episode_0050

“So, did Yeopsa come to see the land?”

Stepping back, a thin old man who seemed to have worked in this house for a long time came forward, pushing out his potbelly.

“That’s right. And I’m thinking of taking Yeopdangi, who was farming here at this house, with me right away.”

At those words, Yeopdangi’s eyes widened like saucers as he looked at me.

Roughly translating to ‘No, sir! You clearly said earlier that you would stop helping with the barley harvest!’

Oh, this naive fellow… Do you really think they’ll acknowledge your kindness over there? They will definitely try some trickery to get more out of it.

Even if I were to say ‘I will help with the barley harvest,’ this sweet potato guy’s nature is such that he will be helping until the fall harvest.

I press hard on Yeopdangi’s foot, giving him a warning glance.

“Just stay still, you foolishly kind fellow. I’ll take care of it. Initially, you need to be firm.”

As soon as I spoke, Yeopdangi, who was about to deny my words, closed his mouth.

“What? The barley hasn’t even sprouted properly yet, and you want to take that away? That’s not acceptable! The village head won’t allow it!”

The thin old man who had come forward was beside himself at the idea of taking Yeopdangi away.

It’s actually quite amusing. What can they do if they don’t allow it?

“I mean, what’s the problem? Did Yeopdangi make a contract or something? Huh? I could have just taken him midway, made him sign a contract, and continued the farming, but when I mentioned it, is this how it turns out?”

With a relaxed tone, I casually brushed off the thin old man’s anger.

When the contract issue was brought up, the thin old man remained silent.

Then, glaring at Yeopdangi, he turned his arrow-like gaze towards him.

“Yeopdangi! You ungrateful fool! Our village head allowed your father to continue the farming after he passed away and let you keep the sharecropping, and this is how you repay that favor! Your siblings survived because of whom! Tell me! Does it make any sense for someone who was receiving a sharecropping suddenly to abandon the farm work?”

At that scolding, Yeopdangi felt unjust and tried to defend himself, but I interrupted him and stepped forward.

“No, no matter how close Yeopdangi and the sharecropper are, our Yeopdangi is definitely a yangin. Where did this insolence come from? Hey! Since the eldest son of this household got married and needs money or land, I came here to sell some land, but it looks like I should just leave. Let’s go, Yeopdangi.”

Dragging Yeopdangi along, I swiftly left the place.

The face of the thin old man looked like he had chewed dung. Well, even a lowly hunter is not to be trifled with.

But even if he’s angry, so what? After all, I am a yangin. No matter how rich the thin old man is, a slave is a slave.

And why should I be disappointed? It’s the thin old man who will get scolded for not being able to sell the land to the wealthy young master.

“Wait a moment! Why are you in such a hurry? When doing business, voices might get raised; that’s normal! Hey, Yeopdangi! I understand, so wait for a moment!”

“Hmm… What should we do, Yeopdangi?”

“W-Well, let’s sit down first.”

Today, Yeopdangi’s eyes were darting around busily. Relax a bit, kid. I’ve got it under control.

“Alright. First, let me show you the land. I came all the way here, so it’s a bit strange not to see the land before leaving.”

“Well… You’ve thought well.”

Seems like flames are rising from that red-and-blue face of the thin old man.

He chuckles arrogantly and takes a seat.

“This is the land deed that the elder said could be sold. How much are you willing to pay?”

“I’ll have to buy about one, two acres. I’ll choose good land since you’re offering a fair price.”

“Understood. Then I’ll sell you one or two acres. How about this land?”

I read the land deed handed over by Mareum.

“‘One ildu (壹斗, a unit of measurement) twenty-five nyang. Four sa (肆斗), inherited from ancestors, fertile soil, located in Hyun(玄), a bit far from Gaedong’s house but it’s fine. Giving away such good land?”

Something seemed suspicious.

“Can you really sell Okto like this? It’s good for me, but you might get in trouble…”

“Oh, I’ll take the blame. The elder gave me this document directly as someone came to buy the land. Just sign here for the transfer. Who else in this village would sell land other than our trustworthy elder?”

