Chapter 81: Chapter 81

Chapter 81: An Unexpected Event

I lifted Taebok into my arms.

His quietly open eyes, moist and clear, look at me.

It’s still a time when objects don’t yet form clearly in his eyes. And yet, I feel as if Taebok is looking at me, and I can’t tear my eyes away.

I bring my face a little closer and whisper.

“Yes, your father is back.”

When I returned to the inn from the Han family’s residence, Taebok had just finished a full meal of his mother’s milk.

Surprisingly, a newborn baby is quite thin. They start to gain weight after they begin to feed on their mother’s milk.

Now, more than a fortnight after he started his first feeding, Taebok’s baby fat was also becoming plump and fair.

“Get plump and chubby.”

Isn’t it that a baby should be plump and chubby?

When I hear the word ‘baby,’ the soft flesh that covers the whole body comes to mind first.

The chubby flesh, enough to form folds here and there, is heartwarming just to look at.

Moreover, it’s not just good to look at.

The plump flesh serves to protect the baby’s body in place of the still-developing bones and muscles.

So, I have no choice but to feed him.

And I have no choice but to be happy watching him eat.

A parent’s love becomes mother’s milk, and also flesh, to protect the baby.

A parent’s love envelops the baby.

Taebok is steadily heading towards that body.

Thank you for eating up your father and mother’s love so well.

I was worried because you couldn’t eat in the beginning due to the severed meridians, but thank you for eating up so much love .

Did he understand his father’s heart?

Taebok gave a newborn smile.

“Do you feel so tender every time you look at him?”

Beside me, Jayeong was also smiling.

“Is that how I look?”

“Yes. You look incredibly tender.”

Because we were separated once and met again.

“Somehow, it feels like that. As if I had lost him and found him again.”

“Lost him? What a strange thing to say. That will never happen.”

“Right? As long as I’m here, I will never let that happen.”

“Right, the two of us.”

Even if it means turning back time.

Jayeong and I will be by Taebok’s side.

Even while walking a new path, meeting new people, and doing new things.

“You’ve accomplished something really big today. To think that the achievement of martial arts is also effective in treating turbid energy.”

“Right? I also feel very rewarded today.”

“How troubled Mr. and Mrs. Han must have been all this time. From your story, they seem like good parents.”

In the way the couple treated Handangyudo, I could feel not only affection but also their character.

“They are a good father and mother. They seem like good people too. They will probably try to grant my request.”

When I said I was going back to see my child, Hansagwang didn’t hold me back any longer.

Madam Yang and Handangyudo also saw me off.

At that time, Madam Yang said she would definitely make the home visits happen.

“Home visits are an ideal pretext for finding where Brother is hiding. Just wait a little longer. I will definitely find him.”

“Okay, I’m counting on you.”

The Han family was easy to visit. Because of what Handangyudo had done during the day.

But what about the other families? Would they accept it so easily?

There would be families who look down on a new instructor from the academy as a subordinate, and families who consider him an outsider.

Madam Yang would probably make it possible for me to enter all those families.

“I thought the Virtuous Mothers' Association was in perfect control, but it seems various things have been happening inside the complex.”

“That might be why they control it even more. They probably don’t want the things happening inside to be known outside.”

Jayeong slowly nodded at my answer, and then.

“That person, the Virtuous Mothers' Association Leader, from last time. How do you think she will take what you’ve done?”

“There are people who hate anything that’s outside their plan, unconditionally.”

“Even if it’s a good thing. I understand now.”

If the desire for control is excessive, one becomes unable to accept anything that deviates from that control.

The Association Leader is no ordinary person.

But because she is an outstanding person, there are traps she is more likely to fall into.

Having to hold everything in her own hands is one of those traps. Read complete versıon only at NoveI~Fire.net

I have seen sect leaders who ruin their sects with this kind of behavior.

By trying to handle everything themselves, they kill the vitality of the sect.

