Chapter 22 Section VII

Speaking of the Sichuan fan, although it was a little delayed because of this turmoil, Shengnosuke still completed the drawing of the Sichuan fan, and only gave it to Lizhi himself.At that time, he originally had other intentions, intending to invite He Xiang to go, so he worked very hard, but now he went for other reasons. "I will never interrupt your conversation. I will hide in the dark and keep silent. Please take me with you." I want to hear Aji's explanation-Hexiang tried his best to persuade, but Shengzhisuke couldn't help but say no. Chuanshan's Lizhi is indeed a person who has seen the world. Even though she accepted the request to hold a party with a strong gunpowder flavor in her shop, she did not show any surprise.

"Please use the Sufang room on the second floor. Miss Hexiang and the accompanying maids can wait in the Mulian room next door. It is the next room that can be communicated with by opening the sliding door." For this party, not to mention the dishes, even the refreshments. "Then I'll ask Jinjie to watch downstairs." Maybe the criminals will escape - Li Zhi added. "A gangster, right?" Sheng Zhisuke didn't know what to say. "It should be a gangster. Miss Aji doesn't count. The person who helped to perform this play doesn't know how good he is."

At this time Shengzhisuke also began to think about it.In case someone gets violent or swings a knife at each other, he is the only bodyguard who is really not at ease.It's best to confess to Takebe-sensei and ask him for help. Takebu Gonzaemon, who runs the private school, immediately agreed, and together with Shengnosuke, went to Kawaogi to survey the terrain in advance. "Please hide the oars in advance. This way you don't have to worry about the gangsters escaping by boat. There is a path leading from the courtyard to the poolside. It is best to block that path." "Then I'll put a van on the road."

"I'm hiding under the stairs. I hope Mr. Jinsuke will watch outside the house. Mr. Sheng will accompany Jihei, right?" "yes." "Never show any flaws. The proprietress is right, the other party is not just a weak woman. If you underestimate the other party, be careful not to be turned into an army." Jihei, who was looking forward to this gathering, might just want to persuade him severely, but the situation is getting worse and worse. "Mr. Sheng, have you ever beheaded someone?" "No, no." Being ready to draw a knife is like being ready to kill.Sheng Zhisuke was mentally prepared, but he had no experience in killing people.

"Where's Mr. Wubu?" "I will have an experience once as a last resort." It feels very uncomfortable-Gonzaemon said. "However, if you encounter such a scene this time, you must not hesitate. Bring back the girl named Aji for safety." Regarding this incident, Takebu Gonzaemon seems to know the situation better than anyone else. "A girl of marriageable age had a conflict with her parents, and the gangster took advantage of it to make a fortune. It doesn't matter whether the girl's biological mother is an accomplice to the gangster. You know?"

"I think Miss Aggie's yearning for her biological mother should be true." "Whether her mother can really respond to her heart is doubtful. Maybe Axue wants to see Aji, but not as a mother, but as a woman." Otherwise, how could he come up with the idea of ​​using his beloved daughter as a bait to extort three hundred taels. "Even if it's Aji's own idea, if she is a mother who thinks about her daughter, she should be righteous and dissuade her." Kwon Saeemon looked righteously indignant, so he knew that he was a reliable bodyguard. Just as Mikawaya's Shigeemon was worried, it took a lot of work to ask Aji to come out to meet him.Jibei would say that if he didn't see Aji, he would report the case to the government, but this set of rhetoric didn't seem to work as expected.Aji knows Jihei, and knows that Murataya and Mikawaya have a great friendship, but she may not take Jihei seriously, and she guesses that he will not really do that.In fact, Jihei also knew that if he sued the government, the consequences would be disastrous, and the situation was not good for Shengzhisuke and the others.

"It's not good. Do you want to find out where the gangsters live before they escape, and force your way in?" He even wanted to talk to Aji face to face, Mr. Jihei is really abusive and kind - Mr. Wubu was not polite when he spoke. At this time, Hexiang came up with a new idea. "I'm a little sorry for Mikawaya for doing this, but if Miss Aji is asked to see Mrs. Shengzhi for the last time before the father-daughter relationship is severed, then I will give them another three hundred taels. What do you think of this idea?" "Using money to lure her into the bait?"

