"You want to meet my father earlier?" Aisuma blinked a few times in confusion. "What's wrong? Is there something important you want to tell my father?"
"...That's right. But as for what it is, please allow me to keep it a secret for now. I think it's better not to announce it widely to what I plan to tell your father."
"As for how Amachi was injured... I'm sorry, please allow me to keep it a secret for now. I will tell you when the time comes."
Hearing Ogata's words, Esuma looked puzzled.
But she didn't ask Ogata why she didn't tell him anything.
Aisuma is a thoughtful person.
Looking at the serious look on Ogata's face, a voice sounded in Aisuma's mind: It's better not to ask any more questions now...
Aisuma chose to obey the voice in her head obediently. She did not ask why Ogata didn't tell her anything, nor did she ask any other questions.
At this time, Kunoya on the side suddenly let out a sigh of relief, and then took off the cloth used as a mask on her face.
"Okay, the wound has been stitched up again."
"Little girl, you are so awesome. You didn't even hum the whole time."
"I think you are about 20 years old, right? At your age, you are the strongest girl I have ever seen."
Atachi's wound, which was originally sewn up with rough techniques by Ogata, has now been beautifully sewn up with silk thread by Kunoya.
Just now, when Kunoya was re-suturing her wound, A-Machi didn't even hum from the beginning to the end.
If she hadn't been biting the cloth in her mouth so hard that the chewing muscles on both sides of her cheeks bulged, causing her whole body to sweat in pain, otherwise it would have been easy for people to mistakenly think that Atachi couldn't feel the pain.
After Kunoya announced that the stitching was over, Atachi immediately let go of the cloth that had two rows of neat teeth marks on it, gasping softly and murmuring:
"I'm not 20 years old... I'm only 19 this year..."
"What's the difference between 19 and 20 years old?" After responding to Atachi in a half-joking tone, Kunoya put down the suturing tool in her hand, got up and walked towards the huge Chinese medicine cabinet next to her.
At this time, Ogata also took out a clean cloth and carefully wiped the sweat on Omachi's body.
"Just a reminder - I'm going to start boiling the medicine to apply to the wound. The smell may be a bit strong."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cunoya lit a pot specially used for decoction and began to boil the herbs.
Then, a smell that was neither smelly nor fragrant began to spread everywhere.
After a while, Kunoya knelt down and sat down next to A-Machi again, holding a piece of fried medicine.
Kunoya applied the plaster to A-Machi's wound, then took out the linen and wrapped it with skillful movements. "How is it? Does it feel like the bandage is too tight or too loose?
"
"No... just right..."
"That's good." Kunoya walked back to the huge Chinese medicine cabinet again, "I'm going to start frying the medicine for drinking now. This will take a lot of time. It will take almost 2 hours to cook."
"Little girl, you should sleep for a while now. I think you are tired too, so you can take a while while I am cooking the medicine. When the medicine is ready, I will wake you up and drink the medicine."
Atachi was injured and his body was already very weak.
And just after enduring the severe pain and re-suturing the wound, the feeling of fatigue continued to pour out from the depths of my mind and from all parts of my body.
Amachi, who is exhausted both physically and mentally, now has his upper eyelids and lower eyelids starting to fight...
"Huh...? Is that okay? Won't it cause trouble if I sleep at your house...?" Atachi asked.
"No, no." Kunoya shrugged, "This is not my home. This is just my clinic, and my home is next to it."
"The total population of Heyezhe is only a thousand people, so they don't come to me for medical treatment every day."
"You can rest assured and sleep. When the medicine is ready, I will wake you up and drink it."
As soon as Kunoya finished speaking, Ogata, who had just finished wiping the sweat of A-Machi, was arranging A-Machi's hair and whispered to A-Machi, who could hardly open his eyes:
"A-Machi, you should go to sleep now."
A-Machi was already extremely sleepy. When she heard Ogata say the same thing, she finally seemed like she couldn't hold on any longer and slowly closed her eyes. After a while, her breathing became even and steady.
