Yashiro the Blind

"I know, I know, honestly, even you, Mio, are bullying me with them." Outnumbered and outmatched, Yashiro sighed and decisively surrendered, then pretended to pinch his daughter's cheek.

Mio cried out "Ya!" and turned to run away. She hid behind Hatsume, peeking out and seeing that Yashiro wasn't coming after her. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief like a little adult and pat her chest with her little hand.

"Alright, alright, Yashiro-neechan, aren't you going out today? We'll be with Mio, don't worry."

Hatsume smiled and comforted her, while Minjimaru ran around fetching the straw hat and biwa, and then squatted down to tie the blind girl's leg bindings. It wasn't that Yashiro was deliberately bullying her; in fact, the latter was used to being an ordinary person and felt very embarrassed to be served like this. She was awkward and felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

However, Minji Maru insisted that these were all the duties of an apprentice, and that "a disciple should do what is necessary when there is trouble." When she was learning her craft, she often helped her master and mistress with errands and odd jobs.

"Please don't hesitate to ask me to do whatever I want!"

"That's why I said no need... You sit down."

Unable to bear it any longer, Yashiro tapped the girl's shoulder twice with his cane, making her sit back down. Then he fumbled to put on his straw sandals. In the short time it took him to look down, Minji Maru came over again and helped her carry the pipa on her back.

"Minzhi..."

"Oh, just let her take care of you, what's there to be shy about?" Wuyi said sarcastically from the side.

"Then next time I'll serve you the same way, so you can experience this feeling."

"Such a good thing?" Wu Yi exclaimed with delight, then pressed her advantage, "When? I can't wait!"

Yashiro ignored her, said goodbye to the other three obedient children, put on her straw hat, and went out the door. From afar, she could still hear Mai's voice from behind: "It's a deal, I'll be waiting!"

At the same time, there was a sigh from Chuya, a mixture of laughter and tears: "Brother..."

"What's wrong? You heard it clearly, it was clearly her who said it!"

"That's right..."

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, and you wouldn't want your sister Yashiro to become a person who breaks his promise, would you?"

"Woo-woo..."

In just a few words, the budding sprout was defeated.

Even though Yashiro had already walked some distance away, she could still hear the conversation inside the house clearly. She couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. Since everyone moved in together, things had become noticeably livelier every day, and although she didn't say it, she was quite happy inside.

That's right, the five of them are now living under the same roof. The reason is related to Minjimaru - since she promised to teach her martial arts, Minjimaru naturally has to stay here. However, there are only three houses on the mountain. One is for Yashiro and her daughter, one is for the Tenji sisters, and the remaining one is a warehouse with all sorts of odds and ends piled up inside.

Although they could build another small house for the girl, she still needed a place to live until the house was finished.

"It's alright, I'll just stay in the warehouse for a while." Minji Maru was always nonchalant, but while she could say that, no one else could just throw her into the warehouse to sleep; that would be too tragic.

The Tenji sisters exchanged a glance, and Hatsume was about to speak: "Why don't you stay with us, Minji-maru-neechan? We can squeeze in..."

“It’s too crowded for three people to sleep in one room.” Yashiro shook his head. “I’m the only one here. Mio doesn’t take up much space. Until the new place is ready, let her sleep with me. So, Minji Maru, would you mind sharing a room with someone?”

"do not mind!"

"Then it's settled..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chuya suddenly shouted, "No—no!"

If Yashiro could see, she would have noticed that the little girl's eyes suddenly sharpened the moment she uttered those words: "No, no, no, Yashiro-neechan, how can you sleep with just anyone!"

This sounded really strange. Yashiro hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, "What's wrong with that? Haven't I slept with both of you?" Especially in winter, when it was snowing heavily and freezing cold, they would huddle together to sleep at night to keep warm.

"This is this, and that is that! Don't confuse them!" Hatsume shouted at an unprecedented volume. Although what she said itself didn't make much sense, the forceful aura she exuded was so overwhelming that even Yashiro couldn't help but shrink back. "In short, no! No! No!"

"Okay, okay, I understand. Please calm down first..."

"I am! Very! Calm! Right now!"

That day, Yashiro finally witnessed another side of this well-behaved little sister. Incidentally, after Hatsume calmed down, she recalled her behavior earlier and her brain overheated, turning her into a coward. She hid in her sister's arms and refused to come out. In the end, Yashiro and Mai tried all sorts of methods and finally managed to coax this "Amaterasu Omikami" back to peace, so that the earth could regain its light and delicious food could return to the table.

