Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 493

Chapter 493
Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter:

We must!
That was the victorious thought echoing in my mind when Teacher Hwa-eun softly inquired about when we might finish our designated “homework.”
A scholar’s primary obligation is to learn, and genuine learning is fueled by the diligence of assigned work.
In my previous life, the national Korean examination—the CSAT—always concluded with interviews of the highest achievers, and their advice was invariably the same:
“I never used a private tutor. I simply focused on thoroughly previewing and reviewing the material.”
Exactly. The cornerstone of knowledge has always been preparation and reinforcement. And homework accomplishes both.
A student must both preview and review.
In our situation, however, the “preview”—that initial, pre-marital lesson—had never occurred, unlike for Chang-ryong and Geombong.
We had been entirely preoccupied with hunting for spirit creatures, and on the rare occasions we tried to create the right atmosphere, the children always burst in and shattered it.
But now that we had formally commenced the main curriculum, we were obligated to conduct a comprehensive review.
Even Teacher Hwa-eun appeared to concur that our studying had been lacking.
She didn’t state it outright, but her meaning was clear.
I’d become completely distracted while pursuing the Qing Ji-dam larvae, but that mystery was now solved—and I was fully committed. Tonight, I would apply myself exhaustively to please our teacher.
They say that once humans have food, clothes, and shelter, their next essential desire is intimacy. We had sustenance, a home, safety, and even pastimes. What were we missing?
Right, I’ve been ignoring her needs, using the spirit creature hunt as a pretext. I’ll compensate for it tonight. An intensive review session. Multiple repetitions. Strenuous practice.
Control-C.
Control-VVVVVV…
Until the entire system freezes.
Then a timid voice resonated in my head.
“So… um, when?”
“Tonight! But not immediately. Later tonight. Ah… but the children. We require a justification to put them to bed separately. What can we do…”
I entertained the idea of stealing away with her into the jungle beneath the stars, but that sort of romantic escapade felt better suited to young newlyweds. For us, it seemed a bit much.
So, tonight was the objective. The challenge was in the logistics.
To successfully connect, we needed either the children sleeping elsewhere or a plausible excuse for us to sleep in a different location.
We had neither.
I’d already used the “I’m wounded” excuse recently. I couldn’t deploy it again.
As I was wrestling with this dilemma, Hwa-eun’s voice found my ears once more.
“You needn’t fret over that. I’ll… I’ll handle it.”
“You will?”
“Yes. I will devise a method to secure a place for just us two.”
“Very well, Hwa-eun.”
She sounded as if she already had a strategy.
I chose to place my trust in her and boarded the ship, making my way back into the hive.
Our nighttime tutorial was officially scheduled. Now I simply needed to verify the status of the Qing Ji-dam larva that had been transported inside earlier.
I didn’t anticipate any problems, but it was prudent to confirm it had been settled properly.
—Bzz.
—Bzzzz.
The hive was humming with a bit more activity than before.
Likely occupied with assimilating its newest resident.
I moved toward the most secure, innermost section—where the other Qing Ji-dam young had been placed—and discovered Ranghu observing the hive from the outside.
Noticing me, she flew to my side.
—Bzz.
“Yes, I went to look. Discovered another one.”
—Bzzzz.
“So that makes five in total, correct?”
—Bzz.
She gave a light tap on my shoulder, a clear gesture of *Well done*, having undoubtedly been informed by the worker bee I encountered.
Hwa-eun and I leaned in to look inside the hive.
There were the four yellow larvae previously collected by the hive—plus the new one I had delivered. Five altogether.
Four of them, satiated and peaceful, were coiled up like grains of sleeping rice.
The final one—the most petite—was voraciously consuming leftover honey and pollen.
It must have only just hatched. A hungry little creature.
“Look at you, eating with such vigor. Hello, I’m So-ryong. Let’s be friends, alright?”
“And I’m Hwa-eun. You may consider us your mother and father.”
