Usu 1782
The wind stirred gently, swirling around and over frozen trees, water and ground before it was rebuffed by the solid resistance of wood. Undeterred, it swept over the wood, running questing fingers over the paper latticed windows that similarly withstood the onslaught before it gave up and continued on its journey. As it left, a faint light glimmered on the horizon. As it grew, the darkness drew away without argument. A faint crow, then another.
Within the house, eyes opened sleepily and reluctantly. Another crow sounded almost inaudibly, drawing the eyes opened again as they were slowly shutting. A sigh. It was time to get up but she was loathed to do so. Yet another crow, as if reprimanding her for her sloth. Sometimes, she wished she was a child again so she could sleep a little longer. She sat up reluctantly and looked over to the covered lump on her left.
Oh but he would suffocate himself when he sleep like that, she thought as she leaned over to pull back the cover he had drawn over his face till all could be seen were his closed eyes. But he felt the touch and did not like the slight chill that struck him. He grumbled indistinctly and turned to his left, burrowing under the cover until all she could see was his topknot. She smiled. Oh well, best to leave him be for now. She got up silently, folded away the bedding and quilt before dressing herself.
As she pulled the door closed behind her, there were soft rattling noises and a gentle aroma from the kitchen. Ae-young must have started already. The young girl looked up from the steaming gamasot and murmured a greeting that Jeong-hyang returned as she poured out warm water into a basin and did her morning ablution. Once she was finished, she went out through the kitchen door to toss the water onto the vegetable patch, noticing tiny rivulets of water was forming on the frozen ground. Spring would come soon. Her first spring in a new life. What would the year bring, she wondered as she returned to the kitchen to assist Ae-young. With the ease of long practise, they settled into the tasks of preparing the morning meal.
In the back room, the sleeper made not the slightest move as the room became brighter. He did not stir when a deep voice called outside or when the door open again sometime later. A sigh. Feet tread softly across the floor and the quilt was pulled down. Not even a twitch was visible on that sleeping face. Grinning mischievously, she lifted her hand. There was something on his face, tapping, tapping. Disturbed, he turned away but it persisted. The feathery touches alighted like pesky flies. Annoyed, he batted at them, not really awake. But they returned as swiftly the moment he withdrew his hand. All he wanted was to sleep, why did the flies have to come and bother him? Flies? Why would there be flies in winter? Puzzled, he opened his eyes to the grinning face of Jeong-hyang.
"Oh, let me be!" Yunbok grumbled mildly, closing his eyes again.
"No, you have to get up." She tried to pull the quilt off him but he had guessed she would remove it so he held on to it. "Master Park is already here. Both of you are supposed to get out there to get more wood or have you forgotten?"
"I don't want to chop wood, I want to sleep!"
He let go of the edge of the quilt she was tugging persistently. However, she was determined to hound him up as he turned on his side away from her.
"You're worst than a child," she scolded, folding the quilt as he curled up, shivering a little in the cooler air after the warmth of the cover. Even though there was a pangchang at the door to keep out the chilly draught, the room was barely retaining the warmth emanating from the floor.
"Painter!"
Exasperated, she pulled at his shoulder and gave a surprised yelp when he turned back and yanked her to lay across him.
"Painter? Painter? That's not my name." He grinned as she tried to lever herself off. "It's starting to sound like an invective because you only say that when you're annoyed or angry nowadays."
"No, have I?" she said, ceasing her efforts to stare at him in mortification. Calling him by some other name had never occurred to her. So used was she to using the title that she had come to know him.
"I was just joking." He tapped her nose teasingly. "But, it is time you should call me something else. It will be very strange if other people keep hearing you addressed me as painter which would make them overly curious."
There was truth in that. She was annoyed with herself for failing to notice this glaring oversight. Used it often enough in public and she could very well accidentally reveal who he was. Even though it was hardly possible anyone in the village would ever know anything about Hyewon. Still, he was supposed to remain hidden, a worker at the paper mill, apprentice to Master Park. A thought came to mind.
