Chapter 41
Adoption
Gogyo asked again.
“Still, it must have been hard for you all to part ways, right?”
The three novice monks shook their heads once more.
“Actually, even if he goes down the mountain, he can’t eat meat. He gets motion sickness from meat! But he doesn’t even know it himself!”
‘So there are people in this world who get sick from meat… Or is he just pretending I lack knowledge?’
“Then can’t you just tell him?”
“If we tell him, he won’t go!”
Gogyo paused for a moment, then spoke with admiration.
“You care about him deeply.”
‘Being adopted by good people is certainly better than living as a monk on the mountain for the rest of his life.’
The novice monk said heartily,
“He eats so much, he even ate all our food!”
“…….”
‘What kind of nonsense are these novice monks?’
However, the little boy still could not descend the mountain.
The wealthy household that had intended to take him in hadn’t sent anyone to pick him up.
The abbot learned that the wife of the wealthy household had just given birth. This was news they had only discovered last night.
The physician confirmed, by taking the pulse, that it was surely her son.
When Gogyo entered the abbot’s meditation hall, the novice monk was sitting on a stone at the entrance. A new bundle lay in his hands, and he kept his head down, not moving at all. From behind, he looked a little lonely.
It was clear that he was engulfed in sadness, knowing he had been abandoned by the household that was supposed to adopt him.
Gogyo thought for a moment, then approached him and asked,
“Can I sit here for a while?”
The novice monk said nothing but moved the bundle to the side.
Gogyo sat beside him.
As someone who brightened any place she entered, Gogyo had no resistance to anything cute. The temple’s novice monks were all adorable, but this particular one in front of her was especially so. His head was round, his eyes large, and his eyelashes long and dark.
“Are you sad?”
Gogyo asked.
“Huh?”
Jeonggong realized what Gogyo meant and murmured,
“I’m not sad at all!”
His voice trembled.
Gogyo raised an eyebrow.
“So you don’t want to go down the mountain?”
Jeonggong crossed his arms, scrunched up his face, and said arrogantly,
“Yes! What’s good about leaving the mountain? I heard they even force you to eat meat! I don’t want to break my precepts!”
‘Oh my, the others didn’t put it that way.’
Gogyo teased him.
“You really don’t want to go down?”
Jeonggong spoke with solemn determination.
“Of course! I’ll never leave the mountain! I’ll be a monk for life and become the abbot of this temple!”
Gogyo quietly raised her thumb in approval. His ambition was impressive.
Gogyo glanced at him once, then sighed.
“Since you’re so determined… fine. I was originally going to tell the abbot I wanted to stay a few days with you after descending, but it seems there’s no choice.”
Jeonggong put his hands on his hips and said,
“I’m not going down! Especially not with you, Siju! If you don’t believe me, ask again!”
Gogyo, without thinking, asked again,
“Do you want to come down the mountain with me?”
Jeonggong picked up his bundle.
“Yes!”
Gogyo froze in shock.
“……!”
Gogyo had never been deceived like this before. Moreover, the other party was just a little boy.
“You just said you wouldn’t leave the mountain! Someone who has taken monastic vows must not lie!”
“That was the Jeonggong from just now, and that has nothing to do with the current Jeonggong! The current Jeonggong will descend the mountain with Siju!”
Is that even possible?
Jeonggong ran into the room.
“Abbot! Someone said they’ll adopt me!”
No, no one said that!
“Who said that?”
The abbot asked kindly.
“That person!”
Gogyo, stepping into the meditation hall, was speechless.
“…….”
“Oh, it was Siju. Amitabha.”
The abbot bowed toward Gogyo.
Gogyo cleared her throat and said,
“Monk, actually, just now……”
The abbot smiled gently.
“I understand Siju’s intentions well. Do not worry. This old monk will not put Siju in an awkward position.”
Gogyo quietly sighed in relief. Thank goodness. The abbot was a wise man.
The abbot then said something meaningful.
“Jeonggong is actually a disciple of my student. Normally, we should get his permission first, but knowing Siju’s character well, I will make the decision on behalf of my student.”
Gogyo’s face turned pale. Wait, what decision?
The abbot addressed Jeonggong.
“Jeonggong, after descending the mountain, you must listen carefully to Siju. Understand?”
Jeonggong nodded.
“Yes! I understand, Abbot!”
“…….”
Wait, they’re just deciding this on their own?
“I think we should also ask others, like his senior monks……”
Bang!
A chair was moved into the room.
“Jeonggong, this is your favorite bamboo chair. It’s from your eldest senior. When you descend, don’t forget this big senior who gave it to you!”
Clang!
A spinning top was placed in Jeonggong’s arms.
“Jeonggong, this is your favorite top, from your second elder brother. Don’t forget me!”
After that, all the senior monks came to give farewell gifts. It was as if they were worried Gogyo might change her mind if they took too long, so they gave their gifts at lightning speed.
Gogyo’s mouth twitched in amusement. How many sins must this little novice have committed that his senior monks were so eager to send him off?
Should she change her mind now?
Gogyo had come to buy the mountain, but in the end, she came down with an extra person.
The abbot smiled.
“Normally, when you buy one, you get one more as a bonus!”
No matter how she thought about it, Gogyo felt she had not profited but rather suffered a loss.
Today was an important day for So Yookrang.
Whether he cared or not, he had transformed from the last-ranked Eulban into the Ansu of the Hyeonsi.