It was improbable it could comprehend us so soon after hatching, but upon hearing our greetings, the tiny larva halted, glanced up at me… and then promptly buried its face back into the food.
After it had consumed the last trace of pollen, it crept to the hive’s edge and extended its body toward me.
“Huh? Are you coming to me?”
It seemed to be asking to be held.
I shot a cautious look at Ranghu as I extended my hand.
Before, she had been very firm in preventing me from touching them.
Would she permit it this time…?
But Ranghu did not intervene.
Perhaps because the infant had initiated the contact.
The small larva climbed onto my finger, then, just as it had before, scurried up my arm and buried itself deep within my hair—with only the very top of its head visible.
It showed no interest in remaining in the hive with the others.
It preferred to rest on me.
Hwa-eun observed with keen interest.
“I believe it has taken a liking to you, So-ryong. Sister Seol often said animals have an innate sense of who they can trust.”
“Hmm, perhaps.”
Whether it liked me or not, I couldn’t say. But sure enough, it peeked out from my hair and then… drifted off to sleep.
“It’s asleep now.”
“Haha. What an unusual little one.”
You would assume a newborn would feel more secure within the hive.
Yet, it elected to slumber in my hair.
Nevertheless, this was a fortunate turn of events.
If they had all remained hidden inside the hive, I wouldn’t have been able to present them to the other children. But with this one choosing to reside on my head, it provided the perfect opportunity.
The other kids—particularly the larger ones—might have missed seeing them before they matured.
This way, I could introduce them now.
“Hey Ranghu, would you permit me to take this one outside briefly? Merely to introduce it to the others?”
—Bzz?
Ranghu tapped her chin in consideration, then gave a reluctant nod.
“Thank you. Hwa-eun, let’s go present the newest family member to the children.”
“Okay!”
Her voice held a special tenderness today, likely due to our… scheduled lesson.
We exited the hive and proceeded to our private cabin.
Ranghu, accompanied by two worker bees, followed us—perhaps feeling anxious, or simply acting as escorts to grant their approval.
“Everyone, gather around!”
“Come together, kids!”
—Chrrt. 『Why, Mom?』
—Chrrr. 『What’s happening, Dad?』
—Kkyuit? 『Grandpa, what is it?』
—BEEP!
One after another, our children—who had been relaxing indoors to escape the intense Yunnan sun—assembled around the table.
I called out mentally as well, and soon Hwanji and Hwana were also peering in through the window.
I resolved to show Cheongwol later, and quickly sent an explanation through our mental connection:
‘Cheongwol, we located all the Qing Ji-dam young. There are five!’
—Grrr. 『That must please you greatly.』
‘Absolutely! I will bring you to see them shortly.’
—Grr. 『Very well.』
Facing the gathered children, I sat down with a wide, silly grin.
“Everyone, look what I have! Behold!”
I sat and pointed toward the top of my head.
The children, curious, clustered closer—and let out delighted gasps.
—Chrrt! 『A baby!』
—Kishi. 『Wow, it truly does look like a newborn, big brother!』
‘So adorable! Don’t you agree, Yeoncheon?’
‘Yes, indeed. So tiny and sweet.’
—BEEEEP! BEEP!
As Yeoncheon and the others murmured and admired the baby, even Hwayang, unable to restrain her curiosity, clambered onto me for a better look.
—Bzz!
Ranghu buzzed sharply, a reminder that the infant was sleeping.
Hwa-eun suppressed a laugh and gently positioned Hwayang on top of Cho’s head to give her a view.
Each child who saw the larva was overcome with happiness, each one exclaiming over its cuteness.
And, as the saying goes—“once the rice cake is on the table, you should perform the rite.”
We decided the time had come to bestow names upon the babies.
Until this point, I had always chosen the names myself.
But now that we had older brothers and sisters in the family, it felt appropriate to include them all.
What was once a private pleasure for me, I now wished to transform into a collective family ritual.