"But why bother calling you anything else? Aren't you my nampyon (husband)?" She poked her finger at his chest to emphasize her point. "And a lazy one at that! Keuran!"
"Aigoo! That hurts!" Laughingly, he grabbed her finger to stop her jabs and a tussle ensued. He pushed her away and sat up. "I say, stop already." He put up his hands defensively and then grabbed her in a hug when she failed to stop. "Enough, I surrender."
"So soon?" she mocked teasingly and then all thoughts fled when she looked into his eyes.
"RASCAL!" The stentorian shout from the daecheong broke them apart.
"It's too early to hear his voice," Yunbok grumbled, scooting over to the basin of water and towel he spied behind her as she folded up the bedding and put it away on top of the bandaji. Removing the manggeon horsehair(headband), he wrung out the towel in the warm water and scrubbed his face and neck as she untied his topknot to swiftly comb out his hair, smoothing out the kinks.
"And whose fault is that?" she snorted as she bound up his hair deftly. "He wouldn't be yelling if you had gotten up earlier," she said as she pinned the sangtu with a donggot.
"Gah," he spat out the water into the basin as he rinsed his mouth from a small water container. "I'm aching from all the activities yesterday. I only barely manage to avoid the seok-jeon and you know I had to stay up late last night."
"True, averting misfortune is afterall a first concern but still that's no excuse," she chided, handing him a dry cloth. "So what did you do last night?"
"Aigoo, how can I tell you? Wouldn't that undo the good deed?"
He wiped his face dry as he thought of his midnight mission. It was unlikely he was the only one to improve the crossing across the creek. The pathway had broadened noticeably, even in the dark. Come to think of it, he probably should have chosen something easier than shifting new stepping stones on the crossing point on the creek but he could not come up with anything better at the last moment. He wished he had for he was aching a little from all that work.
"I know what you did anyway." She smiled at the grimace that crossed his face as he straightened his back. "Get on with you, he's waiting for you," she reminded him as he opened his mouth.
He put on a cloth headband instead of the manggeon, automatically thumbing down the tail end of his tied hair so it would be be held down, pulled on a thick jacket over his jeogori (shirt) and baeja, adjusted his winter tosi (wrislet), beoseon (socks) and fastened the haengjeon (midcalf gaiters). He got up reluctantly and went out to the front room where Suk-kwon sat whittling away at a small pine stick in his hand with a small knife, a cloth spread across his lap to catch the wood shavings.
"You are getting lazy, rascal," he said, without looking up as Yunbok settled down at the soban set out for him. Yunbok did not deign to reply and applied himself diligently to the meal. "Married life agree with you I see," he continued and looked up to see the sardonic look directed at him. "Oh I know how it is, waited hand and foot, you don't have to lift a finger to do anything anymore. Nights must be cozy, you don't have to get up early anymore eh?"
"Master, if you're that envious, why not find yourself a wife?"
Yunbok knew why Suk-kwon was in such fine fettle this morning. Ever since he had shown him the plans of the paper compressor, his master had been eager to see a working model and experiment with it. They had made much progress with it that it was almost completed but they needed more wood to finish the last few components. Hence, they had arranged to gather wood this morning and now Suk-kwon was in a huff because he woke up late.
"Believe me, I've considered it before," Suk-kwon nodded to Yunbok in mock seriousness, "but other than the obvious benefits, having a wife is simply a regression to infancy. I don't think I care to have my sleep disturbed, getting nagged at and generally doing somebody else's agenda which I am sure must be sensible but totally immaterial in my own point of view. No peace!"
Yunbok jumped at that sudden loud vehement note and glared when Suk-kwon grinned at him.
"Master, you're hopeless, it's a wonder someone did not take your tongue off before now."
"No one has been up to it. No one will," Suk-kwon said confidently.
"Really, no one?" Yunbok threw a questioning look at Suk-kwon. When his master shook his head, he said, "There's one. Your master."
Suk-kwon made a face. "Get on with it," he scowled, beetling his brows. "It's getting late."
