Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Two Villages
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As Dang Mujin and his group prepared to leave Nogun Village, a crowd of people approached.
Wondering what they wanted, he stared at them blankly, and the man at the front, Bang Ik, held out a pouch a little larger than his fist.
“What’s this?”
“We hope it’ll be of some small help. It’s money we all chipped in together.”
There were about thirty silver coins inside the pouch.
Dang Mujin was taken aback. They’d only been in Nogun Village for a couple of hours at most. It was too much to have scraped together in that time.
“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll have to decline. It feels a bit burdensome.”
When Dang Mujin gently pushed the pouch back, Bang Ik firmly offered it again with a resolute expression.
“It’s not a burdensome amount. It’s not money we forced together either. Lots of folks want to give you even a small token of thanks.”
Dang Mujin looked around. No one seemed to regret the money, confirming Bang Ik’s words.
Even so, Dang Mujin refused again.
“We have plenty of travel funds ourselves.”
“Then at least use it to stay at a nice inn on the road, have a drink, and ease your fatigue.”
Dang Mujin observed the villagers’ appearances.
Everyone was neatly dressed in fine clothes.
Even the local kids wore deerhide shoes, which spoke volumes about their prosperity without need for further explanation.
The money they made from gathering and selling herbs on Nogun Mountain must have exceeded his expectations.
“It really doesn’t seem like a burdensome amount.”
Reluctantly, Dang Mujin took the pouch and handed it to Nangong Myeong.
“I’m good. Give it to Hong Geolgae or something.”
Nangong Myeong refused, and Hong Geolgae recoiled in horror.
“How could a Beggars’ Sect disciple carry a money pouch? True disciples of the sect must live frugally, begging for meals to uphold our traditions.”
Dang Mujin shot Hong Geolgae a sidelong glance.
At first glance, Hong Geolgae seemed to value the sect’s traditions.
But his standards for begging deviated somewhat from common sense.
When they first met, if Dang Mujin or the strange physician offered food, Hong Geolgae would wave it off and go down to the village to beg. That was normal Beggars’ Sect behavior.
However, over time, Hong Geolgae’s definition of begging expanded.
Now, he considered eating food the group foraged in the mountains or freeloading meals at the Dang Clinic as all part of begging.
His logic was that since it didn’t come from his own pocket, it all counted as begging.
If he’d just kept quiet, it might’ve been fine, but he constantly boasted about strictly upholding the sect’s traditions, making it all the more infuriating.
“He just hates handling money.”
Dang Mujin sighed and tucked the pouch into his bosom. Bang Ik looked pleased at the sight.
“Oh, right. You said you’re heading to Yangyang?”
“That’s right.”
“You’ll come across a river tributary on the way. You’ll have to choose between the west or east side of the river, and I recommend the west.”
“Why is that?”
“Merchants who visit Nogun Mountain all say the same thing. The village on the west side is far better than the one on the east.”
A merchant who’d been listening nearby approached and elaborated.
“Sangsin Village on the west bank is prosperous and the people are kind-hearted. But Hasin Village on the east is completely different. The folks there are stingy, the lodgings uncomfortable, and pickpockets are everywhere.”
“Hmm.”
Other merchants chimed in eagerly.
“No naive young merchant in their right mind stays in Hasin Village, so they say you can gouge prices and cheat outsiders without repercussions.”
“Even without comparing to Hasin Village, Sangsin Village is excellent. When you leave Sangsin Village, grab some bamboo rice from their inn. It’s cheap, delicious, and will make your trip to Yangyang enjoyable.”
The merchants unanimously praised Sangsin Village and condemned Hasin Village. Dang Mujin finally nodded.
“Got it. We’ll stay in Sangsin Village. Thanks for the advice.”
The merchants looked relieved, their expressions easing.
*
The next day, just past noon, Dang Mujin’s group encountered the wide river the villagers had mentioned.
He’d thought it was just a minor stream since they called it a tributary, but surprisingly, it was a massive river over a hundred paces wide.
The current wasn’t gentle either. Likely due to recent rains, it churned fiercely. Even skilled boatmen wouldn’t launch vessels in such waters.
Nangong Myeong asked,
“Sangsin Village is on the west side, right?”
“Yeah.”
People naturally choose miso over shit when given the choice.
