Chapter 45
“Such a pretty mole.”
“Yes, this is…”
Hongseol hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“It’s a sign that shows how much my mom loves me.”
Yuhwa felt puzzled.
‘Didn’t this child say her mother abandoned her?’
It was a statement that made no sense, but Yuhwa didn’t want to hurt the child by pointing out the truth.
“I see.”
Hongseol murmured indignantly, as if Yuhwa’s response lacked sincerity.
“It’s true! Really… my mom said so while singing me a lullaby. She said this mole means she loves me, Hongseol.”
She could still vividly feel her mother’s hand gently smoothing the hair off her forehead.
“I was very, very young, though. People say you can’t remember things from that age, but that’s not true!”
“……”
“It’s true… my mom really said she loved me.”
Whether it was true or just a fantasy the child had created, such a memory would make the pain of being abandoned even sharper.
Yuhwa lowered her eyelashes weakly, thinking of the snow falling white over the footprints of her mother who had left.
“Alright. May I take your pulse now?”
“Yes.”
Hongseol extended her arm weakly. Yuhwa closed her eyes and focused on feeling her pulse.
After a long while, she finally reached a judgment and lifted her blue eyes.
“We need to immediately summon the Heubi Buntaju of the Beggars’ Sect.”
The Beggars’ Sect, a gathering of beggars, was effectively an intelligence network in the Central Plains.
And she was calling for the leader overseeing the Heubi region.
Hongseol asked with a bewildered expression,
“For what purpose?”
“There is someone we must find to cure your illness. He is my master, the medical sage Wanli Yishen.”
“Jeok-ah, don’t bury your nose in the bowl!”
“Father, did you sleep well last night?”
“Ah, brother! That’s my chopsticks.”
“Seol-ah, try this. It’s crunchy.”
Hongseol held a ceramic spoon with a piece of seasoned meat and looked around.
‘Since when has it been like this?’
The mornings at Changcheon Pavilion had become bustling ever since Hongseol arrived.
The extra work doubled for Mrs. Lee in the kitchen, yet she was always smiling.
“Finally, the family feels like a real family,” said Namgungho as he slurped his egg porridge.
He had just returned after attending a few days of the elders’ meetings of the Martial Alliance.
“So, Yuhwa, you told the Heubi Buntaju to find Wanli Yishen?”
“Yes. But he seemed reluctant. Wanli Yishen never stays in one place and dislikes showing himself…” Yuhwa trailed off with concern.
“Hmm. Even if it costs a lot of money, why not issue a total mobilization order in the Beggars’ Sect?”
“One thing…” Yuhwa lowered her head. She had already considered this.
“They say the leader of the Beggars’ Sect, Cheontonggae, cannot be reached.”
Cheontonggae—the only one capable of mobilizing a hundred thousand beggars at once.
He often secluded himself in unknown places to avoid troublesome matters. Sometimes it took three or four years just to contact him once he went into hiding.
“Damn old man!”
Namgungho, unable to contain his irritation, cleared his throat upon realizing all eyes were on him.
“Hrm, hrm. If he can cure Seol-ah’s illness, even if it takes years, we must find Wanli Yishen. Must find him, no question about it.”
Hongseol’s heart fluttered at that. Embarrassed, she quickly spooned more egg porridge into her mouth to hide her feelings.
“By the way, what will we do about this year’s <Anhui Crossing>?”
<Anhui Crossing>?
Curious, Hongseol perked her ears. Noticing this, Namgungon smiled gently.
“The Anhui Crossing means the martial families of Anhui Province gather and cross the river. Or using the character ‘Ha,’ it can mean gathering in midsummer.”
Before Namgungon finished, Bing Yuhwa began her explanation.
“At the Anhui Crossing, each family sends one elder and some children around ten years old. Usually, explanations like this are necessary rather than just interpreting the characters.”
The last words, sharp as thorns, were clearly aimed at Namgungon.
For a moment, Namgungon and Bing Yuhwa’s eyes met sharply.
Heuk and Jeok sighed as if saying, ‘Here we go again.’
Namgungbaek sipped his hot tea with apparent disinterest.
“Aigo,” Namgungho pressed his temple, headache obvious.
Meanwhile, Hongseol’s thoughts wandered.
‘Could the Myaogajang also come…?’
The thought made her chest ache.
Namgungho’s deep voice echoed in her ears:
“They say this year’s Anhui Crossing will be held at Yuseongmun.”
Yuseongmun, a small sect in Heubi, was less than half a day from the Namgung estate.
“The distance isn’t far, so Yuhwa, why don’t you go this time? You can show your face to people after a while.”
“I will, Father.”
While the adults spoke, Namgungheuk whispered to Hongseol with a triumphant grin,
“I went with Jeok last year too!”
“What do you do there, brother?”
“Adults drink, kids play.”
“Play? What kind of play?”
“That changes every year. The elder of the hosting family decides. Last year it was probably archery, right, Jeok?”
“……”
No answer. Hongseol was puzzled. Usually, Jeok, like an excited little puppy, chattered nonstop, but today he was unusually quiet.
“Hey, Namgung Jeok!”
“Yes? Yes! Archery, that’s right!”
Only after being called twice did Jeok respond in surprise, then went back to his sullen face.
Heuk leaned over the table and whispered lowly:
“Hey! Still thinking about the time your pants got pulled down by mistake?”
“Oh, no!”
Jeok looked at Hongseol with his small, round eyes, as if worried she might overhear.
‘Poor thing.’
Hongseol had already heard everything but pretended not to.
At that moment, Namgungho’s voice rang out:
“Baek-ah, why don’t you participate in this year’s <Anhui Crossing>?”
His tone carried a subtle expectation.
All eyes at the table turned to Namgungbaek, who drank his tea and replied without hesitation:
“No, I will not go.”
Bing Yuhwa sighed and said,
“Baek-ah, sometimes you have to show your face…”
“I don’t want to play along with children’s games.”
“Alright, I understand your intentions.”
Namgungon, acting as head, quickly resolved the matter.
Then Namgung Jeok raised his hand.
“I-I also want to skip this year…”
“What are you saying, Jeok-ah! You must go.”
Though his gaze fell to the floor after Bing Yuhwa’s words.
With Jeok’s rebellion easily subdued, Namgungon continued:
“This year, more martial families than usual will attend. They say even Myaogajang will come.”
At that, the little cat’s heart thudded.
Fidgeting with her teacup, Hongseol unconsciously parted her lips:
“From Myaogajang… who, who will come?”
Could it be my younger brother Garyeong?
“They say the brothers Geummyeong and Eunmyeong will come.”
“……!”
Hongseol’s entire body tensed.
‘Geummyeong and Eunmyeong are coming?’
The side branch brothers of Myaogajang who once forced her to drink weed-infused water.
Their cruel faces laughing at her flashed vividly.
She felt nauseous and could no longer eat the egg porridge in her hand.
She imagined it smelled of rotten weeds.
With trembling hands, Hongseol set the bowl down on the table.
Namgungbaek watched her intently.
“And the family head Jegal Seondo will come too.”
‘Mom…?’
A name she hadn’t heard in a long time.
At that moment, Hongseol’s mind went completely blank.
