Surviving as a Maid of the Sichuan Tang Clan

The result wasn’t even worth looking at.

Namgung Hwi lost, and lost, and lost again.

Every time he lost, he got stubborn and shouted for one more round—until his pouch was completely empty.

I watched, limp and helpless, as Namgung Hwi turned into a penniless wreck.

“Oh dear, Young Master. This one was Big.”

The man who showed the dice shook his head like he felt sorry.

Namgung Hwi let out a long sigh and stared down at his empty pouch with a gloomy face.

Like that was going to bring the money back. As if he couldn’t believe reality, he fumbled at the pouch, then slowly tucked it back into his robe.

“Are you okay?”

At my question, Namgung Hwi lifted his chin like he was fine.

“They say, ‘To toy with trifles and lose one’s will.’ A gentleman doesn’t cling to petty things.”

Is that what you say after you lose every last coin? And that’s not even how you use that line.

But he looked so deflated it felt cruel to scold him. I nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

I turned around while soothing the sulking Namgung Hwi, and a rowdy crowd of gamblers came into view.

The man who’d led the game was counting the money Namgung Hwi had lost, smiling in satisfaction.

I glared daggers into the back of his head.

The way he’d been exchanging signals with one onlooker the whole time—he was obviously fixing the dice.

He’d happily skinned a naïve young lord who couldn’t even tell whether what he was doing was gambling or a “game.”

It was infuriating, but it was awkward to pick a fight about it. Because the one who’d kept screaming for “one more” was our young lord.

Whatever. Let’s say he learned a life lesson. I should feed him a bowl of something hot and cheer him up.

The moment I turned my back, thinking I’d take Namgung Hwi to get dinner, the man spoke to me.

“Miss, would you like to try? If luck’s on your side, you might win back what the Young Master lost.”

Look at this bastard. He thinks he found another easy mark?

The way he was sizing up my pouch too made my temper twist up tight. I curled one corner of my mouth and slammed a silver coin down on the stall.

“Sure.”

The man’s face tightened at the loud clack, then he checked the silver coin and quickly smoothed his expression.

“Good. Then let’s roll.”

With a smiling face, he tossed two dice into the bottomless jar.

The dice clattered as they rolled.

Instead of watching the jar, I watched the man’s little gestures.

If he touched his ear, it was Big. If he scratched his chin, it was Small.

A moment later, the man scratched his chin.

“Small.”

“I see you’ve bet on Small, miss. Good. Anyone else want to bet? No? Very well. Let’s see......”

Dragging it out, he lifted the jar.

The dice on the ground showed 1 and 2.

“It’s Small, miss. You’re lucky.”

The man shrugged and held out a bundle of coins. I shook my head.

“One more round.”

“Ha-ha. Very well.”

Like he thought he’d hooked me, the man narrowed his eyes and rolled the dice again. He turned his head toward the onlooker and touched his ear.

The instant the onlooker tried to butt in, I shouted first.

“Big!”

“I’ll bet too—... No, no. I’ll join the next round.”

The onlooker waved his hands and stepped back. The man flicked him a sideways look, smacking his lips, and opened the jar.

The dice were 4 and 5.

“It’s Big.”

“Ha-ha...... You’re good at this. Want to keep going?”

“Yes.”

“Then this time......”

“Small.”

“...Ha-ha, ha. Small is right.”

The man’s face twisted as he finally sensed something off.

He glared at me like he wanted to kill me—like he’d realized I’d picked up on the signals.

I’d multiplied the stake by eight. There was no reason to take on more risk than that. I held out my hand.

“I’m stopping here. Give me what I won.”

But the man didn’t answer. He just cracked his neck left and right—pop, pop, pop.

My brows furrowed at the blatant threat.

When I looked around, the onlookers were exchanging strange looks too. The air turned dangerous.

Damn it. They were all in on it?

I backed away fast and brought a hand to the jade bracelet.

If it came down to it, I might have to fire the poisoned needle.

I’d never used it before—could I even aim properly? And what about Namgung Hwi?

When I turned my head, Namgung Hwi had already drawn his sword.

He demanded sharply,

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Even with a razor-sharp blade aimed at him, the man snorted like it was ridiculous.

“Young Master, you’d better put that sword away. What if you get hurt trying to pretend you’re a martial artist?”

“I asked what you’re doing.”

“I’m about to teach some rude little brats a lesson, kid.”

Even with the man’s sudden change, Namgung Hwi’s eyes didn’t waver once.

“Sohae. Come here.”

He gently pulled me in and, calm as ever, tucked me behind his back.

His small back blocked my view.

Namgung Hwi gripped the sword with both hands and slowly lowered his knees.

I shot my hand out in a panic. He might be a martial artist, but he was still a child. Against an adult man’s strength, he could get hurt.

“Don’t. Young Clan Head, it’s danger—!”

...He didn’t.

Namgung Hwi smashed the man on the crown of the head with the flat of the blade and knocked him out in a single blow.

“Ghk!”

The man who’d been so smug collapsed without even managing a proper scream.

It was so clean I couldn’t help admiring it.

“This little brat!”

“I’m going to kill you!”

Once their buddy dropped, the gamblers who’d been hiding as shills all rushed Namgung Hwi at once.

No—hey, wait. Grown men are going to gang up like cowards?

