Seeing the young man freeze up, the Meteor Sect Master tilted his head and asked.
“What’s wrong? Is there some kind of problem?”
“W–why is that person here…?”
“Looks like you two know each other.”
Right then, a woman followed behind him, holding a child as she stepped into the room where we were.
“Ah!”
She flinched in surprise, then hurried over to me and bowed her head.
“I greet my benefactor.”
“Benefactor?”
At the Meteor Sect Master’s question, she answered.
“Yes. He’s the benefactor who saved Gyeong.”
Sect Master Yuseong and his second younger brother both spoke up like something had just clicked.
“Madam, is this the man who saved Gyeong at the inn?”
“So that person was this gentleman?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The child, Gyeong, seemed to remember me; he stretched his hands out toward me and beamed.
“Bwother! Bwother!”
Pretty sure he’s trying to call me Brother.
Sorry, kid. I’m way past the age where I should be called your brother.
Uncle, maybe.
The Lord’s second younger brother cupped his fist to me.
“Thank you so much for saving my son, Great Hero.”
“Great Hero is too much. I only happened to cross paths with the child, that’s all that let me save him.”
“You can say that, but how many people could actually do what you did? Let me thank you again.”
Sect Master Yuseong also gave me a polite cupped–fist salute.
In the meantime, the young man called Yu Seok shuffled over to me, looking awkward.
“I’m sorry. Back then I couldn’t even greet you properly, let alone apologize the way I should have.”
He bowed his head deeply and went on.
“Thank you, truly, for saving my nephew. And I apologize for my rudeness.”
I nodded and replied.
“Think nothing of it. Given how little you knew at the time, it was more than reasonable to misunderstand.”
“Hearing you say that really puts me at ease. Thank you.”
Man, feels like everyone’s attention is glued to me. But no matter what anyone says, the real stars today are the bride and groom.
I spoke gently.
“I think that’s about enough gratitude toward me. I’m not the main character today – my close friend is – so I ask for your understanding.”
“Ah, you’re right! Here I am, being rude with my son–in–law right in front of me… my apologies.”
At that, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun laughed and shook his head.
“Not at all. It’s a fact my best man did something good, isn’t it? He even saved your grandchild’s life, Father–in–law! I really did pick my best man well.”
“Thank you for saying that. Then I’ll finish the introductions.”
The one who had apologized to me was, apparently, the Lord’s third younger brother.
“My eldest younger brother is away from home right now.”
“I see.”
Still, the age gap between them seems bigger than I expected.
Maybe he noticed what I was thinking, because Sect Master Yuseong spoke up.
“My third younger brother was born to our parents late in their lives.”
“I understand.”
“And here, Gyeong is the child my second younger brother waited for such a long time.”
Once the rest of the family had been introduced, we moved to another place.
“Then let’s go and get some rest.”
“Yes.”
As we headed off, I scratched my cheek and turned toward a different direction.
Toward the place where the bride was waiting.
My mood was all over the place.
It wasn’t that I felt pressured about seeing the bride’s face before Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun did; they’d already explained the reason to me.
It was simply because of the connection from my previous life.
Back then in Liaoning, I had to do business with one of the local gentry.
With greed written all over his face, he kept nitpicking and looking for excuses, refusing to pay what he owed.
That was when a woman who’d been sitting near us walked over and spoke.
“I didn’t take you for that kind of man, but are you aware you’re smearing the face of us people of Liaoning right now?”
“G–gasp! W–why are you here…?”
“I would rather you didn’t make the people of Liaoning out to be untrustworthy.”
“M–my apologies.”
“I’ll be watching you.”
She didn’t say anything more, just left those words behind and stepped out of the hall.
The local notable stopped nitpicking at once and promptly paid me in full.
“By the way, who is that lady?”
“Hah! You lowly merchant! ‘Who is that lady?’ you say? That’s the second young master’s wife from the Moyong Clan!”
That was how I learned who she was, and I swore I’d repay that favor someday.
But back then, I never managed to repay her.
