Chapter 29
29
“Ch, Seventh Elder!”
The startled Maids hurriedly lowered their bodies. Sim-yang also lowered her eyes as if she had never screamed.
I was also surprised by the title the Maids used to call Dang Jung, and my eyes widened.
This guy was an Elder?
No, Old Master. Who uses a family Elder as a henchman?
“Guests are here. Such vulgar brawling, are you trying to tarnish the name of the Tang Clan?”
“N, no! We were just trying to teach this impudent child some manners!”
“It is an overreach of authority. You should know better what punishment is given to those who harm family members.”
Sim-yang prostrated herself on the floor at the icy voice. However, Dang Jung seemed to have no intention of intervening further. He gestured with a bothered face.
“Go back and do your jobs. I will inform the Chief Steward about today’s events.”
“Y, yes, Seventh Elder!”
As soon as Dang Jung finished speaking, Sim-yang’s group scattered in all directions. Sim-yang, left alone, also crawled on the floor as she fled.
Her retreating figure, wriggling away like a grub, was utterly pathetic.
Dang Jung, who had resolved the situation in an instant, turned to me.
“You.”
“Yes, yes?”
Dang Jung, who was about to say something, twitched his nose and closed his mouth. He seemed to find the stench coming from me unbearable.
After clearing his throat, he took out a clean cotton cloth and threw it to me.
“Wipe it off.”
“Thank you.”
As I quickly received it and wiped my face, he scolded me.
“Don’t cause trouble. The Old Master has enough to worry about without you.”
“Ahaha… Could you keep it a secret from the Old Master?”
“No.”
Dang Jung, who answered firmly, ignored me and turned his back. I could feel that he had only intervened because of Dang Jung and had no interest in me.
…I’m doomed.
Since Dang Jung saw it, it was only a matter of time before it reached Dang Jung’s ears. I was told not to stand out, but I could already picture Dang Jung scolding me for causing trouble.
I sighed and pinched my nose.
Getting scolded was one thing, but I felt like I needed to wash up first.
It wasn’t hard to realize how shabby I looked. Everyone I encountered avoided me, going around in a wide circle.
The words I heard as I entered the servants' quarters, dripping with dirty water, were even worse.
“Gh, gh, ghost…!”
The Maid from the next room, who saw me, jumped and hid behind a pillar, muttering unintelligible words. It sounded like she was chanting a spell to ward off ghosts.
Being treated like a ghost was too much.
“I’m not a ghost.”
“A gh, ghost… Sp, speaks!”
“I speak because I’m not a ghost.”
“Gh, ghost… No? Really?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m a person.”
Only then did the Maid cautiously peek her face out from behind the pillar, as if relieved.
“S, So-hye? Wh, what’s wrong… Wh, why do you… L, look like that?”
“I know, right? Haha.”
How did I end up like this? I wanted to know too.
As I laughed in vain, the Maid, who was watching me, approached hesitantly.
“Th, the weather is still chilly… Do you h, have clothes to change into…? Sh, should I… L, lend you my clothes…?”
Her tone, full of concern, had an awkwardness to it. She sounded like a stuttering child.
“Would that be alright? My laundry isn’t quite dry yet.”
“Y, yes! J, just a moment!”
The Maid, who nodded vigorously, ran to her quarters and brought out new clothes.
“H, here. Th, this… Sh, shall I… C, carry them to your quarters…?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Y, yes. Let’s go together. So-hye… R, right? I h, heard… Th, that you’re having a hard time… B, because of Sim-yang’s gang…”
“They’re the ones who made me look like this.”
“Th, those kids… W, were really bad…”
“Does Sim-yang bully you too?”
“N, not these days… B, but they often… H, hit people… Th, they’re very… N, nasty kids!”
The Maid also shouted out as if she had a lot pent up.
The Maid’s name, whom I was talking to for the first time, was Kyung-ah.
Kyung-ah was a year younger than me and helped the cooks in the kitchen.
Perhaps that was why her hands were skillful. Kyung-ah brought a whole jar of hot water from the kitchen and helped me prepare for my bath.
Kyung-ah, who adjusted the temperature of the bathwater with swift movements, unlike her slow speech, placed a rice bran pouch in my hand.
Still feeling it wasn’t enough, she filled a large tub with water.
“U, use this… If you w, wash with… C, calamus boiled water… Th, the smell will… D, disappear.”
“Thank you.”
“Th, there’s a lot of… S, stuff on your head… C, can you… L, lean this way?”
Kyung-ah, who was removing the unidentified debris, began to chatter on about herself.
“I, I… F, fetch water from the well… Or, do the dishes.”
“Isn’t it hard to draw water with a pulley? I was just doing laundry until recently. Every time I drew water, I got so frustrated that I wanted to fill in the well.”
“Y, yes! Th, the pulley rope… If you pull it wrong… Y, your hand gets scraped…”
“Right? I know. Does your palm still hurt? I have some good Salve. Should I apply it for you later?”
The effect is certain. It’s a Salve made by the Chief of Medicine of the Namgung Family.
Kyung-ah nodded eagerly at my suggestion.
“A, apply it…”
“Great. I’ll go to your quarters after I finish bathing.”
“Y, yes! D, did you do… L, laundry alone…? M, must have been… H, hard… E, everyone… D, doesn’t want to do… L, laundry. B, because it’s the hardest…”
“It was manageable. Kitchen work must be very hard too. It must be tough.”