Even facing one against many, Namgung Hwi didn’t panic.

With a bored face, he sprang into the air—

then, like he was stepping across stones in a stream, he lightly planted his feet on the gamblers’ backs.

“Ah!”

“Ugh!”

“Kuh!”

Every time Namgung Hwi’s foot struck, a different sound burst out.

I stared blankly at Namgung Hwi grinding the gamblers into the ground.

I’d figured he’d be a genius since he was the “main character,” but I didn’t think he’d be strong enough at that age to drop multiple grown men by himself.

After cleaning up in an instant and sheathing his sword, Namgung Hwi sneered at the sprawled gamblers.

“You were worried I’d get hurt pretending to be a martial artist—yet I can’t tell who it is that’s pretending with such pathetic skill.”

At his mockery, one man screamed hoarsely.

“How dare you—do you even know who we are?! You think you’ll get away with this?!”

“If you can’t accept it, come find Namgung Hwi of the Namgung Clan. I’ll face you again anytime.”

“N-Namgung Clan...!”

The gambler who was still in the best shape went pale.

It felt like things were basically over.

Reading the room, I slid forward and swept all the money on the stall into my pouch.

Namgung Hwi watched with a stunned face.

“Sohae. That’s my money.”

I answered primly.

“Oh? But you lost all your stake. I won.”

“Still...... Haah. Yeah.”

He opened and closed his mouth like he had nothing to say, then let his shoulders droop. I held back a laugh and held my hand out.

“I’ll put it in for you. Give it here.”

Only then did Namgung Hwi brighten and hand me his pouch.

I crammed coins into it until it wouldn’t even cinch shut, and Namgung Hwi beamed.

“Let’s go eat something good. My treat.”

Can you really call it “your treat”?

But I couldn’t be bothered to argue over it.

We strolled away, avoiding the gamblers still lying on the ground.

“How did you guess the dice?”

“There’s a trick to it.”

“What trick? Tell me too.”

You got scammed.

But if I told him straight, it felt like he’d go back to beat the gamblers again. So I changed the subject.

“What matters is we got it back. You need to eat. What do you want? Noodles? Boiled pork? I saw lamb too.”

“Hmm... what do you like, Sohae?”

It felt like just yesterday he’d ordered me to climb over the wall, and now he was even asking what I wanted. He’d grown up.

Without thinking, I patted his head at the unexpectedly sweet question, and Namgung Hwi’s eyes went round.

Ah. Mistake.

“Uh, so this is— Ha ha—over there! Let’s go over there.”

Sweating nervously, I pointed.

On a stage ahead, actors in terrifying makeup were putting on a performance.

“You want to watch that play?”

“Uh... I think so. No. I do.”

Before Namgung Hwi could say anything else, I hurriedly pushed him along by the back.

*****

The performance we ended up watching was better than I expected.

“Today’s Sichuan Opera is really lively!”

“The master himself is performing, of course it is. Ha-ha, he’s good!”

When an actor in a red mask stepped forward singing, the crowd responded with clapping.

With soft, flowing movements, he snapped open a folding fan—shaa—then closed it.

At the same time, the red mask turned into a black mask.

“No one can match Taejeong when it comes to Face-Changing!”

“Oooh, Taejeong’s Face-Changing has gotten even more dazzling!”

When the crowd burst into cheers, the actor dramatically flared his cape.

This time, the black mask changed again, into a yellow one.

How is he doing that?

I was staring so hard I could’ve bored holes through the mask when a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Father! I want to do that too!”

Moyong Soye was nearby, perched on Moyong Gi’s shoulders.

Moyong Gi looked delighted to be out with his daughter, smiling nonstop.

Moyong Soye tugged hard on his hair and asked,

“This is fun. Why doesn’t Liaoning have stuff like this?”

“Ha-ha, you like it? Your father is happy if Yeye likes it. Sichuan Opera is Sichuan’s traditional performance. Of course Liaoning doesn’t have it.”

“Then let’s take that man home. Then we can watch at home too, Father.”

“That won’t do, Yeye.”

“Why not?”

“Yeye. If what you wanted was chickens or ducks being sold on the market street, your father could buy you a hundred, a thousand, if you wished.”

“Father. A thousand ducks won’t fit in my room.”

“That’s not what I mean, Yeye. People aren’t animals, are they? The first thing is to ask what the other person wants. Of course, you could drag him away by force. And then what? Would you take responsibility for his life? Can you take responsibility?”

“Um...... no. I can’t.”

“Right? That man has his own life too. Trying to swing someone else’s life around however you please is what the uneducated do. You mustn’t do that.”

While listening to the father and daughter, Namgung Hwi’s ears turned bright red.

Like he’d remembered the day he’d declared, out of nowhere, that he was going to take me to Anhui.

“I understand. Okay, Father.”

“Our Yeye is clever and understands her father’s words.”

Moyong Gi patted Moyong Soye’s feet like he was proud.

“So now, you’ll give up on the Grand Elder—”

“Why? The Grand Elder can take responsibility. He’s my husband, so of course he has to take responsibility.”

“...Is that what you think, Yeye?”

At Moyong Soye’s crisp answer, Moyong Gi’s blue eyes grew wet.

With a tragic face, he stared at the stage.

He looked like he was suffering under the weight of every worry in the world.