Chapter 229: The Secret of the Village Alley
Yukino led the group through the village's small alleys and arrived at a dilapidated thatched hut. Several parts of this house were already broken, and the main door was open, making it look as if no one had lived there for a long time.
When they walked in, they saw a ragged, gray-haired old woman with sparse, loose hair sitting inside.
"Is... is someone here?" the old woman opened her mouth. Because she had almost no one to talk to, her voice was initially hoarse and a little indistinct.
"It's me, Grandma, Yukino!" Yuki stepped forward and said loudly.
"Oh, it's Yuki-chan-chan... you are a good child." Although the old woman was speaking, her eyes were terribly swollen and red, so much so that her eyeballs could not be seen.
"What's wrong with this old woman? Is she living here all alone?" Shirou looked around at the dusty furniture, the stove, everything looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.
"The bandits killed the old woman's whole family. She cried so much she became half-blind and lost all her teeth, so I share half of my rice with her," Yuki explained.
Behind the lonely old woman was a dirty, old quilt. During the day, she sat there motionless, and at night, she slept covered with the quilt.
In the past, she would still shed tears when thinking of sad things, until she cried her eyes out and the tears dried up. Now, she could only spend her entire day in a daze.
"Yuki-chan, who are you talking to?" The old woman, who could barely see, asked suspiciously.
"Grandma, I've brought my master and the group of samurai here," Yuki replied.
"Samurai... Samurai! Have you come to avenge my son?" The old woman's eyes widened. The gray pupils, which had been washed by tears, actually showed a flash of brilliance at this moment.
"Yes, Grandma, we are here this time to help the village defeat the bandits," Shirou gently promised.
The old woman said hoarsely: "Is that so? Thank you very much. This is the greatest comfort for me before I die. I have always thought that as long as a person lives happily, even if they are poor, as long as the whole family is together, that's enough happiness."
"But... now I am the only one left in my family. I can't do anything alone, and it really hurts... it hurts so much I want to die. But I heard people say that the world after death is also very painful, so I'm also very afraid and don't know what to do, which is why I haven't died yet. But how long can a life half-dead like this last?"
The toothless old woman could not eat hard food, the area around her eyes was red and swollen, and her gait was unsteady, making it impossible for her to do farm work. Now, she could only rely on the villagers' sporadic charity, living hand-to-mouth and barely surviving.
Hōzōin Inshun squatted down and said to the old woman: "Old one, please rest assured. The Buddha will protect you. After death, people will go to the Western Pure Land of Bliss, where there will be no more suffering."
The old woman did not smile, but she seemed to have grasped a final shred of hope, repeating: "Is that so, is that so, Monk? That's wonderful. I've been a vegetarian all my life and haven't killed any living things. So I won't suffer like this after I die?"
Hōzōin Inshun sincerely replied: "Yes, I am a monk and will not lie. I guarantee you that as long as you don't do evil deeds and persevere in living, on the day you die, you will definitely find liberation..."
Afterward, the group silently withdrew from the dilapidated house.
"Grandma, Yuki will come back later to bring you food." Yuki said goodbye to the old woman and followed the group toward their own house.
The solitary old woman whose family was slaughtered by bandits; the four sets of equipment of the unfortunate samurai companions killed by the villagers; neither of these things was something one could face with a smile. However, they could not continue like this; morale would be low, and fighting spirit would dissipate. They had to change this atmosphere.
Shirou spoke to the girl: "Yuki, starting today, you must eat your lunch properly. You are a child, and you must at least eat enough at noon. I will divide half of my portion for you to take to that old woman."
"No! How can I let Master go hungry! At least let me contribute half as well! My appetite isn't big either," Yuki-chan said.
"Listen to your Master! If children don't eat properly, they won't grow tall!" Shirou commanded in an unchallengeable, stern tone.
"Yes..." Yuki-chan dared not disobey this time, pouting and muttering, "I don't need to eat that much."
Shirou, who also heard the latter half of the sentence, sighed helplessly: "This really is..."
They say that children who are picky eaters and don't eat well are due to the housewife not mastering cooking techniques well enough, or the food not being tasty enough. Only children who eat truly delicious food every day will grow taller and faster. The level of parental care will show on the child.
The brightness of the eyes, healthy skin, thick and shiny hair, whether the spirit is full, and whether the physical strength is sufficient—all these are closely related to the parents' care.
Shirou looked at the girl who had accepted him as her Master and thought: 'If it weren't for such a barren world, I would really want her to eat properly, make a bunch of delicious food, and make her satisfied only after filling two bowls of rice every day.'
"Then, for the dinner portion, I will provide it. I'm accustomed to a simple life from my mountain training, so eating less rice won't affect me," Kojiro said.
"Please allow me to share some burden as well. As a monk, I cannot look away from such matters," Hōzōin Inshun said.
"Shirou, me too!" Souji also raised her hand and said.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing!" At this moment, Tawara Touta interrupted the group, directly pulled out his sack of rice, and said to Shirou: "Commander! Take this. Everyone still has to fight, so of course, you must eat your rice properly. The portion the old woman needs can be taken from this rice; just cook a little extra when making the rice."
Hōzōin Inshun smiled and said: "Touta-dono... Thank you for your generosity. I believe the Buddha will remember your merits."
