A Bowl of Jjajang, The Son-in-Law of Jegalse - Chapter 554



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Episode 554: The Heavenly Body

Break time after morning business.

Yesterday, the monk showed up at the spot with his face and head turned blue.

And then he asked cautiously, with a very nervous voice.

“Excuse me, sir. Didn’t you happen to see the letter where I fell yesterday? It’s very important to me. If I lose it, I won’t be alive even if I live…”

“A letter? Ah! A letter!”

“Huh! Did you see that!?”

I couldn’t find the owner of the letter and brought it to the temple, but it probably belonged to that monk.

If you think about it carefully, there is a high chance that it belongs to a monk.

Why do monks exchange useless questions and answers?

The content written in the letter also seemed like a Zen question and answer.

“We couldn’t find the owner yesterday so we kept it in our custody. Is that right?”

Yeong-yeong sat at the counter for a moment while Cheong-i went to rest.

When Yeong-yeong took the letter out of the counter and showed it to the monk, he nodded with tears in his eyes.

“That’s right! My letter! Oh my! It was Monk Hyeonwon’s letter, so I was really anxious···.”

“Are you Monk Hyeonwon?”

“Monk Hyeonwon?”

At the familiar name, not only mine but also my wives’ gaze turned to the monk, and the monk nodded his head in surprise as he received our gaze.

“Yes, So Seung-jin, I was a disciple of Shaolin and was on my way to take the letter from Monk Hyeon-won to Yongcheon-sa Temple on Baekunbong.”

I feel a bit awkward when I hear the word ‘Hyeonwonbeopsa’.

That’s understandable, since he was the one who had predicted my hardships.

The person who is crazy about meat.

‘I’ve heard that old man’s name here?’

I felt a little uncomfortable, but it was probably just a coincidence.

Yeong-yeong said in a happy voice at the mention of being a disciple of Shaolin.

“Oh, you are a disciple of Shaolin? I am also a martial artist. My name is Dang Yeong-yeong. I am glad to be able to help you.”

Then, the monk named Seongjin opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Da, Dangga? Sacheondangga? Now that I think about it, Yeongyeong? You’re Sacheondangga’s daughter? How can you be so shameful in front of Sacheondangga?”

“No, it’s not. It’s embarrassing. Thank you for selling me a lot of alcohol yesterday! By the way, since you’re carrying out the orders of Monk Hyeonwon, it seems you’re an excellent follower of Shaolin?”

“Oh, no. That’s it. It’s just a useless errand.”

“As expected of a Shaolin monk, he is humble too… Then he must be someone greater than the late Jisoo.”

That guy Young-young is acting tactless again, and judging from the monk’s appearance, he really is incompetent and must have come to run errands.

Because as Young-young’s words continued, I began to feel somewhat depressed.

“Maybe the 108 Arhats? Or the Four Great Diamonds? Or the Eighteen Bronze Men?”

The 108 Arhats, the Four Great Diamonds, and the Eightfold Path are all considered to be the weakest of the three schools.

So, Yeong-yeong just picked up the names of the three most successful martial arts groups in Shaolin.

But at first glance, that monk, who looks no different from me, could he be one of the Four Great Diamonds, the One Hundred and Eight Arhats, or the Eighteen Buddhas?

I quickly went over and stopped Young-young because his face was even darker than when he came in with spots and blushing.

I said this because I thought one of the monks might commit suicide.

“Young-Young, doesn’t the monk feel uncomfortable? Stop it.”

“Yes? Are you uncomfortable? Are you uncomfortable, monk?”

“Oh, no. It’s, it’s inconvenient!”

“No, that’s not true. Go.”

‘No, in this situation, who would openly say they are uncomfortable?’

After a long time, I thought that Young-young’s actions were cute and quickly chased her out to the kitchen.

“Okay, I understand. Then just tell them to bring out some dishes to serve the monk inside.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

The reason why I asked Yeong-yeong to prepare a meal was because, judging from the monk’s behavior, he had clearly gone out to find a temple without eating breakfast this morning, and since he had come to Shaolin on an errand for Monk Hyeonwon, I wanted to send him off after feeding him.

Wasn’t the original prime minister’s house also a prime minister’s house?

