I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

"I was a swordsman in ancient Japan ()"

Although Ogata's attention was also on the bride who finally emerged from the sedan chair.

But from the corner of his eye, he still keenly caught the change in the gaze of Ah-Ming beside him.

"A-Machi." Ogata lowered his voice and said to A-Machi beside him, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." The strange, weird light still remained in A-Ming's eyes, "This is the first time I've seen Bai Wugou, I just think it's a bit novel, and I think Bai Wugou is very good-looking."

Hearing Ah-Machi's thoughts, Ogata nodded:

"Well, it's really pretty."

Although he was on modern Earth, Ogata had seen a few photos of Bai Wugou through the Internet.

But it was the first time for Ogata to witness a woman wearing Shiro Wugou.

Even though the immaculate white clothes did cast a sacred aura on the wearer after wearing them.

After the bride walked out of the sedan chair, she was taken into the groom's home by the groom's people.

It is naturally impossible for them, the crowd of onlookers, to enter someone's home to watch someone hold a wedding.

Therefore, after the bride walked out of the sedan chair and was taken into the groom's house, the crowd watching the excitement dispersed automatically.

"I feel a little thirsty." As the surrounding crowd left from the gate of the groom's house, A-Machi said to Ogata beside him, "Let's go find a tea house and have some tea."

Ogata happened to be a little thirsty too, seeing that Machi offered to find a tea house for some tea, Ogata nodded without any hesitation in agreement.

While looking for the tea house, Ogata looked up at the position of the sun in the sky.

Today is a bright and sunny day, and the position of the sun can be clearly seen.

After being in the Edo period for so long, Ogata has already been able to judge the current time proficiently by the position of the sun and the moon.

According to Ogata's visual estimation, it is about 16 o'clock in the afternoon.

The two found a small tea house without much effort.

Immediately after Ogata and A-Machi entered the tea house, a cute girl who was only about 12 or 3 years old quickly walked up to her.

"welcome!"

Because of her young age, this little girl's voice still has a strong childishness.

When Ogata and Atachi visited this tea house, there happened to be no other customers in this tea house, and every table was empty.

After the two randomly picked an empty table, they began to light the tea they wanted.

"Two guest officers! Would you like to try our store's special steamed buns?"

After Ogata and A-Machi each ordered a cup of oolong tea, the little girl took the initiative to sell their special food to them.

Although Japanese steamed buns and Chinese steamed buns are both called steamed buns, there is still a big difference.

Japanese steamed buns are more like Chinese red bean paste buns, which are filled with red bean paste.

Ogata is free to eat steamed buns or not.

So Obi conveniently handed over the choice to Ah Ding.

After turning his questioning gaze to A-Ming, and A-Ming thought for a while, he said to the little girl:

"Then let's have two copies of this special steamed bun from your store! I just happened to be a little hungry too."

"it is good!"

Seeing that she had successfully launched the special delicacies in her store, the little girl seemed very happy, and walked into the kitchen of their store with a happy smile on her face.

After a while, the little girl returned to the field of vision of Ogata and Atachi with a large tea tray.

The oolong tea and steamed buns ordered by Ogata and Atachi were neatly placed on the tea tray.

Ogata was not in a hurry to drink tea, but first picked up the special steamed buns in their store that the girl said.

The same is true for A-Machi. He was not in a hurry to drink tea, but planned to try the special steamed buns of this shop first.

After taking a bite of the steamed bun in his hand, Ogata's face flashed with surprise.

He found that what the little girl said was true, the steamed buns were indeed quite different from the ones he had eaten before.

The biggest difference is that the steamed buns in this store have a softer skin, and the red bean filling inside is also more waxy and sweeter, which is very suitable for Ogata's taste.

And after taking a bite of the steamed bun in his hand, a bit of surprise flashed across Ah-cho's face. It seemed that this steamed bun also suited Ah-cho's appetite.

The little girl on the side has been paying attention to the expressions of Ogata and Acho.

After seeing the surprised expressions on the faces of Ogata and A-Machi, the little girl secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said in a proud tone:

"This steamed bun is my mother's family secret recipe, how about it? Is it delicious?"

"Yeah." Ogata nodded and said sincerely, "It's really delicious."

Because there are no guests other than Ogata and Machi, the little girl is very idle now.

After serving tea and steamed buns to Ogata and Atachi, she didn't leave directly, but stayed beside them, chatting with them.

And Ogata and A-cho, who are also very idle, are also happy to chat with this little girl.

Through chatting, Ogata learned that the little girl was named Ajiu and was 12 years old this year.

Currently running this small tea house with her parents.

