Chapter 20. Dreaming
Grandma had indeed arrived ten days earlier.
But because she had been confused for several days, she didn’t remember coming so early.
So Go-gyo and So Yuk-rang moved the date of her arrival forward by a few days when speaking to others.
This did not match the day she actually went missing from Qingcheon Village.
Go-gyo and Yuk-rang didn’t know,
but Seol Eung-hyang had heard movement outside when Grandma first collapsed in front of Go-gyo’s house,
so she already knew something was off.
She had suspected something about Grandma from the very beginning.
***
“Hyanga.”
Her mother-in-law’s voice came from the next room.
Seol Eung-hyang calmed herself and walked in.
“Mother, you’re awake?”
“I thought I heard someone outside. Did something happen to the second child?”
She had already lost one son,
so the only thing she feared now was that her younger son, who was serving in the army, might also be in danger.
“The younger one is fine, Mother. A leprosy patient escaped from Leper Mountain, so soldiers came to investigate. They’ve already left.”
“Was the patient a man or a woman? How old?”
“They didn’t say.”
“A leper would not hide here… cough cough…”
After two heavy coughs, the old woman mumbled a few more words and fell asleep again.
Seol Eung-hyang closed her eyes and pretended she heard nothing.
She wasn’t a particularly good person,
but Go-gyo had saved her life.
That alone made her choose to stay silent.
***
The soldiers’ search didn’t cause much disturbance in Qingcheon Village.
Life quickly returned to normal.
But Go-gyo couldn’t help thinking—
Grandma must have some unusual background.
Otherwise, why would so many officials come looking for her?
And why would the officials completely conceal every detail about the patient?
Go-gyo looked at Grandma, who was munching sunflower seeds like a squirrel.
Eventually, she decided she was overthinking.
With nothing pressing to do, Go-gyo repaired all of So Yuk-rang’s clothes.
Her method worked—imagining the cloth as human skin made stitching easy!
When So Yuk-rang returned home, he found all his old clothes neatly repaired.
It was obviously Go-gyo’s work.
In the past, she had never repaired clothing—not since he came here.
Her sewing was surprisingly good; the stitches were neat and even.
But one thing confused him:
Most people hide the stitches on the inside, yet all of her stitches were visible on the outside.
Grandma’s recovery speed was much faster than So Yuk-rang’s older brother’s had been.
Yuk-rang had once asked the traveling doctor how long it took for a recovering patient to lose infectiousness.
The doctor said one month.
But Grandma recovered even faster than she took the medicine.
Before even a full month had passed, she was healthy enough to eat meals with them.
And during their first shared meal, Grandma said something that nearly made Yuk-rang choke.
“Hey.”
She drank a spoonful of corn soup with a straight face.
“What’s wrong with the two of you? I’ve been here so long, yet you two haven’t once shared a room.”
Go-gyo and Yuk-rang both coughed at the same time.
“My husband is still too young,” Go-gyo replied calmly.
Grandma scanned Yuk-rang from head to toe and nodded.
“Well, true… with that age, he probably can’t manage much yet.”
“……”
***
Meanwhile
People wondered whether Old Madam Oh and her daughters-in-law would dare come back after being humiliated so badly by Grandma.
But to everyone’s surprise, they didn’t step outside at all for several days.
It wasn’t because they didn’t want to—
Old Master Go had forbidden them from leaving.
The previous incident had grown so big that even he heard about it.
Before the third son died, he had promised to take good care of Go-gyo.
Though he never said it openly, he planned to keep her close and later bring in a live-in husband for her.
But he broke that promise after believing rumors that Go-gyo was cursed.
Both his third son and daughter-in-law had met tragic ends—
he feared the misfortune might spread to Dae-soon as well.
However, he had never allowed Old Madam Oh to harass the young couple for living expenses.
Until now, he had believed Old Madam Oh’s lies—
that Yuk-rang helped support Dae-soon’s studies
and that the money he gave was part of showing filial piety.
Now that he knew the truth, Old Master Go was so ashamed he wished he could hide underground.
“Yuk-rang must study too from now on. Don’t you ever ask them for money again!”
Old Madam Oh nearly spat blood.
“What good will that cripple achieve by studying? It’s a waste of money! I heard he failed the exam again! Wouldn’t it be better to use that money for Dae-soon? When he succeeds, he will care for us! He is destined to become a giant of this country!”
A giant nobleman could eat whatever he wanted and would have no trouble supporting an entire crippled family.
Old Master Go still cared about his reputation.
If they kept asking their grandson-in-law for money, people would mock him relentlessly.
He sternly warned Old Madam Oh not to take her daughters-in-law and cause more trouble at Go-gyo’s house.
But they weren’t the only ones whose lives had become difficult.
***
Go Dae-soon’s first major setback
He finally learned who the headmaster wanted as his disciple.
It was the last person he expected—
So Yuk-rang.
A cripple with shallow knowledge and nothing admirable except a useless good-looking face.
Dae-soon could not understand how such trash caught the headmaster’s eye.