"Here. Give it to your wife to cover."
Kunoya, who was making medicine, brought a quilt that seemed to be made of bearskin from somewhere.
After seeing that the quilt was very clean, Ogata gently covered Amachi's body with the quilt.
After covering Amachi with a quilt, Ogata took a deep breath. Then, he turned his head and said sternly to Aisuma:
"Aisuma, your father hasn't gone to bed yet, right?"
Aisuma shook her head.
"Then please take me to see your father now. I plan to finish what I want to say to your father right now."
"Then you come with me. But... let me remind you again. My father may be busy at this time, so I may not be able to see him now."
"It's okay. Ashley, can you please take care of Ating while I'm away? I'll be back soon."
Aisuma consciously helped Ogata translate.
Ashley nodded vigorously.
Ogata held his own knife and walked out of Kunoa's clinic with Esuma one after another.
As soon as I left the clinic, I saw Ayzan and Otunpuyi who had been waiting outside the clinic just now.
After briefly talking to the two of them about A-Machi's treatment and what he plans to do now, Aizan, who felt a little relieved after learning that A-Machi's treatment was going well, said he planned to go back to where the villagers of Qina Village live.
I went to the place to tell him and the people of Ahili that they were safe.
Otunpuyi expressed that he and Aisuma would take Ogata to meet their father.
As soon as the three of them left the clinic, Otonpui seemed to be unable to hold himself back any longer. He turned to Ogata who was walking behind and asked:
"Mr. Majima, can you now tell us how Miss Atachi was injured..."
Before Otunpui finished speaking, his sleeve was suddenly pulled by Aisuma.
When he turned to look at his sister, he saw her winking at him and telling him with her eyes: Don't ask any more questions yet.
Although he didn't understand why his sister stopped him from asking this question, Otunpuyi had always obeyed his sister's words, so even though he was confused, he still chose to listen to his sister's words.
After Aisuma stopped her brother from asking how Amachi got injured, the three of them were silent all the way.
In the silent atmosphere, Aisuma and his family's home slowly appeared within Ogata's field of vision.
"Mr. Majima, come in with me."
After saying that, Aisuma quickened her pace slightly and strode towards the door of her house.
But suddenly - Asuma seemed to have remembered something, her expression was stunned, then she turned to Ogata and said:
"Ah, Mr. Majima, I always forgot to tell you. We have an extra guest at home now."
"Guest?" Ogata asked.
"On the day when the surviving villagers of Takta Village fled to us, a very old Kazuto suddenly came to our Heyezhe."
"That Lao He and the fleeing villager from Takta Village arrived at us at the same time."
"As soon as he arrived, the surviving villagers of Nataketa Village followed him."
"That man and my father seemed to be old acquaintances. After they came here, they stayed at our house and have lived there until now."
"Lao Kazuto?" Ogata frowned slightly, "What's that person's name?"
"I don't know his full name. I only know that his surname seems to be Tang Shen."
"Yanggami?" The light in Ogata's pupils swayed slightly due to emotional fluctuations.
"Yeah. That person is quite kind." Aisuma nodded, "That person should be at our home now."
"In the past few days, I have been asking my father when he had such a friend, Kazuto, but my father has always refused to tell me. I don't know why my father wants to be so secretive about the identity of the old Kazuto..."
After complaining softly, Aisuma quickly walked to the door of her house, lifted the door curtain and stepped into the house.
Ogata, who followed closely behind, entered Aisuma's home and saw Chanup, whom he hadn't seen for a while, sitting cross-legged on the ground smoking a cigarette.
And...also an old man whom I haven't seen for a while - this old man is sitting cross-legged next to Chanup.
When the old man saw Ogata, he immediately opened his eyes as if he had seen some strange creature with nine heads.
Aisuma: "Father, you are not busy right now, that's just right. (Ainu language)"
"Aisuma, what's wrong? (Ainu)" Chanupu put down the pipe in his hand.
Esuma spoke loudly and briefly informed Ogata of the reason why he had been brought here.