Their tea house is a very common residential and commercial integrated shop in this era.

For this type of shop, the first or second floor is often used as a shop, and the upper floors are used for living.

According to what Ajiu said—her mother had a very serious cold these days, and her father was very unfortunate to be hurt by someone yesterday. Although it was not a serious injury, he had to rest in bed for a few days before he could get out of bed normally. to work.

One of her parents was sick and the other was injured. Both of them are resting upstairs, so she, Ajiu, is currently in charge of looking after the store.

"Ajiu, you are really amazing." After listening to Ajiu's description of the current situation of their store, Ogata exclaimed, "You are still so young, and you can manage the store by yourself."

"It's nothing." Ajiu said modestly, "I usually help my parents in the store, so how to steam steamed buns and how to make tea, these things I have long been familiar with."

Just when Ogata, A-Machi, and Aku were having a lively conversation——

Crack, crack, crack...

Suddenly, there was a "squeak, creak" sound of stepping on the wooden boards from the stairs not far away.

This voice instantly attracted the attention of the three of Ogata.

Turning his eyes to the stairs, Ogata saw a young man about 30 years old holding his waist, walking upstairs with difficulty... Ah, no, it should be moving down.

After seeing the young man who was struggling to go downstairs, Ajiu yelled "Father" and ran towards the young man quickly.

Early marriage and early childbearing can be regarded as one of the characteristics of the feudal era.

So Ajiu, who is only 12 years old this year, is not surprised at all to call this young man who should not even be 30 years old as his father.

"Father." Ajiu asked his father after helping him walk the last few steps, "Why did you come down? Go back to your room and continue to lie down and rest!"

"No way..." Ajiu's father showed a bitter smile, "There is an important thing to do."

"What's the matter?" Ajiu asked suspiciously.

"I just remembered that someone ordered 30 steamed buns for our family. I have already made an appointment with them to deliver the steamed buns tonight."

"I've been so busy recovering from my injuries these past few days that I almost forgot about it..."

"Okay, Ajiu, let me go, I'll deliver the steamed buns, and I'll be back soon."

"No!" Ajiu hugged his father tightly, "You can't even stand up! How could you deliver the steamed buns! Father, who ordered our steamed buns? I'll deliver them for you!"

Hearing Ajiu's initiative to invite Ying, Ajiu's father showed a strange look on his face.

"No." He shook his head without hesitation, "A girl of your age should not go to that kind of place."

"It can only be delivered by me."

"It's not the first time I've helped deliver steamed buns!" Ajiu said unconvinced, "Which time have I not delivered steamed buns perfectly? Why don't you let me deliver them?"

"Besides, what is so dangerous, only you can go, but I can't go."

Seeing that Ajiu didn't listen to persuasion, Ajiu's father could only say to Ajiu in a helpless tone:

"The one who ordered the steamed buns this time is Yukaku, a famous restaurant in Yoshiwara, 'Sakuramonya'."

"Can a girl of your age go to Yoshiwara?"

From the look on Ajiu's face, it's not hard to tell—she knows where Yoshihara is.

After hearing the word "Yoshihara" from his father's mouth, Ajiu's expression froze.

But after hesitating for a while, she still stiffened her neck and said:

"Ji, what's wrong with Yoshihara? Can't I go to Yoshihara?"

"Yoshihara has no restrictions on the age and gender of the entrants, why can't I go?"

"Of course you can't go!" Ajiu's father said angrily, "Where is that place in Yoshihara? There are all kinds of messy people in Yoshihara!"

"Those traffickers like girls your age the most."

"You go to Yoshihara alone, be careful of being abducted by those traffickers, and then sell you to Yoshihara or other places!"

Ajiu seemed to want to say something more.

But before she could say anything, a male voice from behind her took the conversation away:

"Ajiu, your father is right. A place like Yoshihara is indeed not a place for a girl your age to go."

The master of this male voice is none other than Ogata.

When Ajiu and his father cast curious eyes on Ogata, Ogata was pouring the cup of oolong tea he just ordered into his mouth.

After drinking the tea in the cup, Ogata smiled at Ajiu's father and said:

"Your steamed buns, we will deliver them for you."

"Huh?" Ajiu's father was taken aback, "May I ask who you two are?"

"It's just the two guests who happen to be drinking tea here at this moment." Ogata said, "You look like you have difficulty even going down the stairs, so it's impossible to get a steamed bun?"

"And your daughter is still young, so it is impossible for your daughter to send it."

"So let's deliver it for you. We're pretty free right now anyway."

After hearing what Ogata said, Ajiu's father was obviously moved.