He recalled when the headmaster’s attitude toward him had changed.
The headmaster once praised him and even gave him a private meeting.
But after Yuk-rang went in to see the headmaster,
the headmaster stopped paying attention to Dae-soon completely.
His talent and knowledge were flawless.
There was no reason for the headmaster to suddenly dislike him.
Unless—
Yuk-rang slandered him behind his back?
That must be it!
Otherwise, why would the headmaster choose someone who always ranked last?
Seething with anger at the thought Yuk-rang had stolen what should have been his, Dae-soon clenched his fists.
“Just you wait, So Yuk-rang!”
***
That night
Go-gyo had another dream.
As always, Yuk-rang appeared in it.
In the dream, Yuk-rang had just completed copying a manuscript at noon and brought it to the bookstore.
But the bookstore had suffered a theft,
and shockingly, Yuk-rang was accused as the culprit.
There was a witness—
and it was Go Dae-soon.
Dae-soon had personally seen Yuk-rang leave before the theft occurred.
He knew Yuk-rang never entered the room where the theft happened.
But he lied.
He didn’t directly accuse Yuk-rang of stealing,
but he testified that Yuk-rang had gone up to the second floor—
which conveniently meant only Yuk-rang could be suspected.
However, Yuk-rang did not sit still.
He found the real thief’s footprints in the backyard and solved the case.
The case was closed,
but because of the investigation, Yuk-rang left town late.
While returning home, heavy snow fell.
A cart on the road slipped on the snow and fell into a ditch.
In the chaos, Yuk-rang was injured—his face severely scarred.
The ugly scar remained with him for life,
a shadow he could never escape.
***
The next morning
When Go-gyo woke, she sat on the edge of the bed in a daze.
Not because of the dream itself—
But because of her husband’s terrible fate.
What kind of cursed fate is this?
How could someone be this unlucky?
And of all things—
it was his handsome face that would be ruined?!
No. Absolutely not.
This must not happen.
All of it happened because of Go Dae-soon’s false testimony.
If he hadn’t lied, Yuk-rang wouldn’t have had to prove his innocence.
If the investigation hadn’t delayed him,
he wouldn’t have encountered the snowstorm nor the accident.
His face wouldn’t have been ruined.
***
By the time she and Yuk-rang finished breakfast, dawn still hadn’t fully broken.
Grandma was still asleep,
and Go-gyo quietly walked Yuk-rang outside.
“It will snow today. Wear something warm.”
She handed him a coat.
Yuk-rang glanced at the star-filled sky.
It didn’t look like snow at all.
Still, he accepted the coat.
“Thank you.”
Go-gyo walked with him to the village entrance as usual.
Yuk-rang got onto the cart,
and she stayed beside him until sleepy Go-soon arrived carrying books.
Only then did she leave.
Go-gyo knew Yuk-rang would be framed at the bookstore that afternoon,
but she didn’t tell him not to go.
She remembered every detail of how he solved the case.
She even knew exactly where the thief would take the stolen goods.
****
Back at home
“I warmed the food in the pot. Eat if you get hungry. And don’t skip your medicine. I’ll know if you throw it away.”
Go-gyo warned Grandma.
Since Grandma clearly didn’t have dementia and was no longer contagious,
there was no need to lock her in.
And no one in the village would dare harm her—
Grandma could handle herself.
Grandma snorted and turned away.
Go-gyo slung on her basket and left the house.
As she passed the Go family’s courtyard,
she bumped into Go Wol-ah, who had come out to wash her face.
“Good morning, Wol-ah.”
Wol-ah, influenced by her mother and second aunt, didn’t treat Go-gyo warmly.
Hearing the greeting, she only bowed slightly and went back inside.
“Who was that?”
Madam Ju asked from inside.
“Go-gyo,” Wol-ah whispered.
Madam Ju flung the door open.
Go-gyo greeted her politely.
“Good morning, Aunt.”
“Oh… yes, good morning.”
Madam Ju always bragged about being the mother of a prodigy,
so she acted more refined than Ryu.
Looking at Go-gyo’s basket, she smirked.
“Where are you going so early?”
With a smile, Go-gyo said,
“I’m going up the mountain to gather forest goods to sell in town.”
Madam Ju’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re selling mountain goods? Aren’t many of them poisonous?”
“My husband taught me which ones are safe.”
If Go-gyo had claimed she knew on her own, no one would believe her.
A few days earlier, during the commotion, Madam Ju had seen the items in Go-gyo’s basket—
sunflower seeds, candied cakes, red soup snacks, fried peanuts…
All expensive.
Surely she must have earned plenty from selling forest goods.
Madam Ju’s eyes gleamed.
She smiled sweetly.
“Go-gyo, how about going together with Auntie? You can’t gather much on your own. I’ll help!”
“Sure,” Go-gyo replied cheerfully.
Madam Ju grinned inwardly.
A fool is truly a fool.
Once I learn which mountain goods can be sold, I’ll take everything. What will be left for her then?
