"It's white rice, you're welcome." Katsushiro happily held a bowl of rice in front of Chino: "I've eaten Rikichi's barnyard rice, and it's hard to eat... You can eat this."
Chino took the meal and lowered his head, not daring to look at Katsushiro. Seeing this, Katsushiro said, "If you're shy, I'll go away." "No, I won't eat," Chino shook his head.
"Why? I wholeheartedly bring it to you..." "No, no, I just... I want to give it to Kuuemon's old woman." "Old woman?"
Chino nodded: "She is very pitiful and often has nothing to eat. The villagers also gave her some porridge made from barnyard rice because they saw her being lonely. When she was a child, she was very good to me. She often went to the mountains to pick wild fruits and gave some to me.
"
"But you haven't eaten yet..." Katsushiro hesitated. "It doesn't matter, I can eat the barnyard rice. Once you drive away the bandits, we can live a good life." Chino said to Katsushiro with a look of admiration.
Katsushiro scratched his head in embarrassment, then he said firmly: "Don't worry, we will definitely win! Where is the old woman, let's go together." Chino held the rice in her arms, and the two walked out of the room made of rough logs and
He built a thatched shed and sneaked towards the village.
Kazuyo Sorayama and Kuzo, who had witnessed the whole incident, looked at each other. Kazuyo Sorayama said, "The farmer with Katsushiro is a woman, a young woman."
Jiuzang wondered: "Why don't women go back to the village when they are in the mountains?" Kazuyo Sorayama sighed: "When I settled in this village, I didn't see young women very often, but there were still some...
Remember when we first entered the village?"
Jiuzang pondered: "Could it be that the people in the village are afraid of us..." Kazuyo Sorayama nodded and replied: "That should be the case, but there must be more than one young woman hiding in the mountain, and the bandits will come soon.
"Plunder, the mountains are more dangerous than the villages!" "Well, go back and discuss it with Kanbei," Jiuzang agreed.
Night comes very early in the mountains, especially on this rainy day. The fire pit in the center of the floor is crackling with thick firewood. Against the background of the heavy rain outside, it makes the house even more peaceful and comfortable.
Kanbei walked up and down on the floor stroking his gray beard. Kazuo Sorayama and Kuzo had already changed into dry clothes and sat leisurely by the fire to warm themselves. The red flames licked the fire hanging above.
From the bottom of the iron pot, the rich aroma of miso soup comes from the pot.
Kikuchiyo impatiently opened the lid and stirred the miso soup with the wooden spoon on it. He was already very hungry due to his strong digestive function, and he wanted to scoop up the soup and drink it to his heart's content.
But when he saw Kazuyo Sorayama's cold eyes, he couldn't help but shrink his neck, threw the lid and spoon back on the pot unwillingly, and hummed: "Isn't she just a woman! Katsushiro, this kid is very handsome... Rikichi
, is the meal ready?"
Shichiroji put down the big gun he was cleaning in his hand and frowned: "As a samurai, I am destined not to be able to marry a peasant girl. Katsushiro is still young, and I'm afraid he won't be able to let go."
Gorobei smiled and said: "Yes, maybe Katsushiro's clan and parents have already booked a Wu family girl for him in his hometown, and they are just waiting for him to get married when he returns."
"Hmph! Boring samurai... He can barely save his life, so how can he care about this... It's such a mess..." Kikuchiyo muttered in a low voice unhappily.
When Kanbei heard Kikuchiyo's words, his eyes couldn't help but darken, and he slowly said: "Forget it, that's it, don't tell anyone. Just like Kikuchiyo said, kill all the bandits first and then make plans. Everything else is
Little things."
Seeing that his opinion was adopted by Kanbei, Kikuchiyo looked at everyone with a grin on his face. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he couldn't help but lost his temper again and said: "Yaka! Rikichi, why didn't there be a young woman when we entered the village?
See, you all hide them in the mountains without fear of being eaten by bears!"
Kanbei stopped Kikuchiyo, walked up to Rikichi and looked at him seriously and said: "There may not be bears in the mountains, but there will definitely be bandits! Go tell dad and let those women return to the village as soon as possible, otherwise they will encounter
Bandits...Also, the rice will be ripe soon, one more person will be more effort, and then all of us will have to participate in the harvest."
Li Ji knelt on the floor, not daring to raise his head, and whispered: "Hi! I'll go tell daddy later."
Kanbei sighed and patted Rikichi on the shoulder: "Don't worry, we won't do anything to those women. As for Katsushiro... don't tell that woman's family first. Bandits are about to plunder, so it's not appropriate to cause trouble.
let it go."
Liji knelt lower and lower, struggled for a moment and then said firmly: "Hey! I won't tell!" Kanbei nodded with satisfaction.
Katsushiro ran into the house in the rain and said loudly: "I'm back, master, it's raining heavily outside!" The samurai who knew the situation were secretly amused when they saw Katsushiro's poor concealment.
Kanbei said calmly: "Okay, it's raining so heavily. Try not to go out. Change your clothes quickly. Dinner will be served soon."
Because of Kikuchiyo's upright words during the last meal and the decision made by Sorayama Kazuha, the samurai also ate precious polished rice and miso. Only cured meat and dried fish were still eaten despite the strong rejection of Kanbei and the samurai.
Exclusively owned by Ichiyo Sorayama.
Only Kikuchiyo carelessly stood next to Kazuyo Sorayama, and would secretly pick up a piece when Kazuyo Sorayama wasn't paying attention, then put it whole into his mouth and chew it, making the warriors look angry and amused.
Hayashida Heihachi often ridiculed Kikuchiyo's appetite, but when Kikuchiyo cooked rice for the first time, he still ate four large bowls in a row and was extremely satisfied.
Katsushiro put down the bowl, reluctantly looked at the crystal clear white rice in the pot, glanced secretly at the crowd and said, "I'm full now, I'll eat again later."
Jiuzang and Sorayama Kazuha looked at each other, put down the food in their hands and said: "You have finished eating, I won't eat it this time." Kanbei understood, but still said: "What's going on, tell me
."
Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Katsushiro murmured: "I... I want to save some for an old woman in the village. She is very pitiful. All her family members were killed by bandits, and she only has a bowl of barnyard porridge every day."
Katsushiro concealed his affair with Shino, and perhaps he felt that if he got along with a farmer's daughter, he would be opposed by the samurai, but at his age, love was far more important than class.
Kanbei didn't expose it, and said calmly to Katsushiro: "Even so, you can't go hungry. You are still young, not to mention there are bandits who need you to fight. It is absolutely impossible not to reserve your physical strength. Let's do this, every day
Every time we eat, we ask Liji to bring a bowl to the old woman. Remember, Katsushiro, only by killing all the bandits can this village really be helped!"
Kikuchiyo swallowed his rice and said vaguely: "That's right! Boy, if you eat more, you will have strength." Hayashida Heihachi laughed and said: "I think we should reduce Kikuchiyo's food intake. This guy is really good at eating! If it weren't for Lord Sorayama
Generosity, I am afraid that if this village has not been robbed by bandits, it will be eaten up by you."
The samurai laughed loudly after hearing this, and Katsushiro also smiled awkwardly, but his thoughts no longer knew where to go.