"It depends on whether the other party agrees or not, so as to test the other party." Add another three hundred taels to see if Aji and the others will take the bait. It turned out to be good news.No, this might be bad news for the Mikawaya couple, but Aji came to Kawaugi for an appointment.That's it, the stage is set.Zhibingwei waited for Aji among Su Fang.Hexiang and the accompanying Jinda stayed between Mulian.Takebu Quan, Left, Right, and Shinsuke each took their posts.There is Amu in the kitchen, and Riezhi and Shengnosuke are responsible for greeting Aji. If this is successful, let's draw this scene into the picture together.Just when Shengzhisuke was thinking wildly, Aji happened to arrive.

Two sedan chairs arrived one after the other, and Aji came to Chuanshan.It rained continuously in the morning, and the weather was humid and hot.The only daughter of Mikawaya walked out of the sedan chair. She was wearing a kimono with hydrangea patterns embroidered on the shoulders and hem, a belt with cloud patterns around her waist, and rich lipstick on her lips. Aji's companion walked out of the sedan chair at the back. As soon as Shengzhisuke saw his face, he immediately thought that this person was the boatman that night.The man was holding the paddle of the boat, with his back to Katsue and Shengnosuke, preventing them from seeing his face.At this time, he was wearing a crisp striped casual clothes, gently brushing the raindrops on his body in front of the Sichuan fan with his fingers, his movements seemed very pretentious.

"Miss Aji, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Guqiao Shengzhisuke." Shengzhisuke stood and saluted. "Because I met the owner of Murata House, I came to witness this time. Regarding this incident, it is not the first time that I am a witness today." Sheng Zhisuke faced the man in striped casual clothes. "Did I meet you that night on the boat in Dachuan?" "Oh, so it was a samurai at that time." The man showed a kind smile.This person has a fair complexion and does not look like a boatman at all.He raised his hand to scratch his cheek, his fingers were rather slender. "I was offended at the time. My name is Denjiro, and I'm just a nobody. Oh, the bodyguard invited by Mikawaya turned out to be a majestic Mr. Ronin."

