Kinoshita Mai was stunned for a moment, and then put on a solemn expression that said, "Just tell me, I'm all ears."
"Mr. Kiryu, what's wrong with grandma? Is... is she in bad health again?"
In Kinoshita Mai's memory, her grandma's health has become particularly bad since she got old.
Today I accidentally broke down on my waist, and tomorrow I unfortunately caught a cold and caught a cold, and my body got sick and went wrong from time to time.
"Young Master, don't be so nervous."
Kiryu pointed to the cushions opposite the counter and motioned to Mai Kinoshita, "Let's sit and chat."
"My lord is not feeling ill. What I want to talk to you about is something else."
"That's it...that's good..."
A look of relief appeared on Mai Kinoshita's pretty face. The originally tight facial lines relaxed little by little.
"In that case, Mr. Kiryu, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Kinoshita Mai asked back, holding the vegetable basket and taking a seat on the cushion pointed by Kiryu.
Kiryu bent down and sat directly opposite Kinoshita Mai.
"Young Master, do you still remember what I said to you this summer...when you were preparing to go to the fireworks display and I was helping you put on your makeup? The Lord is planning to visit Edo during the New Year this year.
you."
As soon as Kiryu finished speaking, Kinoshita Mai immediately replied excitedly:
"Of course I remember!"
Kinoshita Mai's grandmother threw her to Edo in order to train her, and handed her over to Kiryu, who was capable of both literary and martial arts, loyal and reliable, to teach her, and the care began... Roughly speaking, Kinoshita Mai has been there for nearly a year.
She has barely met her grandmother, who raised her and raised her.
For Kinoshita Mai, grandma is her relative and her benefactor.
Although her grandma treated her very harshly, and every time she thought of her face, she could always recall many unbearable past events, but her great kindness in adopting her as an orphan, and her great kindness in raising her as if she were her own, made her
I will never forget it.
Moreover, grandma is not always so strict, she also shows a very gentle and approachable side from time to time.
After being away from Osaka for so long, Kinoshita Mai really misses her dearest and most respected relative.
Therefore, when she learned from Kiryu that her grandma would go to Edo to visit her during the Chinese New Year this year, Kinoshita Mai was not only looking forward to it, but also excited.
Even more than half a month ago, in order to better prepare for the arrival of grandma, Kinoshita Mai even spontaneously did a general cleaning inside and outside the house.
Even the big orange cat Duoduo was caught by her and given a bath.
Everything is ready, just waiting for grandma to arrive.
"Mr. Kiryu, is it grandma who has arrived in Edo?"
Kinoshita Mai asked excitedly.
"..."
Kiryu looked at the pair of beautiful eyes in front of him without saying a word, which were shining with anticipation and excitement.
Then he silently looked away and stared straight at the empty floor at his feet.
"Well... Young Master, I'm sorry... My lord... she won't be able to come to Edo to reunite with you in a short period of time."
"Huh...?" Kinoshita Mai couldn't help but exclaimed in shock, "Hey, what happened?"
"There was some business problem." Kiryu continued to say to the floor next to his legs, "The specifics... I am not in a position to disclose. In short, in order to deal with the sudden business changes, the lord left in person a month ago and went to a distant place.
Nagasaki. Let alone Edo, she won’t even be able to return to Osaka for a while.”
"Nagasaki..." Mai Kinoshita gasped softly, "We have gone to such a far place..."
Nagasaki: Located at the southernmost tip of Japan and the westernmost part of Kyushu Island, Nagasaki is Japan’s most important trading port and has been Japan’s external gateway since ancient times.
Before the Edo shogunate's seclusion order was completely abolished, Nagasaki was the only place in Japan that was open to the outside world and was not blocked, allowing foreigners to trade here.
If we say that Osaka, located in the central area of East and West Japan and with unique geographical advantages, is Japan's first commercial capital, then it has a history of thousands of years and has begun to communicate with overseas countries since the Asuka Period (592-710).
Nagasaki is the second commercial capital of Japan.
In Nagasaki, if you throw a brick, you can kill at least 10 businessmen of different nationalities.
As one of the country's most important foreign trade ports, Nagasaki has always been the area that Kinoshita Mai's grandmother visited most often.
