Episode 178. The one who flies above the one who runs
The goon spoke to Yeonjeokha and Gucheonnodo Simtong, who were hesitating.
“As you can see, inns are originally expensive. Here, they are only charging 20,000 nyang for something that costs only 20,000 nyang. You can’t buy an inn for 20,000 nyang anywhere. It might be different if you’re in the mountains or in the desert.”
Yeonjeokha and Simtong did not refute.
Since I had been looking at the guest houses all afternoon, I had a rough idea of the prices.
Simtong took his hand off his temple.
His face, free from his worries, shone like that of a liberated person.
Green Forest doesn’t think long term.
Since surprise attacks and robberies are always followed by counterattacks, a split-second decision can determine life or death.
If you live like that for a long time, you will end up making impulsive decisions about everything. You will become a person who makes quick decisions and has strong drive.
The pain was typical of a green forest.
‘Let’s admit it, even if it’s dirty. With the money that Confucius and I have now, we can only afford an inn of this level. For now, let’s at least make Confucius’s dream come true.’
Of course I know the guest house is in bad shape.
Shouldn’t you accept that, given that you’re giving up your own base running for the time being?
This is the best we can do for now, and we can deal with the rest later.
“Confucius.”
Yeonjeokha shook her head after seeing Simtong’s gaze.
“Don’t say anything.”
“Don’t you know that you shouldn’t put off until tomorrow what you should do today?”
“You don’t have to do it now.”
“If you just find a roommate, you can just keep lounging around. You can just hire someone to clean the room.”
“Old Man Shim. Are you serious? Can you say something like that after seeing this guesthouse?”
“It is meaningful that Confucius dreamed of becoming a guest house. What about the state of affairs? Isn’t being a guest house not everything in Confucius’s life?”
The story went in a slightly strange direction, but somehow the romance was understandable.
If you think about it, the guest house isn’t everything to him.
The guest house is just an auxiliary means to entertain oneself.
I looked around once again, my mind wandering.
The dirty, gloomy interior and musty smell were still there, but the shock was less.
“… … .”
Simtong knew that Yeonjeokha was in conflict.
He has thin ears, so if you just say a few more words, he will follow along even if he doesn’t feel like it.
Simtong turned his head to his master.
“If there is anything good about this inn, please tell me.”
“Our inn is the only one that is three zhang (about 9 meters) away from the Yellow River. During the day, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Yellow River, and at night, you can rest while listening to the sound of the water flowing. Moreover, because it is in a quiet place, no one from Heukdo Breakwater comes to collect protection fees.”
In fact, the Yellow River is far from beautiful because its water is cloudy.
Moreover, the area where the guest house is located is a rapid area, so you should hear a stronger sound than ‘dripping’.
And it is a place where even the Black Sea breakwaters give up on visitors.
The broker chimed in.
“If you see the view of the mist rising from the water in the morning, you will find yourself saying that it is truly spectacular.”
It is true that the muddy water is barely visible when covered by fog. However, it is useless because you cannot see in front of you with that much fog. Of course, outsiders would never think about such things.
The initial stubborn momentum of the relationship was abandoned.
As I listened to the story of the innkeeper, the broker, and the hostess, my heart softened.
I think that with that level of advantage, I could overcome the dirtiness.
“Ha! Old Man Shim, let’s stay for a day and then talk again.”
“Okay, prepare two clean rooms. And will you be staying here too?”
The broker nodded at Simtong’s question.
“Yes, it’s late at night, so I think it would be better to stay overnight. Don’t worry about my expenses. The room rates here are cheap, so it doesn’t matter if you stay for a few days.”
“Okay, let’s talk again tomorrow morning. By the way, sir?”
“yes?”
“We haven’t had dinner yet. Is it time to eat?”
“That’s a little difficult right now because we’re out of fresh ingredients. Can you buy some in the morning and make it for me?”
“I’m not asking you to cook something fancy. Even simple noodles will do. You can’t sleep on an empty stomach, right? Prepare it and serve it.”
“Oh, yes. If it’s to that extent, I’ll do it right away.”
The owner, who was trying to rest because he was annoyed, quickly changed his position at Simtong’s command. It seemed like he wouldn’t give up until he put something in his mouth.
After a while, the owner brought out three bowls of sogihoe noodles.
The oily broth made from pork and lamb spines was accompanied by a nice mix of baby-palm sized pieces of noodles and vegetables.
I scooped up a piece of noodles and some vegetables.
The vegetables were wilted, just as the owner had said, but I didn’t mind since they were boiled in meat broth anyway.
Maybe it was because I had been wandering around the guesthouse all afternoon, but the drink went down my throat very smoothly.
After finishing the meal, the broker followed his master up to the second floor’s accommodations.
Yeonjeokha muttered while drinking tea.
“I don’t know if this is a good thing.”
“Don’t worry. You’re doing great. I think you just need to call in a skilled maid.”
“But it’s better than wild vegetables, right?”
“Oh my! Of course. How can a mountain village be a place for people to live? If you were to run an inn, everyone would scream and say, ‘Come down from the mountain.’”
“That’s true.”
If you ask bandits, “Do you want to be an innkeeper? Do you want to stay in a mountain lodge?”, any of them will say they want to be an innkeeper.
After chatting for a while, the two people went up to this floor under the owner’s guidance.
Yeonjeokha’s expression as she entered the room was indifferent.
The room was in a slightly better condition than when I first saw it, perhaps because I had cleaned it up a bit. No, maybe I just got used to it and felt that way.
The next morning.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I went outside.
The idea is to check whether the view is as good as the owner and broker said.
“Oh oh!”
