Chapter 4

Gang Jo-hang and Gang Gye had no idea what Jang Un-chu was thinking.

The father and son continued sitting in the courtyard, with one teaching and the other reading aloud.

Daejang was still studying.

Although Old Master Gang and Old Madam Gang might eventually decide to stop paying for his education, Little Six couldn't be allowed to become the final reason that ruined Daejang's future.

For that reason, Gang Jo-hang had no intention of revealing Gang Gye's talent to the rest of the family.

He also reminded his son,

"For the time being, this must remain a secret from everyone else. Do you understand?"

Gang Gye nodded with a serious expression.

"I understand, Father."

Seeing a little boy with such plump cheeks trying to act like an adult, Gang Jo-hang burst out laughing.

He couldn't resist reaching out and gently pinching his son's soft, babyish cheeks.

What a wonderful feeling.

After teaching Gang Gye approximately the first two hundred characters of the Di Zi Gui, Gang Jo-hang decided to end the day's lesson.

The Di Zi Gui was a children's educational text compiled during the Qing Dynasty. It contained short passages that taught children the fundamental principles of proper behavior and etiquette at home and in society.

At just about the same time, dinner seemed to be ready in the kitchen.

"Everyone, come and eat!"

"Let's go."

Gang Jo-hang closed the book.

"We'll eat first. We can continue with the rest tomorrow."

"Okay!"

At the dining table, Madam Sun, the wife of the second son, also brought up the fact that Gang Gye had started learning to read.

However, Gang Jo-hang simply explained that he wanted to teach the boy enough characters to keep him from growing up illiterate.

He didn't reveal his true intentions.

Instead, he silently began calculating how he could earn more silver to pay for his son's education.

By the time they finished dinner, it was already getting dark.

Gang Gye played with the other children in the courtyard for a little while before the adults called them over to wash up and go to bed.

Lying beneath his blanket, Gang Gye silently recited the characters he had learned that day.

He also used his finger to trace each character, practicing how to write them from memory.

He remembered every single one.

Gang Gye was so excited that he couldn't help kicking his feet against the bed a couple of times beneath his blanket.

The next morning, Gang Gye opened his eyes to the beginning of another beautiful day.

He got out of bed with his two older brothers, and the three boys left their room together.

Gang Jo-hang had stayed up late the previous night talking with Jang Un-chu, so he had gotten out of bed later than usual.

As soon as he saw his son, he remembered the extraordinary talent he had discovered yesterday.

The thought made him so happy that he could hardly contain himself.

He scooped Gang Gye up with one arm and said,

"Come on. Father will help you wash your face."

Holding Gang Gye in one arm, Gang Jo-hang used his free hand to fill a basin with water and carried it into the courtyard.

The father and son crouched down together to brush their teeth.

Gang Jo-hang asked,

"Do you still remember the characters I taught you yesterday?"

Gang Gye thought for a moment before nodding enthusiastically.

His childish voice sounded especially soft as he answered,

"I remember."

He began reciting what he had learned the previous day.

After reciting a little, he would brush his teeth a couple more times, swish water around in his mouth with a gurgling sound, and spit it out.

Then, he would continue reciting.

By the time Gang Gye had settled into this unusual routine, Gang Jo-hang had already finished brushing his own teeth.

He dipped his hands into the basin, washed them, and gestured for his son to bring his face closer.

Gang Gye obediently leaned forward and closed his eyes, waiting for his father to wash his face.

Once his face had been washed and dried, Gang Gye resumed reciting yesterday's lesson.

By the time he finished washing up, he had also finished his recitation.

After all, there were only about two hundred characters to memorize, so it didn't take very long to recite them aloud.

After breakfast, the members of the Gang family all had to leave for work.

Gang Jo-hang wasn't ready to reveal that he wanted to send his son to school, so he had no intention of teaching Gang Gye so openly that the other family members would notice.

He decided to continue the boy's lessons after returning from work at lunchtime.

The members of the Gang family divided themselves into several groups.

Howa and the other children had to go out and gather grass for the family's ox.

This was their regular daily responsibility.

The ox was one of the family's most precious possessions, so it had to be fed fresh grass every day.

Since several children went together to gather grass, the task also gave them an opportunity to play.

Meanwhile, some of the adults went to the mountains to collect firewood, while others headed to the fields to work.

Because Gang Gye was still young, physically weak, and frequently ill, the family didn't insist that he accompany Howa every day.

Gang Gye wanted to test his Attendance System in the mountains, so he decided to accompany the adults instead.

His parents were also planning to go into the mountains for work.

Carrying a light basket, Gang Gye decided to follow his mother and collect some mushrooms along the way.

Since it had rained yesterday and an entire night had passed, there should be plenty of mushrooms growing in the mountains.

Holding his mother's hand in one hand and carrying his basket in the other, Gang Gye set off.

However, his body was small, and his legs were short.

Since Jang Un-chu had to match his pace, the two of them gradually fell behind the others.

As they were walking, a clear voice filled with laughter suddenly called out from behind them.

"Older Sister! Are you going into the mountains to pick mushrooms, too?"

Jang Un-chu frowned slightly.

However, she quickly turned around and gave an indifferent nod.

"Yes."

Gang Gye raised his head and saw two young women who appeared to be around twenty years old.

One of them had an extremely innocent-looking face and wore a gentle smile.

The other was considerably less attractive than her companion, and her expression was filled with displeasure.

