Jong Kook prepared a few men with him as he went on to the outskirts of town. As he arrives with his troop, he could see many newcomers that dressed in different clothing and most people of all ages. Everyone stopped their actions as they saw him and his men.

He stops and asked for the representative of the newcomers.

“Who is the representative?”

An old man came out and stood before the crowd. “It is me.”

“May I know why you’re all here?”

“We have escaped from (Chinese island) when a ship of Japanese pirates invaded our island.”

“So you are the Yuan people?” Jong Kook confirms. “Under the agreement of Goryeo and Yuan, the Yuan and Goryeo citizens cannot move together freely. Only after the people are given immunity from the King will you all be able to live here.”

“But Sir, how are we supposed to receive immunity? We are islanders who have gone astray.”

“I will report to the King. As of now, please move your people to a better place. Being on the outskirts of town is great threat to Anyang and Goryeo itself. You could be mistaken as enemies and killed.”

***

Ji Hyo and Ji Hyo were getting ready to go out to the market as Jong Kook came back home from the inspection.

“Son,” Madam Kim encountered him. He saw Ji Hyo behind his mother, making his face turn grey.

He walked to his mother, greeting her.

“How was the inspection?”

Jong Kook nods. “These are Yuan citizens that have escaped from a Japanese pirate ship attack. I have already found a place for them to stay for the time being. I will have to report to the King by tomorrow.”

“That’s good then. Now that you have mention that, Lady Kim and I are going to the market. We could probably bring some help to them.”

He nods in agreement. “There were a few injured people too. Please bring them aids.”

“Why don’t you go with us?”

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo stiffens.

“It’s alright, I have other duties to attend to, mother.” he answered without glancing at Ji Hyo.

“What would the others say? No one has really seen Lady Kim and this will be her first time outing with me. Shouldn’t you take your wife around town too?”

“I-“

“It’s alright.” Ji Hyo interrupted. “Sir Kim is busy.”

“Why do you call your husband Sir Kim?” Madam Kim asked. She turns back to Jong Kook. “Don’t tell me.” His mother glared at him.

“Yes.” Jong Kook replied. “I told her to call me that.”

His mother glared at him, “Miss Go is not your wife. Here is your wife.”

“Mother-“

“Go on now, I request for your assistance. Do you expect a group of women to go meet the Yuan citizens alone?”

Jong Kook thought about it.

***

Ji Hyo and Jong Kook stood side by side as Madam Kim leads the way through the market. Ji Hyo didn’t even make eye contact with him as they both headed straight.

“This is my daughter-in-law,” Madam Kim happily announced to the market owners. “Please welcome her the next time you meet.”

“Yes,” they answered.

As they walked pass them, Ji Hyo’s pendent fell. It was a while before she found out she had dropped it. She quickly ran back to find it. Unaware of why Ji Hyo was in a hurry, Jong Kook followed her.

He was steps close to her as she saw the pendent and picked it up.

As she was about to get up she heard some of the people talking around.

“I wonder what happened to that young lady from before.”

“I thought she and General Kim had already gotten married,”

“Oh my, if they did then why would he marry this new lady?”

“Haven’t you heard? She is Minister Song’s daughter.” The old ladies gossiped to each other.

“That’s probably why, considering he is a general after all and the other girl was just a commoner.”

“I feel bad for the new Lady Kim though.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t you seen General Kim and that young lady out around before? I’ve seen them run around Anyang, flirting like butterflies without wings. He doesn’t seem to treat the new Lady Kim like that from what I see.” A young lady answers.

“Oh my, pity the new lady Kim,” the old ladies whispered. “She seems like such a nice woman too.”

Ji Hyo listened to their conversation as she gripped tightly onto the pendent in her hand. Jong Kook stood behind her as he heard it too. He sees Ji Hyo get up and turn around without saying anything. She saw him and only look up at him before walking pass him.

He felt bad as she had to hear that, but it was the truth.

As soon as the ladies saw him, they immediately quiet down.

Jong Kook follows Ji Hyo as she joins his mother in the group again.

***

Madam Kim and Ji Hyo passed the food and aid kit of bandages and herbs around. The people thank them as Jong Kook check around the area to look out for other injured newcomers.

Ji Hyo handed the box of herbs to a woman but the woman started coughing and vomiting. Ji Hyo quickly patted her back, then the woman fainted.

