Chapter 629 Ogata and A-Machi's Prospects for Descendants and the Woman Wearing Gloves 【5600】
Osaka, Shinmachi, Nanagoya, Sodaemon's office
"...I understand the specific reasons."
Udaemon glanced at the four people sitting in front of him: Ogata, Omachi, Hatsuguang, and Shibata, and sighed softly.
After the incident of "Yukimura's Attack" happened, Miura and the others were naturally not in the mood to hold any more banquets. The banquet ended hastily. Ogata and the others escorted Hatsuko back to the Seven-Thatched Cottage, and at the same time reported to Left and Right Tianemon about what happened tonight.
A series of dramatic changes.
"I didn't expect so many things to happen tonight..."
"It's been really hard on you tonight."
Having said this, Udaemon turned his attention to Ogata and Omachi who were sitting behind Hatsuko.
Mixed emotions.
"...Hatsuguang, Shibata, you two please step aside first."
First light, Shibata: "Yes."
Neither of them said anything more. They said "yes" in unison and quickly left the room.
Chuguang left without any hesitation.
As for Shibata, before leaving, he did not forget to look at Ogata and the others with awe before leaving.
When only Sodaemon, Ogata, and Omachi were left in the room, Sodaemon let out a long sigh.
"Anyone who can become that guy's friend is really not an ordinary person." The "that guy" mentioned by Udaemon is naturally referring to Fuma.
"I really didn't expect...that Yukimura would actually bow down to you two..."
"If you want to ask who the two of us are, please forgive me for not being able to comment." Ogata said in a half-joking tone at this time.
"I didn't plan to ask. 'Sometimes, the more ignorant you are, the happier you are.' This is one of my rules of conduct."
"What's more, you are still a friend of that Feng Jun... Since you are that person's friend... I don't even want to ask who you are. After all, I have suffered from this kind of thing before."
After saying that, Sodaemon took out a piece of letter paper from the cabinet next to him.
"It doesn't matter who you are to me, I just want to know that you have helped me a lot. I really want to thank you both tonight, you have helped me a lot."
"Without the timely appearance of you two, I really don't know where to find people who can fill the vacancies of Chu Guang's guards and assistants."
"Here, this is the agreed reward."
Udaemon handed the letter in his hand to Ogata.
"The address written above is the residence of the knife maker Yu Er."
"Thank you." Ogata took the letter.
"You have found the right person when you find Yu Er to repair your sword." Zuo Tianweimen said with a smile. "Although Yu Er is not well-known, his skills in both sword making and knife repair can be described as reaching the pinnacle."
"As far as I know, everyone around me who has asked Yu Er to make or repair knives, all of them are full of praise for Yu Er's skills."
"It is said that Yuji was once a disciple of the famous Honami clan, and the sword-sharpening techniques he used were the grinding skills passed down from generation to generation by the Honami clan."
"Honami?" Ogata raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Is he actually a member of the Honami clan?"
Motoami was a famous family in the Edo period.
Their family has been engaged in sword grinding and sword appraisal for generations.
There are so many people who want to see Honami to repair and appraise his swords.
When it comes to sword sharpening, the Benami family calls them second, and I'm afraid no other family dares to call them first.
"This is just a rumor. I don't know if it is true or not." Udaemon shrugged, "But whether he is a descendant of the Honami clan or not, there is no doubt that his sword-sharpening skills are at the pinnacle."
"It's a pity that although his skills are good, his temperament is really weird."
"He is a weirdo who doesn't like to deal with people and only likes to deal with knives."
"To put it simply, he is a 'knife fanatic'."
"I don't pursue fame and wealth, and I never forge or repair knives specifically for fame and money. Therefore, I am still not famous until now. I live in such a remote place and live a life of seclusion."
"With his ability, it is easy to live a prosperous life."
"Are you crazy about swords..." Ogata murmured, and once again cast his gaze on the piece of paper in his hand with Yuji's address written on it.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
After listening to what Sodaemon said just now, he couldn't help but become more interested in this unmasked swordsman.
…
…
Ogata and Omachi walked side by side to the first floor of the Seven-Thatched Cottage, preparing to leave the Seven-Thatched Cottage.
"When do you plan to go find that Yuji?" Amachi asked Ogata.
