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[020화] Market Day

Shwick- thak! Shwick- thak!

A thatched cottage in the mountains.

The sound of a woman weaving is somewhat cheerful.

As the shuttle passes through the warp with a swish, the weft follows behind, taking its place, and the woman uses her body to thwack! and tidy up the threads so that the intervals between them are even.

Her tiny feet, wrapped in straw shoes, move forward as the shuttle moves back and forth, creating a rhythmic sound.

In this repetitive process of shwick-thak! each movement lengthens the cloth inside the loom.

When woven to a width of 7 chon and a length of about 40 characters, folded four times to make 16 layers, it becomes a single piece of cloth.

It took nearly ten days for the villagers to produce this one piece.

Of course, she was highly skilled in weaving, and fortunately, the process of spinning yarn was omitted due to the availability of thread. Even with just the highest quality cloth, classified as 8 seung (1 seung = 80 strands per unit area), it would have been enough in a day.

However, she chose to weave a cloth of 14 seung, extending the time as much as possible.

Even though she didn’t have clothes to wear immediately, there were three main reasons why she increased her workload like this.

First, she wanted to contribute to the household chores. Although her husband brought gold from the mountain god and improved their living conditions, she still wanted to help with household tasks. She believed that the cloth she made could be as valuable as gold.

Second, weaving a cloth of 14 seung required exceptional skill, which would result in durable, warm, and soft garments comparable to fine silk. She planned to wear them herself and also make clothes for her husband. (Today, factory-made high-quality cotton shirts are typically 12 seung.)

Third, she delayed completing her work to tempt her husband by creating a sense of mystery and allure.

How could other women not notice her charms?

I tried my best to focus only on her eyes, but involuntarily, my gaze, driven by an unavoidable male instinct, wandered down, noticing subtle details on her blouse or the fluttering hemline. It was both satisfying and endearing to see a rugged man like my husband being captivated by my every small gesture.

That was why a daughter-in-law skilled in weaving was said to bring prosperity to the family, as virtue here was valued more than beauty.

Proud of her exceptional weaving skills, wanting to dress her husband in fine clothes, and perhaps to tempt him with her temporarily scantily clad appearance, she spent a long time weaving a cloth of 14 seung.

Her husband had gone to the village market today to sell gold.

Today was the day the market opened in the village. Were merchants coming from afar? They had been eagerly waiting for the market to open, fearing potential disgrace if they sold gold at the oil market instead.

If only he had clothes, he would have loved to go out together and enjoy the market, showing how regretful he was.

How adorable. She smiled, thinking of his disappointed face.

She was content with his warm heart alone, planning to persuade him to wear the clothes she made and go out together later. Thwack! Thwack! She beat the threads.

‘By the way, he wouldn’t have asked someone else to buy clothes secretly for me, right?’

One concern lingered: what if her husband, thoughtlessly, asked a “trusted sister” or “a close friend” to buy clothes for her? How many misunderstandings would arise if a beautiful woman approached her asking for clothing assistance on his behalf?

Furthermore, how much will those black women inside mock my innocent husband under the pretext of fulfilling a misguided request!

It’s obviously going to be a big deal even without looking.

Even innocent women, upon seeing their husbands’ faces, are likely to play mischievous pranks like naughty children. Just thinking about it makes me want to play pranks with him if only he were here.

“Still, our good-natured lord will just laugh it off and let it go! Oh, it makes me so mad!”

And what about those naive men who have no self-awareness about their appearance? It would be quite easy for cunning women who know how to manipulate men to deceive them.

“These shameless women! Why would men ask women about such intimate matters! They should ask their husbands since they have masters at home! How dare these ugly creatures approach my husband! Unforgivable!”

Thinking about the village women who would tease my marked lord, she got heated at the thought of them deceiving and taking away her innocent husband, dragging him along with nine tails swaying in their skirts.

What angers me more is that these demanding women might consider me a negligent wife who can’t even make a place in her husband’s heart and assign errands to him!

That was an insult to my abilities, as I could easily drive away such a sloppy woman who can’t even secure her own place despite having a master!

With such thoughts in mind, how could those women who intend to seduce my husband not exist!

I didn’t think I would monopolize my husband, who will become a greater man in the future due to his upright nature and changing my fate, but…

Still, the main wife’s position is mine! That is something I will never yield!

Dressed in haste with such earnest intentions, I warned him sternly not to waste money on buying clothes since I am making them myself.

He seemed so uneasy about this aspect.

Phew…

Fortunately, progress has been made in our relationship during this time.

Now, sleeping beside him and falling asleep in his arms has become a natural occurrence.

At night, instead of being startled and trembling under the excuse of fear, I find it so gratifying to lift the blanket slightly to allow her to enter naturally, extending my arm to help her come in.

Smelling his scent within his embrace, when I reluctantly ask for a back rub, he hesitantly strokes my hair all the way down to my waist, which is so thrilling.

I apologize to Abamama, but it seems slightly better than the caresses she used to give?

