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chapter 29
Dan-yeop is a beautiful young man.
So beautiful, even other men could feel a flutter at the sight of him.
Today, Dan-yeop stepped out into the streets with purpose.
Yesterday, he hadn’t made eye contact with anyone.
No matter how handsome a man is, if he doesn’t even glance at others, it’s hard for people to approach him.
But today was different.
He smiled brightly and met the eyes of everyone passing by.
He even gave a charming wink to anyone who looked his way.
Around 5 p.m., a young man and woman entered the main gate of the Posibang district.
They were the son and daughter of Na Jin-geum, the master of Jinbo Sangbang in the concurrent Daeanbang.
The young man, named Na Bu-gang, came from the Hyeonmu-kwan and drew the attention of many women with his refined prayers.
His younger sister, Na Geum-ryeong, received even more attention.
Her crescent-moon-shaped eyebrows framed eyes with a stark black-and-white contrast, deep like a lake. Her sharp nose and cherry-red, full lips exuded elegant yet vivid beauty.
Na Bu-gang, who preferred quiet, fanned his face with a white fan and said,
“Geum-ryeong, how about going out with a boyfriend now?”
“You have to have one first.”
“If you go out with me every day, you’ll never get a boyfriend.”
“Oh! Is that pride?”
“Ha! Or why not mingle with women your age?”
“Most of them are already married.”
“Tsk!”
Na Bu-gang clicked his tongue and strode ahead.
“Let’s go together, brother.”
Na Geum-ryeong hurried after him.
At that moment, three young ladies walked toward the siblings.
“That guy was nice, right?”
“I think he’s the most handsome in Seosi.”
“What’s Seosi? He’s probably the most handsome in all of Chang’an!”
“Did you see his eyes when he smiled? My heart stopped for a moment.”
“But he must be a clerk, right? He’s always in front of the cloth shop.”
“Definitely a clerk. His clothes looked shabby.”
“They say clothes are wings; if he had nice clothes too…”
Their conversation drew a hazy smile across the face of one of the young ladies, and her eyes met Na Bu-gang’s.
For a moment, Na Bu-gang smiled warmly.
But the young lady walked past him, expression indifferent.
“Humph, humph.”
Flustered by the unfamiliar situation, Na Bu-gang cleared his throat, and Na Geum-ryeong asked,
“What’s wrong? Something stuck in your throat?”
“No. Didn’t you hear what the ladies just said?”
“I’m not interested in that.”
“They said you’re the best in Chang’an.”
“I never said I’d look at faces.”
“Oh?”
Walking along the avenue, the siblings slowed their pace. They had noticed the young man the ladies had just mentioned.
Na Bu-gang quickly sized him up.
‘Hmm!’
He was closer to a beautiful youth than a typical man.
When their eyes met, the young man smiled and approached.
Not having heard such words before, Na Bu-gang froze for a moment.
Confucius said in the Analects:
“A person’s life must be upright. If it is not, one is merely lucky to avoid misfortune.”
Having learned morality from books, Dan-yeop confidently said,
“Sir, I grew up as an orphan without parents, raised among other orphans. Recently, I got a job at a cloth shop, and I made a wager with the owner. If I can bring customers today, I am allowed freedom to move about; if not, I must stand in front of the store all year like a stone statue. If you have the leisure, I humbly ask you to visit our cloth shop to help a junior in need. I will assist you in purchasing what you desire at a fair price.”
Na Geum-ryeong looked between her brother and the young man with astonishment.
She had never heard such words in her life.
Moreover, the shameless man didn’t even glance at her, heading straight for her brother as if it were premeditated.
Her face burned with a strange sense of defeat.
Even more amusing was Na Bu-gang’s reaction. Usually, he avoided getting involved with others, yet now he nodded immediately.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
Na Bu-gang and Na Geum-ryeong entered the Yang family’s cloth shop with Dan-yeop.
A while later, they came out. Yang-bok and Dan-yeop followed, bowing in greeting to the siblings.
Once the siblings had left, Yang-bok hurried back inside, and for some reason, Dan-yeop followed him.
Yang-bok looked at Dan-yeop curiously and asked,
“Why?”
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?”
“Promise? Ah, of course. If you can bring customers, you don’t need to stand outside the store. But you must clean morning and evening.”
“Understood. Please take care of my first customers.”
“I’ve run this shop in Seosi for thirty years. Don’t worry about trifles, just focus on your duties.”
Only then did Dan-yeop turn and go outside.
“Ha! Showing off for just one customer…”
Yang-bok muttered, but a small smile tugged at his lips.
Dan-yeop wandered Seosi, purchasing evening supplies.
He bought lard from a butcher and flour from a grain shop. The grain shop owner recommended the flour for making hobyeong (a type of bread).
Carrying lard and flour back to the Yang family cloth shop, he began cleaning as instructed.
By early evening, Dan-yeop returned to Boseonbang and prepared dinner.
Despite frequent trips to the kitchen, the old man who promised to teach him hobyeong never appeared.