"When it comes to repairing a sword, the sooner the better. So I plan to go find that Yu Er tomorrow."
After finishing speaking, Ogata shrugged and added:
"I hope that Yuji is a swordsman who lives up to my expectations. I don't want to come all the way to Osaka to be happy in vain."
"Mr. Majima, Miss Majima."
When Ogata and Amachi were chatting and joking, a pleasant young female voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
"Miss Hatsumi...?" Ogata looked behind him in surprise, looking at Hatsune, the owner of the young female voice just now.
Hatsuko, who folded her white-gloved hands in front of her, smiled and slowly walked towards them from behind Ogata.
"Thank you so much for tonight." Hatsumi bowed deeply to Ogata and the others, "Thank you very much."
"You're flattering me." Ogata was quite fond of the polite and gentle Hatsune, so he immediately returned the favor politely, "We didn't do anything too big tonight."
Hatsumi smiled and shook his head: "Not to mention that you solved my urgent problem of losing my assistant and bodyguard. Just because you helped me deal with Yukimura-sama tonight is enough for me to solemnly say thank you to you."
"I'm not very good at dealing with people like Yukimura-sama who are more domineering and strong."
At this time, Chu Guang smiled sweetly and changed into a naughty tone.
"Just now, I was actually very scared when faced with Mr. Yukimura's invitation."
"I'm afraid of what I should do if Yukimura-sama insists on asking me to perform at their place. Yukimura-sama is scary, and the rules and punishments of our Seven-Thatched Cottage are equally scary."
"Fortunately, with you here, this matter ended with dignity and safety."
"Please allow me to say thank you again."
Hatsumi bowed to Ogata and Omachi again.
"You're really flattering me. My wife and I actually did nothing..." Ogata returned the favor again with a wry smile.
Hatsumi was so polite that Ogata couldn't help but feel flattered.
"I heard Mr. Sodaemon said: You are only filling in for my assistants and guards tonight, and you will not come again in the future. Is this true?" Hatsuko asked.
"Yes. It's true." Ogata nodded, "For some reasons tonight, I'm just helping Sodaemon."
"That's it..." A conspicuous look of disappointment appeared on Chu Guang's face, but soon the look of disappointment turned back into a smile, "If you two need anything in the future, you can come to me.
oh."
"I am happy to meet my friends and help them solve their problems."
"Haha, although I don't have any other special skills besides playing the piano."
Perhaps because it was in private now, Chu Guang showed a completely different look from the one he had just played the piano at the banquet.
If we say that Chu Guang, who just played the piano at the banquet, looked like an otherworldly fairy.
So now Chu Guang looks like an ordinary cheerful girl.
Looking at Hatsuko with a gentle smile on his face, the corners of Ogata's mouth turned up slightly unconsciously.
"Yes. My wife and I will visit again when we are free and have the opportunity in the future."
"Yeah! I'm always welcome!"
Hatsumi was planning to go back to his room, while Ogata and the others were planning to leave the Seven-Thatched Cottage. The two of them happened to share a section of the road together, so they naturally started walking together.
"By the way, Miss Hatsumi, I have a question that I have always wanted to ask you, but I wonder if it is inconvenient for you to answer it." When walking with Hatsumi, Ogata asked him coldly towards Hatsumi beside him.
"Hmm? Just ask. Whatever I can answer, I will definitely tell you everything!"
"It's not a big problem. I just want to ask why you keep wearing these gloves?"
Ogata turned his attention to Hatsuko's gloved hands folded in front of him.
"I just saw you wearing these gloves when you were playing the piano at the banquet and didn't take them off."
It's really rare to play the piano with gloves on.
Anyone who has studied string music knows that for instruments like the shamisen that require pressing and plucking the strings, there are two different experiences with and without gloves. Generally speaking, the former should be easier to play than the latter.
strength.
No matter in his previous life or in this life, Ogata rarely saw people playing the piano with gloves on. Tonight, he met such a strange person.
"Oh, um, there's no special reason for this. It's just because I was accidentally burned by fire on the back of my left hand, which resulted in an extremely ugly scar on the back of my left hand. In order to cover the scar, I wore gloves."
"It would feel weird if I only wore one left glove, so I simply wore two gloves."
After that, Hatsuko, who was always smiling, took off his left glove with his left hand facing Ogata and Omachi.