After learning that it was Ogata who asked to see him, Chanup raised his eyebrows.
"...I understand." Chanupu nodded gently, "Then - Aisuma, Otunpuyi, you two go out first, leaving some space for Mr. Majima and me. (Ayi
Nu language)"
Chanup turned to look at Tang Shen beside him, and continued in Japanese:.
"Tang Shen, you should go out first."
"No need." As soon as Chanup finished speaking, Oufon immediately said, "Let Mr. Yugami stay here."
"Oh?" Surprise appeared in Chanup's eyes, and he looked at Tang Shen, and then at Ogata, "... then you can stay, Tang Shen."
Esuma and Otunpuyi obeyed Chanupu's order and quickly left the room.
After the brothers and sisters left, Oubang carried his Dashetian, walked quickly to Chanupu and Tangshen, and then knelt down on the ground.
When he first stood at the door, he couldn't see clearly due to the angle and light. Now after getting closer, Ogata realized that Chanup seemed very tired now.
His eyes were half-opened, with a hint of exhaustion in them.
But after Ogata sat next to him, Chanup immediately suppressed the tiredness deep in his eyes and smiled:
"Mr. Majima, you are looking for me urgently. Do you have anything specific to tell me?"
"It is true that I have something urgent to tell you, but before that -"
Ogata turned to look at the old Kazuto sitting next to Chanup.
"Mr. Tang Shen, I never thought we could meet again..."
"Yeah..." Lao Kazuto... or Yugami, who was sitting next to Chanup, smiled awkwardly, "Mr. Majima, why are you... here?"
"Did you two know each other?" Chanup picked up the cigarette and took a few puffs, "This is really beyond my expectation..."
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "By various chances and coincidences, Mr. Yugami and I have met several times."
"I really didn't expect it... Mr. Yugami, the old acquaintance you said before to remind him to 'be careful of the Japanese army' is Mr. Chanup..."
Having said this, Ogata let out a sigh of relief.
"Since Mr. Yugami is here, it means...you have told Chanup the news about the shogunate launching an army, right?"
Tang Shen said nothing. He just pursed his lips and nodded gently.
"...Then I have saved some energy." Ogata said softly, "There is no need to waste time explaining to Mr. Chanup the danger you Heye Zhe is facing now."
"Mr. Majima, are you coming here to see me specifically to tell me that the shogunate has launched a large army to attack our Heyezhe?" Chanup asked.
"Yeah." Ogata nodded. "But... I may not know as much information as Mr. Yugami."
The reason why Ogata asked Aisuma to meet with Chanup as soon as possible was to quickly inform Chanup of the news that "the shogunate's army is coming" - it was for this purpose that he returned to Red Moon
Fortress.
Ogata cleared his throat, and then told Chanup all the information he knew so far.
Chanup listened carefully to every word and sentence of Ogata.
Soon - Oufang told everything he knew.
After quietly listening to everything Ogata said, Chanup looked thoughtful at first.
After a long while, he let out a long sigh, and then squeezed out a smile:
"Mr. Majima, did you rush back to us just to tell me this information?"
"The villagers of Qina Village are now part of your Heye Zhe." Ogata said slowly, "The villagers of Qina Village have a close friendship with me, and you have also had a lot of affection for me.
Help, so I can’t just sit back and ignore you.”
"That's it...Looking at it this way, my decision to take in Qina Village and allow you to join me, Heye Zhe, was indeed a very wise choice." After saying this in a half-joking tone, Chanupu said
He sat up slightly and then bowed solemnly to Ogata, "Mr. Majima, thank you very much for your special trip to inform me of the 'shogunate's attack'."
"You're welcome." Ogata returned the greeting, "Mr. Chanup, I think almost everyone, including Aisuma, Otonpuyi and the others, don't seem to know that the shogunate's army is coming. You
Haven't you informed everyone about this yet?"
"Yes." Chanup nodded, "Before we have come up with a specific response plan, informing everyone of this bad news will only increase everyone's anxiety and panic, and various accidents may occur by then.