Whatever the Association Leader’s choice, I will see my will through.

But the atmosphere of the complex will change.

“I wonder how it will be.”

There was a person who showed a resolute decisiveness that would have surprised Jin Yeomyeong if he had known.

It was none other than Handangyudo’s mother, Madam Yang.

“Now, please eat a lot.”

Madam Yang moved without hesitation to grant the benefactor’s request.

She immediately sent out invitations to the wives of the Virtuous Mothers' Association for a banquet.

It was a sudden proposal from Madam Yang, who usually did not put herself forward.

The virtuous mothers, though surprised, attended the banquet with curiosity.

And they saw a shocking sight.

No, they even touched it.

“Oh my…. Dangyu. You look so different.”

“Dangyu, would you like to eat this jelly?”

“You’re so cute. Can I touch your cheek?”

The face of Madam Yang, which had always been shadowed, was now bright.

Handangyudo, sitting on her lap, was looking around at the virtuous mothers with a bright and intelligent face.

This was a child who was difficult to even talk to. He would often mumble incoherently and then disappear.

Let alone touching his cheek. He used to get angry if someone so much as touched him slightly.

“Yes, my cheek is right here. Poo-poo.”

Madam Yang’s child has changed.

In utter shock, the wives exchanged glances.

And everyone couldn’t help but be curious.

“Did Instructor Jin Yeomyeong really do this?”

A martial artist who had just set foot in the academy today had accomplished this?

No matter how famous he was in Luoyang.

This was on a different level from his reputation as a martial artist.

How much effort had the Han family put in?

And he did it not in a year, not in a month, but in a single day.

It wasn't even a full day.

“He succeeded in the treatment in about the time it takes to eat a meal.”

About the time it takes to eat a meal.

To think it took only that much time for the Han family to be filled with joy.

“Was he a person of such great skill?”

Admiration naturally flowed over the banquet table.

Madam Yang nodded with satisfaction at the atmosphere of the gathering.

“I thought you wouldn’t believe it with words alone, so I wanted to show you Dangyu’s appearance. That’s why I hastily gathered you all here.”

“The teacher is the best!”

Handangyudo shouted loudly from her lap. This child was the proof of Jin Yeomyeong’s skill.

“Now, Dangyu. Would you like to go out and play with your father for a while?”

The wives watched the back of Handangyudo running out until he was out of sight.

Now, only the virtuous mothers remained.

Madam Yang looked at the Association Leader.

She thought she would speak up by now.

But she couldn’t just wait.

“We have tried various treatments until now. Among them, the treatment through martial arts was entrusted to Master Jang.”

Though her tone was calm, the years of hardship were melted into it.

Although they were a prestigious family that held sway over the Kaifeng area, Madam Yang had lived without making any particular remarks in the Virtuous Mothers' Association.

But now that she opened her mouth, her solid side as a pillar supporting the prestigious family along with her husband, the family head, was revealed.

“Master Jang was introduced by Madam Jeong. I should have looked into it more myself. Master Jang was a charlatan with an unclear background.”

The gathering stirred.

The motto of the Virtuous Mothers' Association was perfect control. But a charlatan?

“By the way, where is Madam Jeong?”

“She said she has an important matter outside today.”

“Really? Madam Jeong considers our meeting the most important thing.”

Anyway, there was no point in looking for someone who wasn’t there.

Moreover, the Virtuous Mothers' Association does not let people in based on the recommendation of a single wife.

Only after the Virtuous Mothers' Association has completed its verification is a person accepted into the complex.

Responsibility cannot be placed solely on Madam Jeong.

“Who knows. Madam Jeong might have been deceived too.”

“Do you think so? That wife is quick-witted.”

“Does being quick-witted mean you don’t get deceived?”

“That is true, but….”

They couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. After all, wasn't she the one who first recommended him?

“For now, let’s move on from that.”

Still, when Madam Yang, who could be considered the biggest victim, said this, the wives also nodded.

