If You’re Going to Do It, Do It Properly (2)
Chop, chop, chop, chop!
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop!
It was a scene that couldn’t quite be captured by the word “eating.”
Devouring or even mashing might have been more accurate.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one or two people showing off that “mashing” process with their own bodies.
“Add more duck!”
“Liquor! Bring more liquor! More!”
“You son of a bitch, you’re touching my meat?”
“Your meat? Where’s ‘your meat’ and where’s ‘my meat’! First come, first served!”
Plates were flying as if they had wings, and the food disappeared in the blink of an eye. Then new plates would come flying in, only to be emptied just as quickly.
“Aaaah! Yeah, now this is food fit for a human!”
“After gnawing on grass up in the mountains, I feel like I can finally live again now that I’m tearing into meat!”
“I said bring more liquor! More liquor!”
Song Tae-ak could only blink blankly, his face dazed.
Have they all gone berserk from hunger?
A whole horde of rough-looking brutes was devouring every scrap of his ingredients.
No matter what, they were still people. There had to be a limit. They might have come as merchants carrying goods, but this kind of feast-mongering was simply rude.
And if this had been the usual Song Tae-ak, he would never have tolerated such insolence.
Yes, if it had been the usual him.
But now…
“Mister! We’re short on liquor!”
“Pardon?”
“Liquor! Liquor!”
“Liquor? Ah, yes! Yes, understood! You lot! Didn’t you hear them say they need more liquor!”
Song Tae-ak roared with his eyes blazing. At his shout, Mo Wan went pale and hurried over.
“M-Master Merchant. We’ve run out of liquor.”
“What? Run out? We ran out of liquor in our own warehouse? Does that even make sense?”
“N-no, that’s not it. The liquor set aside for consumption is all gone. The only stock left is what was meant for sale….”
Song Tae-ak squeezed his eyes shut.
For all he knew, they had probably set aside more than fifty mal of liquor just for their own use, never mind the stock for sale. To think that much had been wiped out in less than half an hour.
Even an ox wouldn’t drink this much.
Were those people, or some kind of liquor-guzzling demons?
“W-what do we do?”
“...You said the liquor reserved for delivery is still there, right?”
“Yes, but….”
“Bring it all out!”
“M-Master Merchant. Those are rare and expensive liquors. If we hand over all of them, the loss will be….”
“You wretch!”
Song Tae-ak clenched his jaw and glared.
“Do you know who these people are? They’re the heroes who crushed the Dae-byeol Bandit Band! They solved a problem that has plagued Hubei for years! If word gets out that the Geum-seon Merchant Group, which represents Hubei, was stingy toward the heroes who saved us, how do you expect me to show my face again?”
“Th-that is….”
“No more nonsense. Go fetch it immediately!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Hurry!”
“Yes!”
Song Tae-ak’s cheek twitched violently.
My heart is bleeding here.
The merchant group’s finances were already in a bad way, and if they lost even that liquor, they might have to survive on weeds for the next couple of months.
But in the end, Song Tae-ak was still a merchant.
A merchant had to be fearless when the time called for it. If he tried to save a little money by fetching liquor from nearby taverns, he would end up spending money anyway and still fail to win anyone’s goodwill.
When you gave, you had to give until it hurt. That was the only way to come away with something in return.
“We’re bringing the liquor right away, so please bear with us a little longer for the sake of the heroes of Mount Hua!”
“Who’s that old guy?”
“No idea.”
“…”
Tears nearly welled up in Song Tae-ak’s eyes.
Are these guys really disciples of Mount Hua?
Of course, the black robes and the plum blossoms stitched over their chests clearly marked them as Mount Hua disciples…
No.
No matter how he looked at them, weren’t they bandits?
“Ohhh! Monk Hye Yeon just downed an entire barrel!”
“Whoa! He’s emptying that thing in one breath!”
When Song Tae-ak caught sight of the shaved-headed monk in the corner hoisting a massive liquor barrel and gulping it down in one go, he gave up trying to think altogether. This was not the sort of thing one could understand by thinking harder.
“Kraaah.”
Then a short exclamation came from behind him. Song Tae-ak spun around. There, beside the Mount Hua elders seated in the place of honor, stood Chung Myung, swigging liquor straight from the bottle.