If you have come to Shaolin on the orders of the Shaolin monk Hyeonwon, you must treat him with respect.

Even if they are just Shaolin monks, the rule is that they must be treated well since they have a foothold in the martial arts world.

That’s understandable, since the strongest gangster in the Central Plains is Shaolin.

The reason Shaolin is respected and called Taishan Beidou is because it has military power worthy of respect.

Although he said he had come to deliver a letter, I was also curious as to what kind of letter it was.

“Monk, it looks like you haven’t had breakfast yet. Please sit down. I will give you an alms.”

So when I asked him to sit at the table, Seongjin said with a startled look on his face.

“Oh, no. I made a big mistake yesterday by eating cereal. That can’t be happening!”

He seemed to be worried that I might be making him drink again, but he answered with a smile.

“I would never embarrass you again with grains. It seems like it’s not morning yet, so I’d like to treat you to some food. Please sit down. I’ll tell you to fry some vegetables and prepare some dumplings.”

Even though business is over, this is still a restaurant.

The sound of stomach growling can be heard as if the smell of food wafting from the kitchen was unbearable.

-Gulp.

Seongjin, startled by his own growling sound, quickly put his hands together.

“Rejecting alms is not the proper manners of a Buddhist. Well, then go. Thank you. Amitabha.”

When he came in, he was so surprised that he forgot to say hello, but when he was offered food, he put his hands together.

After sitting the monk named Seongjin down and pouring him some tea, he began to have a quick chat.

“By the way, it must have been a long way from Shaolin to here. Was it hard?”

“No. It was my first time in Jungwon, so I didn’t know it would be difficult because there were so many interesting things to see.”

“I see. I also stopped by Shaolin last winter…”

“Yes? Are we Shaolin?”

Seongjin blinks at the mention of stopping by Shaolin, a place that ordinary people cannot enter.

He nodded and answered.

“Yes, I stopped by to meet with the head of the Pengga clan and the monk Hyeonwon.”

Seongjin opened his eyes wide and asked back at the word ‘Panga’.

“Pa, Paengga!? Is this your great name?”

“What is this? My name is Liu Qingyun, the son-in-law of the Zhuge family.”

In times like these, the person who is best to hand out as a business card is the son-in-law of the Zhuge family.

Well, he was also a son-in-law from another place.

“S, son-in-law!? Ryu, you’re Ryu Dae-hyeop? It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Yes, I received good teachings from Monk Hyeonwon at that time, and I think it is not a coincidence that I am hearing his story here.”

After I finished introducing myself like that and started talking as if I was somewhat familiar with Monk Hyeonwon, Seongjin let his guard down.

He said again, folding his hands.

“Amitabha. I guess it’s the Buddha’s help. Ah! That, that’s what Monk Hyeonwon said before we left!”

-match.

Seongjin hits his forehead loudly as if something came to mind.

After the crackling sound, he bowed his head to me and said.

“The monk once said that if you receive a favor from someone, you must repay that favor with the same sincerity as you would pay for your parents’ funeral. That must have been what he was saying about Ryu Daehyeop!”

‘What is this?’

A monk named Seongjin suddenly says that there was a story that Monk Hyeonwon said before leaving, and that it seemed like he was talking about me.

Those words somehow made my pores stand on end.

I said this because I felt like it was some kind of warning.

But the only good thing was that it wasn’t a warning or anything like that, but more like something telling you to repay the favor you received. The problem was, what favor did he want you to repay to the monk?

Even if I could pay it back, I felt a little reluctant because it sounded like what Monk Hyeonwon said about me.

“Sir, no way. If you think about it, aren’t there other people who have received grace?”

“No! The only person who has welcomed me and shown me grace during my travels is Ryu Daehyeop. Thanks to him, I was able to find a temple and even received grain and food. I cannot just pass it by.”

Seongjin looks at me with eyes that say I absolutely must repay the favor.

First, I calmed him down and fed him.

I was curious as to why he was here, and I wanted to hear the whole story in detail so that I could be on guard if something really got me involved.

“First, eat some rice…”

As he served me warm dumplings and stir-fried vegetable soup, I began to wonder about Seongjin, who claimed to be the person that the monk Hyeonwon had spoken of.

