Chapter 163 Chapter 16 Decoration and Dyeing

When Musashi, Matahachi and others left Okazaki and arrived in Kyoto in early autumn, Iori followed Nagaoka Sado on a boat to Fengzen, and Sasaki Kojiro was on the same boat to return to Ogura's domain. On the way from Edo to Okura with Kojiro last year, Asugi returned to Misaka's hometown because she had to go home to handle housework and the Buddhist ceremony was about to be held in the temple. After Takuan left Edo, he heard that he recently returned to his hometown of Tajima. This autumn, the footprints of these people are probably clear.Now the only ones who have no news are Narai's Daizo, and Jotaro who lost news during his escape.

Zhu Shi's whereabouts are also unknown. She is also gone. In addition, it was Dream Quannosuke who was captured on Jiudu Mountain, which made people worry that his life was in danger.Iori told Nagaoka Sado about this, hoping that Sado could help save him. It turned out that Quan Zhizhu was suspected of being a "Kanto spy" before he was caught in Mount Jiudu.If they were silenced at that time, there might not even be room for rescue and negotiation.Fortunately, the clever Yukimura father and son saw the truth immediately, and the suspicion was wiped away. Now Quannosuke is free and is looking for Iori.

Let's not mention these people for now. It must be mentioned here that although the body is safe, but the fate is bad, that is Atong.Musashi is her life, her hope, and she silently walks the way a woman should go.After leaving Liusheng Castle, her youth slowly passed away, like a lone mandarin duck, ignoring the strange eyes of people on the journey, resolutely wandering around looking for Musashi.This autumn, when Musashi looked up at the bright moon, where was she? "Miss Atong, are you there?" "Yes, may I ask who is it?" "I am Wanbingwei." Manbei poked his head in through the bamboo fence inlaid with white shells.

"Oh, it's the boss of the Ma house." "You're a hard worker. I'm sorry to interrupt your work. I have something to tell you..." "Come in, come in. Please open the wooden door yourself." With a pair of blue-dyed hands, Atong gently removed the turban tied to his hair. This is Shima Beach in Banshu.The river water of Shiga Mochuan goes out to sea here, and it is a fishing village at the mouth of the delta. The place where Atong lives is not a fisherman's house. There are blue dyed cloths hanging on the pine branches or railings outside her house. This is a small dyeing room. ".

In the village by the sea, there are several similar small dyeing houses. The dyeing room adopts the method of pounding and dyeing. The blue cloth is continuously poured with dye, placed in a mortar, and pounded with a pestle. Therefore, the cloth dyed here will not fade even if it is worn out, so it will be famous. Pounding cloth in a mortar with a pestle is the job of a young girl.When they missed the boatman who was fishing, they always sang love songs while pounding, and the singing sound spread from the wall of the dyeing house to the seashore. But Atong doesn't sing. She had only come here this summer, and had not yet gotten used to the work of tinkering.Thinking back—when the heat was hot this summer, a woman in travel clothes walked past the Quanzhou Kai Kobayashi Taro Zuowei Store, and walked towards the port without turning her eyes—at that time, the back of the woman Iori glimpsed— —It was Atong.

Before that, Atong originally took a ferry from Jiegang to go to Chiwenguan. When the boat arrived at Zhumogang, she suddenly changed her mind and got off the boat here. What a shame! People cannot escape the teasing of fate. Because the boat she was on was the boat of Tarozaemon, who operates the boat. On a different day, the Hosokawa family's retainers were also carried on Tarozaemon's ship from Sakai Port. Nagaoka Sado and Iori, as well as Iwai Sasaki Kojiro, have all walked the same waterway. Even if Yanliu or Sado met Atong, they wouldn't recognize her.However, every ship will dock at Shimo Port, why Iori can't meet Atong?

Dear sister! Yizhi, who was looking for Atong everywhere, missed the shore of Shimo Port. There is also a reason why he couldn't meet Atong.Because there were retainers of the Hosokawa family on board, the seats in the bow and the center of the boat were all covered with curtains, and ordinary people such as traffickers, monks, entertainers, etc. were all assigned to the bottom of the cabin like a box, and they could not see the outside at all. When the ship approached Shima Port, Atong disembarked before dawn, so it was impossible for Iori to see her. Zhuomo is the hometown of Nanny Atong.