Song Tae-ak scurried over and bent at the waist over and over again, bowing so low it was as if his spine had no bones left in it.
“Aigoo, sirs! I hope the food is to your liking.”
Hyun Sang cleared his throat and gave a gentle smile.
“We only came intending to sell a few goods, so we never expected such hospitality. I am deeply grateful, Master Merchant.”
“Not at all, not at all! What are you saying?”
Song Tae-ak said, going solemn.
“If the Mount Hua Sect hadn’t wiped out the Dae-byeol Bandit Band, the people of Hubei would still be trembling in fear to this day. How could I possibly be stingy with the Mount Hua Sect?”
He wasn’t just saying that to be polite.
Even if he ignored the people of Hubei, the situation was the same. Because of the Dae-byeol Bandit Band, which had made its nest right beneath Hubei, the Geum-seon Merchant Group had never even dared to cross Mount Dae-byeol and had always had to take the long way around when conducting trade.
Merely being able to use a trade route that had been there but unusable was an enormous gain in itself. Compared with that, this level of expense was nothing.
Yes, absolutely nothing….
“Wow, this liquor’s actually pretty damn good.”
“…”
Watching Chung Myung guzzle down the expensive Geumjoncheong like it was water made Song Tae-ak’s stomach ache in spite of himself.
“Hahaha.”
Hyun Young laughed with evident delight.
“The Master Merchant thinks so highly of Mount Hua that my heart feels richer for it.”
“It isn’t just me; all the people of Hubei praise Mount Hua without exception. I may not be qualified to speak for the whole province, but I’d like to take this chance to thank you once again.”
Song Tae-ak’s bowed head looked utterly sincere.
“Ahem.”
“Hoho.”
The Mount Hua elders seated in the place of honor went slightly red in the face.
When had they ever received thanks like this before?
Since their youth, they had longed for this. They had wanted one day to solve all of Mount Hua’s problems and make its name ring throughout the world through the deeds of righteous heroes.
That dream, which they had thought would never be achieved because reality always beat them down, was being fulfilled in their old age through their disciples. The feeling was beyond words, unlike anything they had ever known.
And yet.
“Enough with the flattery.”
There were always people in the world whose hearts were made of steel and who felt nothing at all, no matter how moving the moment was.
“So, has the payment been settled?”
“Ah… you mean for the valuables you brought?”
“Yes.”
Song Tae-ak looked a little troubled and fidgeted awkwardly.
“I’m sorry to say this, but… the items you brought are so varied, and there are so many of them, that it isn’t easy to assign a price all at once.”
“I see.”
“If you could wait just another day or two, we’ll make the valuation as quickly as possible….”
“Tch.”
Chung Myung set down the liquor he’d been drinking with a displeased look.
“Hey, Master Merchant.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you think we came here?”
“…”
His voice was packed with dissatisfaction.
“It would’ve been a lot easier for us to take it to Shaanxi. So why do you think we came all the way here?”
“W-well, because you intended to liquidate it quickly….”
“Good. You know exactly what I mean. And yet what? Two days?”
“…”
“Ah, forget it. I had a feeling this place was overhyped. They say you’re Hubei’s best merchant group, and I thought you’d be something special. Boys, pack up! We’re going home!”
“N-no! Wait, no, please! Two days? When did I ever say two days? One day! One day is enough.”
“One day?”
Chung Myung tilted his head.
“Senior Brother. Jo Gul.”
“Huh?”
“Is there another merchant group nearby?”
“Hm. Hubei’s pretty much the center of commerce, so even if they can’t compare to Geum-seon, there should be a few other groups around that are at least in the same league.”
“Which is the closest?”
“Right nearby. It’s called the Dapung Merchant Group.”
“Pack fast. We’re leaving!”
When Chung Myung shot to his feet, Song Tae-ak nearly died of fright and hurled himself forward.
“M-Master! Come on, why are you doing this!”
“Let go. Or do you want me to let go?”
Chung Myung bared his teeth and shouted, his face twisting.
“I came here thinking good things should stay good, but who do you think you’re taking me for, huh? A sucker? What, ‘feelings’? Feelings? Oh, really? You’re going to call us heroes for crushing the Dae-byeol Bandit Band, then turn around and fleece us down to the last coin? Fine, then! From now on, I won’t even piss in this direction! Damn it, people of the neighborhood!”