But occasionally, some can’t resist curiosity even knowing it’s shit. Young men sometimes pick curiosity over reason.
Why offer both miso and shit? Is it really shit? If so, maybe it’s special shit. They entertain such pointless questions. That was exactly Dang Mujin’s group.
“Honestly, aren’t you curious?”
When Dang Mujin asked, Nangong Myeong and Hong Geolgae nodded.
“Just how bad can it be for them to say that?”
“If the bad reputation is that strong, it’s worth a look.”
Merchants have wide networks and love sharing pros and cons of villages.
Such discussions often turn into heated debates.
For instance, if Village A has cheap liquor but Village B has better food, opinions split on which is superior.
Men enjoy contradicting others, so they dredge up even minor advantages to argue.
Thus, it’s extremely rare for multiple merchants to unanimously trash one village.
That was the issue.
It wasn’t ordinary shit; it was undeniably, irrefutably bad shit, which piqued Dang Mujin’s group’s curiosity.
After traveling east along the river for half a day, the three found a small village.
It was middling-sized, just over a hundred households, but even from afar, it looked far from prosperous.
Before entering, Dang Mujin and Nangong Myeong checked their money. Dang Mujin had about seventy taels of silver. Nangong Myeong’s pouch held barely eighteen coppers.
Nangong Myeong said,
“This should be enough.”
Feeling an inexplicable thrill, Dang Mujin’s group entered the village, eager to see just how dire it was.
There were plenty of people, but the atmosphere was strangely desolate.
Buildings were dilapidated, people shabby, faces tense.
The street dogs revealed the village’s mood even more clearly.
Just then, a dog caught Dang Mujin’s eye, tail tucked between its legs, cowering.
It avoided people, averting its gaze. But at the sight of outsiders, it desperately wagged its tail and approached.
Dang Mujin tossed it a small chunk of meat and thought,
“As expected. A wretched village.”
As the three looked around while walking, a young child appeared from down the street, sneaking glances at them.
Dang Mujin knew what happened in such cases and secured his money pouch in his bosom.
Nangong Myeong’s, however, dangled vulnerably from his waist.
The kid pretended to run while looking elsewhere and bumped into Nangong Myeong quite naturally.
“Ow!”
As the kid nearly fell, it snatched the money pouch from Nangong Myeong’s waist.
But neither Dang Mujin nor Hong Geolgae mentioned it to him. If Nangong Myeong got pickpocketed by an untrained kid, they could tease him for ten years.
The kid trembled exaggeratedly and apologized.
“S-Sorry!”
Nangong Myeong gently grabbed the child’s shoulder and helped him up.
“Sorry? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
“Good. Watch where you’re going next time. You could get seriously injured.”
“Sorry.”
The kid bowed to Nangong Myeong and scampered off.
Just as Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae glanced at each other to tease him, they spotted the money pouch still hanging from Nangong Myeong’s waist.
Nangong Myeong took out coppers and counted.
“One, two, three, four... Eighteen. And one more!”
The money had increased. He’d apparently pocketed the pickpocket kid’s coins too. Dang Mujin clicked his tongue.
“Not getting pickpocketed wasn’t enough? You had to take the little brat’s money too?”
“In life, chances to learn a lesson from a single copper are rare. He should thank me instead.”
“Pretty words.”
“It’s plain fact. Anyway, looks like the rumors about stingy people and pickpockets aren’t lies.”
With that, Nangong Myeong strode toward the inn in the village center.
“We’ve seen the pickpockets, so let’s check how stingy they really are.”
As the three entered the inn, they saw a girl of about twelve dozing at a table, likely helping with chores.
She startled awake at the sight of them, and they sat naturally.
She approached and asked,
“What’ll it be?”
“One order of dumplings. And three bowls of noodles.”
The girl thought for a moment, then quoted the price.
“Dumplings are six coppers. Somen is four coppers per bowl, so eighteen coppers total.”
Surprisingly, the prices were normal. Nangong Myeong cheerfully counted out eighteen coppers and handed them over.
As the girl vanished into the kitchen, an irritated adult male voice rang out.
“I told you outsiders are triple!”
Likely the innkeeper. He’d lowered his voice, so most wouldn’t hear, but the three with keen ears caught it clearly.
The girl mumbled,
“...Last time we almost got in big trouble for that.”
“Ugh, that was then. These idiots look clueless. Eat ’em up while you can.”