But the hesitation on his face didn't completely dissipate.

"That... we don't seem to know each other, right? Why do you want to help us like this?"

"If you insist on the reason..." Ogata shrugged, "You can treat the two of us as warm-hearted and good people."

Ajiu's father became silent, and looked up and down the clothes of Ogata and the two with serious eyes.

Although Ogata and A-Machi didn't wear any top-notch clothes, they were still neatly dressed. Because they had always had enough food and clothing, their faces were healthy, and they were basically dirty, sallow and emaciated ronin There is a world of difference.

After a long silence, Ajiu's father finally nodded.

"Then... I will trouble you."

...

...

30 steamed buns are enough to fill a big box.

Aku's father wrapped the big box neatly with dark green furoshiki, tied a big knot on it, and handed it to Ogata.

"The store that ordered this batch of steamed buns is Yoshihara's 'Sakuramonya'."

"'Sakuramon House' is one of Yoshihara's great knowledge. So after you enter Yoshiwara, you can find out the location of 'Sakuramon House' by asking anyone."

"When you arrive at the 'Sakuramonya', just tell the people in the 'Sakuramonya' that you are the ones entrusted by 'Seiya' Tojiro to help deliver the steamed buns."

Shiwu - the name of Ajiu's tea house.

Teng Erlang - the name of Ajiu's father.

"Understood." Ogata nodded, and then put away the big package.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Samurai." Although his back hurt badly, Aku's father—that is, Tojiro, still forced himself to bow to Ogata.

"I'll go back as soon as I go." After leaving these words coolly, Ogata walked out of the shop carrying the big box of steamed buns.

After leaving the tea house, Ah-machi said to Ogata with a look of eagerness:

"I didn't expect you, Ayi, to be such a warm-hearted person."

"Is it the first day you know me..." Ogata couldn't help but said in a helpless tone, "Although I don't think I'm such a decent person, this kind of thing is just a little effort for me, but I’m still happy to do things that are of great benefit to others.”

"Besides—the reason why I chose to deliver steamed buns to the people in the tea house is not all because of my kindness."

"What Tojiro said just now woke me up."

"Yoshiwara is a place where fish and dragons mix together."

"So let's go to Yoshihara, maybe we can collect some interesting information."

"Especially—maybe we can collect information related to Shiranui."

"So I plan to help deliver the steamed buns, and at the same time see if I can gather any interesting information."

"Collecting information related to Shiranui...the chances are slim." A-cho said helplessly.

"That's right." After a pause, Atachi Asaogata asked, "I just heard that Toujiro said that the 'Sakuramon House' is what Daimise, what is Daimise? "

"I don't know much..." Ogata scratched his hair, "I only heard about what Dajianshi was from Genichi and the others when I chatted with Genichi and the others before."

"Daimise is the grade name of Yoshihara Yugyoya."

"The girls' houses in Yoshihara are divided into 3 levels. The levels from high to low are Daimise, Nakamise, and Komise."

"I heard that Daimise is the highest level of girls' houses, and there are only 7 or 8 in Yoshihara."

"Hey~~ so..."

...

...

Yoshiwara is one of the most famous areas in Edo.

He could tell Ogata and Atachi Yoshihara exactly how to go if he brought anyone along.

It is now October, and the sun goes down much earlier than in summer.

When Ogata and Amachi arrived at the gate of Yoshiwara, it was already evening.

It happened to be when the flow of people in Yoshiwara started to increase.

Looking at the door in front of him, Ogata murmured:

"Is this the gate of Yoshihara..."

Although I don't know much about Yoshihara, Ogata still knows some basic knowledge about Yoshihara, such as Yoshihara is surrounded by tall wooden walls, and there is only one entrance and exit.

In front of Ogata and Atachi was a tall wooden gate that was wide open.

On both sides of the gate, there is a lantern for lighting, and a big Chinese character is painted on the lantern: gate.

Countless people came in and out of this gate. There were men and women who entered and exited this gate, but most of them were men.

There are many young people holding wooden sticks on both sides of the door. These young people must be the guards in charge of the gate.

They all wore the same style of dark blue haori, with many decorative patterns painted on it, and two Chinese characters printed on both sides of the skirt: club.

On the back of Haori is printed a large Chinese character: door.

Looking at the haori that these people were wearing, A-Machi asked Ogata in a low voice:

"Should these people be the officials who are in charge of the Shirobei clubhouse in Yoshihara?"

Ogata nodded: "It should be. Let's go in."

Before stepping through the gate, Ogata noticed that the official of the Shirobei Club, who was also wearing this special dark blue haori, kept shouting "female cut hand" and "female cut hand".