He said "Mr. Ronin" with sarcasm.Shengzhi suddenly cared about his faded skirt pants. "Brother," Aji cast a stern look at the man. "Not much to say. Let's get this over with." Her chin protruded slightly forward, and there was a mole at the corner of her mouth.The slender eyes have a hint of fierceness.Although she can't be called a beauty, she has a charming look. Her appearance is exactly the type that men like. "Don't be in such a rush, it's hard to get such an elegant riverboat house." Denjiro smiled at Lizhi, showing admiration for the woman unabashedly. "And the proprietress is a beauty." "Thank you for your compliment." Lizhi saluted gracefully. "Come in, the seats are on the second floor." Lizhi leads the way.Shengzhisuke followed behind, winking at Takebe-sensei who was hiding deep in the stairs.Wubu teacher nodded without saying a word.The soldiers and guards were between Su Fang, and when they saw Aji coming, they immediately sat upright. "Miss Aji, everything seems to be fine for you." Jihei heaved a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart. However, Aji seemed to have no intention of responding to Li Zhibei's feelings, she looked around the box and said: "Where is my father in Sanhewu? My mother should be here too?" Jihei narrowed his eyes, listening to her fierce tone, "You still call the Mikawaya couple father and mother?" Aji obviously put on an expression of displeasure, and stood still. Denjiro urged her to sit opposite Jihei. "I'm sorry, we also advised her not to be angry, but Aggie is so stubborn." Although the man had a hippie smile on his face, he didn't smile on the surface. "Who are you?" Jibei asked. "Then who is your Excellency? Sorry, we don't know much about the business of Sanhe House." Aji said unceremoniously, "This person is the owner of a bookstore who often comes in and out of Sanhe House. I don't know why he often expresses opinions on our family's affairs." Where the hell is my dad—Aggie yelled. "He said that as long as I meet my mother, the parent-child relationship can be severed, so I came here specially, but where is he now?" "Is it really okay to sever the parent-child relationship like this?" "There is no question of whether it is good or not. I will never go back to Sanhe House again." "Mrs. Shengzhi became skinny because she was worried about you." "Whether she is thin or not, it has nothing to do with me. I have nothing to do with her now." The corner of Denjiro's mouth twitched slightly, "I'm so sorry. As you can see, there's nothing wrong with a young girl once she loses her temper." Below is Aji's elder brother—the man bowed his head deliberately and respectfully. "Aji's biological mother, Axue, is my father's successor. Aji is my younger sister. Although my sister has a strong personality, since she is my brother, I naturally love her very much." It turned out that this group of them had this kind of relationship.Aji's biological mother, Axue, has a sick husband and a son. "Brother naturally wants my sister to be happy. Mikawaya and his wife may have a lot to explain, but the attitude of the person involved, Aji, is as you can see. So... you are the owner of Murataya, right?" He courted Jihei. "I'm really sorry for making you, an outsider, work so hard, but can you please raise your hand and let Aji return to my parents?" Denjiro gesticulated and talked endlessly, and his sleeves rolled up.His left hand is exposed from the elbow down.Shengzhisuke found that there were traces of removing the criminal's tattoo on it.Does this guy have a criminal record? Denjiro also noticed that Shinosuke found the tattoo.No, he showed it on purpose.He stroked his sleeves strangely, and raised the corners of his mouth again. "My father suffers from tuberculosis, and my stepmother, Axue, works hard all day long, and her body is weak. If I make money alone, I can barely support them, and I can't afford the medicine, so I asked Aji for help. It's embarrassing to say the least, but After all, they have a mother-daughter relationship." Talking about outsiders for a while, talking about the relationship between mother and daughter for a while, and repeating this over and over again is really disgusting.Can't Aggie feel it at all?Couldn't she feel the suspicious behavior of this man? "Boss Murata House, where are my parents?" Aji always put on a look about to quarrel. "I want to settle this matter quickly. Or is it just a stopgap measure to lure me here if you want to give money?" She turned her nose to the sky and snorted heavily. "It's very much like what they would do. Even if it is hard, do you want to take me back to Mihe House? Sorry, anyway, this girl will not go back to Mihe House today. Because I am not their daughter. I have my real parents." Shinosuke peeked at Jihei's side face secretly.The expression of the nosy bookstore owner at this moment seemed as if Aji had slapped him in the face every word. "Do you hate your Mikawaya parents so much?" He maintained the same expression and asked calmly.Aji's eyes were slightly