This spring, when Atong left Yagyu Castle for Edo, he found that Musashi and Zean were no longer in Edo, so he went to Yagyu's house and Hojo's house.After learning about Musashi's news, he wholeheartedly searched for Musashi's whereabouts.So she embarked on a journey again, from spring through summer, and finally came to this place. It is very close to Himeji Castle, and not far from the hometown where she grew up - Yoshino Township of Misaku. The nanny who raised her in Qibao Temple is the hostess of this decorated mill house.Atong thinks of this, so she stays here, but because it is very close to her hometown, she never goes out.The nanny was nearly fifty years old, but she had no children, and her life was difficult. Atong just couldn't justify doing nothing here, so he helped with the work of dyeing the house.The streets of China not far from here are full of people coming and going, maybe they can use this to find out about Musashi.

Over the years, Atong has stopped singing, and only hides in his heart: a love affair that cannot be met.Under the autumn sun in the courtyard of the dyeing house, I silently hold the pestle and pound the cloth every day, and taste the pain of lovesickness alone. At this time, Wanbingwei came to visit. He was the owner of the nearby hemp house. I don't know what's the matter with him? A Tong washed his hands and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel. "Unfortunately, the nanny is out. Do you want to come in and have a sit?" Atong invited Wanbingwei to the living room of the main house, but Wanbingwei waved his hand.

"No, no. I can't stay long, I'm too busy!" He stood still and talked to Atong. "Ms. Atong's hometown is Yoshino Township in Sakushu Prefecture!" "yes." "Over the years, I have often purchased hemp from Guanben Village near Zhushan City to Xiazhuang. Recently I heard some rumors there." "rumor?" "It's about you." "Oh!" "and also……" Wanbingwei smiled and said: "I also heard news from Kanmotomura Musashi." "Huh? From Musashi?" "Look at your complexion has changed. Hahaha!"