Not long after, I heard she’d taken her own life… and only two years later, when the Meteor Sect was wiped out, did I realize she had been the Meteor Sect Master’s eldest daughter.
The maid guiding me spoke up.
“Young Lady, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s best man has arrived.”
“Send him in.”
That same firm, steady voice I’d heard in my previous life.
The door opened, and I stepped inside.
A woman sat in front of a low tea table.
Her face looked far brighter and livelier than when I’d seen her in my last life.
I respectfully cupped my fist and bowed.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s best man.”
“I’m In Jeong-yeon, eldest daughter of the Meteor Sect Master.”
In Jeong-yeon.
Right. That was her name.
The maid brought tea and poured it into her cup and mine.
As best man, I couldn’t just take one look at the bride’s face and leave; I had to sit and talk with her until we’d finished a full pot of tea.
They said this custom of having a best man was unique to Bok Yun’s family, but from what I heard, most families in Liaoning had similar traditions.
The names and exact roles were a little different, though.
Right now, Bok Yun was probably talking with Lady In Jeong-yeon’s own best man.
The bride’s best man had a job pretty similar to the groom’s.
If they decided the groom was absolutely no good, they would stop the bride from entering the bridal chamber.
And the groom’s best man could also halt the wedding entirely if he thought it was wrong.
I could only hope things were going smoothly with the bride’s best man.
Thinking that, I quietly drank my tea.
“The tea has a nice, nutty flavor.”
“We roast brown rice and add it in.”
“Ah, so that’s why it’s so fragrant and nutty.”
I set my cup down and started the real conversation.
“My close friend looks decent enough and he’s meticulous with his work, but he can be a little dense. He might make you feel a bit neglected sometimes, so I hope you’ll be generous with him.”
At that, she tilted her head.
“Aren’t you going to ask me anything? You’re talking like you’ve already made up your mind.”
“Yes. I have.”
I smiled.
Even though we’d only met briefly in my past life, that meeting had been enough to tell me she was a good person.
As long as someone’s character isn’t a problem, you can work out everything else as you go through life together.
Marriage is two people who grew up in completely different environments becoming one family.
And every little thing between those two is supposed to match perfectly?
That never happens.
Even siblings born to the same parents and raised in the same environment can barely manage that.
Still, if I didn’t explain myself a bit more, she might think I was being careless.
“I already know quite a bit about you. Merchant families are more serious about gathering information than you might think. It may sound rude, but we treated this marriage the same way.”
“I suppose you would.”
“I hope you won’t take offense. Please see it as proof that we were sincere about a choice that will shape the rest of your lives.”
I continued.
“And I’m sure the same goes for you as well.”
She let out a small laugh and nodded.
“You’re right. We also did our best to learn about the other party.”
“I trust my friend’s eye for people. And now that I’m here, I can say his eye really is excellent.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment for me.”
We both laughed.
“By the way, what are you going to do about your sword?”
“Pardon?”
“Surely you’re not planning to put your sword away for good, are you?”
At my question, her eyes wavered just a little. I’d guessed right.
“I don’t really have a choice. If I’m going to fulfill my duties as lady of the house, I won’t have much time to wield a sword.”
I shook my head and offered her some advice.
“Never abandon your sword. Danger comes to merchant families just as suddenly as it does to martial ones. I don’t want you to regret setting your weapon aside when that moment comes.”
She thought over my words for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ll do that.”
Good. Time for the main point.
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, please ask me for help anytime. I’ll gladly come to your aid.”
“Because you’re Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s best man?”
That was part of it, of course, but I also wanted to repay the favor I owed her from my past life.
Someone might say I’d already repaid her by saving Bok Yun and changing the course of her fate.
But that was that, and this was this.
Either way, I couldn’t exactly say all that out loud, so I just nodded.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun has quite the reliable friend. And you’re even a hero of the Dragon–Phoenix Martial Gathering!”
“You know about me too?”
She nodded at my question.
“Yes. Father told me, and I also saw you in a book he obtained in Luoyang.”
“A book?”
