Master Cheon-Ho purposely brought JHo to humiliate him.
Master Cheon-Ho knew that Ho-Chi would come quickly in his dirty clothes. Master cheon-Ho also knew how his subordinates would react to Ho-Chi's smelly form. Just like he knew all these things, Master Cheon-Ho knew how to cover for himself by pushing the blame on JHo.
Master Cheon-Ho smiled as he watched JHo's angry face.
"What makes you so angry? Didn't you tell me that you hated him? I don't understand why you don't appreciate what I am doing for you."
Master Cheon-Ho laughed mockingly as he moved outside with his now-returned concubines.
In the room, only JHo remained.
"Oh my god, the smell~ It stinks strongly of human! For how long is that human planning to stay around here?! It already has been twenty days and he is still hanging around the front gate!"
Hearing the fox soldier complaining, Ho-Chi stopped the cleaning and lifted his head.
Spotting Ho-Chi, the fox soldier pointed with his index finger as he shouted angrily.
"Hurry and leave the palace! It's all your fault that the human is not leaving the front gate! For half month, my wife is not letting me stay in our bedroom because I smell like a human!!"
As soon as Ho-Chi heard the fox soldier's comment, he hastily ran toward the big front gate of the palace.
Ho-Chi thought of the guy who called him his bride as he raced to the front gate.
There, the guy was waiting for Ho-Chi.
"Where do you think you are going, master Ho-Chi?! Did the flower bloom?"
The crow cawed as he flew over Ho-Chi's head.
Even though Ho-Chi could see the front gate where the fox soldiers were guarding, he could not move even the single step further.
"Do you see the pond over there? I see that it requires more cleaning. What about the outside privy? Also, don't you know that the farm gets dirty very quickly? Did you even check to see it needs extra hay?"
As the crow listed all the things that needed Ho-Chi's attention, Ho-Chi lowered and shook his head. The crow laughed as he added,
"Oh my, I've never seen a fox such as yourself who doesn't know how to be thankful. That is why everyone is calling you useless."
The crow croaked and smiled while flying above Ho-Chi's head.
Bowing his head low, Ho-Chi dragged his feet back to the pond where he was cleaning previously.
It was not that Ho-Chi was not thankful toward Master Cheon-Ho. However, Ho-Chi wished he could go back to live with the guy once again .
No matter how much the subordinates mocked him, or how much the crow says hurtful things, Ho-Chi did not feel pain in his heart. Now Ho-Chi felt lonely. Just thinking about the guy leaving Ho-Chi in the palace alone, Ho-Chi's eye rims reddened.
Every day, Ho-Chi watered the flower, he placed the flowerpot under the sunlight, and he protected the flower from the cold during night times by bring it into his room. Ho-Chi was always careful not to hurt the plant.
No matter how much Ho-Chi takes care of the flower bud, it did not open. In fact, it looked exactly the same as the time Ho-Chi first received the flowerpot. Even the golden band around the bud stayed the same.
Even though Ho-Chi slept in a magnificent room every night, all he could think about was the run-down cottage on the small mountain. Ho-Chi missed the cracks and holes on the cottage and missed the guy waiting outside the front gate.
Ho-Chi remembered the guy's snorting sound when he slept next to the guy, remembered his tenderness when he covered Ho-Chi with the blanket, and remembered his gentle gazes on Ho-Chi's face in the morning. Ho-Chi missed the guy's affectionate gestures.