shaken, and he wanted to refute but couldn't speak. "Don't you feel any family affection at all? They took good care of you and raised you up to such a great age." "Take good care of it?" Aji immediately raised his eyebrows. "That's not careful care! You can't do this, you can't do that, you poor daughter, they are always nagging and preaching to me all day long!" "This is also the hope that you will become a decent proprietress of Sanhe House in the future." "That's it. They only value Mikawa House. As for me, they regard me as a prop to inherit the family business." A useful prop——Aji said through gritted teeth. "Isn't it better to just pick up more useful props from other places? Anyway, they picked me up like a puppy. Ah, no, it should be said that I was picked up by them like a puppy. I Mother was kicked out of Sanhe House like a dog." Aggie was out of breath.Zhibingwei nodded slowly, looking very sad. "Is that so. Can't you forgive Shigeemon-san and Katsueda-san for breaking up you and Ms. Asuke?" "That's right, does it need to be said? My mother had nowhere to go for refuge, and they married her to a perverted old man of unknown origin." It was too much - Denjiro chimed in as if empathizing. "I was completely kept in the dark. I didn't know anything until I met my mother and heard the truth. If I knew, I would have escaped from Sanhe House." I knew my mother had suffered so much... Aji said tearfully. "Thinking of the treatment my mother received from Sanhewu, a mere three hundred taels is still a bargain. Originally, they wanted to reconcile like this, but they were so wordy." Aji took out the pocket paper to wipe away his tears, and pressed the lipstick on his lips.Jihei sighed heavily. "I'm talking about Miss Aji." Jihei began to move out everything he knew about Aji from his childhood until recently, explaining that the friendship between the Mikawaya couple and Aji is by no means superficial like picking up a puppy and raising it. Jihei's voice reached Aji's ears, but it didn't reach her heart.The more Jibei talked, the more stubborn her expression became.In the end, she simply turned her head to the side, with her nose up in the sky, squinting at Denjiro at the side from time to time, exchanging disgusted eyes. Finally Jihei finally surrendered. "Miss Aji, you..." I feel sorry for you—Jihei whispered. "How sad you want to be, please be yourself. It has nothing to do with me." "You don't want to go home no matter what? Don't you plan to apologize to your mother and tell her that you were not kidnapped at all, sorry, did you deceive her?" "Sorry for deceiving you—you should be the one to apologize like this." Aggie retorted furiously. "I want to say something. When I left home, I originally wanted to take the money and leave. I said I didn't want Shengzhi to know that the person who specially performed this kidnapping scene was my father. When I left, I actually had a lot of things I wanted to say to my mother, even I want to give her a slap." Okay, don't be so excited——Denjiro put his hand on Aji's back. "There's no need to be so angry. This gentleman is only in charge of coordinating us and Mikawaya. You can't hold on to him. In this way, you will really become a dog." Denjiro looked up at Aji and said with a smile; Aji clenched his fists tightly. "Boss Murataya." Denjiro looked at Jihei. "There will be no results if we continue talking like this. Let's talk about business." Jihei narrowed one eye as if looking at something dirty. "How to talk further?" "Does it need to be said?" Denjiro looked at the sliding door of the compartment and the room he just walked through. "The boss and the proprietress of Sanhe House are here, right? Are they hiding somewhere to observe here? Because their beloved daughters have come here, how could they not be here. Hurry up and let them face each other and give us what we should give, Let's end this party quickly." Jibei lowered his eyebrows and put his hands together on his knees. "Okay." He raised his eyes and whispered. Denjiro grinned. "That's right." "No, Mr. Denjiro, Miss Aji's brother, please don't get me wrong." "what?" "Today, only me and this Mr. Furuhashi came to the appointment. The owner of Mikawaya is not here. Mrs. Katsueda is sick in bed. Mr. Shigeemon is very worried about her, so he stays on the bed every step of the way. I will act as the representative. "As his agent—Jihei suddenly increased his volume and widened his eyes. "If Ms. Aji doesn't change her mind, this agreement doesn't count. It doesn't matter even if she doesn't meet the owner of Sanhe House. We cancel this agreement." "What?" Aji's face changed suddenly. "Cancel the agreement? What do you mean? What about the money?" "If you asked about money, you should have already received three hundred taels. That's alimony." "Isn't that what I said before!" Aji's mouth was flying, and he was about to pounce on Jihei, without the charm that a young girl should have.Denjiro didn't see his original gentle attitude, he grabbed Aji by the collar behind her neck