When excitement slightly rises, pressing my slightly lifted shirt against his chest makes both our hearts beat loudly, especially when I bring my navel close to his bulging pants, causing him to startle and pull away. She pretends not to know anything, snuggling back into his arms, eagerly waiting for another chance to touch his belly button, finding it amusing and exciting.

It seemed like it would soon be time for my husband to hug me tightly and inhale my scent while falling asleep.

However, it was regrettable that I had to restrain myself from playing naughty pranks when he fell asleep.

Lately, she couldn’t control her desires and often tossed and turned, easily waking him up from sleep.

After carefully considering why he still held back despite her constant stimulation day and night, she concluded that it was because he relieved himself alone in the kitchen or she secretly helped him at night.

So I gave up playing pranks at night and stuck with Oh Ra-bi all day to make sure she didn’t secretly throw away Jung alone, accumulating desires carefully.

“Oh! Should I stop here today? It’s almost time for my husband to come, and the water is running out. I should prepare dinner and wait for the water to come.”

She looked very happy as she fluttered like a butterfly towards the kitchen, pondering how to greet her husband.

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Bustling and lively.

No matter when people are bustling and noisy, it’s always exciting and enjoyable.

When Father and Mother first came here, they were so happy to visit the market every day holding hands.

It would have been nice if Hee-sun had come and enjoyed this scene together….

Insisting on making her own clothes, she came alone since I had no interest in wandering around the crowded streets of the market.

Since she has plenty of money, she insisted on quickly buying clothes at the market, much to my dismay.

How nice it would be to come back wearing that and enjoy this scenery together.

It’s a shame, but when Hee-sun finishes making clothes, we should cover our faces with long coats and go sightseeing in the market together.

Descending from heaven to earth seems tight, but since we’re already here, we should enjoy such a good sight before leaving.

I heard that Arabian merchants have come to Byukrand this time.

Perhaps because of that, exotic items like glass crafts seemed particularly abundant in the market.

To me, there was nothing particularly fascinating, but the way people here marveled and exclaimed while gazing around was quite remarkable.

Living in the sea of information in the 21st century, how difficult it is to find something new.

For me, even scenes without much significance were so enjoyable because of the faces of people who delightedly exclaimed, “Wow!” “Oh…”

The people here, exposed to easy and diverse information, still retained a purity for new experiences that modern people often forget.

As we continued to enjoy watching people, someone familiar appeared.

“Gilyong Ajae! Gilyong Ajae!”

“… What? Who’s calling me?”

“Who else? It’s the hunter! Over here! Turn around, your ears must be stuffed!”

“Oh! Who is this! Hahaha, isn’t it Sang? Hey you! Why haven’t you been visiting the village much lately? Are you looking for inspiration or something? Because of you, the village women are getting tired, you rascal.”

“Why do you say the village women are getting tired because of me? Haha. You’re just trying to get me married off again. Actually, a while ago, I—”

“What! Oh Sang! Why are you telling me this now! No wonder you seemed so drained when I saw you last time! I should have gone and had a drink with you! I’ve been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, and you should have helped ease my burden!”

Oh, right… I forgot because you seemed so carefree.

“I’m sorry, Ajae. I’ve been too carefree…. But don’t be too upset. Thanks to Incheon monk’s help, I’ve placed her in a place she loves.”

“Oh my… you… Well… let’s go there together sometime later. Let’s raise a glass for my wife…. Good people leave early, you know….”

Ajae’s eyes widened and tears welled up as he blurred his words.

He warmly smiled and then grew gloomy again at his mother’s story; even though he’s kind-hearted, he has his flaws…

Ajae, known for his kindness and friendliness, is trusted and followed by the people in this village.

The magistrate is so greedy and incompetent, but this village can operate normally thanks to our capable and virtuous Gil Yong-aje.

Where can a magistrate like that, who drinks and gambles with gisaengs, compare to our Gil Yong-aje?

I embraced and comforted the grateful ajumma.

“Sure. Let’s go have a drink together, Ajusshi. Thank you and I’m sorry. Still, I am very grateful.”

“My, what a quick-witted fellow. Who’s comforting whom now? Oh my… Alright then… If you’re feeling better, that’s enough. By the way, did you bring something to sell? In such a big market, things won’t sell well without some allure or appeal, right? You’re not trying to sell that strange-smelling thing I gave you back in the day, are you?”

“No! When did I bring up old stories, Ajusshi! Please leave that in the past. This time it’s something else. Actually… Ajusshi, just for a moment, I’ve come to sell some gold (whispers). So, could you introduce me to the big merchant who came from Baekrand Island this time? I’ll take care of the brokerage fee generously.”

“What? Oh my! Did you have such valuable goods with you, Nuna? Where did you get that gold from, exactly?”

Surprised, Gil Yong-aje raised his voice, then quickly lowered it, asking about the source of the gold.

“You’ll see when you look.”

I immediately untied a seemingly insignificant bundle hidden in the corner of the carrying pole on my back and showed it to the ajusshi.

“This, this is?!?!”