It seems like heaven is helping the innkeeper.
The view of the riverside with mist rising slightly above the river was exquisite.
It was as if clouds were swirling around the inn.
While walking along the riverbank, I discovered a huge rock.
It resembled the rock on the highest peak of Mt. Obong where he used to sit and practice.
I feel a strange connection.
He leapt up onto the rock.
As I climbed up the rock, I saw mist flowing down about 3 jang (about 9 meters) below.
The sound of water was loud under the rock, perhaps because it was where the rapids crashed. It seemed like the source of the sound I heard last night was here.
The back was covered with thick forest, making it feel like we were in a deep forest.
He stood there blankly for a while, lost in thought.
Honestly, I didn’t really care about the guest house.
The important thing is not to waste the money you have saved up, and to continue to be idle in the future. The guest house was just one means to satisfy all of that.
“Your Majesty, you came out early. What do you think? As I said, the view is superb, isn’t it?”
When Yeonjeokha looked down, there was a broker standing there.
“That’s right. I like the outside scenery much more than the inside.”
“Well, that’s right. There’s no guest house this cheap. You won’t regret buying it. The previous owner was lazy, but if you work hard, you’ll soon be rich.”
The couple smiled sheepishly.
I don’t live to make money, but that’s how I look to the brokers.
Yeonjeokha turned her gaze towards the river again.
The goon looked at Yeonjeokha standing on the ‘suicide rock’ for a while and then quietly turned around.
After about 20 minutes (about 20 minutes)?
After admiring the view, Yeonjeok came down from the rock and walked to the inn.
As I entered the guest house, there were already people gathered in one place.
Yeonjeok-ha, who liked the scenery around the inn, no longer objected.
From then on, things were smooth sailing.
After a while, Simtong respectfully presented the contract that the owner had signed to Yeonjeokha.
He folded the contract neatly and put it in his bosom.
It was the first time I owned something since my hair grew out, so my heart was full.
The previous owner of the inn bowed his head.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Now that you are the master, I will not charge you for last night’s lodging. I hope your business will be prosperous and you will make a lot of money in the future.”
“You’re going back to your hometown? I hope you have a safe journey.”
“Then I will leave now. I sent my family away first and was the only one left, so I feel relieved now.”
“Elder, Master, I too will be taking my leave now. If you need any help, please contact me at any time.”
The broker who received a separate fee from Simtong also stood up.
Soon after, the former owner and the broker said goodbye and left.
As the host of the inn, I went out to the entrance of the inn and saw them off.
I only sent two people away, but suddenly the guest house feels empty.
In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that it was empty.
Because there were no outsiders except for Yeonjeokha and Simtong.
As soon as the previous owner and the broker disappeared from sight, the lovers entered the inn.
“Old Man Shim, what should we do now?”
“Of course, I should go to Gaebongseong and find a good host.”
“Do you have any money left?”
I don’t know how I can hire a maid when I’ve put in all my wealth, 20,000 nyang.
“Hehehe. Who am I? It’s not like I can fool those guys. I said 20,000 nyang in case I could negotiate the price. I set aside 500 nyang separately because I thought it would cost money to run the inn.”
“Oh! Good job. As expected from Old Man Shim.”
Yeonjeokha’s complexion brightened.
With five hundred nyang, you can hire a servant and have a stable life for several years.
Meanwhile, the faces of the broker and the former owner of the inn who were heading to Gaebongseong were blurred.
The goon and the bull were the first to burst out laughing.
“Poo-ha-ha! What kind of windfall is this? Twelve thousand nyang? Is this a dream or reality?”
The previous owner of the inn, Seok-in, asked the bull with a sinister look on his face.
“Brother Hwang, what should we do with Sosam?”
“What? You mean, no way?”
“If three people divide 2,000 nyang, each person will get 4,000 nyang. However, if two people divide it, it will be 6,000 nyang. I don’t care, so you choose.”
For a moment, the bull’s eyes wavered.
The three of them, Seok-in, So-sam, and himself, lived together and committed fraud.
But now Seok-in is suggesting that So-sam be kicked out.
Well, the youngest Sosam is someone who is worth throwing away. That kind of wind catcher can be easily found anywhere.
The bull’s worries did not last long.
“Should we just open it like this?”
“As expected! You never disappoint me. Since you said my hometown is Jeongju, I can just leave out Jeongju. Where should I go and live a comfortable life? Bokyang? Jeonyeong?”
“As long as it’s not a settlement, it’s fine!”
The bull, who had been giggling for a while, suddenly spoke as if he had remembered something.
“But they seem to be from the martial arts world. Will it be okay?”
“You bastard. Has it been a day or two since we’ve been swindling people from the martial arts world? Why are you worrying about all that? Those guys have shit in their heads. Think about that old man, bragging about being a martial arts world. They’ll never find us. How can they find us in this vast world? In a few years, they’ll even forget our faces.”
“Right? Six thousand nyang would be enough to live and play for the rest of my life. What do I do with that money?”
“If you have nothing else to do, build an inn in a small village.”
“Oh my! Don’t even mention the inn. By the way, who is the owner of the inn earlier? Do you know him?”
“I don’t know. What would I know? It was just an abandoned inn for years without an owner.”
“It will be worth seeing when the real owner returns.”
“That old man from earlier will be going in and out of the office with a fake contract until the threshold is worn down. I have to see that. Ugh.”
As the stone man licked his lips as if he was sorry, the bull shook its head.
“You are a really bad guy.”
“Hey! Brother Hwang, don’t spit while lying down.”
The two giggling swindlers turned east when they reached a fork in the road.
Wuxia,