“Th-that isn’t it, no, it isn’t!”
Cold sweat began streaming down Song Tae-ak’s back for real.
Merchants might exist to make a profit, but when it came to doing truly big business, reputation mattered even more than profit. No one wanted to open their purse to a miser who cared for nothing but money.
But if Mount Hua walked out now and said that the Geum-seon Merchant Group had tried to squeeze them for money and ruined the deal, what would happen to the group’s reputation?
Normally Song Tae-ak would never take a loss in a negotiation, but these people had come bearing too much to ignore. They had the merit of crushing the Dae-byeol Bandit Band, and what sort of nerve would he need to start haggling over money with people whose ink had barely dried on their heroics?
I thought a god of wealth had walked in.
This was more like a demon.
Chung Myung asked again.
“So what are you going to do?”
“I-I’ll buy everything right away! Right away!”
“For how much?”
Song Tae-ak’s eyes wavered for a moment.
How much?
What should he even name?
To be honest, he wasn’t hesitating because he had no idea how much the goods were worth. He was hesitating because, if possible, he wanted to keep Mount Hua here a little longer and make sure this was settled properly.
Add about twenty percent and that should be enough.
These guys weren’t thieves, so they surely wouldn’t try to squeeze him dry, would they?
“Th-then, fo, four hundred….”
“Pardon?”
At once, Chung Myung’s eyes flashed with fury.
“Fo, four hundred ten….”
“Ahem. Even so, you’re the Master Merchant of one of the Ten Great Merchant Groups of the Central Plains, and you’re haggling like a miser.”
“...Fo, four hundred twenty! That’s the limit! We’ll break our backs if we go any higher!”
“Six hundred.”
“Pardon?”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“A man’s gotta be generous. What good are you if you’re like this? Even a neighborhood corner store would spend more than that.”
“M-Master! If you take that much, we’ll be left out on the street. I… I can’t accept that deal.”
“Really? Then seven hundred.”
“...N-no, what kind of—”
“Instead.”
Chung Myung grinned.
“I’ll give you the exclusive right to distribute Yunnan tea in Hubei.”
Song Tae-ak, who had been staring blankly as if he’d seen a ghost, suddenly went expressionless.
“...Are you serious?”
Watching the merchant’s face snap back into place in an instant, Chung Myung curled the corner of his mouth.
Yes. This is more like it for the Master Merchant of one of the Ten Great Merchant Groups.
“Yeah, well. Our merchant groups can transport tea, but we’re not very good at selling it farther up north, so we were looking for a good place anyway.”
“...”
“I hear this merchant group is pretty famous for tea. Is that right?”
Song Tae-ak’s eyes shone.
So they didn’t just come here by chance.
They hadn’t merely come to Hubei after wiping out the Dae-byeol Bandit Band and picked the nearest merchant group. At the very least, this man had been waiting for an opening to bring this up ever since he decided to come here.
No wonder Mount Hua has such a reputation.
Of course they would make a name for themselves if they had people like this.
“Then let us make it one thousand strings.”
“Oh?”
“However!”
Song Tae-ak spoke, his gaze faintly cold now.
“Beijing. Give us exclusive rights to Beijing. Other places are fine. If you add Beijing, I’ll give you three hundred more.”
“Hmmm.”
Chung Myung looked down at him with a strange expression.
“Won’t Mount Wudang hate that?”
“I am a merchant.”
But Song Tae-ak answered firmly.
“If I can’t seize an opportunity when it comes, then I am no merchant. I pursue profit, not relationships.”
Chung Myung nodded as if he liked that answer.
“Good. Then let’s do that.”
“Hahaha! You made the right call….”
“Then let’s settle on twelve hundred.”
“...Pardon?”
Song Tae-ak looked as if he’d been hit in the face. Chung Myung grinned.
“You were willing to go as high as a thousand, which means you still have some room to breathe. So twelve hundred. What do you think? Sounds like a number both sides can feel good about.”
“...”
“Answer me.”
“...”
“Aannnnswer me.”
“...Please knock off a hundred thousand nyang.”
“Sure, that much is fine.”
Song Tae-ak squeezed his eyes shut. Still, knowing he’d at least saved on the liquor money made it bearable enough that he didn’t cry.