That's another story altogether.

So why did everyone end up living together...? Yashiro tilted her head, reminiscing casually. When she thought of something amusing, the darkness before her seemed to come alive with vibrant colors, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. She continued walking, the tapping of her cane echoing as she traversed the familiar mountain path.

A leaf was blown down by the wind and drifted down, landing on her hair. Yashiro reached out and picked it, bringing it to her nose to smell. Unlike the exuberance of spring and the heat of summer, this fallen leaf carried both the scent of harvest and desolation.

The scent of autumn.

It is now late July of the fourth year of Yonglu, and autumn has arrived throughout the land.

The battle at Okehazama was already a year ago. With the death of Imagawa Yoshimoto, Sunpu, Mikawa, Tōtōmi and other places became turbulent. Especially in the Mikawa area, after the young lord Matsudaira Motoyasu reclaimed Okazaki and declared independence from the Imagawa clan, he quickly formed an alliance with Oda Nobunaga of Owari and conquered territory with overwhelming force. In just one year, he had brought most of Mikawa under his control, and his momentum was unstoppable, which was in stark contrast to the Imagawa clan which was in dire straits.

As a result, many people in Tōtōmi Province who were originally loyal to Imagawa began to have different thoughts, especially the Ii family, which is located near Mikawa Province, and they are facing a difficult choice. However, these diplomatic issues have nothing to do with ordinary people for the time being.

As long as the flames of war don't reach them, life goes on as usual. People in this era have long been accustomed to war, taking life and death as a part of life. Even if they might be heading to the battlefield tomorrow, today's farmers will still till the land, children will still play, and merchants will still hawk their wares. It is because of its unpredictability that it is precious.

The cane tapped against the street. Although Yashiro lived with the Tenji sisters and seemed to be idle and doing nothing, she was not actually living off Mai's money. She earned her daily expenses herself.

There are many ways to make money, but the most convenient one is naturally playing the pipa. After years of unremitting practice, her playing skills have improved day by day. In addition to performing on the street as before, she also receives invitations from time to time to perform for people in the mansion.

Thanks to her photographic memory, she could play popular songs of the time and sing the entire Tale of the Heike without missing a single word. With such skills, she naturally had no shortage of business opportunities.

Initially, most of the requests came from merchants and commoners in the village. The former were for banquets to entertain guests, while the latter were for festivals and celebrations. Recently, he has occasionally received requests from samurai. Basically, Yashiro is not picky. Whether the person is a rich merchant or a poor person, he will agree as long as he has time—and today is no exception.

He left home in the morning, and by the time he finished his business it was already noon. Yashiro received his share of the reward and was treated to lunch by his host. As he walked home, he took off his gourd and leisurely sipped a few mouthfuls.

"what?"

She strolled aimlessly, and before she knew it, she was near Ryūtai-ji Temple. Turning her head, she noticed familiar footsteps approaching. After a moment's thought, a smile spread across her face. She swallowed the drink in her mouth and quickly followed.

"Master Mage!"

The footsteps paused slightly, then continued walking forward without stopping or responding.

"Master?"

She called out again.

The other person remained silent. Only the sound of footsteps continued.

Yashiro finally realized: "Ayong."

"Ok?"

The person walking in front finally stopped and turned around, asking with feigned surprise, "So it's you, Benefactor Yashiro. What are you doing here?"

His tone was extremely serious, exactly the same as usual, still the mature and reliable Jiro-sensei. Yashiro shook his head, smiled, and did not mention that the other party had just ignored him. Instead, he quickly caught up with the woman and stood with her.

"I was asked to play a few excerpts from The Tale of the Heike at someone's request. What about you, Ayong...?"

At the last moment, sensing Jiro's gaze, she changed her words.

The woman smiled slightly, though not overtly, her eyes were full of laughter, clearly indicating she was in a good mood: "I was originally planning to go up the mountain to find you, but we just happened to run into each other."

"Looking for me?" Yashiro was taken aback.

Jiro-hoshi is not a local spirit bound to Ryutai-ji Temple. He would occasionally come up the mountain and stay overnight. Whenever he did, he would show a side of himself that was rarely seen in the temple. But if that were the case, given his personality, he should have said, "I'm looking for you."

If, as is the case now, someone specifically requests to see a particular person, it usually means there's something important to discuss.

as predicted.