When he led A-cho through the gate and into Yoshiwara, and passed by the official errand who kept shouting "female cut hand", Ogata couldn't help but look at the official errand, and at the same time secretly said in his heart:

——Female cut hand... what is that thing...

Just as Ogata muttered in his heart, he suddenly heard a loud shout from his side:

"Hey! That woman over there, where are you going? Is this your first time in Yoshiwara?"

After hearing the shout, Ogata and A-Machi both looked towards the source of the sound.

The person who yelled was an uncle who was also wearing that special dark blue feather.

This uncle is kneeling and sitting on the side of the Yoshihara gate with several companions, with a small table in front of him.

Behind them is a magnificent mansion.

There is a lantern hanging at the entrance of this magnificent mansion, and the two Chinese characters "clubhouse" are written on the lantern.

After casting their eyes on the uncle, Ogata and A-Machi found that the uncle was looking at A-Machi.

After looking around, A-cho stretched out his finger and pointed at himself.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Who else can I talk to besides you?" The uncle said helplessly, "Is this your first time in Yoshihara?"

"Yeah." A-Machi nodded obediently.

"That's it... no wonder you just walked through the gate in such a stupid way... If a woman enters Yoshiwara, she must first come to us to get the 'female cut hand'."

"'Female cut hand'?" Ogata asked suspiciously, "What is that?"

"You can understand it as a pass." The uncle said, "When a woman enters Yoshihara, she must first obtain a 'female cut hand' before entering."

"When you leave Yoshihara, you have to return the 'female cut hand' before you can go out."

"There's still such a rule..." Ah-machi muttered, walking quickly towards the uncle.

"What are you doing in Yoshihara?" Before and after A-Ming came to the uncle, the uncle asked A-Ming while taking out a wooden sign from under the table.

"Do you have to answer?" A-cho asked.

"It doesn't matter if you don't answer." The uncle shrugged, "I'm just asking casually."

"Actually, I didn't intend to do anything." Ah-Ming said, "I just came to help someone from a certain tea house to deliver steamed buns."

As soon as A-Machi's voice fell, Ooki who was at the side cooperated and raised the big box with Furoshiki in his hand.

"Giving steamed buns... Is the girl from Youkuo hungry again... Since this is your first time in Yoshiwara, let me give you a piece of advice." Don't follow strangers."

"If someone tells you that he has some lucrative job and asks you if you want to do it together, you must not talk to these people."

"These people are basically scumbags who trick girls into being prostitutes."

"If you come across someone like that, you yell."

"There are people from our Shirobei clubhouse everywhere in Yoshiwara."

"As long as you shout, people from the clubhouse will definitely come to rescue you."

"Oh...that's it, thank you for your reminder." Ah-Ming patted his plump breasts, "But don't worry, I'm very powerful, ordinary men can't beat me."

"Really?" The uncle seemed to think that A-Ming was just joking with him just now, so he also responded to A-Ming in a joking tone.

"In short—although Yoshihara is managed by our Shirobei clubhouse, it is not a particularly safe place. Please pay attention to your property and safety."

"Here, this is your 'female cut hand'."

"When you want to leave Yoshiwara, come here to return the 'female cut hand'."

"Be careful not to lose it. If you lose it, it will be troublesome. It will take a lot of effort to confirm that you are not a wanderer from a certain wandering house."

Ah-machi took the wooden sign from the uncle.

On this square wooden sign, there is a big line of "Shirobei Clubhouse" written on it.

There is also a large square seal on the lower left corner of this line of characters.

After playing with the "female cut hand" in his hand for a while, Ah-cho muttered:

"Why do you Yoshihara still have such a troublesome rule that women must rely on 'female cut hands' to get in and out?"

"Do you want to know why?" Uncle's eyes flashed a strange color, "The reason why the shogunate set up such regulations is actually very simple."

"It's just to prevent Yoshiwara's wandering girls from escaping."

"The entire Yoshihara, only this gate can enter and exit." The uncle pouted towards the gate beside him.

"Only let women who have a 'female cut hand' enter and exit Yoshihara, in order to prevent wandering women from escaping through this gate."

"From another perspective, this is also a cruel rule."

"Okay, now that you've finished receiving the 'Female Cut Hand', let's go to Yoshihara. You keep standing here, and it will prevent others from claiming and returning the 'Female Cut Hand'."

There was already a long line behind Ogata and Atachi when they came to receive the "female cut hands".

The people who make up this long line are all women of different ages. These women are either empty-handed, or holding the wooden sign called "Female Cut Hand".