Chapter 45. Pesticide is Freshness (1)

Following Mr. Mo, we loaded our luggage onto the boat and headed for the Taeho branch. Inside the boat, where coughing sounds echoed from all corners, we tried to find the most secluded spot and huddled together.

‘If we catch a cold, it’ll be a big problem.’

Although I had come out to support with Mr. Jiang's permission, if I were to fall ill and return late, it would result in a loss of pay.

“This is quite uncomfortable.”

“Just bear with it for a little while.”

“Can we just leave our noses out?”

Yang Jinpo and the disciples, who had never worn masks before, complained about the discomfort. I gently consoled them as we headed for the Taeho branch. After arriving and unloading the luggage with great caution, we finally breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Fortunately, no one has caught a cold yet.’

Although we still had to worry about the incubation period, it seemed fine for now. As I was putting down the luggage in relief, Mr. Mo approached and said:

“Good job. Thanks to you, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“It’s nothing.”

“By the way, are you the new recruit who killed Yun Junsub?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Hmm...”

Mr. Mo’s eyes sparkled, as if he was considering recruiting me. His forehead also glistened, making him even more intimidating.

‘This is a bit uncomfortable.’

I avoided Mr. Mo’s gaze and asked:

“By the way, can you tell me about the Bila Chun purchase location you mentioned before we left?”

“Sure. But, do you have any plans to visit our branch? Taeho is much better to live in than Maeyanghyeon. You can even store Bila Chun in a jar and drink it whenever you want.”

“...”

Why would you store it in a jar to drink?

After struggling to decline Mr. Mo’s persistent recruitment, I finally managed to learn about the Bila Chun purchase location. It was a place called Seokrim Tea House.

As soon as I heard the purchase location, I gathered Yang Jinpo and the disciples. I couldn’t do this alone.

“We can finally take off these masks.”

“Are we going back to Maeyanghyeon now?”

The thought of going home had them quite excited. I told them not to take off their masks yet and said:

“Wait, pay attention for a moment.”

“What is it?”

“Now that you’ve tried being a porter, how was it?”

“Hmm...”

The disciples let out long sighs. They probably found it difficult, especially with their sore feet.

When you first do a lot of walking, your feet can swell for a week. It’s a painful, pricking sensation that you have to endure and keep walking. It’s a feeling of excruciating pain.

Being a porter means you have to keep walking even if it hurts. Many people give up because of this. I was curious if the disciples would continue working.

Fortunately, Yang Jinpo and the disciples seemed fine.

“It wasn’t bad.”

“It was manageable.”

“It’s okay.”

Considering they had been through intense training at Jeolgeum Gate, it made sense. Still, I asked one more time just to be sure:

“Can you continue doing this in the future?”

After a moment of silence, they all nodded.

Good. That’s great.

“Then let’s try to earn some pocket money.”

“Pocket money?”

“Yeah.”

I explained that we would buy as much Bila Chun as possible and sell it in Maeyanghyeon, even mentioning the expected profit. The disciples’ eyes widened in surprise.

“I didn’t know why we came here, but you had a plan all along.”

“Right? But there is one drawback.”

“What kind of drawback?”

Yang Jinpo asked with an innocent look. I was hesitant to mention the fatal flaw in the plan, worried they might back out.

“The drawback is that we’ll have to carry the loads on our way back.”

“...Damn.”

“Can you do it?”

The disciples were hesitant about carrying loads on the way back but eventually agreed. After all, it was better to earn some money than to return empty-handed and waste the distance we had walked.

With everyone’s agreement, I immediately headed to Seokrim Tea House, where Bila Chun was sold.

As expected, the price was one silver coin per unit.

“I’m buying in bulk, so can you give me a discount?”

“How much?”

I spread my hands wide to indicate the amount.

“About this much?”

“Shut up.”

When I showed the amount with my fingers, the tea house owner started cursing. I immediately called in Yang Jinpo and the disciples. The muscle-bound men in masks filled the tea house, and I asked again:

“Sir, please, can you give me a discount?”