As if to clear up my confusion, she rose from her seat and brought over a book.
“This one.”
[Rising Heroes of the Thirty–Sixth Dragon–Phoenix Martial Gathering]
The moment I saw the title, I choked on my own saliva.
“Cough, cough!”
“Oh! Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
I sipped my tea and barely managed to calm the coughing fit.
“Do you have any other questions for me, by any chance?”
“None.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes.”
“Now I feel kind of bad. My best man brought over a list with more than a hundred things he wanted to ask…”
“Ah…”
.
.
.
After wrapping up my conversation with Lady In, I headed over to Bok Yun.
“Oh no…”
He was slumped over the table.
“Are you alright?”
At my question, he barely lifted his head and spoke.
“That was rough.”
Uh… so he’s not alright.
Well, answering over a hundred questions would make anyone break out in a cold sweat.
“So? How was it?”
At his question, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I just found myself admiring your taste all over again, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok.”
“Ah…”
His face brightened.
That day, once all the preparations were done, the bride finally appeared.
Unlike when I’d seen her earlier, she now wore a red bridal veil.
Before we knew it, the bride’s side had also finished getting ready to depart.
Normally, the ceremony would be held here and they’d leave the next day, but this time the wedding was going to be at the Gwangjun Merchant Group.
The bride climbed into the carriage, and the whole party set off for the Gwangjun Merchant Group.
Normally musicians at the front of the procession would play lively tunes, but this time we moved in almost complete silence.
Guards from the Gwangjun Merchant Group and disciples from the Meteor Sect surrounded us on all sides.
After traveling like that for quite a while, we finally reached the Gwangjun Merchant Group.
“The bride is here!”
“Waaah!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, and the wedding ceremony for the two of them truly began.
.
.
.
Night grew late.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom entered the bridal chamber. Since Deputy Merchant Lord Bok had passed muster, the bride’s best man allowed her to go in.
A few days passed after that.
Even though Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s wedding was over, I still hadn’t returned to Beijing.
Because I had to accompany his wife, Lady In, for the formal return–home visit to her parents.
That was the last part of my duty as best man here.
And today was the day of that return–home ceremony.
After breakfast, we finished getting ready to head to Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s in–laws’ home.
His wife looked like she wanted to ride a horse too, but because of what she was wearing, she had no choice but to take the carriage.
When we arrived at the Meteor Sect, Sect Master Yuseong and his wife welcomed us warmly.
“Come in, come in. It’s good that you’ve come.”
“I pay my respects to Father–in–law and Mother–in–law.”
“This girl greets her parents.”
We went inside while the workers started unloading the gifts from the wagons.
“What are all these things?”
At that question, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun answered.
“They’re modest gifts sent by my parents. Please don’t feel burdened by them.”
“Then please thank your honored parents–in–law for their thoughtfulness on my behalf.”
Once the gifts were unpacked, the return–home ceremony began in earnest.
After all, the main purpose of the ceremony was to formally pay respects at the bride’s family home.
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun bowed and presented gifts to his wife’s great–grandmother and to each of her relatives, one by one.
By the time all the greetings were done, it was already evening, and the banquet began.
It was a feast for the bride’s side of the family and guests who hadn’t been able to come to the wedding.
The bride then left her seat to spend time with her close friends.
So right now, only Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun was attending the banquet, which was perfectly natural.
There was no reason for the bride to stay at a late–night banquet.
Just then, an attendant called out to me.
“Excuse me, the Sect Master is asking for you.”
The Sect Master? What for?
I rose from my seat and headed to where he was waiting.
“The Sect Master is in the rear garden.”
“I see.”
When I entered the rear garden, I saw two people standing in the pavilion.
One of them was obviously Sect Master Yuseong, so was the other a visiting guest?
They were a fair distance away, but my inner strength ran deep and my senses were sharp, so I could hear their conversation.
“…So, have you thought over my proposal?”
“Didn’t I already tell you? I’m refusing.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Even if I end up regretting something, I can’t betray my family’s principles.”
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean now?
–TL Notes–
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