“Alright, everyone. This little one is…”
I began to explain that this was one of the Qing Ji-dam larvae we had been seeking for days, and that we should name them together—
—but just then, Hyang-i exclaimed directly to Hwa-eun through the group mind-chat:
『Mom! When did you have a baby? Is this our new sibling? Wow! We have a new brother or sister! Auntie said if you and Dad spend time by yourselves, you’d have a baby—and she was correct!』
“…Uh… what?”
Hwa-eun’s face flushed a deep crimson from bewilderment.
It seemed the girl was in desperate need of proper biological education.
First, she mistook my private part for a snake, and now this…
I cleared my throat to clarify.
“Uh, no, Hyang. This is a Qing Ji-dam baby we’ve been searching for.”
—Chrrt. 『Oh… heh, I understand… I just thought… heehee.』
“We brought it to introduce you. There are five of them in total. The others are still resting in Ranghu’s hive.”
—Chrrt. 『Ohhh, alright.』
“You’re quite a handful, Hyang, making it seem as though I gave birth.”
I laughed. Surely Hyang was the only one who had conceived such a foolish notion.
…Until I glanced around.
And noticed Hwayang and Bini both flinch guiltily.
—BEEP!?
—Tss.
…Oh dear. Do I genuinely need to begin instructing them on the facts of life?
It struck me then—perhaps it was time to start their formal education.
They were more grown now. More intelligent. Capable of thought.
I could no longer treat them as simple creatures driven purely by instinct.
Some time ago, I’d attempted to teach Hyang and Bini how to navigate by direction, but I abandoned the effort because it was too difficult.
But now… yes. A fundamental educational plan was probably necessary.
However, for the present, naming the Qing Ji-dam larvae was the priority.
So I turned my attention back to the kids.
“We need to name them. Does anyone have any good suggestions?”
—Chrrt. 『Names?』
‘Ah… so that is why Eun summoned us… to name the newcomers.’
—Shia. 『Hmm… names…』
Everyone began to ponder with great seriousness.
And then, predictably, Hyang was the first to propose an idea:
—Chrrt! 『Let’s call them Ryeon-gyo! They are small and yellow!』
Ryeon-gyo—the Central Plains term for the forsythia, a vivid yellow spring bloom.
Small, yellow, charming—Hyang wished to name them after the flower.
“…They are going to become turquoise-green when they mature, though. And there are five—we require five names,” I pointed out.
But Hyang merely shrugged, undaunted.
“Then we can call them all Ryeon-gyo as a group. And individually: Il-gyo, Yi-gyo, Sam-gyo, Sa-gyo, and O-gyo.”
“…But they will be green later.”
“But they are yellow now.”
“Ugh…”
I looked pleadingly at Hwa-eun, hoping she would support me.
Instead, she smiled and said:
“That is rather charming, actually.”
—Chrrt. 『See, Mom!?』
I protested mentally.
‘Honestly, Hwa-eun! Back me up here!’
These creatures were destined to grow into magnificent, gleaming, turquoise beetles—and she was content to name them after a yellow flower!?
But she responded with a serene, amused thought:
‘What is the issue? There are many such names in the Central Plains.’
‘Like what!?’
‘Well, consider your own name, for example.’
‘Mine!?’
She had suddenly brought my name into the discussion.
When I tilted my head in confusion, she blushed faintly and elaborated:
‘You are already a Great Dragon, are you not? But we still call you Little Dragon (So-ryong). Tonight, as well… will you not be… the big dragon?’
…Damn it. It was an irrefutable comparison.
I couldn’t possibly argue. My head nodded of its own accord.
‘I… I suppose that is logical…’
And so, just like that, the Qing Ji-dam babies were named:
Il-gyo, Yi-gyo, Sam-gyo, Sa-gyo, and O-gyo.
And I sent a silent message directly to Hwa-eun:
‘Hwa-eun… tonight, I will not merely be Daeryong—I will reveal to you Georyong (Giant Dragon).’
‘Eh? Then…?’
‘Tonight, you shall encounter Georyong!’
‘Oh my…’
And with that…
Nightfall began to draw near.