Without responding to Mareum, I turned to Gaedong and asked,

“Gaedong, what do you think of this land? Is the writing too difficult for you? Hmm… It’s Hyun(玄) land, a bit far for you?”

“Oh… no, if it’s Hyun land, it’s enough for me to come and go. You’ll definitely hit the jackpot there, sir. From what I’ve heard from the farmers around here, it’s a land that yields well even after deducting the sharecropping fees.”

Gaedong’s eyes sparkled at the mention of Hyun land, eager to finalize the deal quickly.

Hmm… judging by his reaction, maybe it’s not a scam? Still, I need to verify with my own eyes.

“Well then, let’s go check the land. If everything matches the documents, we’ll buy without negotiating. There will be a fee for Gaedong taking us there, though.”

“Um, well… But you won’t take him right now, will you? Finish what you were doing first…”

“Ugh, this person! If we finish what you’re asking, will you pay the sharecropping fees properly? It’s obvious you’ll just give a tiny amount… ”

In fact, if things went well, I planned to let Gaedong off the hook and focus on that matter, but every time I tried, Gaedong couldn’t help but look visibly uncomfortable.

Put a poker face on, you! He keeps staring at Mareum’s expression.

It’s not that I don’t understand Gaedong’s behavior. Reputation matters in the village…

Abandoning farming as a sharecropper just for money and moving to another land?

Even if there are no contractual issues, in this strict country where minor violations are seen as major sins, one must be cautious.

What angers me is that when the landlord deducted the sharecropping fees, nobody raised any legal issues, but now they want to scrutinize kind Gaedong.

Damn hypocritical country…

“Sigh… Alright, since Gaedong seems uneasy, I’ll leave him until the barley harvest next summer. However, we must clearly state in the agreement that we will keep him after the barley harvest…”

“Uh-huh!.. Ah… understood.”

Mareum responds hesitantly to my words.

Look at that, a sly move. If I hadn’t done this, that old man would have definitely taken him later.

“I knew it, I knew it, tsk tsk tsk…”

My tongue involuntarily clicks.

No wonder Mareum was so insistent on finalizing the deal and signing the contract while we were inspecting the land. The land was in terrible condition.

Look at that, rocks and gravel scattered all over the field. Probably rolled down there during last year’s earthquake…

But when did the ground shake? Why haven’t they cleared the stones yet?

“Hmm…”

Mareum, feeling my sharp gaze, coughs awkwardly and turns his head,

After taking a deep breath, I call Gaedong.

“Phew… Gaedong, let’s just go. I don’t want you to feel guilty unnecessarily. If we conduct business like this, you won’t even need to harvest the barley at that rich family’s land. Why plow only here? Clearing those stones will cost more in labor than the land’s value! Let’s not buy it.”

There’s no need to negotiate; we really won’t buy it.

I said I’d buy it at a fair price, not that I’d be fooled, right?

It seems like they just left it there because it’s a waste of money to clear the rocks.

“Oh, no. Why not just take the settlement… If you walk on gravel here, the soil is very fertile. I’ll lower the land price a bit…”

“Ah, do you think I’m saying I won’t buy it to bargain? I really won’t buy it! How much are you going to lower it by? Huh? Are you going to give me a discount of two or three nyang?”

“Well, that’s a bit…”

It seems like even in that household, this land is considered a curse. It’s true that it’s a waste, so they can’t sell it cheaply, but if they sell it at a high price, who would buy this land after seeing those rocks?

Swoosh.

Thud thud.

At the peak of my struggle with barley and weeds.

Quietly, as if possessed, Geodung entered the field, gazing at the land covered with gravel with warm eyes, then started sweeping the land with his hands, tasting it slightly with his fingers, closing his eyes, feeling the soil, and quietly calling out to me.

“Sangi Seong.”

“Hey, let’s just go, Geodung.”

“No, it’s… Buy this land?”

“What?”

What is he talking about? Will I get into trouble if I clear this up?