“But...”
“No buts. You’re hopeless. Go fetch water. Don’t stop till the jar’s full.”
“Yes...”
The girl left with a dejected look, and a man with thick, caterpillar-like eyebrows emerged from the kitchen.
He spoke as if doing them a favor.
“Aigoo, guests. I gave the wrong price. It’s not sixteen, it’s forty-eight coppers. The kid’s slow at math... But as apology, we’ll knock off three for forty-five.”
Dang Mujin’s eyebrow twitched.
“The price is absurdly high.”
“In autumn it’d be half, but now ingredients have skyrocketed. We can’t serve at that price. We’re losing money as is.”
As Dang Mujin opened his mouth, Nangong Myeong stretched an arm to stop him.
“We’ve got money to spare. No need to bicker over trifles. The innkeeper knows food costs best.”
A slightly dented silver coin emerged from Nangong Myeong’s pouch—one that hadn’t been there when they checked outside.
Dang Mujin’s eyes widened.
“No way, this guy?”
Dang Mujin ducked his head and checked his own pouch under the table.
His silver was intact.
So where did Nangong Myeong’s dented coin come from? It definitely hadn’t been there entering the inn.
Nangong Myeong boomed heartily to the innkeeper,
“We’ve got plenty of money, no need for discounts.”
Hong Geolgae added,
“A kid messing up the math isn’t a big deal. Don’t get so mad.”
The innkeeper’s face visibly brightened.
“Aigoo, such generous hearts!”
“It’s only natural.”
“And so humble too!”
Thinking he’d hooked suckers, the innkeeper grinned widely as he returned change.
As he went back to cook, Hong Geolgae whispered to Nangong Myeong,
“You didn’t have that silver earlier, right?”
“Who knows. Must’ve been stuck in a corner.”
Impossible—they’d turned the pouch inside out checking.
Nangong Myeong pocketed the change coppers.
But inside awaited an even greater surprise: the dented silver he’d just handed over lay quietly in the pouch.
Dang Mujin stared at Nangong Myeong in shock. But Nangong Myeong remained calmly serene.
“How the hell...?”
Dumplings and somen arrived, and Nangong Myeong called the innkeeper again.
“Got any baijiu for drinks?”
“We do, but liquor prices have risen too...”
The innkeeper eyed Nangong Myeong. Seeing moneyed vibes, he pondered how much to overcharge.
“No worries. It won’t exceed one tael, right?”
Showing the silver, Nangong Myeong made the innkeeper beam as he fetched a bottle.
After change, Nangong Myeong ordered more.
“Oh, sorry for the hassle with extra orders. Need more snacks, so prepare some meat dish.”
“Yes.”
“Take payment first.”
Again, the dented silver.
By now, Hong Geolgae sensed something extraordinary.
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae stared at Nangong Myeong’s right hand. But they couldn’t fathom when or how the silver returned from the innkeeper.
Nangong Myeong repeated the miracle several times, using the same silver for drinks and food.
The innkeeper’s cooking was below average at best.
But fullness is fair regardless of skill. The three ate and drank their fill, moods lifted, while the innkeeper gleefully fleeced his marks.
As they finished and stood, the innkeeper rubbed his hands.
“Need lodging too?”
“We’re fine. Thanks for the meal.”
“Yes. Come again anytime.”
He bowed politely. Outside, Nangong Myeong grumbled,
“Definitely a stingy village, as the merchants said. Serious case.”
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae narrowed their eyes at him. Stingy, yes—but hardly his place to say.
“Why not stay and leave tomorrow? Why leave?”
“If they catch on, it’s trouble. And three days’ walk with inn food? No thanks. Let’s camp tonight and stay in Sangsin Village tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Let’s do that.”
Hong Geolgae agreed immediately. He was curious about that bamboo rice the merchants raved about.
As they exited Hasin Village, the girl from the inn approached hesitantly. She didn’t look like a pickpocket.
She went to Hong Geolgae and held out her hand. When he reciprocated, she shoved something into it and fled.
It was a shabby bead, even cracked with thin gold lines.
Trash to adults, but treasure to a child.
“What? She took a shine to you?”
“No way.”
Hong Geolgae pondered the bead’s meaning. Nothing came to mind.
He stuffed it in his pants pocket and walked on with his friends.