“I’m, I’m okay. I, I enjoy… W, watching the cooks… O, over their shoulders. And, I, I want to… B, become a… B, Banbithanim…”
“Banbithanim?”
“I m, mean Banbitachi. Th, the person who… M, makes side dishes.”
“Do you like cooking?”
“Y, yes! I, I like… M, making food. I, I can’t dare… T, to touch it, but… S, someday…”
Kyung-ah, who shyly revealed her ambition, closed her mouth. It seemed like she wanted to cook with the cooks someday. It seemed like she was suited for kitchen work.
Kyung-ah said she had been in the Tang Clan for about half a year. Before that, she had helped the cooks at a small inn, doing odd jobs.
No wonder her hands were skillful; she was experienced.
“Then how old were you when you started working?”
“T, ten years old…!”
“Oh my.”
I was speechless that she had been working since the age when she should have been memorizing multiplication tables.
I couldn’t help but look at Kyung-ah’s small shoulders. I knew I shouldn’t apply modern standards, but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
“D, do you… H, hate hearing it?”
“What?”
“Th, that’s… S, sisters tell me… N, not to talk… B, because it’s… F, frustrating to listen to…”
Kyung-ah lowered her head gloomily. She seemed to have misunderstood that I was frustrated.
“It’s okay. It’s not frustrating.”
Kyung-ah’s expression brightened at my nonchalant reply.
“Th, then… Th, that’s a relief. H, here’s a towel…”
“Thank you. Do I still smell?”
“N, no… N, not anymore!”
Kyung-ah proudly handed me the clothes to change into. But there was one more problem.
“Th, this is a problem…”
“Is it short?”
“Y, yes. V, very…”
Kyung-ah’s skirt was short for me, rising high above my ankles.
I remembered someone who would be horrified, saying it was unseemly, and tried to pull down the hem of the skirt, but my ankles were still visible.
As I was wondering what to do, a familiar voice was heard.
“Hey! Is So-hye here?”
“Songji unnie? I’m here!”
Songji, who had run over at my shout, opened the door and poked her head in.
“Did you take a bath? You’re soaking wet. That’s not the important thing. Dang Jung Old Master is looking for you. He told you to come to his quarters right now.”
“The Old Master?”
“Yes. The Seventh Elder visited.”
Songji replied with an anxious face. Kyung-ah also stared at me with her mouth open.
I rubbed my forehead weakly.
Damn it. He must have heard about the trouble I caused.
The sun was setting when I arrived at Dang Jung’s quarters.
Looking at the red sunset, it seemed to be around six o’clock. In their terms… Yes. Yu Shi.
I pulled down the short skirt and cleared my throat.
“Ahem. Grandfather, I’m coming in.”
“Come in.”
As I entered the reception room, I saw Dang Jung, who was fidgeting with a teacup with an uneasy expression. He didn’t even look at me and grumbled.
“I told you to stay out for only an hour, but you couldn’t even wait that long before causing trouble.”
“Ahaha. I didn’t do it on purpose… But I’m sorry.”
“It was fortunate that Geun-myeong happened to pass by. If the Chief Steward had intervened directly, more people would have recognized you. This grandfather clearly told you to be careful…”
Dang Jung, who was admonishing me, raised his head and his gaze reached me.
At the same time, the teacup that Dang Jung was holding shattered and scattered in all directions. I realized it was too late and covered my neck, but I was a step too late.
Dang Jung, who made a distorted face, jumped up.
“G, grandfather? That white porcelain was the only one left, and you cherished it so much…”
“What bastard dared to lay a hand on your face? I’ll tear them to pieces…!”
“Face?”
I was startled and touched my face, feeling a thin cut on my cheek. It seemed like my face was grazed when my neck was cut.
Seeing my clueless expression, Dang Jung clutched his head and pressed his temples.
“I can’t live to my full life because of you, So-hye. What kind of hardship is this in my old age…”
He sighed deeply and strode over to examine my face.
“What is all this on your beautiful face? It’s upsetting… Is it just your face that’s hurt? What about other places?”
“I’m okay. I’m not badly hurt.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“It’ll leave a scar. Let’s apply medicine first.”
Dang Jung, who sat me down on a chair, carefully applied medicine. Still not feeling relieved, he wrapped my neck with a clean cloth.
I awkwardly wiggled my fingers.
Seeing Dang Jung so upset over a slight scratch, as if I had broken a bone, made me feel strange.
Who would have known that the Young Master, who was indifferent, saying that I wouldn’t die even if I bled, would change like this? My lower abdomen felt ticklish for no reason.
He put away the Salve and stroked my cheek, muttering about what to do with this poor thing.
His eyes were full of pity, as if he were looking at a turtle with its shell flipped over.
“You’re too kind and get beaten up…”
Old Master. I hit them too.
“This old man misspoke. It’s better to cause trouble than to be squeezed and torn apart. Go around hitting people. I’ll tell you this now. Girl, when someone threatens you…”
I hit them too. More than that, is it okay to teach someone to go around hitting people?
Dang Jung, who changed his expression, began to list the vital points that could paralyze a person instantly.
At the list of sentences that needed self-censorship, I laughed weakly and closed my eyes.
Ah. I want to go home.