and pulled her back, then suddenly stepped forward.Aji staggered and hit the tatami on the ground. "Boss Murataya, what do you mean? You brought us here and want us to go back empty-handed?" Jihei stared back at the opponent, not being overwhelmed by the momentum. "There's nothing you can do about it. You should be lucky that I didn't sue you in the government." Denjiro rolled up his sleeves and approached Jihei. He stood up on one knee, revealing not only the criminal tattoo on his arm, but also his true face. "I'm not afraid of the government! I'm not kidnapping someone else's daughter. Aji is Axue's daughter. A daughter who was abused by her adoptive parents and cried all day long. She wants to see her biological mother. I just help her. It's nothing Shameful things!" "Since this is the case, don't yell. You go. If the sedan chair leaves, I will call two more for you immediately." Denjiro originally had a flared nose and bloodshot eyes, trying to intimidate, but his expression suddenly changed 180 degrees.He retracted the raised knee and sat down again. "Boss Murataya, you are not simple." He chuckled in his throat and pointed at the bulge of Jihei's clothes. "The three hundred taels we agreed on, you obviously carried it with you and put it in your arms neatly. Here, you're right?" Zhibingwei did have three hundred taels hidden in his arms.In this way, he could actually find out, could this man smell money? "Not much nonsense, let's talk about how to use this money." Feeling that Denjiro's voice was different, Aji blinked frequently, showing anxiety. "Brother, what are you talking about?" Denjiro ignored her and stared at Jihei. "Boss Murataya, I actually don't hate the Mikawaya couple at all. So do my father and Axue. After all, things have changed. It doesn't help to keep hatred forever." "No way. Brother, don't talk nonsense." "Stop interrupting." Denjiro said with displeasure without turning his head, the muscles on one side of his face were crooked, and he smiled at Jihei. "I'm talking about the boss of Murata House. I'm also my father's son. I know what family affection is. Let me make a proposal. What do you think? If you give the three hundred taels in your arms to poor Axue, I'll just give Axue Good luck to you." At this time, Aji has surpassed anxiety and changed it to fear.A sharp cry came from her throat, and she gripped Denjiro's shoulders tightly. "Brother, stop talking! What are you talking about!" Denjiro grabbed her hand and moved it away from his shoulder. At this moment, he didn't bother to look back at Aji, he just stared at Jibei—it should be said that it was Jibei's arms, and he would not move away. "No, I don't want to go back to Sanhe House!" Denjiro turned his head to look at Aji who was shouting, and roared angrily: "You are very noisy!" He shakes Aggie off roughly and gives her a hard push.Aggie flew backwards and fell to the ground. "what are you doing!" Sheng Zhisuke drew his sword, and Denjiro suddenly stretched out his palm in front of him. "Oh, don't be impulsive, Mr. Ronin." It would be too stupid to fight now—Denjiro said with a smirk on his face.Shinosuke wanted to punch him in the face, but Jihei stopped him. "Brother Sheng, calm down. We might as well listen to Mr. Denjiro's thoughts." "Sure enough, you are more up-to-date. Unlike this third-rate samurai." Denjiro chuckled happily. "That's all I want. You obediently hand over three hundred taels, and I'll return Aji to you after I accept it. You can take her back to Sanhe House." Brother—Aji's voice, as light as a mosquito, came from behind.Her hair was messy and her face was pale.Denjiro turned to look at Aji. "Hey, hey, why are you putting on that face. Aji, this is the best arrangement for you." He talked about teaching with a smug face. "Stay obediently in Sanhe House, and sooner or later you will get a good husband and son-in-law. All the property in Mihe House belongs to you. I will take good care of Axue until then. You can come and see her when you want. If you are willing to find a house for her I can let her live near your house." "Brother——" Aji repeated, "My mother...my mother...for this arrangement..." "Won't you accept it? You are so stupid, that's why I said you are a brat who doesn't understand human affairs at all. Enough of you." Hearing Denjiro's sigh, Jihei didn't respond as if wearing a mask. "The same goes for Axue. With a spoiled daughter like you who has never held anything heavier than chopsticks and is useless by your side, it is better to take money directly. Aji, you are just our burden." After finishing speaking, Denjiro raised his eyebrows slightly. "If you cut off the parent-child relationship with Sanhe House, it will really be a burden, but if you are the heir of Sanhe House, it will be of great use in the future." "But, I want to be with my mother... my own mother..." "That's right, Axue is your very important mother. Isn't it natural for her daughter to show filial piety to her? So what should you do? Just use your empty head to think about