"How can a ten-year-old be the head of the family? Hand over the storehouse key and get out of the guest room immediately!"

It was the very night the young bride stepped out the main gate, carrying a bundle on her head.

Next to the little groom, left alone before his father's ancestral tablet, lay the writing desk—kicked by his uncle—with its leg broken.

All the bride left behind when she departed was a single pattern for a sock, folded in half.

However, starting from that very night, events that no one could explain began to unfold one by one in this empty head family house.

Long ago, in Gongju, Chungcheong Province, in a village where the shadow of Mt. Gyeryong stretched long, stood the head family of the Chu clan.

At one time, it was one of the most prominent families in the town.

Now, roof tiles were broken here and there, leaking rainwater, and one of the main gate panels was leaning at an angle.

But would you believe that the master guarding this massive head family house was a mere ten-year-old child?

It was before the rooster had even crowed at dawn. A small shadow cautiously rose from under the blankets in the guest room.

The sleeves of his faded jade-colored robe were frayed and unraveled, and his bachelor topknot was twisted crookedly.

The boy's name was Chu Myeong-gyu.

Although he was a handspan shorter than his peers, the gaze beneath his thick eyebrows was firm.

Myeong-gyu went to the mourning room set up at the far end of the guest room and prostrated himself before his father's ancestral tablet.

The mourning room is the place where the ancestral tablet of the deceased is kept for the three-year mourning period.

“Father, your son Myeong-gyu greets you. The wind was cold last night, so I have replaced the paper covering on the guest room doors.”

The tablet gave no answer.

Myeong-gyu remained prostrate for a while before adding in a low voice:

“My wife is sewing in the inner quarters again today. I haven't even been able to speak a single word to her properly yet.”

Indeed.

Ten-year-old Myeong-gyu had a wife. It was this spring.

"Joseon Dalbit Yadam" is an audiobook channel that presents Joseon Dynasty anecdotes, true stories, old tales, legends, folktales, and folktales in a calm narration format.

We deliver quiet and refined nighttime stories—stories to listen to before falling asleep, stories to listen to comfortably while driving, and content that is particularly well-suited for viewers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Without being sensational, yet with depth.

We will share stories that leave behind human warmth and the wisdom of life. 😊