He knew he was impatient. He was well aware what Yunbok had been doing last night but he really wanted to see what kind of paper the device would be able to produce.
"Well, since you're so adamant."
Yunbok put down his chopsticks, half-wondering if he would be able to finish his breakfast in peace. Perhaps if he simply finish the soup and be done with it.
"You are not leaving until you finish everything," Jeong-hyang said behind him as he reached for the soup bowl. "You are just too thin as it is," she added as she sat down beside him.
"I was not...how did you...," Yunbok began in puzzlement.
"You have a habit of drinking the soup first when you want to leave in a hurry and you ate your favourite morsels which you usually do last," she pointed out. He looked down and realized she was right, he had almost finished up the neureumjeok. "And shame on you master Park, are you planning to drive him to the ground because of your own impatience?"
Suk-kwon smiled helplessly at this and held his peace, knowing she was right. Hiding a grin at his master's easy capitulation, Yunbok was able to finish his meal without further interruptions while bemused that Jeong-hyang had figured out his intentions from his eating habits. Still, they had been together for more than two months now so it was hardly surprising she would make such observations.
Although there was still a chill in the air when they finally made for the hills, it was considerably warmer. The ground was noticeably softer as Suk-kwon tested it with his staff every few steps. Slush had accumulated around their ankles by the time they reached a suitable grove of oak trees. Spring was definitely coming. Shaking off the slush from his feet, Yunbok set his jige (backframe) on the ground as Suk-kwon examined the trees.
"How many parts are we still missing?" Suk-kwon asked as he eyed a small specimen. If there were not that many, he would prefer to leave the larger trees alone.
"Just the lever and other small bits, which, I think are not important," said Yunbok as he gently tested the edge of his axe. "But I'd rather not leave them out. I think that will do fine, master," he added when the older man tapped one of the smaller trees.
"Right then. It's slanting a bit in this direction." Suk-kwon pointed where the tree was leaning. "So, here and here."
He made slices with his axe on the trunk to mark where they should cut and nodded to Yunbok as they took up opposite positions. They began to hack diagonally before making the straight cut in once they had removed more than a quarter of the diagonal cut. The tree slanted even further as Yunbok stepped away, working his shoulders to ease the ache. Suk-kwon gave it a push. There was a sharp crack, a groan, whipping of branches and a thunderous shaking of the ground as the tree fell, throwing off a shower of broken twigs and branches torn from its neighbours.
Without further ado, they set to work, taking breaks now and then to drink from the wooden water containers they had brought along. First they removed the branches before dividing up the trunk into smaller sections. The longer, bigger pieces went on Suk-kwon's jige. Branches broken off from the other trees were gathered, making quite a pile which they set aside to be collected later. By the time they got back to the paper mill, it was already well past noon.
Hungry and thirsty, they made short work of the snack before setting to work on the lever. As Suk-kwon measured and shaped a suitable length of wood, Yunbok whittled off the smaller stubs from the branches, storing them in a wooden crate for Suk-kwon who liked to carve interesting miniatures, before stacking the branches in the depleted woodpile, humming a tune under his breath.
"Annyong haseyo!"
The unexpected call was a surprise. The voice sounded familiar. Yunbok put down his axe and walked round to the empty workyard to see a young man standing there with his horse. It was Young-joon.
"Annyong haseyo, brother Han. What brings you here today?" Yunbok greeted his friend cheerfully.
"I thought I'll find you here, brother Seo." Young-joon's eyes lit up when he saw Yunbok and hesitated. Was his friend losing weight? He turned to his horse and removed a few large packs strapped to the saddle. "I bring gifts." He hefted the packs, grinning as Yunbok came up to him.
"Gifts?" echoed Yunbok with curiosity, feeling the pack Young-joon deposited into his arms. It was heavy. There seemed to be several hard flat objects within.
"For the school. Those are byeoru," Young-joon indicated the pack Yunbok was holding. "And these are meoks, pilgas, brushes." He lifted the packs in his hands. "I did say I'll help out with the school didn't I?"
