money for catching stowaways, while adding that they did give some money as compensation.
“Haha. What a peculiar woman.”
I knew a woman who slept well in a jar too.
“Ugh… Why are you looking at me?”
Im Ha-yeon seemed to recall old memories as she responded in a crawling voice, bowing her head low.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yes! Thanks to the club leader, everyone is working happily even during tough times!”
“Alright. Go on in.”
“Sir!”
“Im Ha-yeon, how did your outing go?”
I waved goodbye to the Sam-gu brothers as they left and then asked Im Ha-yeon, who still had her head down, if she had achieved her outing purpose.
“The people from the literature side seem to be amazed by your progress. The martial arts side is still a mystery.”
So, the martial arts side is high-risk for being caught.
“They still haven’t recognized me in the literature sector, it seems.”
It seems I have to expand my business more. I unfolded a letter piled on the table.
“But the amazed reactions are something. Can I look at the letter?”
It’s considered rude for someone else to read personal correspondence. I nodded and informed Im Ha-yeon about one of the news pieces from Yichang.
“It seems the Hao Family has come by several more times. They don’t know if you’re here or not.”
The letter mentioned that the Hao Family had faced trouble at the Seocheon Post Office and had to return after encountering a master. It was written that they barely retreated from a tense situation. Had they stayed at the printing house, Im Ha-yeon might have been dragged along.
I didn’t feel that it was necessary to tell Im Ha-yeon about information that could make her anxious.
“Then, if the literature department keeps my whereabouts a secret, I can buy more time.”
“If the business continues to go well like this, it could be resolved.”
If my business flourishes, I can gain recognition from the literature side. If they help me out, it could mediate the conflict between the martial arts and Daoist factions.
Im Ha-yeon seemed to think the same way as she smiled faintly with a glimmer of hope.
“I hope so. By the way, there are a lot of letters? It seems there are many people exchanging letters with you.”
Having slightly relieved her burden, Im Ha-yeon pointed to the pile of letters on the table and asked.
“There are letters directed to me, as well as other letters.”
I sighed as if I had a headache and shook my head.
I had instructed that all the letters meant for me should be sent to Wuhan, but I didn’t think they would send alongside other letters as well.
“Other letters?”
“Letters meant for Ho Pil.”
There was no need to send fan letters to Ho Pil.
“Why are you reading letters sent to Ho Pil?”
Im Ha-yeon squinted one eye, looking at me as if finding it strange. It’s not a misunderstanding, but it could unnecessarily pile up more misunderstandings. I have to speak carefully.
“As long as it’s not a letter from someone like Jeon Gil-san, that’s fine.”
“Ah…”
Im Ha-yeon must have remembered that Jeon Gil-san had tried to recruit Ho Pil, as she sighed softly.
“Not all letters are good.”
Most are fan letters, but occasionally, malicious comments disguised as advice also come in. They say the battle scenes recognized by the Sichuan Tang Family lack authenticity, or something like that.
“There are a lot of pink letters among the letters.”
Im Ha-yeon looked at the unusually many pink envelopes in the pile of letters and asked.
“Those are letters from a devoted reader. They send me letters saying they drew a picture of Tang Jung, or that they think the Poison Kill Space would look like this. Each time they’d send a detailed account of their thoughts on each reading.”
“She must be quite a dedicated reader.”
“Although it might stand out because of the numerous envelopes, other readers also send letters quite frequently. But since these can be read when I return to Yichang, I should tell them not to send these next time.”
I’m thankful for the encouragement, but with the issues at Man Geum Battlefield, Im Ha-yeon, and the Joseon expatriate meeting, the problems I’m holding are many, leaving no time to leisurely read letters.
“What about the letters meant for Ho Pil?”
“I’ll send them back to Yichang and show them to Ho Pil later.”
It’s just a matter of time; it’s not that I dislike seeing reader reactions.
As I busily sorted the letters that arrived for Kang Yoon-ho and Ho Pil, Im Ha-yeon continued to watch me intently.
Does she have something to say? After some hesitation, she finally made eye contact with me and opened her mouth.
“What is it?”
“… Can I also write a letter?”
“To Ho Pil?”
Maybe she wanted to send a letter after hearing that Ho Pil reads the letters.
“B-but you can’t read it!”
Im Ha-yeon said with her face slightly reddened, like a girl insisting that her diary not be read.
“Hmm…”
“I swear!”
“Alright. I swear that the shopkeeper Kang Yoon-ho will only let Ho Pil read this letter.”
“Great! I’ll write it before you send the letters back to Yichang!”