Qiuyang shone on Wan Bingwei's head.Wanbingwei was so hot that he covered his head with a towel. "You know Miss Ah Yin, right?" Said, squatted down. A Tong also squatted beside the blue dye bucket. "Miss Ah Yin... is Musashi's older sister, right?" "That's right." Wan Bingwei nodded heavily. "I went to Sanriyue Village and met Miss Ayin. I mentioned you to her, and she was shocked." "Did you tell her I live here?" "Tell her, but nothing bad will happen. The hostess of this dyeing house once asked me to tell her if I heard about Musashi near Guanben Village...so I met on the way. When Ah Yin was a girl, he took the initiative to say hello to her." "Where is Miss Ah Yin now?" "The Xiangshijiawei in Sanriyue Village is called Hirata XX, whose name I forgot." "Did you marry there?" "Maybe!" "Anyway, Miss Ayin talked about a lot of things and said she had a secret to tell you. When she heard me mention you, she ignored the passers-by and cried sadly. She also said that she missed you very much and hoped to be able to see you soon." meet you..." Atong's eyes were also red. Hearing the news of her sweetheart's sister aroused her homesickness and made her miss her infinitely. "Miss Ayin also said that she couldn't write letters on the side of the road. Please go to Pingtian's house in Sanriyue Village to find her. She couldn't come because of many inconveniences." "Is she looking for me?" "She didn't explain the details, she only said that Musashi received letters from time to time." A-Tong wished to go to her right away, but he had to discuss everything with the nanny first because he was living under the fence. "Can I go and answer you tonight." A Tong answered Wan Bingwei. Wan Bingwei hoped that Atong must go.He also explained that he would also go to Sanriyue Village to do business tomorrow, so he could go with him. Outside the wooden wall, under the autumn sun, the oily sea is constantly emitting the lazy sound of waves. Since just now, there has been a young warrior squatting on the ground with his back to the wall, meditating alone. The young samurai was about eighteen or nineteen years old, and looked under twenty. He was dressed in a majestic manner. He was from Himeji, his hometown was about a mile and a half away, and he was the son of a certain vassal of the Ikeda family. He wasn't here to fish. Because I didn't bring a fishing basket or fishing rod, I just leaned against the wooden wall of the dyeing house, sometimes sitting on the sand and playing with the sand.This is childlike innocence. "Then, Miss Atong." Wanbingwei's voice came from inside the wooden wall. "Please reply me before the evening. If you want to go, I will go out early in the morning, and we will cooperate with each other." In addition to the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the quiet noon made Manbei's voice clearer. "Okay, I will definitely answer you before the evening... Thank you for your kindness." Atong said in a low voice. Wanbei opened the wooden door and went out.The young warrior sitting by the wall got up and watched Wan Bingwei leave. His eyes are sharp. But he was wearing a ginkgo-shaped bamboo hat, which covered most of his face, so others couldn't see his expression. What is puzzling is that after Wanbingwei left, the young samurai kept peeping into the wooden wall. "..." There was a sound of pestle.As soon as Wan Bingwei left, Atong picked up the pestle again to pound the dyed cloth in the mortar. The same sound of the pestle and the singing of the girl from the dyeing house in the courtyard of the dyeing house elsewhere also spread leisurely. Aton's hand holding the pestle was stronger than before. Although A Tong didn't sing, he sang the poems in "Ci Hua Ji" in his heart. As long as you can see sister Ayin, you can know the news of your sweetheart. She is also a woman, so she can confide in Sister Ayin without any concealment.Musashi's own sister will definitely regard herself as a younger sister and listen to her talk. The pounding of cloth continued— It has been a long time since Atong has been as happy as she is now, and she thought of a poem in "Hundred Poems of Due Chuan". Her mood is the same as that of the owner of this song. In the past, she always felt that the sea was full of sadness, but now it looks bright and bright, and even the sound of the waves is full of hope. She hung the pounded cloth on the bamboo pole, and with a sense of comfort, she walked outside through the wooden door that was not closed when Wanbingwei left, and looked at the seaside. This way— The figure wearing the bamboo hat just now quickly walked away against the salty sea breeze. "...?" A Tong looked at the leaving figure, but he didn't know who the other party was.However, she didn't think much about it, because there wasn't even a seabird, and the quiet sea attracted her attention even more. Atong had already discussed with the nurse in the dyeing house, and made an appointment with Wan Bingwei to set off early the next morning. "Please take care of me along the way!" Atong and Wanbingwei walked together and left the fishing village of Shimo. Although it was a trip, it was from Shimo to Mikayue Village in Sayong Township.Even a woman's footsteps can be reached by staying only one night. From the northern sky overlooking Himeji Castle, they walked towards Tatsuno Kaido. "Miss Atong." "What's up?" "Your legs are pretty good!" "Yes, I'm used to traveling." "I heard that you have been to Edo. You, a single woman, can do it." "Did the nanny tell you even these things?" "That's right! I've even heard about Guanben Village." "I'm so ashamed." "There is nothing to be ashamed of. You have endured so much hardship in order to find your sweetheart, and your willpower is quite strong, which is pitiful and admirable, but Miss Atong, with all due respect, Mr. Musashi is too ruthless!" "That's not the case." "Don't you hate him? You are more pitiful like this." "He's just concentrating on cultivating the Tao... It's me who can't think about it." "Do you feel bad about yourself?" "I feel bad about it." "Well... I wish my wife could hear you. A woman should be as gentle as you." "Is Sister Ah Yin not married yet? Are you still living with relatives?" "Hmm! I don't know about that." Wan Bingwei changed the subject. "There's a teahouse there, let's take a break!" They went into the teahouse, drank tea and ate bento. "Yo! Are you from Ornaments?" Passing grooms and porters greeted them. "Would you like to go to Handa's casino today? Last time you, Ma Wan, took a big cheater, and everyone wants to make money!" They talked to Wanbingwei. "I don't want a horse today." Wan Bingwei talked about him from left to right, and suddenly said in a hurry: "Atong girl, let's go!" After finishing speaking, he walked out of the teahouse. Seeing this, the grooms deliberately shouted: "I wondered why he was so serious today. It turned out that he brought a beautiful woman with him." "That guy, I'm going to report to his wife." "Hahaha, why don't you even reply?" They were joking behind Manbei's back. The hemp house in Shimo was also the home of Manhei. It was just an inconspicuous small shop, but he bought hemp from the neighboring villages and distributed it to fishermen's daughters or wives to weave sail ropes and fishing nets as a sideline for the family.He can be considered a big boss, but it is puzzling that this Wan Bingwei is so mocked on the street. Wanbingwei also noticed this, and after walking a few streets, he said to Atong: "I really can't do anything with these guys, because I often hire them to help move things, so I'm used to joking with them." In addition to these grooms, Wan Bingwei should be more wary of a person who has followed them all the way since they were resting in the teahouse just now, but Wan Bingwei didn't notice. That person was the young warrior who stood by the sea wearing a bamboo hat yesterday.