Therefore, after learning that her grandma was on a business trip to Nagasaki, Kinoshita Mai, who had long been accustomed to this, was not too surprised.
Grandma, Kiryu and other elders, in front of Kinoshita Mai, always kept secret about the business group they formed...that is, the main business of Calabash House.
Affected by this, Kinoshita Mai never knew what kind of business her grandmother relied on to make money, and she was considerate and never asked.
Although Kinoshita Mai is the young master of Calabash House, her understanding of Calabash House is actually not much better than that of an outsider like Qingto.
That's why such a scene appeared - it wasn't until a few months ago that Kinoshita Mai and Aonto learned from Kiryu's mouth that Calabash House had been secretly tracking down a mysterious association called the "Fazhu Party".
"..." Kinoshita Mai's eyebrows immediately lowered, and there was an uncontrollable sense of loss and sadness in her eyes, "Is that so... Grandma went to Nagasaki... Then when will Grandma come back?"
Kiryu shook his head gently: "This... the letter from the lord didn't say it clearly..."
"..." Kinoshita Wu stopped talking.
At the same time, her head was buried lower.
Meow……
Duoduo on the side seemed to sense that his master's mood was sinking into a low ebb.
It crept up to Kinoshita Mai's feet, stretched out its pink tongue, and licked the slender ankles exposed outside the hem of the kimono and clean white socks very rhythmically.
"That's it...then there's really nothing we can do about it."
Kinoshita Mai took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, and looked straight at Kiryu.
"Grandma didn't mean to break her promise. Since she can't come to Edo for the time being because of something important... then let's wait until the next time we have a chance to meet grandma again."
After saying that, Kinoshita Mai showed a bright smile.
A beautiful smile that is sweet and sunny, without a trace of negative emotions, and without the slightest hint of forcing a smile.
Looking at Kinoshita Mai who was obviously sad, but holding on to herself and trying hard to hide her low mood from appearing on her face, the wrinkles on Kiryu's face were slightly wrinkled, and her expression was dominated by helpless emotions little by little.
"Well... Mr. Kiryu, is there anything else you want to say or add? If not, I will take the vegetable basket back to the kitchen first..."
"Young Master." Kiryu interrupted Kinoshita Mai's words, "Although my lord will not be able to come to Edo to see you at present or for some time in the future...but my lord still cares about you and loves you."
"My lord feels very guilty for breaking his promise this time, so in order to make up for it, my lord sent you a new dress."
"New clothes?" Kinoshita opened her red lips blankly.
With a smile on his lips, Kiryu raised his chin towards the vegetable basket in Mai Kinoshita's hand, "Open the basket and take a look inside."
Upon hearing this, Kinoshita Mai quickly opened the basket in her hand and saw a tightly wrapped and neat oil paper bag placed safely at the bottom of the tofu, eggplant and other ingredients.
Kinoshita Mai carefully took out the oil paper bag from the basket, and then asked Kiryu with her eyes: Can I open it?
Of course - Kiryu nodded and answered with his expression and movements.
Kinoshita Mai swallowed hard, then carefully opened the oil paper bag, moving gently like a professional archaeologist who was surveying ancient ruins.
For a moment, the item contained in the oil-paper bag—a red kimono with extremely exquisite workmanship and exquisite materials—was exposed to the air and exposed to Kinoshita Mai's eyes.
Even a layman with no knowledge of clothing can easily see that this red coat is anything but vulgar.
Anyone who knows a little bit about this will probably be so shocked that their jaws will almost drop when they see this gorgeous red dress.
The fabric is made of top-grade silk and satin produced in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas of the Tang Dynasty. The whole piece, including the collar, cuffs and other details, is embellished with gorgeous gold and silver threads, supplemented by white flowers, pink leaves and other patterns, making it really dazzling.
Kinoshita Mai didn't say a word...or maybe she was so surprised and excited that she forgot to speak.
She silently lifted up the red kimono with both hands, and her beautiful eyes flashed with glaze-like brilliance.
Even though she didn't say a word, her joy and love for this red Wufu were beyond words.
"My lord knows that you like red, so she specially picked a red Wu suit for you."
Kiryu added with a timely smile.
"In addition to these new clothes, my lord also wrote a special letter to you."
Kiryu reached into his arms and took out an unopened envelope.