“Yes, someone delivered a letter to you this morning, so I thought I’d go up the mountain and see Hatsune and Mio while I’m at it,” Jiro explained with a smile.

"I see." Yashiro said in realization, then asked, "The letter for me? Who sent it?"

"Let me think... According to the messenger, it seems that Kinoshita Tokichiro of Owari is getting married in a few days and wants to invite his old friends to attend, so he wrote an invitation and asked him to deliver it—"

Jiro paused, somewhat curious, "Is this Kinoshita someone you know?"

……

Chapter 119 The Eve of the Wedding

July has passed and August has arrived, and the autumn atmosphere in Owari is gradually becoming more and more pronounced.

Although the Oda clan clashed frequently with the Saito clan of Mino in the north that summer, both sides had their own concerns and neither took the initiative to cross the line and allow the war to officially break out.

Although Oda Nobunaga's side defeated the Imagawa clan's army that marched to Kyoto and achieved a miraculous victory, his own strength did not increase much as a result. He still had to be careful when facing Saito, whose national strength was superior, for fear that one wrong move would lead to total defeat.

Although Saito Yoshitatsu had a large army and many generals, he was burdened with the infamy of patricide, which made him unpopular. Moreover, the powerful clans within his territory were not united and were fighting each other, causing him a great deal of trouble.

To make matters worse, in addition to internal and external troubles, Yoshitatsu contracted a strange disease called leprosy several years ago and suffered greatly from the disease. There were even rumors that he had died in May of this year. Although all parties are still trying to verify the truth of this matter, at least from Oda's perspective, the morale of the Mino side seems to have been affected and is no longer as brave as it used to be.

In any case, with the arrival of the harvest season, the soldiers stationed at the front lines all withdrew to harvest the grain, beaming with joy. And in this atmosphere, a happy event also befell the Asano Mataemon Nagakatsu family in Kiyosu Castle—

His daughter Ningning is getting married soon.

That being said, whether a father can consider his daughter's marriage a happy occasion is still debatable, especially since the groom is not Maeda Matazaemon Toshiie, whom Asano Nagakatsu originally intended, but Kinoshita Tokichiro, a man under his command with an unusual, monkey-like appearance. Even if it was his daughter's wish, the father still felt uneasy.

After all, Maeda Toshiie was highly skilled in martial arts, had made numerous military achievements, and was known as "the left-handed spearman." He was also the son of Maeda Toshimasa, the lord of Arako Castle, and was highly regarded by Nobunaga. His future was limitless. On the other hand, Fujikichiro was mediocre in skill and came from a commoner background. Apart from being a little clever, he had no other strengths. His future and achievements were almost predictable.

Ningning married him, destined for a mediocre and impoverished life. How could Asano Nagakatsu not worry and fret?

But life is unpredictable. Yozaemon, who thought his future was bright, was banished for killing a colleague in front of Nobunaga. Even though he made great contributions at Okehazama, he could not get Nobunaga's forgiveness and is still a wanderer. As for Fujikichiro, he was favored by Nobunaga and was promoted several times in just a few years. For an ordinary person, this can be considered a meteoric rise.

More importantly, his daughter Ningning was deeply in love with him.

Unlike most marriages in this era that were arranged by parents and matchmakers, this marriage was initiated by Ningning herself. No one knows the specific reason for it, but by the time Asano Nagakatsu realized it, Ningning had already completely given her heart to this "monkey".

He always doted on his daughter and naturally didn't want to see her sad, so despite his complicated feelings, he still agreed to the marriage. However, when he saw Fujikichiro again, he found him increasingly displeasing, as if Fujikichiro's eyes and nose were not eyes or noses, and he didn't give him a kind look.

Today is no exception.

With the joyous day approaching, everyone inside and outside the house was busy, except for Asano Nagakatsu, who sat alone in the house, drinking his sorrows away. After a while, his wife, Nanakura-dono, hurriedly walked past the door, calling his name. Asano Nagakatsu glanced at her but did not reply. Two minutes later, his wife turned around from the other side.

As soon as she saw him, she started nagging: "Oh, so you're here... If you were here, just say something!"

"what happened?"

"It's about the wedding! The wedding is the day after tomorrow, and everyone is busy. I wanted you to double-check the guest list to make sure nothing was missed, so we don't accidentally offend anyone... But you, you're hiding here drinking in broad daylight."

"I wasn't hiding. I'm sitting here openly, you just didn't notice," Asano Nagakatsu replied irritably, while pouring himself another drink.