Im Ha-yeon seemed to have many things to say to Ho Pil, her face brighter than when she was talking about the Hao Family, and she rushed out the door.
What will she write?
I should take a look.
——
“Tell the innkeeper to come out!”
While reading the letter that had flown in from Yichang, I heard a commotion from the first floor.
“What’s the matter…?”
“There’s no need for the barbarian to know this!”
“Why are there so many barbarians here?!”
“Hey! What’s going to happen if the barbarian brat gets mad?!”
What’s going on?
As I tried to rise at the loud noise, one of my urgent employees with black hair burst through the door before I could even move.
“Club leader! A ruffian-looking guy is looking for you. You need to go out and check it out.”
“Let’s go.”
I stood up calmly, contrasting with the flustered look of my employee.
What’s going on? Did a martial artist come to pick a fight?
The martial arts inns are places where fights happen often, so I expanded the kitchen and reduced the tables, restructuring it to focus on delivery.
Of course, I didn’t completely give up on the inn’s original business of meals and lodging; I simply reduced its importance. Was I too naive to think fewer tables would result in fewer fights?
The employees could show anxious expressions, but if the owner did the same, everyone would feel uneasy. I maintained a composed expression as my feet burned with anxiety and rushed down to the first floor.
“Tell the innkeeper to come out!”
Are they martial artists? Even from the entrance on the second floor, I could see martial artists with swords drawn.
“I am the innkeeper.”
I approached the commotion’s protagonist, pushing through the flustered employees with a calm expression.
Huh?
Why is this guy here?
“… What are you doing here?”
The drama’s main character was someone I knew, specifically a ruffian.
“Jeon Gil-san?”
——
“Why is the one selling books at Yichang here?”
Jeon Gil-san from the Man Geum Bookstore asked me, sitting in my office with a look of anger.
“Are you asking me that as if you don’t know, or are you genuinely asking?”
Why am I here? Isn’t it because you wept and complained after I hit you and ended up here? I didn’t hide my displeasure and asked him.
“Genuinely…? Ah! You! You mentioned losing the Tea Bookstore to your grandfather!”
“Speaking of which, you seem to talk about it as though it doesn’t affect you.”
Losing a place to live in an instant must be a big deal, but for this guy, it seems it was already a thing of the past.
“Hehe. A creature that does not know its place ought to be prepared to die if it bites the tiger.”
“What? Creature?! You said too much!”
Im Ha-yeon, who was quietly listening beside me, suddenly shouted.
“Ha-yeon.”
I was going to warn him, but it was a bit too much to want to see him get beaten.
Wouldn’t it be better to beat him up a bit more? But if I beat this guy, I can’t predict how Man Geum-jeon would react.
What to do? I lightly grabbed the edge of Im Ha-yeon’s sleeve, pretending to block her for form’s sake.
“Let go. You should appreciate that I sent you back eagerly! Let me at least break a limb before we talk!”
What a tempting suggestion.
“You have no idea who this person is! How dare you act impertinently! Ack!!!”
Are they drawing swords in someone else’s business?
Even faster than the guards drawing their swords, Im Ha-yeon rushed toward the guard.
Is that a unique technique of the Gold Knot? She threw the guard against the wall with her bare hands.
“How rude are you?! With all the trouble we put in!”
The rapid development left both of the guards with blank expressions.
“Who are you?!”
A fight? I should join too.
I got ready to jump out right away. But if you draw swords here, there will be never-ending Joseon people showing up, right?
Noticing the situation, Jeon Gil-san, who was quietly watching, raised his hand to stop them.
“Now I understand the situation! Kang Yoon-ho! You came to Wuhan after losing the Tea Bookstore and are running your business with the money you have!”
That ruffian must have had enough leisure to smile at me amidst the chaotic situation.
“Get to the point quickly or get out before your limbs break.”
I don’t plan to respond.
“Well then. This might make things easier.”
Has this guy already finished stating the introduction and the main point and come up with a negotiation? Why does he seem content on his own?
“Well, it seems more likely that your limbs will break first.”
I wielded the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique. While I might not emanate the aura of a master, creating a menacing atmosphere was easy.
“Tch. I want to make a proposal that would benefit both of us!”
Jeon Gil-san clicked his tongue then shouted at me with a slightly defeated expression.
“A proposal? What kind of proposal?”
It’s as if he had no idea that I am the innkeeper here.
What on earth did he come here for? I couldn’t comprehend why he showed such unruly behavior in an inn.
If he speaks nonsense, I’ll whack him separately for the loss of the Tea Bookstore and for Ho Pil’s sake, but I patiently awaited his proposal.
“Let’s get straight to it. Hand over the business you’re running.”
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