If the top student of Cheonja Gapban had become first, it wouldn’t have caused such a big stir.
Honestly, he had jumped too many levels at once.
So Yookrang spent the entire day at the academy surrounded by people watching him. According to Uncle Na, someone had already gone to the village to deliver the news of his passing the exam. By now, the villagers likely all knew.
Sure enough, when he arrived at his house, people were everywhere, inside and out.
Villagers loved commotion, so whenever something happened, everyone in the village came to see.
So Yookrang took a deep breath, preparing for the barrage of questions from the villagers. But something unexpected happened.
The entrance was completely blocked by villagers, and he couldn’t even enter the house. He had no choice but to tap the person in front of him on the shoulder.
“Aunt Jo, I need to get in.”
“What?”
Aunt Jo moved her shoulder irritably.
“It’s me. Yookrang.”
Aunt Jo turned her head and scowled at him hurriedly.
“Yookrang, you’re here.”
As soon as she spoke, she looked inside again, ignoring So Yookrang.
So Yookrang was slightly baffled.
Wasn’t it because of him that the entrance was blocked? What was with this indifferent attitude?
So Yookrang pushed past a few more villagers. Indeed, none of them even acknowledged him. He wondered: if they hadn’t come to see him, then why were they gathered at this house?
As he finally made his way inside, he was stunned by the sight.
Inside his house sat a three-foot-tall novice monk!
The novice monk, with a cute face, sat quietly on a small stool next to his grandmother!
All the villagers had come to see the novice monk. They had never seen such a young monk. He was kind and beautiful—truly astonishing!
Even though So Yookrang had been first in the exam, all the attention was on the novice monk. Could anything be more ridiculous?
It wasn’t until nightfall that the villagers left. So Yookrang’s face darkened. His expression grew especially gloomy when he saw the little novice climbing into Gogyo’s arms with the side dishes.
“Tell me. What on earth happened?”
He looked at his grandmother and Gogyo.
The grandmother munched on sunflower seeds and said,
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t bring him!”
Gogyo hesitated slightly.
“You may not believe it, but when I bought the mountain, he came as a bonus.”
“…….”
“Jeonggong, I brought water. Go wash your hands in the backyard.”
After leaving Jeonggong aside, Gogyo explained the situation to So Yookrang. Of course, out of embarrassment, she didn’t mention that Jeonggong had tricked her. She would never admit being deceived by him.
“……He was just too pitiful. I couldn’t help but bring him along.”
So Yookrang looked at Gogyo suspiciously. He couldn’t believe she was that kind.
“Did someone trick you?”
Gogyo’s eyes widened.
“Absolutely not! How could a child this young trick me? Am I that stupid?”
So Yookrang’s doubt remained.
Gogyo quickly looked down, touching her fingers together, and said,
“If you don’t like it……”
So Yookrang cut her off.
“No. If you like him, it’s fine.”
They weren’t truly married, so however many children she raised, it was entirely her freedom. He had no right to interfere.
Gogyo went to the kitchen and brought rice.
Jeonggong washed his hands and returned to the main hall. He stood in front of So Yookrang, scanning him up and down, and asked seriously,
“Are you my father?”
So Yookrang choked.
“Gogyo recognized you as her son?”
Jeonggong shook his head.
“No. I’m asking if you want to be my father, since she said I could decide myself.”
So Yookrang said coldly,
“I don’t have a son as big as you.”
Jeonggong straightened his face.
“I’m not big! I’m only six years old!”
So Yookrang laughed heartily.
“Is that so? I thought you were only three.”
Jeonggong had indeed overstated his age by three years.
“…….”
Jeonggong tilted his head, thinking.
“So, do you want me to be your elder brother?”
Without waiting for So Yookrang’s answer, Jeonggong nodded thoughtfully.
“Well, that’s fine too. There’s nothing tastier than dumplings, and nothing more fun than a sister-in-law (*好吃不过饺子，好玩不过嫂子, a Chinese proverb meaning ‘enjoy both the food and the company’)……”
So Yookrang roared like a tiger.
“Be quiet!”
What kind of lowly monk is this!
The novice monks had occasionally overheard the coarse language of the woodcutters on the back mountain. Most of the novices ignored it, but Jeonggong remembered and took it literally.
Dumplings were indeed delicious, and he wanted to play with the sister-in-law.
“Never say that again.”
So Yookrang said solemnly.
“Why?”
Jeonggong blinked.
“Gogyo would dislike it.”
After saying this, he glanced subtly toward the kitchen.
Since they were so far away, she probably didn’t hear him call her Gogyo.
When Gogyo brought rice and side dishes from the kitchen, the two men had already settled their relationship.
So Yookrang pointed to Gogyo and said,
“From now on, Gogyo is your sister.”
It wasn’t an easy decision, but since Gogyo already had one younger sibling, one more wouldn’t make much difference.
After learning Gogyo’s family relationship, Jeonggong sighed like an adult.
“Alright, I’m not her only younger brother, but she isn’t my only elder sister either.”
Jeonggong patted his small chest, asserting himself as Gogyo’s man!
“…….”
From the very first day he arrived, the novice monk was extremely cheeky.
To show he was a responsible boy, Jeonggong helped Gogyo set out bowls and spoons.
The temple’s novice monks actually lived harder lives than ordinary children. They trained, studied, and worked. Despite his small stature, Jeonggong had a knack for work.