“Miss, miss,” Ji Hyo tries to wake her up. “Someone, please give me a hand.”

Jong Kook turns around to and sees Ji Hyo calling for help.

“What happen?”

“I don’t know,” Ji Hyo tries to think. “Give me the bandage kit and herbs.” She took the pulse of the woman. Jong Kook gives her the boxes.

Ji Hyo helped the woman and start sticking needles around her body before giving her medicine.

Then suddenly a pregnant woman was started screaming.

“Please help my wife! She’s giving birth!” A man yell out. Ji Hyo hurried over and sees that the woman’s water had broke.

“Someone please boil the water! I need scissors, a lot of cloths, a basin and a piece of thick wood.” Ji Hyo ordered.

Jong Kook doesn’t know why, but he hasn’t seen this side of Ji Hyo before.

The ladies ran around and handed Ji Hyo the items she needed.

“All men and children must go out.” Ji Hyo added.

Moments later, the crying of a baby could be heard and Ji Hyo picked up the child gleefully. She and the other women washed the child immediately and helped clean the woman. As the baby lie in the mother’s arm, the mother smiled.

“Congratulations, it’s a girl.” Ji Hyo smiled at the woman. The woman weakly smiled back and thank Ji Hyo.

“She will be a very beautiful child,” Ji Hyo said.

The woman nodded and held onto the hem of Ji Hyo’s sleeve, asking her to come closer.

“Doctor, something… something doesn’t feel right.”

Ji Hyo’s brows furrowed in confusion. The woman started hyperventilating and started pushing again. Ji Hyo ran back to check and quickly calls out orders again.

“I see the head coming! Push!” Ji Hyo told her. The other woman rushes around to help Ji Hyo and the woman, they took the child away from the mother as the mother grabbed the wooden cloth to push out the second baby.

The woman was losing a lot of blood and Ji Hyo was terrified to see the woman screaming in pain. As soon as Ji Hyo was able to pull he second baby out and sigh in relief, she notices the woman had turned really pale.

“Miss,” Ji Hyo quickly gives the baby to one of the women to wash and dressed. She walks over to the woman. “Miss, can you hear me?” Ji Hyo checks her pulse, her pulse was really weak.

“Someone, please get General Kim for me. Now!”

The woman weakly grabs Ji Hyo’s hand. “Please,”

“Don’t worry, you will be fine.” Ji Hyo holds her hand too. “I may not be a great doctor, but I have learnt the basics too. General Kim will bring you to the doctor too.”

Jong Kook runs in to see the birth scene. Ji Hyo’s hand covered in little bits of blood, holding onto the woman’s hand.

The woman breathes deeply. “Please, help take care of my family.” Then the woman fainted.

***

The woman was taken to the doctor and Jong Kook and Ji Hyo made sure everything was steady before returning to the place the newcomers stayed.

Ji Hyo was washing her hand in the basin as Jong Kook stood behind her, waiting to wash his hands too as his clothes had little residue of blood on it too. He bends over and washes his hand as Ji Hyo flushes away the cloths of blood.

“Are you a doctor?” Jong Kook asks.

“No. I’m not exactly anything. But my mother was a military officer that also learned herbal medicine from her side of the family.”

“Why haven’t I heard of that from you before?” He looks at her and Ji Hyo looks up at him.

“You never asked,” she smiles. “There are many things that you don’t know about me too, Sir Kim.”

He looks at her smile, she seems happy, different from how he sees her every day. Seeing how Ji Hyo washes the cloths, he remembers how he treated her the other day after she washed his clothes.

He sees a bit of blood and charcoal on Ji Hyo’s cheek. Without realizing, he raised his hand to help her wipe it off. Ji Hyo was very surprised as she looks up at him with her eyes almost widen.

Realizing how she looks at him, he quickly retreated his hand and stood up.

“You had something on your face.” he quickly answers.

“Oh…” Ji Hyo’s heart beated wildly, flustered, her face turned pink.

It was the first time he had shown her any affections after marriage.

Ji Hyo shook her head and got up quickly with the basin of cloths.

“Let’s go back.”

Ji Hyo walked away quickly while Jong Kook only looks at his hand.

Why did he do that, was all he could question.

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Sorry for the lack of romance. But thank you very much for the subscribers, upvotes, and comments!