"Indeed! These are much needed supplies, brother Han," Yunbok exclaimed. "Come up to the house for a drink and rest awhile," he invited, pleased that his friend had kept his promise.
"I have something else for you too." Young-joon shifted the packs to one hand, caught hold of the reins and led the horse after him as he followed Yunbok. "Where is master Park?" He looked around for the older man, expecting to see him working somewhere in the workyard.
"He's working on the paper compressor."
Yunbok held his hand out for the rest of the packs when they reached the house before disappearing within to put them away as Young-joon tied the reins to the fence near the gates. He elected to sit at the porch.
"Paper compressor?" he said, fascinated by the name when Yunbok reappeared to sit opposite him.
"It's a machine my father designed. It's about this big." Yunbok used his hands to indicate the size of it. "He came up with a few interesting ideas but the compressor was the only one I ever worked on so I thought I would start with that."
Young-joon was intrigued, his friend had never talked about his family before so to hear that his father was an inventor of sorts was fascinating.
"What does it do?" he asked. "But a moment, I thought your father is a court painter?"
Ever since he knew brother Seo was Hyewon Shin Yun-bok, he had tried to find out about his friend's family out of curiosity. As far as he knew, his friend's father, Shin Han-pyeong, was still living in Hanseong, working as a royal court painter at Dohwaseo. There had been no mention that he had ever designed machines however.
"He..," Yunbok hesitated, he had forgotten Young-joon knew nothing of his background. At that moment, the door opened.
"Master Han," Jeong-hyang greeted politely before she placed a soban with a tea set along with a plate of duteotteok.
"Mistress Im," Young-joon smiled as he returned her greeting. He was pleased to see she was looking so well. "Oh, yes, before I forget. Here," he picked up a small pot beside him and handed it to her. "A gift from my father, brother Seo."
"Your father?" Yunbok said in astonishment. Why would old master Han be giving him a gift?
"Ah..er-," Young-joon coughed. "Er.. well, I know he never said as much but aboji is an admirer of your artworks, you see so he was delighted to have finally met you. And well, he's pleased you got married and all that but he thought you are somewhat frail..er..."
Yunbok wondered why Young-joon was stammering and exchanged puzzled looks with Jeong-hyang who looked down at the pot in her hands. What was in it?
"He just wants to send something to boost your health." Young-joon decided not to explain further and finished abruptly. His friend would find out what it was soon enough.
"Ah-," Yunbok blinked, cocking his head at Jeong-hyang who only looked puzzled but she returned to the house with the pot. "Convey my thanks to your father for the gift." He poured out the sujeonggwa into the bowls and picked up his own. "How goes the relief efforts?"
"We are doing all we can but some farmers have lost cattle as there is not enough feed. Those were slaughtered quickly rather than left to starve and the meat sold. The attempt to plant buckwheat to offset the crop failure has been successful in some areas so the situation is stable at the moment. But those poorer peasants unable to get food have been flooding the other unaffected provinces, creating more problems," Young-joon sighed sadly. "Scores of them have died this past month. Aboji said there are bodies just lying there on the roads," he shuddered as he imagined the horror. "Provincial governors have been told to clear the roads and to get the homeless peasants into camps."
"I have no doubt more died during their attempts to get to food sources." Yunbok rubbed his eyes, wishing the visions conjured up by the news would go away. "We contributed our share of grain two weeks ago. I don't think it is enough though. Haraboji Yoo said an official came by and told him that two-thirds of the barley, millet and sweet potato yields would have to be committed towards relieving the demand in food supply. They are not expecting the affected provinces to be able to recoup this year."
"They must be waiting for spring to affect repairs to the blighted lands," Young-joon said worriedly.
"Frozen grounds are hard to work on," Yunbok agreed. "If the officials are doing their jobs, they would have surveyed and planned out the reconstruction. So instead of planting, come spring, the farmers would be put to work on repairs. Harvests will be delayed. How is the situation in Uiryeong?"
