Chapter 57
“Geora! Stop it—this is wrong! You can’t treat a customer like that!”
“Customer?! Father! They’re just trying to sabotage our business!”
The boy shouted, still unable to calm down, and pointed his staff at the man who was twice his size.
“You think we’ll just pack up and leave ‘cause of you? Keep dreaming! Go tell your boss—we’re not bowing down to anyone!”
Though small, he didn’t flinch at all while talking to a grown man. He seemed completely fearless.
“You little brat…!”
The man’s face turned red with fury after getting smacked on the leg.
He reached out a thick hand toward the boy.
“Hold it, hold it!”
“Don’t mess it up! Don’t fall for his provocation!”
The man’s group barely managed to stop him.
The boy glared back, gritting his teeth, not backing away an inch from the fist in front of his face.
The man lowered his fist after a tense stare-down and spat thick phlegm right on the spilled herbs.
“You. Show up in front of me again, and I’ll shut that mouth of yours for good.”
“Hmph! You’re the ones who better stay away from our stall!”
The man tensed again, about to lash out, but his companions dragged him away from the market.
The boy clenched his fists tightly and turned away, his eyes still bloodshot.
“Father, are you stupid? It’s obvious those guys are from Mukhyangbang!”
“I know… but how could I chase away people who came as customers? Don’t act like that again, Geora.”
“…Whatever. If they came to buy something, fine. But if they show up again just to pick a fight like today, I won’t stay quiet.”
His father looked dark and worn. Then he started coughing roughly, and the boy went silent.
“…Just stay here, Dad. I’ll clean up.”
The boy began picking up the scattered herbs alone.
Even after all the noise, none of the marketgoers came to help. It looked pretty pitiful.
Feeling a little sorry, Eun Sowol spotted some herbs that had rolled far away.
They must’ve been kicked during the commotion.
She got down from her chair and began picking them up.
Then she walked over to the boy still cleaning up.
“…What?”
The boy still looked wary, eyes sharp.
“They were over there.”
Sowol blinked her big eyes innocently and handed over what she picked up.
Then she plopped down on the ground to help gather more.
“Here you go, mister.”
“Thank you, little one.”
Unlike the boy, his father smiled kindly and accepted the herbs Sowol gave.
Sowol glanced at the stall. It wasn’t very big—just enough to spread over a large cloth—and there weren’t many types of herbs.
I’ve never seen any of these before.
She’d been all over Cheongyakjang and Heuksigok today, so she had started recognizing some herbs.
But everything here was unfamiliar.
“Mister, what are these—eek!”
Suddenly, someone yanked her upward.
“Didn’t I tell you not to wander off?”
Dok Go-ryong had grabbed her by the back of her neck. Now she dangled midair.
After squirming for a bit, she gave up and looked at him with pouty eyes.
“I wasn’t wandering! You and Uncle Aki were right there!”
She pointed to the food stall nearby.
Dang Jin-ak was still slouched in his chair, fast asleep.
“I just wanted to help pick up the herbs. But look at these! I’ve never seen them before!”
“What is it?”
Dok Go-ryong looked uninterested at first, but when he glanced at what Sowol pointed to, his eyes sharpened.
“Wait… That’s Black Guard Fungus and Nine Dragon Herb!”
He immediately called out to Dang Jin-ak.
Jin-ak woke with a jolt, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he came over. Once he saw the herbs, his eyes sparkled too.
“Ho… The leaf’s a bit torn, but this is top quality. And this stone orchid—so pure! How much for these?”
“Five nyang, sir.”
“For a pound?”
“No, sir. Five nyang for half a pound. Since your child helped and some were damaged, I can give a discount.”
“Whoa, that’s expensive!”
Sowol gasped.
So far, most expensive herbs hadn’t cost more than a nyang per pound.
Why’s that one five nyang for half a pound?!
She suddenly understood why the man earlier got angry.
“It’s not expensive.”
She met the boy’s eyes.
“It’s not expensive at all. Most stuff in the market is farmed. Ours is all wild-grown. And it’s past blooming season—you won’t find this anywhere now.”
Oh… So it’s natural, not farmed.
“Tch. Idiots who can’t even tell it’s wild stone orchid just ruin its value.”
The boy gritted his teeth angrily.
He was right—if those men hadn’t messed with it, the pure white orchid would’ve looked even better.
“How much for the others?”
“Three nyang for the fungus, two nyang five mun for the Nine Dragon Herb, and the rest are…”
He quickly listed the prices.
“They’re a bit pricier than other places, but I guarantee the quality. Is there anything you’re interested in?”
Dang Jin-ak stroked his chin in thought, then smiled.
“We’ll take it all.”
“…Excuse me?”
The boy and his father stared wide-eyed.
“Too bad it’s such a small amount. All this should cost about sixty nyang, right?”
“…Uncle Aki, are you a nobleman or what?”
Sowol was amazed to see someone actually say the rich-person line: “We’ll take everything from here to there!”
They were invited to the herbalist’s home.
They lived on the outskirts of Heuksigok, in a poor village.
The house looked like it might collapse any second.
Broken wooden planks showed bits of the inside, and ragged cloths patched it here and there—only making the poverty more obvious.
It was more like a shack than a house.
Even my old house wasn’t this bad.
Her home had been poor, but it was built of solid clay and had two rooms and a kitchen.
This place seemed smaller than even one of those rooms.
Sowol noticed that even Dang Jin-ak was too shocked to speak.
Well, a noble young master had probably never seen a house smaller than an outhouse.
Dok Go-ryong, however, looked completely unfazed.
“It’s humble, but please come in. I’ll bring out some tea.”
They entered.
The inside was even smaller than it looked, but oddly cozy.
There were herbs placed all around, and it smelled nice—like a herbal shop or tea house.
The herbalist stepped out briefly to prepare tea.
Meanwhile, the boy carefully repacked the herbs he had been selling.
“Are you really buying all this?”
He packed quickly but kept glancing at Jin-ak, looking nervous—not suspicious, more like scared they might change their mind.
“Of course. I even showed you the receipt earlier. Why? Do I seem untrustworthy?”
“…Sorry if I offended you. We’ve been harassed so much lately, it’s made us touchy.”
“Those mean guys from earlier?”
Sowol asked, and the boy nodded.
“They’re weird. Why do they only mess with you? Other stalls charge way more!”
She couldn’t understand why those men only caused trouble here.
Judging from Jin-ak’s reaction, this stall was selling top-grade herbs at lower prices.
And they clearly took pride in their products.
Maybe they were just being bullied for being poor and weak?
“It’s all because of Mukhyangbang…!”
The boy clenched his fists, trembling with anger.
“Mukhyangbang?”
“It’s the biggest herbal group in Heuksigok. They control about 70% of the market.”
Just then, the herbalist returned with tea in a chipped pot.
Despite the rough look of their home, the tea had the deepest, richest aroma they had ever smelled.