Upon seeing this, Kinoshita Mai stopped admiring the kimono in her hand and eagerly took the letter from Kiryu, then opened the envelope and took out the letter paper inside.
The paper surface is clean and the handwriting is beautiful.
There was no long speech written on the letter paper, only a few simple sentences:
【
A sincere tribute:
Ah Wu, when you read this letter, you must have known that I am currently unable to go to Edo.
I broke my promise and failed to keep my promise. I'm sorry.
I hope my gift can slightly heal your inner loss and dissatisfaction.
Although you and I are separated, I have been paying attention to your experience and performance after you went to Edo.
According to Kiryu, you have made rapid progress and are no longer the gloomy girl who dare not even talk to strangers. I am very happy.
You did a great job, keep up the good work.
Sooner or later we will meet again, I promise you.
】
At the end of the letter, I wrote down the name of Kinoshita Wu’s grandmother: Lin.
"grandmother……"
Kinoshita Mai read the contents on the letter paper over and over again many times.
As she moved, she gently bit her lower lip.
As my eyes blinked, a thin layer of mist gradually appeared.
At this time, she suddenly discovered that there seemed to be content on the back of the letter.
She immediately turned the paper around and took a closer look——
[I almost forgot to say it, I heard that you have a man you like. When I come to Edo to see you later, I must bring the man who was so lucky that my granddaughter fell in love with me. I want to have a good relationship with him.
Exchange]
"Exchange" - these words are written very deeply and heavily.
It can be seen that the owner of this letter used considerable strength when writing this line...
However, Kinoshita Mai didn't notice this small detail - she was shy and blushing now.
"Grandma, she... wants to see Qingdeng...?"
The crimson clouds flew up to Kinoshita Wu's cheeks.
While muttering to herself, she coyly covered her face from the base of her nose with the letter paper.
——If grandma met Qingdeng, what would she say to Qingdeng...?
——Will grandma like Qingdeng?
——If... I say that I want to marry Qingdeng, will grandma agree?
While Kinoshita was dreaming, Kiryu suddenly raised his eyes and glanced at the shop door not far away. After a while, he asked in a joking tone:
"Young Master, did the Master write anything in the letter that made you happy?"
Kinoshita Mai, who was shocked by Kiryu's rhetorical question, came back to her senses, put down the letter in her hand, and stuck out her cute little tongue at Kiryu.
"I won't tell you~~ Mr. Kiryu, since grandma sent me a letter and new clothes, you should take them out as soon as possible..."
Before she could finish speaking, Kinoshita Mai flattened her lips in dissatisfaction.
Kiryu laughed mysteriously a few times.
"Young Master, actually... I have other surprises for you."
"Surprise?" Kinoshita Mai cheered up and couldn't care less about her dissatisfaction. She quickly asked, "It's grandma. Did she send me something else?"
Kiryu shook his head: "No. The only things my lord sent you are this letter and this dress."
"To be honest, this 'surprise' was something I prepared at short notice. I didn't expect that he would come back so quickly, and I didn't expect that I would meet him on the way home."
"'He'?" The curiosity and expectation on Mai Kinoshita's face deepened at home at a speed visible to the naked eye, and finally became so intense that it couldn't be added any more, "Mr. Kiryu, who is this 'him' you are talking about?"
At this time, Kiryu was very malicious and gave it a try. He did not answer immediately and deliberately remained silent.
It wasn't until Kinoshita Mai's appetite was whetted to its limit that he slowly raised his head, faced the door behind Kinoshita Mai, and shouted loudly:
"You can come in!"
Before Kiryu's voice could even finish, a loud and heroic voice sounded outside the shop door:
"Finally, they called me in! My legs and feet were going numb standing outside!"
"Huh?" Kinoshita Mai was stunned for a moment, and then reflexively glanced behind her.
At the same moment when Kinoshita Mai turned her head back - bang - the wide shop door was pulled all the way to the end, but not much light penetrated into the store.
Because it has a huge body that is much taller than the 1.8-meter-high door frame, standing behind the door.
The light outside was completely blocked by this giant's extremely strong body.
"Young Master, long time no see."
The giant lowered his head and ducked through the door frame, focusing his eyes full of tenderness and nostalgia on Kinoshita Mai.