"Food prices have increased fourfold. There is less grain to be had but seafood and meat are readily available. We are also getting more influx of homeless people. There are fears of riots over the food rations and the pressure of demands from so many that the militia have been rounding them up and placing them in camps outside the town yesterday. We were all issued with identifying tablets." Young-joon brought up his waist cord, showing the second tablet next to the hopae. "I expect you will get yours soon."
"That is unsettling but I suppose it could not be helped, they have to control the situation," Yunbok said unhappily.
"Have there been any homeless peasants coming into the village?"
"Surprisingly, no. I expect they are hampered both by hunger and the difficulty of travel during winter. Haraboji Yoo did mention the militia came by yesterday, I suppose to take away any that might have turned up here. With the advent of spring, they should be re-appearing."
If any should turn up on his doorstep, Yunbok was determined to help rather than chase them away even though they were on food rationing themselves.
"Unless they are too weak to move. If they are at the hills, they will be looking for food," Young-joon sighed. "But is it enough?"
Something drastic would have to be done. If there was enough to go around, the starving people would be appeased. But not for long. Yunbok understood all too well what it was like to be deprived of food.
"The winter barley, millet and sweet potato should be able to tide most of the homeless for a while. Even porridge from pine needles or flour from the elm tree would be welcomed," he said. He did not notice Young-joon's astonished gaze. "I wonder if they would try to convert some of the unused lands elsewhere into farmlands," he mused. It did not seem very likely to him for it was not easy to modify infertile lands. The process would take a long period of time which might not even help with relief efforts.
"That is a thought. I heard the King has ordered landowners to make an effort to contribute at least a third of the grain. I doubt they will comply if there is no enforcement," Young-joon observed dryly as Yunbok snorted his endorsement of that statement.
Young-joon picked up a duteotteok and took a bite.
"Singamchae?" he said, identifying the filling that fell onto his tongue at once for the dough was almost paper thin. "Do you have enough to eat, brother Seo?" he stared at the duteotteok. "I... I didn't think," he said apologetically. "I shouldn't be cutting into your rations."
He was furious with himself for letting the familiarity of dropping in on a friend to lull him into a grievous error. With his other wealthy friends, perhaps he could partake of the refreshment without a second thought but he should not be doing so with Yunbok who he could see was much thinner.
"We have enough." Yunbok smiled to ease Young-joon's anxiety. "Jeong-hyang's just trying out various fillings for duteotteok. Just eat!"
"I see. But enough of such dismal discussion. Brother Seo, I never heard of your father designing machines before?"
Young-joon took a sip from his bowl and returned to the topic they were on before Jeong-hyang's interruption, finding the tteok to his liking. He would bring food on his next visit, he decided, to make up for what he had consumed. It was at such times he wished he was more vigilant and less distracted.
"That's because he isn't my father." Yunbok almost laughed at Young-joon's dumbfounded look. "Shin Han-pyeong is not my father, he's my foster father."
Shock held Young-joon immobile for a while before he remembered to swallow the mouthful of tteok in his mouth, almost choking himself for he had not masticated it properly. Frantically, he turned away, coughing and thumping himself on the chest before gulping down some sujeonggwa as Yunbok watched him with concern.
"I'm all right, what happened?" he gasped when his airway cleared.
"I.. ask you share this with no one?" Yunbok waited for Young-joon's assent before continuing. "I'm sure you are aware of the political intrigues in Hanseong. My father was unfortunate to be caught up in it. Both my parents were assassinated when I was eight years old. Shin Han-pyeong was a friend of my father's. He adopted me when he learned I survived."
"Brother Seo-," Young-joon said sympathetically, saddened to hear of the tragedy that befell his friend.
"I exacted my revenge on my parents' killers five years ago so you can say that is all behind me now."
Young-joon stared at his friend in surprise. "I'm.. I don't know what to say, brother Seo." Admiration was evident in his voice. He was impressed his friend had been able to accomplish a task which he was sure must had been difficult and near impossible. "Do you still maintain contact with your foster father?"
"No. He disowned me." And he could not say Shin Han-pyeong was not right not to do so. He was after all responsible for the tragedy in the family.