They thought that the ever-gentle her was going to let it pass.

“At this point, I would like to say something.”

“For the sake of the Virtuous Mothers' Association’s control, a check-up is needed at least once.”

The wives held their breath.

Madam Yang was meticulous.

Without attacking the Association Leader who had led the control, she proposed the necessity of a check-up.

However, the word ‘check-up’ itself could offend the Association Leader.

The wives who knew this furtively tried to read the Association Leader’s expression.

“And. I think there is something Instructor Jin Yeomyeong can do by meeting with the children separately.”

Madam Yang said this without giving anyone a chance to speak.

It was a statement that sparked curiosity. Someone who couldn’t hold back asked.

“What do you mean, something he can do?”

This was the question she had been waiting for.

Madam Yang threw her winning card.

“Strengthening concentration.”

Words that were bound to interest mothers with school-aged children.

“Is such a thing possib— Ah, if it's Instructor Jin?”

They had just seen what Jin Yeomyeong had accomplished.

They were at a point where they would be intrigued even if he said something more than just strengthening concentration.

The virtuous mothers’ gazes quickly exchanged.

Handangyudo has become bright and sharp.

Perhaps if Instructor Jin Yeomyeong sees our child, he can draw out more concentration.

I would like him to try teaching not only the elementary class but also the older children in the Jihak class.

Madam Yang looked at Madam Hyeong.

Madam Hyeong’s son, Kang Yoohun, had shown a similar appearance to Dangyu when he was young.

“Is Yoohun doing well outside?”

Madam Hyeong answered in a fluster.

“Yes, that’s right. He’s doing well there, unlike before.”

“That’s a relief. Anyway, apart from that, I think it’s okay to have Instructor Jin see the children. What do you think?”

Madam Yang now finally looked at the Association Leader, Hahou Seojin.

The pretext was perfect.

The hearts of the virtuous mothers were welcoming Jin Yeomyeong’s home visits.

The only reason they weren't saying let's do it right away was because the Association Leader had been silent since the beginning of the meeting.

The key was how the Association Leader, who had led the perfect control, would take it.

She could consider this event as a crack in her control.

Madam Yang was prepared to argue even more fiercely.

The Association Leader’s mouth opened.

“Truly, this is an unexpected event.”

Negative words flowed out.

“But, it is a pleasant unexpected event.”

The Association Leader smiled faintly.

“Shall we all invite Instructor Jin Yeomyeong to our respective homes?”

Whatever her intentions, the Association Leader said this.

Jin Yeomyeong had obtained the right to explore the noble family complex.

During the elementary class’s martial arts time.

Jin Yeomyeong encountered three people waiting for him in front of the training hall.

Two of them were Mr. and Mrs. Han.

“You two must have come to see Dangyu.”

“Association Leader, why are you here?”

The Virtuous Mothers' Association Leader was standing there.

She had definitely agreed to the home visits last night, but she appeared at the academy today.

“Please don’t misunderstand. I just want to see it with my own eyes.”

See it with her own eyes.

Jin Yeomyeong, who already knew about the Association Leader’s personality, nodded.

She would want to see Handangyudo adjusting to class anew, and also see Jin Yeomyeong’s teaching methods.

There would be many things she wanted to see for herself.

“I came without informing the academy separately. I don’t want to cause any trouble. I’ll just quietly watch the class from the back and leave.”

“Yes. I understand that, but.”

“Did that wife come with you as well?”

The Association Leader and Mr. and Mrs. Han turned around at the same time.

There was a wife standing there awkwardly, hesitating whether to come this way or not.

“You have no business in the elementary class. You said Yoohun was away.”

Jin Yeomyeong did not miss the name that was mentioned.

The older brother that Handangyudo had said was ‘growling’.

Handangyudo said he had seen him just a few days ago.

Jin Yeomyeong’s gaze turned to Madam Hyeong.