I saw that this giant was just like Kiryu, his face was covered with traces of time, and he looked to be in his 90s.
Her waist-length white hair without a trace of color was roughly tied up with a rope and dragged casually behind her head.
He is nearly 1.9 meters tall. With such a height, when he stands in front of Mai Kinoshita, who is only 1.5 meters tall, he instantly creates a wonderful contrast between "giant and elf".
Kinoshita Mai seemed like she couldn't believe her eyes.
She stared blankly at the giant for a moment.
In the next breath, emotion catches up with reality——
"Mr. Makimura!"
Kinoshita Mai opened her arms and threw herself into Makimura Yahachi's arms.
"Young Master, you have grown a lot taller."
Makimura gently supported Kinoshita Mai's back with one hand, and rubbed Kinoshita Mai's head lovingly with the other hand.
"Mr. Makimura!" Kinoshita Mai lifted her little head from Makimura's arms and looked excitedly at her old face, which was basically unchanged from more than a year ago, "Why are you here in Edo?"
"This is a long story." Makimura let go of Mai Kinoshita, "Here, sit down. Let's drink tea and talk slowly."
After saying that, Makimura took the lead and sat down next to Kiryu, and then shouted to Kiryu unceremoniously:
"Hey! Kiryu! Go bring me some tea! Just because you insisted that you wanted to give the young master a little surprise, I stood outside for so long. It made me thirsty! I have sacrificed so much.
, Bring me a cup of tea, isn’t that too much?”
Kiryu smiled and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"It's not too much. Okay, you sit here and I'll go to the kitchen to make you tea."
Kiryu was about to get up, but Mai Kinoshita got there first.
"I can do this little thing like making tea! Mr. Kiryu, Mr. Makimura, just sit here! I'll be right back!"
Kinoshita Mai didn't leave any time for Kiryu and Makimura to react. After finishing her words, she rushed to the kitchen with cheerful steps.
Makimura originally wanted to persuade Kinoshita Mai, "Kiryu has agreed to help me make tea, so let Kiryu go to work in the kitchen." But before he could say the words, Kinoshita Mai's back had already left his sight.
.
"Young Master has not only become more beautiful, but also more energetic." Makimura smiled.
Kiryu smiled bitterly with mixed emotions:
"It's all thanks to that man. The power of love cannot be underestimated..."
"That man? Oh, is he the Tachibana Aoden you mentioned to me before?"
"Kiryu... no, Kuro, that Tachibana Aoden... how often does he come to Senshiya?"
Kiryu raised his eyebrows: "What? You want to see him?"
"Of course I want to see him!" Makimura replied without any hesitation, "He is the person that the young master likes. It would be strange not to be curious about him, right? I just plan to rest in Edo for a while, so I will take advantage of this rare opportunity.
Let’s take this opportunity to have a good meeting with this lucky guy who is lucky enough to be liked by the young master.”
"Are you planning to live in Edo for a while?"
"Yes." Makimura stretched his arms straight above his head and stretched vigorously, "This trip to the Northeast is really tiring for me... I plan to take a leisurely rest in Edo for half a day.
Month, wait half a month before getting back to work."
"Are you tired?" Kiryu laughed as if he heard some funny joke, "Makimura, please don't make me laugh. Is there anything in this world that can make the Dragon of Kyoto
'Complaining about being tired?"
"Hmph." Makimura chuckled through his nose, and then responded half-jokingly, "Long will have his twilight days too."
Kiryu squinted his eyes and looked at Makimura with meaningful eyes.
"But the red dragon you are carrying has not faded. It is still looking up at the sky and roaring towards the boundless sky."
"Huh..." Makimura raised the corner of his mouth playfully, "Well, whether you are tired from this trip to the Northeast... I don't care about that for now. Let's talk about business first - Kuro, I successfully collected a lot of things in the Northeast.
The latest information on the French slaying party."
"Oh...?" Kiryu's expression suddenly became serious.
*******
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The author is now adjusting to his disrupted work and rest schedule due to accompanying him in the hospital. I believe he will soon be able to return to his previous state of 78,000 updates a day!
How about it? After a period of updating at a pace of only 45,000 words per day, did you suddenly realize that I used to be very conscientious?