"What? Why?" Young-joon was flabbergasted to hear that. Surely it was not because of his friend's act of vengeance?
"I'm responsible for my foster brother's death."
How it hurt still, to think of the day he learned of Young-bok's demise. To see that still form beneath the shroud, a pale cold face. Gone a beloved companion, gone a brother who had always protected and sheltered him.
"Painter, that is not true," Jeong-hyang's voice broke in, surprising them both. She stood nearby with a basket of dried clothes she had taken in at the courtyard. She had overheard their conversation as she was about to go into the house and was upset to hear Yunbok's statement. "We have been through this before. You did not force him to make the dyes, he chose to do it."
"That is because I asked him for it," Yunbok said firmly. "So I am responsible."
"Yes, you did but your brother was not a novice who did not know the dangers of making the dyes. His master would surely have warned him of the hazards. How can you take up all the responsibility yourself when he must have known exactly what he was doing?" she said forcefully, wishing he would just acknowledge this point. It had been the focus of their contention when she came to know the reason for his foster brother's death.
"He would not have made that decision if I did not encourage him, so the fault is mine."
"Painter!"
Worriedly, Young-joon looked at one to the other as they glared at each other. He was sorry he had brought up the subject of his friend's father which led to the foster brother. An extremely touchy issue by all counts. If it caused discord between the two, he was as much to blame.
"Er... so your father designed the paper compressor?" he said calmly, hoping to divert them.
Heaving a sigh of exasperation when Yunbok looked away, Jeong-hyang continued on to the house. It was so difficult to change his viewpoint. She was not sure she could convince him at all. He seemed set on carrying that burden for the rest of his life in the wrong way.
"Yes, he did." Yunbok swirled the fruit punch in his bowl. Pushing away his unhappy thoughts, he set it down on the table. "Do you want to take a look at it?"
"By all means." Young-joon was glad to be moving away from the tension of a moment ago, the further the better, he felt.
"I'll just put this back in the kitchen."
Yunbok picked up the soban and walked along the porch to the kitchen door. He hesitated a moment before he entered, unwilling to face Jeong-hyang while the residue of anger was still burning within. But it was Ae-young, much to his relief, who looked at him searchingly for she heard the argument. He handed her the soban before rejoining Young-joon and they made their way to the woodyard.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Suk-kwon looked up and waved at Young-joon in greeting before returning to his task. Young-joon examined the paper compressor with great interest, listening carefully as Yunbok showed him the sketch in his father's manuscript. It looked somewhat like a printing machine except that there were two flat wooden boards facing each other instead of a letter press at the bottom. Before long, Suk-kwon joined them with the finished lever which was affixed next to a wheel at the side.
After a couple of experimental adjustments of rope tension, Yunbok fished out a damp piece of paper he had prepared and laid it out flat on the lower board. Carefully, he brushed a thin layer of glue over it before adding another piece of paper on top. The wheel lowered the upper board until it met the bottom whereupon he used the lever to press the two together. When the boards were separated, they bent to examine the result. There was not much to discern. They would have to wait for the paper to dry.
Yunbok draped it on a drying line.
As they examined the manuscript further, they tried to come up with the plausible ways to use the compressor. Suk-kwon thought it might reduced the amount of paper used to buffer up chest armor against arrows. Of course, it would not hold up against rifles but soldiers were generally not facing bandits or criminals brandishing such weapons. Young-joon ventured to suggest that it would be better to use it to cover windows and doors. The usual paper was generally very durable but bad weather or accidents would render it useless. Thicker paper might withstand such onslaughts. Yunbok thought fans, bindings and book covers were the more plausible answer. Perhaps tents that were more durable? Winter coat linings?
Korean Words
byeoru - ink stones
donggot - hairpin for men
duteotteok - rice cake with fillings
haengjeon - gaiters tied on mid-calf
manggeon - horsehair headband
meok - solidfied pieces of ink
nampyon - husband
pilga - holder for wet brushes
sangtu - topknot
singamchae - angelica sprouts