“...”

Thanks to their presence, we managed to get a significant discount. Using the money we had and the savings of the Jeolgeum Gate disciples—well, I still couldn’t remember their names, so let’s just call them First, Second, Third, and Fourth Disciple—we pooled our money to buy Bila Chun.

Carrying a generous amount of Bila Chun, our steps back to the Maeyanghyeon branch were heavy, physically speaking.

“Do we have to carry this with charcoal? It’s so heavy.”

“It’s too heavy...”

To protect the moisture-sensitive Bila Chun, we filled a sack with charcoal and placed it inside. The charcoal served as a natural dehumidifier, making it extremely heavy, almost to the point of straining our backs. I adjusted the shoulder straps and consoled the complaining disciples.

“When you’re young, you have to endure the hard work. It’s all for the money.”

There was no reason not to buy Bila Chun, which promised a 1.5 times profit margin.

Bila Chun coins are a godsend.

“I’m invincible.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a slogan to chant when you’re struggling. You should follow along.”

“I’m too embarrassed.”

While teasing the emotionally drained Yang Jinpo, we headed back to Maeyanghyeon.

***

It took a full week to return to Maeyanghyeon. I sent the Jeolgeum Gate disciples home first and then went to the tea house alone to sell all the Bila Chun. As expected, it was in high demand. After settling the accounts, I had a decent amount of money.

‘Indeed, it’s quite profitable.’

This amount was enough for two months’ salary. I headed to where Yang Jinpo and the disciples lived to share the remaining money.

They lived in a slum.

‘I never thought I’d come back here.’

Standing in front of their dilapidated shack, I felt a mix of complex emotions. On one hand, I didn’t want to live in such a place again, but on the other, there was a sense of nostalgia.

The five of them lived together in one house. With five muscular men crammed into a small shack, the muscle density was so high that there was barely any room to move.

I took out the only table they used as a dining table and poured out the silver coins.

“Everyone, good job on your first mission. This is the money we made from selling Bila Chun.”

The silver coins glittered as they spilled out. I first gave each of them their initial investment and then pointed to the remaining money.

“Isn’t it a decent amount?”

“Wow...”

“Indeed, it’s quite a lot.”

Yang Jinpo and the disciples were amazed by the amount, which they had never seen before. After all, lower-ranking disciples usually only received pocket money and rarely saw such a large sum.

As I watched them celebrate, I noticed a strange smell that had been bothering me.

“By the way, what’s this smell?”

I sniffed around, trying to find the source of the smell. Yang Jinpo shook his head, seemingly unaware.

“What smell? I don’t know.”

“No, it’s a pungent smell.”

There was a definite foul odor coming from somewhere. It was a strange smell, but I felt like I had smelled it before. After sniffing around, I found the source.

Right behind the house.

“What is this? Why did you buy a house next to a latrine?!”

I was shocked. The public latrine for the slum was right next to their house. Yang Jinpo, embarrassed by my reaction, scratched his head with his only arm and said:

“It was the cheapest...”

“...”

This won’t do. You guys.

I sighed and put all the money back into the money bag. Then I said:

“Move first.”

“It’s bearable.”

Living in such a place would definitely not be good for their mental health. I decided to bring up the matter I had been considering.

“I was thinking of doing this a bit later, but let’s start now.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re going to form a kind of group (會) within the courier company.”

“Form a group?”

“Yeah, you and me.”

In other words, we would become a family.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I plan to become a branch manager within three years.”

“Hmm... Is that possible?”

Based on my estimation, it was definitely possible, assuming the Baiyun Courier Company’s business didn’t worsen.

“It’s possible. And I’d like you to come with me when that happens. That’s why I want to form this group.”

Yang Jinpo and the others looked at each other, and after a moment, they nodded.

“Okay.”