“I heard that Monk Hyeonwon is coming to Yongcheonsa Temple on Baekunbong?”

“Yes, he said that he spent one or two winters at Yongcheonsa Temple on Baekunbong Peak in Gosan.”

‘Is that what you mean, just because you’re old enough to spend the winter in a warm place?’

For an older person, it would not be a bad idea to spend the winter in this warm Bokju rather than in the cold Shaolin.

As you get older, it’s more likely that you’ll collapse in the winter.

So I understood what you were saying.

There is nothing suspicious about the situation itself.

“Please don’t refuse me… I don’t have much Jeju, so if there’s nothing I can do for you, I’ll help you even with just a little bit!”

After finishing the meal, Seongjin insists on repaying the favor.

He grabbed my arm and said that I must repay the debt as it was the words of the monk Hyeonwon.

Seongjin’s earnest eyes.

But he had no way of repaying the favor.

Even though I’m a Shaolin student who only learns how to beat people, how can I possibly help you?

This is a restaurant.

He offers to help with the cooking, but that’s ridiculous.

“I don’t know how the monk can repay the favor, but we are just specks···.”

That’s why I kept refusing with an embarrassed expression.

-Thud!

The sound of noodles sizzling coming from the kitchen.

-Thud! Thud!

Since I can’t go into the kitchen and can’t sell handmade noodles these days, it seems like my brother is practicing making noodles during his break time.

These days, we only sell dosak-myeon or jjamyeon, but sometimes there are people who look for hand-made noodles.

Even if there was no particular reason, it wasn’t unusual to hear the sound of the noodles being cut off since he practiced occasionally, but Sungjin asked with a surprised expression.

“That!?”

I have my back to the kitchen so I can’t see him, but Sungjin probably sees his brother’s face.

Seongjin asked, pointing to the direction where he thought his brother would be.

“What the heck is that!?”

It seemed like it was his first time seeing a noodle, so he turned his head briefly to check on his brother and said nonchalantly.

“I’m currently practicing making hand-made noodles called sutamyeon.”

Then Seongjin suddenly got up from his seat.

He looked at me and asked back.

“Can I try that? I think it might help!”

“yes?”

Seongjin suddenly decides to hit the water gun.

Even though his brother looked so awkward, he was quite skilled at it, and to Sungjin’s eyes, it probably looked easy.

It may be fun to see someone playing the hand-made noodles, but it may not seem like they have any great talent.

Because as a martial artist, the things I do with my body might seem funny.

‘If I try it once and it doesn’t work out, I’ll be disappointed and leave, right?’

If you just want to send it back, just try it once.

I reluctantly nodded my head to his suggestion.

“Oh, that won’t do. Then, monk, if you try it once and you don’t like it, you can’t say that you will absolutely repay the favor?”

“All right!”

After we reached an agreement and entered the kitchen, my brother smiled and said, as if he was listening to our conversation.

“Monk, even though this looks easy, it is not that easy.”

And he handed one piece of dough over to Seongjin.

Seongjin accepted the dough without saying anything.

He kneaded the dough a few times at first to get the feel for it, then began to skillfully stretch the dough using three fingers.

-Thud! Thud!

Even though it was my first time, I was able to hit the cotton properly.

Cotton that stretches longer with each stroke.

‘What the heck is this? What kind of a celestial limb is this?’

It looks like it might be a heavenly body with the ability to receive cotton from the sky.

It wasn’t as thick as mine because I wasn’t used to it, but it was coming out as a surface the size of my arm with a fairly consistent thickness.

When my brother and I made surprised expressions, he smiled awkwardly.

“I’m learning Shaolin’s Dragon Claw Hand… It seems similar to holding and stretching and using the strength of the wrist and the jaw.”

A talent of the hand.

He asked with a serious expression,

“You said that I must repay the kindness with the same sincerity as I would pay for my parents’ funeral. So, three years, right?”

That’s because it’s a three-year mourning period.

***

After leaving Dalma-dong, Monk Hyeonwon looked up at the southern sky and fixed the bundle on his back.

And as I walked down the mountain, I muttered to myself.

But no one was listening.

“I’ve even sent someone to make noodles for the three months that he can’t cook, so I guess I should get going soon. I’m looking forward to what kind of food we’ll have.”