The skin on the back of Chu Guang's left hand... In a word, it was difficult to look directly at it.
The skin on the back of her left hand was like a ball of wet toilet paper that had been roughly kneaded.
The ugly dark red skin is in sharp contrast to the delicate and fair skin elsewhere in the first light.
The burned back of Hatsuko's left hand made both Ogata and Omachi's eyes shine with surprise.
"Uh... I'm sorry." Ogata apologized to Hatsuko almost without thinking, "I seem to have asked some unnecessary questions. I'm very sorry."
"It doesn't matter." Chu Guang, whose smile never faded, put the glove on his left hand again, "I actually don't care about the injury, but after all, I am an artist who makes a living by playing the piano.
No matter what, I have to pay attention to my appearance, so I can only wear these gloves all the time."
…
…
Ogata and the others only shared a small section of the corridor with Hatsumi, so in the blink of an eye, it was time for both parties to part ways.
Ogata and Omachi watched Hatsuko walking towards the stairs not far away. When Hatsuko was no longer visible, they both looked away and continued walking outside the Nanakusa House.
Just as he was about to pass through the gate of the Seven-Thatched Cottage, Amachi said in a cold and somewhat admiring tone:
"She is such an outstanding girl... It is not without reason that she can become the number one entertainer in Osaka right now."
I was also impressed by Chu Guang's polite and gentle demeanor.
"If I have the chance in the future, I would like to go to Miss Chuguang and ask her parents how she raised her."
At this time, Atachi changed into a half-joking tone.
"I want to learn how other people raise children, and when we have our own children, we will also raise our children to be so good."
"You think so far ahead." Ogata laughed dumbly, "We don't even have a child now, so you are thinking about how to raise offspring."
"This is called preparing for a rainy day." A-Machi rolled his eyes at Ogata, then patted her flat belly and slender waist.
"Don't you want our children to be as polite and gentle as Miss Hatsumi?" After the topic of children was brought up inexplicably, Atachi didn't seem to want to skip the topic so quickly.
"A child..." Ogata touched the back of his neck, "For me, as long as the child can grow up safely and healthily, that's all."
"It's best to have your own achievements."
"If you don't have any achievements and are just an ordinary person, I don't care."
"What kind of person would you ask your child to be in the future? For example, he should be a samurai with excellent swordsmanship or something." Amachi still did not skip the topic of "children".
"I haven't thought about this problem... but rather than becoming a samurai with excellent swordsmanship, I would rather my child study more and become a teacher, doctor, or open a medical clinic in Kyoto or somewhere else in the future.
Private schools, medical clinics, etc., this one is more promising."
"Eh..." A-Machi's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise, "I thought you would pass on your sword skills to your descendants..."
Hearing what Amachi said, Ogata smiled bitterly.
Learning swordsmanship or something... has no future...
Ogata is not familiar with Japanese history and does not know what the future of Japanese history will be like.
But he knew that it might not be long before swordsmanship would be obsolete.
Compared with learning swordsmanship, it is more promising to study and delve into knowledge...especially the study of Orchidology (the collective name for Western scientific and cultural knowledge in the Edo period).
While they were talking, the two of them had already left the door of the Seven Thatched Cottage.
As soon as they left the gate, they heard a loud shout
"Oh! You two are finally out!"
Makimura, who had been carrying his Odachi just now, squatting and waiting by the gate of the Seven-Thatched Cottage, quickly stood up and faced Ogata and the others.
"Sorry." Ogata showed an apologetic smile to Makimura, "I kept you waiting for so long."
After the banquet ended hastily, Ogata and the others left Xutian House and returned to the Seven-Grass House. Makimura also followed them. He had been waiting quietly for Ogata and Omachi outside the Seven-Grain House just now.
"It's okay, it's okay." Makimura let out his trademark hearty laugh.
"Let's find a place to have a good chat." Ogata said, "I have a mountain of questions to ask you."
"Me too, I also have a lot of questions to ask you." Makimura said, "Then let's go to the place where we live now. It's not very far from here, let's talk slowly."
…
…
Ogata and the others had just left the Seven-Thatched Cottage not long ago.
Osaka, Shinmachi, Nanakaya
"Miss Chuguang, good evening!"
"Good evening, Miss Chuguang!"
The two maids in the seven-grass house shouted hello to Chu Guang, who was walking towards them, and bowed in salute.