it." Denjiro spoke incessantly, his thin lips moving non-stop.Shengzhisuke felt blood dripping from the teeth in his mouth.It was the blood oozing from Ajiro's heart that was crushed by Denjiro's teeth. "Boss Murataya, let's just make a deal like this." Denjiro cheekily stretched out his palm for a handshake, Jihei smiled, and then suddenly spit in his face.Denjiro let out a strange cry and leaned back. "I expected you to do this. Miss Aggie, now you know the true face of this fellow." You fucker!Denjiro stood up with a growl, and pulled out a dagger from the front lapel of his striped casual clothes as if by magic.Seeing the flashing white light, Zhibingwei shrank slightly.Denjiro took advantage of the situation and jumped back, grabbed Aji, then stood up on one knee, put Aji around the neck and pressed the dagger to her throat. "I advise you not to mess around. Otherwise, I will ruin this pretty face of your precious Aggie." Aji's eyes widened, his whole body was stiff, and tears flowed down. "Brother, I..." "Boss Murata House, throw the money here. But this time the business doesn't count. I took Aji away. If I have anything to ask you, I will contact you at another time." Denjiro smiled excitedly, and Jihei took out a bundle containing three hundred taels from his bosom and threw it at his feet.The burden was packed by Jibei himself, and paper string was tied at the knot. "Aji, go pick up the money." Aggie couldn't move, her arms were so stiff and tense, only her fingers were trembling. "That's a very important sum of money for you and your mother. You slowly reach out to pick it up, this little thing can be done." Aggie closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.She moved her arm, and her trembling fingertips touched the bundle containing three hundred taels, and then she pulled it closer and held it. "You are so obedient, take it well." Denjiro stood up, using Aji as a hostage, and slowly retreated to the door of the box.Aggie dragged along like a wet suit.The sword in Shengzhisuke's hand was slightly out of the sheath, and he walked with his feet on the ground, gradually shortening the distance with Denjiro. "Hmph, how can a third-rate samurai like you beat me?" Denjiro mocked Shengnosuke. "Your thin arm can't hit me even if you swung the knife vigorously. It will just accidentally cut off Aji's nose. Be careful." at this time. "rat!" A strong and powerful voice came.That is Hexiang. Denjiro was shocked by the sudden female voice and the scolding voice of a young girl.At this short moment, he let go of Aji's arm slightly, and his eyes wandered around, looking for where the sound came from.Shengzhisuke suddenly strode forward, he didn't use a knife, he punched Denjiro's heart.At the same time, Takebu Gon left and right gate kicked over the sliding door of the compartment and rushed in, hitting Denjiro with the scabbard. "Brother!" Aji shouted as soon as he got away.The burden fell on the tatami, and it was thanks to the paper rope that it did not loosen. "Brother! Run away!" Shengzhisuke and Takebe-sensei worked together to suppress Denjiro—it was supposed to be like this, but Shengzhisuke's head turned into gold stars in the next moment, and he fell to the ground with his butt spinning in a whirl. "what are you doing!" Teacher Wubu scolded sharply.Aji opened his mouth and bit the teacher. "Don't kill my brother! Brother, please, run away!" Denjiro groaned deeply in his heart, fled out of the room with a bowed body, and rushed down the stairs quickly. "Jin Jie, be careful! The opponent has a dagger in his hand!" Teacher Wubu yelled loudly, waving his hands vigorously to shake off Aji.Although she is a weak woman, it is still very troublesome to be hugged by her with all her strength. "Aji, what are you thinking! Why did you let him go?" "Miss Aji!" Jihei also came to help, trying to pull Aji away.At this time, Shengzhisuke managed to refocus his eyes and regain consciousness, but the right side of his head had a splitting headache. What happened? "Cheer up, Mr. Guqiao." Beside him was Kazuka, who was wearing an indigo turban today, stroking Shengnosuke's aching head. "What's wrong with me?" "You were hit by Miss Aji with a bundle containing three hundred taels, does it hurt?" Aji lay down on the tatami and sobbed. "Your brother, right?" Jindo picked up the kicked-down paper door, refitted the threshold, and stepped aside.She looked down at Aji's big face with an extremely distorted expression, as if she had found a weevil that had run into a rice urn. "I think he is not only your brother, but also your man? To put it more clearly, you are already that bastard woman." Huh?Everyone was taken aback, and Jindo was surprised by everyone's reaction. "Otherwise, how could she not hesitate to bite the teacher and let him escape." It turned out to be the case. Jindo's eyes were extremely stern. "Really, you were completely deceived by him. What are you going to do?" Aji ignored Jindo's inquiry and kept crying.

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