It seemed that she wasn't particularly fond of Gang Gye and Jang Un-chu.

The woman who had just called out to Jang Un-chu was the innocent-looking one.

Since she had addressed his mother as her older sister, she was undoubtedly Jang Un-chu's younger cousin.

In other words, she was Jang Un-mo, the heroine of the novel.

The heroine looked so pure and innocent that she almost seemed foolish.

In fact, on the surface, the heroine had never done anything particularly wicked.

That was because other people had always taken care of all her problems for her.

The same thing had happened when she wanted to break off her engagement to the scumbag after being reborn.

Although she desperately wanted to end their relationship, she couldn't persuade the man to give up on her.

That was when the members of the Jang family had arranged matters behind the scenes and passed the marriage on to Jang Un-chu.

Jang Un-mo had hesitated a little.

However, when she saw that Jang Un-chu had accepted the marriage herself, she was able to put her mind at ease and marry the male protagonist.

Later, when Jang Un-mo learned that Jang Un-chu had been living a miserable life because of the scumbag, she felt guilty.

That was why, after Jang Un-chu divorced him and remarried a man with a limp, Jang Un-mo made an effort to get closer to her older cousin.

She frequently brought her gifts and other items, hoping to make up for what had happened.

She always pretended not to notice Jang Un-chu's cold expressions.

And even now, she was behaving in exactly the same way.

As though she hadn't noticed Jang Un-chu's unfriendly expression, Jang Un-mo spoke warmly.

"We were just about to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms, too. Why don't we go together?"

"There's no need."

Jang Un-chu answered.

"If too many people gather in one place, none of us will be able to pick many mushrooms."

Jang Un-mo waved her hand and smiled innocently.

"It's fine! I only came out to get some fresh air anyway. I'll give you all the mushrooms I pick today, Older Sister."

Jang Un-chu's frown deepened.

"I already told you there's no need. Go and pick mushrooms with your companion. I'll be going ahead."

Jang Un-chu was already accustomed to this younger cousin's inability to take no for an answer.

As soon as she finished speaking, she took Gang Gye by the hand and started walking toward the other members of the Gang family.

Jang Un-mo remained where she was, looking thoroughly disappointed.

The woman beside her hurriedly tried to comfort her.

"Seriously, you! Don't you know how stubborn and unreasonable that older cousin of yours is? She doesn't appreciate anyone's kindness, so why do you keep trying to get close to her? You've given her so many things, yet she still treats you so coldly. Your older cousin really is an unpleasant woman."

"Don't talk about my older sister like that."

Jang Un-mo's expression turned serious.

Her voice was filled with hope as she continued,

"No matter what, she's still my older sister, and we grew up together. I hope that one day, we'll be able to love and care for each other like real sisters."

Jang Un-chu hadn't gone very far, so she heard every word.

Her difficult life had made her into a woman who was rarely surprised by anything.

However, even she couldn't help rolling her eyes at that moment.

Love and care for each other?

What a load of nonsense!

When has anyone ever taken care of me?

Whenever Jang Un-chu thought about that enormous Jang family, it seemed far more accurate to say that she had always been the one taking care of Jang Un-mo!

Gang Gye glanced behind him before looking back at his mother.

"Mother, do you not get along with those women?"

According to the memories he had inherited, the heroine had visited his mother several times and occasionally brought her gifts.

However, Gang Gye himself hadn't met the heroine very often.

Jang Un-chu answered,

"Child, you don't need to worry about these things."

She fell into thought for a moment before adding,

"But you mustn't get too close to those people. They could be dangerous, so you need to be careful."

"Okay."

Gang Gye nodded.

He carefully studied his mother's expression.

It seems Mother still hasn't discovered that the heroine knew exactly what kind of man that scumbag was back then.

Otherwise, his mother wouldn't be able to remain so calm.

In the original novel, after Jang Un-chu learned the truth, she was so shocked and overwhelmed by her emotions that she developed an intense hatred for the heroine.

After that, she began opposing the heroine at every opportunity.

Behind them, the heroine was still chatting with her friend.

However, as Gang Gye and his mother continued walking away, the women's voices gradually faded until they could no longer hear them.

When they reached the mountain, they discovered that many people were already scattered around, searching for mushrooms.

It seemed that a considerable number of villagers had come out today.

Mushrooms could be cooked and served at home, or they could be taken into town and sold.

If the villagers offered them to restaurants or sold them to passersby on the streets, they could usually find buyers.

Of course, they couldn't expect to receive particularly high prices.

Still, as the saying went, even a mosquito, no matter how small, was still meat.

For the villagers, this was another way to earn a little money.

Even a few copper coins were enough to buy their children a couple of meat buns.

Another group of mushroom pickers had arrived before them and had already searched through the area once.

Nevertheless, Gang Gye managed to find some mushrooms that had been left behind.

He happily began gathering them in his basket while looking around.

Apart from himself and his mother, there was nobody nearby.

He could see a few villagers in the distance, but they were far enough away that they probably wouldn't cause any problems.

I think I can check in here...

He glanced toward his mother to see where she was, then walked a little farther away.

Jang Un-chu called out,

"Little Six, don't go too far!"

"Okay!"

Gang Gye answered casually.

"I can see some mushrooms over here. I'll be right back!"

Jang Un-chu didn't suspect anything.

She simply lowered her head and continued picking mushrooms.