I took out a portion of my share and put it in the money bag. This amount was enough to rent a decent room. I placed the money bag on the table and said:

“First, let’s move to a better place. From now on, we’ll each contribute a portion of our salary to the group fund. Of course, I’ll contribute too.”

“Hmm. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea. But isn’t it too much of a burden for you?”

“I’ll be the group leader.”

“...If that’s the case, it’s fine. But what will the group be called?”

We had a heated debate about the group name. Some suggested calling it "One-Man Group" because I was the only courier, while others suggested "Congress" because it was a group within the courier company.

After a heated debate, I, exhausted, made the final decision.

“Let’s just call it the Wujianshan Hiking Club. We’ll be climbing Wujianshan often, won’t we?”

“...”

That day, I became the first president of the Wujianshan Hiking Club. It was a joyful occasion.

***

After the first meeting of the Wujianshan Hiking Club, I decided to visit Manjin Bookstore on the way back. I realized I had never been to Manjin Bookstore before.

‘Last time, I didn’t get to go.’

It’s amazing how life can take unexpected turns, like meeting Yang Jinpo and ending up here.

I wasn’t going to Manjin Bookstore for cultural activities but for shopping.

Sometimes, bookstores sell old, unsold books in bulk at a discount, and sometimes, martial arts manuals are among them.

It’s like a martial arts gacha. However, the quality is only at the level of a friend point gacha, meaning SR-level manuals don’t appear.

‘I learned Double Linked Whip that way.’

Was it during my shop assistant days? I bought a bulk of cheap books to use as toilet paper, and among them, I found a “Basic Sword Technique.” After practicing diligently, I mastered the Double Linked Whip. Thanks to the Double Linked Whip, I saved my life several times, making it a true stroke of luck.

Hoping for a stroke of luck, I headed to Manjin Bookstore.

A man was leaning against an alley. He called out to me in a low voice:

“Have you been well?”

“No, Chief, what are you doing here...”

It was the young chief. As I was about to bow, he stopped me with a hand and said:

“Come into this alley first.”

Confused, I followed him into the dark alley. He turned to face me. I bowed again.

“It’s been a long time, Chief.”

“Yes. How have you been?”

“Of course, I’ve been well.”

This time, it didn’t seem like anything had gone wrong. After a brief exchange, I asked about his purpose.

“But what brings you here today?”

“The negotiations with the Mu family have been successful, so I’ve brought the matter I promised you before.”

“The matter you promised... Oh, the regular transportation to the Mu family’s estate in Hubei Province?”

“Yes.”

I quickly recalled the matter. I had promised to introduce a client in exchange for capturing the runaway Kaeseong woman.

‘It was a client worth ten thousand silver coins a year.’

That was a huge deal. My heart swelled with pride. For a new recruit to secure such a deal was probably unprecedented in the history of the courier company.

Feeling a strong sense of promotion, I took the document the chief handed me and began to read it.

‘Let’s see. Regular transportation from Sichuan Tangmen to the Mu family...’

As I read, the young chief continued to speak.

“Now, you just need to present it well.”

“Thank you, Chief. I will never forget your kindness.”

“Ha ha. No, but... I heard that Baiyun Courier Company doesn’t have much influence in Sichuan. Will it be okay?”

“I’ll talk to the branch manager and see what we can do.”

That was true. Baiyun Courier Company operated in Anhui, Hubei, and Sichuan, but unfortunately, Sichuan had the lowest market share. I had also heard that the Sichuan branch had some issues. The chief advised:

“If Baiyun Courier Company can’t handle it, try to transfer the business to another courier company. That alone will be quite profitable.”

“I understand.”

It was likely that Bai Linghua would not accept such a transfer, as it was a good opportunity to expand in Sichuan.

I nodded, put the document away, and asked the most pressing question:

“By the way, what are we transporting?”

Was there something that needed regular transportation from Sichuan Tangmen to the Mu family?

“It’s pesticide (農藥).”

“...?”

“I’m not familiar with farming, so I don’t understand. Can you explain what it is in more detail?”