"Yes." A gentle smile bloomed on Chuguang's cheeks. While responding to the two maids' questions, Chuguang also bowed and returned the greeting, "Good evening to you too. Are you going to mop the floor?"
Chu Guang looked at the buckets and rags held by the two maids.
"Yes." A certain maid nodded, "Po Lan asked for leave today, so our tasks tonight have become a lot heavier."
"That's it...thank you for your hard work." After saying this, Chu Guang suddenly put on a sly face, and then lowered his voice and said, "I still have some Jinping Candy given by the previous guest in my room. I can't finish it by myself.
If you don't mind, would you like to come to my room later and 'sweep' all these Jinping Candies together?"
"Jin, Jinpingtang?" A certain maid exclaimed in low voice.
Then, the two maids nodded vigorously, as if they were afraid that Chu Guang would change his words.
Kinpei Tang, a candy introduced to Japan by Portuguese missionaries at the end of the 15th century, has a fatal appeal to people who like sweets.
"Then it's okay." Chu Guang covered her mouth and smiled, "I'll wait for you in the room later."
After that, Chuguang walked away from the two maids and continued to stride towards his room.
After passing by Chu Guang, the two maids did not rush to move forward. Instead, they stood there and looked at Chu Guang with admiration. Chu Guang turned a corner and completely disappeared from sight.
Finally, the two maids chirped excitedly:
"Miss Hatsumi is really amazing. She is already the number one artist in Osaka, yet she is so humble, polite and easy-going."
"Yeah, yeah. No airs at all."
"I really hope that some people who are just a little bit popular and want to point their nostrils to the sky can learn more from Miss Chuguang..."
…
…
As a currently popular artist and one of the cash cows of Nanakusa House, the generous Utaemon not only gave Hatsumi a practice room, but also allocated a room in Nanakusa House that was impeccable in terms of size and orientation.
To the first light.
Although the room is impeccably good, the decoration and layout in the room are unusually simple.
There are only a few pieces of furniture such as bookcases and dressing tables.
Wow…
Chu Guang slowly opened the door and returned to his room.
After entering the room and closing the door behind her back, the expression on Chuguang's face... underwent a dramatic change, as if by magic.
Chu Guang, who had always had a soft smile on his face just now, entered the room and closed the door. The smile on his face disappeared instantly.
Chuguang lighted the candles in the room with an expressionless expression, and then sat upright in front of the desk.
He pulled out a piece of letter paper from under the desk, spread it neatly on the desk, and then Chu Guang took off the white glove on his right hand.
The right palm under the glove has thick and round calluses...
Chu Guang picked up the brush resting on the pen mount with his right hand that took off his gloves. After dipping enough ink, he began to write something quickly on the spread paper.
After a lot of fluttering on the spread letter paper, Chu Guang put down the brush and gently blew the ink on the paper.
After the ink was dry, Chu Guang rolled up the letter paper, took a bamboo tube next to it, and stuffed the letter paper into the bamboo tube.
"Shibata."
Chu Guang raised his head and shouted towards the ceiling.
Rumble...
There was a sound from the ceiling above Chu Guang's head.
Kara.
The ceiling in one corner of the room was pulled open.
Then, a man dressed as a samurai jumped into the room along the opened ceiling. It was Hatsumi's guard who had been partnered with Ogata just now: Shibata.
Shibata, who had previously told Ogata with a smile that he was the "lonely man" left after his original partner eloped with Hatsuko's former assistant, now knelt on one knee in front of Hatsumi with a stern look on his face.
"Send this to the old place." Hatsumi handed the bamboo tube containing the letter to Shibata.
"Yes." Shibata took the bamboo tube with both hands, then jumped back to the ceiling.
Silence returned to the room, and only Chuguang was left.
"call……"
Chu Guang let out a long breath, and then, as if all his strength had been exhausted, he slowly lay down on his back.
"Mashima Goro and Majima Town..." Hatsumi looked at the ceiling above her head and whispered the names of these two people, "Today... I really got an unexpected harvest..."
*******
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I don’t think any readers have noticed the description of Chu Guang wearing gloves when she first appeared.
The Honami family has been engaged in sword grinding and sword appraisal for generations, and it is still passed down to this day. For details, please see the "Writer's Note" below.