"Alright, stop drinking, or you'll get drunk." Qiqudian busied himself putting away the wine cups and pots. Changsheng didn't stop him, but turned his head away, looking out the window silently like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Speaking of which, you don't usually drink at this time. What's wrong today? Are you in a bad mood?"

“Nothing is wrong.”

Asano Nagakatsu answered in a curt tone.

Princess Qiqu naturally understood what her husband was upset about, and couldn't help but find it a little amusing. She advised, "Don't dwell on this anymore. Marriage isn't something that can be achieved overnight. Since Ningning is fond of Fujikichiro, it means their connection from past lives is deep. Moreover, it's precisely because this marriage isn't tainted by self-interest that it's so precious. Think about it, if Ningning married some samurai, who knows what her life would be like? It's better to be stable and have peace of mind."

“That’s true…” Asano Nagakatsu sighed, not wanting to continue the conversation, and suddenly asked, “Where’s Nene?”

“I just went to take a look, and she is playing the zither inside.”

"Playing the zither... that zither has been played for so many years, even the sound has changed. I was thinking of buying her a new one, but unfortunately, our family's financial situation doesn't allow it. If only I could one day take the head of a famous general on the battlefield..."

He shook his head. "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Where's Monkey Man? Wasn't that kid wandering around the neighborhood the past few days? I didn't stop him from coming in, but he insisted on peeking from outside. He's really clueless!"

The other party is not considering your feelings... Shichiku-dono silently muttered to herself. Knowing her husband's personality, she did not respond to his grumbling, but only replied, "As for Fujikichiro, I heard that he left the city early this morning, it seems to be to meet a friend."

"Friends?" Asano Nagakatsu was slightly taken aback. "What friends could that kid possibly have?"

"Who knows."

……

It's already autumn. Whether it's the sound of the wind rushing in your face, the chirping of insects rising and falling in your ears, or the trees planted along the roadside, although they are all the same things, they present completely different appearances depending on the season.

People are the same.

From infancy to adolescence, they gradually grow tall and strong, but then their bodies will soon hunch over. If they are lucky enough to live to be a hundred years old, they will shrink into a withered, thin, and frail figure, with wrinkles all over their faces, as mottled as tree bark.

However, regardless of what others thought, Kinoshita Tokichiro couldn't imagine what he would be like when he got old—he was twenty-five years old this year, and if calculated according to the song that his lord Nobunaga often said, "Life is fifty years," he had just passed the halfway mark.

For most of his early life, he was initially a mischievous boy running around naked in the fields. Later, he left his hometown and wandered around, unwilling to settle for mediocrity and determined to achieve something great. Now, he is a member of the Oda clan, appointed by Nobunaga, receiving a stipend of 100 kan, commanding thirty foot soldiers, and owning his own residence in Kiyosu Castle.

No matter who you look at it from, Fujikichiro is now a true samurai.

His appearance has also changed drastically from the past:

She combed her once messy hair into a neat bun, and replaced her dirty old clothes with a sleeveless haori with paulownia patterns on the back and gold embroidery on the lapels. She carried a large sword at her waist, her face was clean, and even the straw sandals she was wearing were new.

He was completely different from the Hiyoshimaru of years ago, except for his bright, sparkling eyes, which remained unchanged and still shone with the same joyful light as they had years before.

"Quan Zang, how is it? Have you seen him?"

Quan Zang was his only follower at the moment, a very clever young man. After hearing Fujikichiro's words, he ran ahead to look around for a while, then came back to report: "Not yet!"

"I see." Fujikichiro nodded, then casually wiped his sweat with his sleeve. Quanzang advised from the side, "Master, I think it's still early. You don't need to wait here in the sun. Go sit under a nearby tree and rest in the cool. Or you can simply go back to the city. I, Quanzang, can keep an eye on things here."

"No, no!" Fujikichiro shook his head repeatedly. "Wouldn't that make me seem too negligent? Anyway, the weather isn't too hot, let's wait a little longer!"

“You say it’s a neglect… but isn’t your friend a commoner?” Quan Zang disagreed, probably because he felt that his master, a samurai, was being so attentive to a commoner, which made him, as a servant, feel somewhat embarrassed.

To everyone's surprise, Fujikichiro's smile vanished and his expression turned extremely serious upon hearing this: "Don't have such thoughts!" His words were almost a reprimand.

Quan Zang froze, then subconsciously lowered his head: "I'm sorry, I misspoke..."