I glanced at Geodung with a slight look of dissatisfaction, but he seemed unfazed.

“If you work hard, they will give you the land. If I get this expensive land for free, I feel uncomfortable too. If you buy it cheaply under the pretext of gravel, your brother will feel more at ease. If I have to find a place like this corner, I’ll have to work all my life. If I can have this land by working a little harder, I’ll do anything.”

“Um….”

His earnest words made me hesitate.

No, I made him work for five years and promised him, isn’t that a fair exchange? Why should I give him this land for free?

I just wanted to let this guy live comfortably… But giving him this land would just make him suffer unnecessarily… I feel really sorry….

Although I wanted to oppose it until the end, did Geodung really like this place that much? His gaze on the land was not ordinary; it was like the eyes of a bachelor meeting his first love.

“Sung, there’s also a stream flowing in the valley on the mountain above. It’s a good place for water here. I’ll take care of everything. You won’t have to spend any money. I’ll clear all the gravel with my younger siblings. They’ve grown up enough to work now. If we work hard together, how can’t we clear it by summer? My wish was to farm on this land once. I want to farm here.”

“No, it’s not about money… Ugh…”

Money isn’t the issue… I can easily buy more expensive land….

But in the end, I couldn’t stop Geodung.

Perhaps it was because of his burning eyes…

Greed? No, it was a look closer to longing.

As if convinced that the gravel-covered useless land would eventually sway with abundant golden waves. Looking so ecstatic…

*Sigh*….

Is this the desire and love of a sharecropper towards the land?

I had a gut feeling that I couldn’t stop Geodung, as I looked at the barley and declared as if announcing a decision.

“I’ll lower it to ten nyang. Of course, Geodung has to clear the gravel on my land, so let someone else handle the barley.”

After paying the fee and finalizing the agreement, I finally held the land document in my hands.

Now this land is mine. And soon it will be Geodung’s land.

I also made a new sharecropping agreement with Geodung.

Sharecropping fee paid, reduced to four years (quietly reduced by one year), then the land will be gifted to Geodung.

That was roughly the extent of the contract.

In fact, the sharecropping period and rate were negotiable, and I wanted to adjust them so that both Geodung and Heeseon could live comfortably, but Geodung adamantly opposed it.

Do you want to live honorably? And they say that when rumors spread, tenant farmers will come bothering you, making it a hassle for everyone… In the end, I had no choice but to agree.

The dog seemed very happy at the thought of getting his own land.

“Is it really that good?”

Without thinking, he cheerfully replied to the question.

“Of course! Where would you find someone among those who live off the land like me, who wouldn’t like such luck? But why are you giving me this great opportunity?”

“Do you think I know any other farmers besides you? Your kind-hearted nature made me decide. You seem capable of taking care of the land for a while. And in four years, I might not be around, so instead of wasting time with someone else then, I’d rather give it to you, who worked hard during this time.”

“What? Sir, after getting married, where exactly are you planning to go? I’m starting to feel uneasy all of a sudden.”

Has affection already developed?

Perhaps more than the fact that he was getting land, the mention of me going somewhere in four years resonated louder with him, as a hint of hurt crept into his voice.

“Oh, I might not go anywhere. And does that even matter? What’s important is that you’re getting the land. Anyway, take this.”

“What is this? No, sir! This is the land deed, not my marriage certificate! This belongs to the landlord. Why should a tenant farmer like me receive this?”

After four years, you’ll be the landlord anyway. Just take it. If you have this, I won’t have to say anything later, right? Take care of the farm until then. Oh, and by the way, we won’t be able to harvest barley this year, so you’ll have nothing to eat after summer, right? I’ll take responsibility for that too.”

“Th-that too? S-sir…! Ugh…”

Why is this guy suddenly like this?

“Sob… I’ll work myself to the bone and pay back my debts! Sob sob! From today onwards, I am truly your lord! The eldest son of our household! Sir! Oh nooo sob!”

Ugh. Creepy. Get away from me.

It took a while to get rid of this creepy guy.