.”
"Mr. Majima, when you returned to Heye Zhe, you didn't tell anyone else that Kazuto's army was coming, right?"
"Don't worry. I'm not a fool." Ogata replied, "I didn't mention this to anyone before I met you. It's your job to tell the clansmen that foreign enemies are attacking. I won't do it for you."
"But I suggest you tell your tribe the bad news as soon as possible."
"This matter cannot be hidden at all. When the shogunate's army comes to the city, you will no longer be able to hide it."
"I understand everything you said." Chanup smiled self-deprecatingly. "Currently, I have only told a very few people the bad news. These people and I have been discussing what to do these days."
"However... we have been discussing it for several days. As a result, we still haven't come up with a result."
"Some people say to run away, some people advocate a fight to the death with Kazuto, and some people say... surrender directly..."
Speaking of this, Chanup shook his shoulders, and the self-mockery on his face became even stronger.
"Kazuto's army came so suddenly... We were completely unprepared... We don't even know why Kazuto sent troops against us..."
"The reason why the shogunate sent troops to you from what I heard is that you incited the naturalized Ainu people in Matsumae Castle and caused those naturalized Ainu people to launch a riot." Ogata said.
Chanup chuckled a few times as if he heard some funny joke.
"Mr. Majima, do you believe this?"
"To be honest - I don't believe it." Ogata replied without thinking.
The Ainu people of the Red Moon Fortress are inciting the naturalized people of Matsumae Castle - this kind of words can only deceive those who have never been to the Red Moon Fortress and have no understanding of the Red Moon Fortress.
When Ogata learned from Matsudaira Sadanobu that the shogunate sent troops for such a reason, Ogata had strong doubts about Matsudaira Sadanobu's words.
He has been to Red Moon Fortress, and he saw with his own eyes that most of the people in Red Moon Fortress are not hostile to Kazuto, and there is no motive at all in Red Moon Fortress to incite the naturalized people of Matsumae Castle.
After hearing Ogata's unthinking answer, Chanup's face showed a bit of relief:
"Of course we have not incited the naturalized people of Matsumae Castle. What good does this do to us?"
"The reason I can think of for the shogunate to send troops to us... is probably because they don't like us..."
"Our fortress is located in an excellent geographical location."
"Since the shogunate discovered this land a few years ago, it has sent people to contact us from time to time, trying to recruit us and let us give up this new home that we finally found."
"Of course we will not pay attention to such unreasonable requests, so every time the shogunate sends someone to persuade them to surrender, we refuse them."
"Occupying a place with a good geographical location, and repeatedly refusing Kazuto's surrender, angered the shogunate... This is probably the real reason why the shogunate sent troops to us..."
Chanup took a deep breath.
"Forget it... No matter what the real reason is for the shogunate to send troops to us, it doesn't matter anymore..."
Chanup stretched out his fingers and pinched his eyebrows.
Ogata: "You look tired."
"Well... because I have been worrying about what to do these days..." Chanup smiled bitterly, "I can't even sleep well... To be honest, before you came, I had been taking a nap just now.
...I just woke up when you came."
Having said this, Chanup took a deep breath, rearranged his face, and turned his bitter smile into a smile.
"Mr. Majima, thank you for coming back to remind me."
Chanup said "thank you" again
then--
"Now... take your wife and leave here."
Chanup spoke word by word.
"There is no need for you and your wife to stay here to accompany us in danger. Before the shogunate's army comes, Mr. Majima, you should run away quickly!"
*******
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PS: A few days ago, I told everyone that my favorite animal is the bear. As a result, many book friends asked me if I was making a metaphor. What I like is not the bear, but the xiong of Naizi...
The author would like to explain here. The author is not making any metaphors. My favorite animal is indeed the bear, KUMA~~
Ever since I was a child, I have always thought that fat bears with round ears were cute, and I had the urge to hug them.
But - for the other xiong, the author also likes it very much~~(hishahisha.jpg)