‘Seems like he’s sulking because I won’t cook together,’ Dan-yeop thought with a bitter smile.
“I’m not incapable of making it myself,” he muttered.
Using the grain shop owner’s instructions, he fired up the stove, coated the pot lightly with lard, and spread the dough thinly.
The hobyeong was done quickly.
Next, following yesterday’s lesson, he prepared baekchae-tang (a soup).
Bringing the hobyeong and baekchae-tang to the table, he ate leisurely.
It felt… peaceful.
Although the morning had felt bleak, he now had the luxury to think about the future.
‘I must train my martial arts in any spare time.’
Being well-fed didn’t mean he could slack off. In a world of survival-of-the-fittest, he didn’t know when he might encounter masters and had to strengthen his skills.
After eating, Dan-yeop surveyed the surroundings for martial arts training. The old man’s house was secluded, so no one would see him. Still, he moved to the backyard to be safe.
While he trained, footsteps sounded in the yard.
‘Is that the old man?’
But that thought didn’t last long.
“Old man!”
Hearing someone call out, Dan-yeop hurried to the front yard.
There, his eyes met those of a man in his thirties standing on the porch.
The man spoke first.
“Who are you?”
Seeing the water jar in the yard, Dan-yeop guessed his identity.
“I’m Dan-yeop, newly arrived in the small room yesterday. Are you the one who sells water?”
“That’s right. Ma-deung. Where’s the old man?”
“I don’t know. I came early evening, and he wasn’t there either.”
“Tsk! Probably went to a tavern again.”
He placed a bundle on the table and said to Dan-yeop,
“Little brother, let’s have a drink.”
Dan-yeop gladly sat opposite Ma-deung—not for drinking, but to become acquainted with a fellow household member.
Seeing Ma-deung take out a bottle of liquor and dumplings from the bundle, Dan-yeop quickly fetched two teacups.
Ma-deung poured qu-ju (fermented grain liquor) into the empty cups.
“You’re lucky to eat well. What do you do, little brother?”
“I do odd jobs at a cloth shop.”
“Which district? Seosi?”
“Yes, the Yang family cloth shop in Posibang, Seosi.”
“Ah, Posibang. Is the work tolerable?”
“So-so. I heard the old man earns well. Is that true?”
Upon hearing “older brother,” Ma-deung relaxed and spoke casually.
“Selling water is seasonal. Summer is good, but the rest of the year is slow. Winter is tough.”
Dan-yeop nodded in understanding.
Apparently, the old man’s business looked good in Ma-deung’s eyes. If it were truly lucrative, everyone would flood the market, leaving little profit.
They drank and ate dumplings together. Afterward, Ma-deung went inside tired, and Dan-yeop took a night walk.
Patrolling the surroundings, he heard the faint bell signaling the gate closing. Afterward, the Geumowi patrols often.
Returning home, Dan-yeop found nothing to do and lay down to rest.
But excitement kept him awake.
“Sigh! I need to work harder.”
He returned to the yard, training all night in Yukmun martial arts and Taegojong techniques.
By morning, he prepared hobyeong and baekchae-tang again before leaving the house.
Seosi Posibang
After cleaning the Yang family cloth shop, Dan-yeop spent the day exploring the district.
He pretended to run errands while observing types of fabric, prices, distribution channels, and costs of making garments.
By dusk, he returned to the Yang shop, lingering around Yang-bok.
Yang-bok noticed him and said,
“Stop wandering. If you have something to say, say it.”
“About the clothes ordered by the customers I brought yesterday…”
Na Bu-gang had ordered a Wonyongpo, and Na Geum-ryeong a Jehyeong Yugun.
Wonyongpo was a long coat made of silk with a rounded collar, while Jehyeong Yugun was a short jacket and skirt with embroidery and silk.
High-quality materials were used for the Jinbo Sangbang family members.
“You mean the Wonyongpo and Jehyeong Yugun?”
“Yes, I just want the prices adjusted properly.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to worry? I’ll handle it myself. Don’t meddle if you can’t even manage your own business.”
“I also surveyed the market today, so I know enough.”
“Hmph! That brain of yours knows it in just one day, huh?”
Yang-bok sneered. His mockery was natural after teaching Dan-yeop all morning.
“So, how much are you asking?”
“Twenty nyang for the Wonyongpo, fifteen nyang for the Jehyeong Yugun.”
Considering that one nyang equals a thousand coins, it was an enormous sum—but typical for the wealthy of Chang’an.
“Oh! That’s greedy. Make the Wonyongpo fifteen nyang, Jehyeong Yugun ten nyang.”
“You fool, do you even know the material costs?”
Yang-bok’s insult went unnoticed by Dan-yeop.
“The Wonyongpo’s silk and satin cost twelve nyang. Even adding labor, two nyang remain. Why claim seven? The Jehyeong Yugun…”
“Shut up! Don’t spout nonsense!”
Despite his words, Yang-bok’s heart sank slightly. Dan-yeop was correct—he had indeed intended to pocket seven nyang from the Wonyongpo.