"Don't mention it. I follow the Dragon God," Tawara Touta scratched the back of his head, feeling a little dejected, and said, "Honestly, if my Noble Phantasm could be used, I could be hosting a feast for the entire village every day."
"Yes, if there was enough rice, I could also figure out how to make some delicious dishes for everyone to try," Shirou said regretfully, accepting Tawara Touta's rice sack.
"Eh? Shirou-dono, can you cook? I mean, cook?" Hōzōin Inshun said in surprise. Although the monks in the temple responsible for cooking were generally large, with thick waists and round bellies, and it was considered a good profession, it wasn't their ultimate pursuit.
Tawara Touta's eyes sparkled as he said, "Delicious food, that would be wonderful! Any depressed mood will be swept away by that satisfying feeling of happiness. All I need is delicious food and good wine."
"Well, it's a hobby of mine, but one can't really indulge in such pleasures in this turbulent era," Shirou said. Muramasa, due to his forging talent and experience, had a better control over heat than Shirou. However, constrained by this era of war, being able to eat white rice was already considered excellent.
"Mmm-hmm! Shirou's cooking is on the level of a national treasure! And he is a culinary master proficient in various global cuisines." Souji, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly and praised without reserve: "He excels at Japanese cuisine, but his Chinese and Western cuisines are also world-class! Though I haven't tasted them myself..."
"Hmph... You haven't tasted it, so what are you talking about? If we're talking about gourmet food, I'm the one here who has tasted the most exotic delicacies, right? I've even tasted the
dishes made by the chefs brought by missionaries from Spain and Portugal," the black-haired, red-eyed girl couldn't help but retort.
Souji shook her finger and retorted proudly: "No, no. Although I haven't eaten it, one of my previous Masters grew up eating Shirou's cooking every day. I saw some of her memories during the Possession Summoning.
She was a girl who grew up happily, able to taste the world's most exquisite cuisines while sitting at home! Of course, only a girl like that could become Miss Okita, my Master. A 100% compatibility was only a matter of time."
"Ooh, that sounds interesting, Commander's cooking," Tawara Touta laughed heartily, giving Shirou an 'I know what you mean' look.
"The young monk is also very interested in those dishes," Hōzōin Inshun also looked on.
"Master~!" Yukino cast him glittering, wide eyes.
"I know, I know. I'll figure out a way to make at least one good meal," Shirou promised.
At this moment, only the black-haired, red-eyed girl was focused on a different phrase. Her blood-gem-like eyes flickered with a strange light as she muttered: "Possession Summoning, huh? Is that the special summoning method Okita mentioned before, which allows one to go to another world? Is Shirou in that world too?"
Yukino said: "But this is great; it seems everyone has gotten over their anger now. It's true that the villagers here have their own cunning and selfish aspects, but they also have their good sides."
"This battle was initiated by me, so naturally, I can't give up halfway. I'm really grateful that everyone is willing to stay," Shirou smiled, bowed to everyone, and expressed his thanks.
"Don't say that, Shirou-dono." Hōzōin Inshun put his palms together and said devoutly, "I will naturally stay. The Buddha says to save all beings. The bandits on the mountain are to be saved, and the villagers below are also to be saved. I cannot stand by and watch the villagers plead for help and not assist them."
"Exactly, Commander! There's no reason for you to bow your head here." Tawara Touta also spread his hands and said with a smile: "Well, the ones that angered me were those few guys who brought those pieces of equipment. I said from the start that I didn't join to save the peasants, but because I admired you, Commander, and wanted to be your comrade."
"Well, all of this originally has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to slay the powerful Demon King," Kojiro Sasaki said calmly, raising the nodachi in his hand. Compared to these confusing issues, he was only more interested in honing his swordsmanship and dueling powerful opponents.
"!!" The black-haired, red-eyed girl flinched, her back seemingly stiffening.
"Then let's go back and continue the meeting. Hajime is probably going crazy with impatience by now," Shirou suggested, looking at everyone.
"Hahaha, you're right. He's been hiding outside and hasn't come in," Souji laughed, recalling how Hajime had fled.
"That's because Tawara Touta-dono scared him! Your expression back then looked like you were going to kill someone," Hōzōin Inshun joked.
"Eh? I think I'm quite approachable," Tawara Touta said a little embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.
The girl was still looking toward the house, seemingly still worried about the old woman inside.
"Let's go, Yukino. You can bring the food over once the rice is cooked," Shirou, who was walking ahead, turned back and called out to his kind disciple.
"Yes," Yukino replied, quickly catching up.
When the girl reached his side, Shirou stroked her head and praised her: "Well done, Yukino! You helped everyone resolve their knots, which is a huge help. This can be called a great achievement."
"Yes!" Yuki-chan accepted her Master's head-patting and showed a slightly smug, happy smile.
Shirou, stroking his disciple's head, was deep in thought.
'Perhaps these situations are one of the reasons why this chaotic era has continued for so long.'
In this era, samurai and villagers were inherently of different classes. One side looked down on the other, while the other was periodically exploited. Unfair systems inevitably led to feelings of hostility.
This time, the villagers were also forced into a corner by the bandits and thought of hiring samurai to protect them. Otherwise, they might never have wanted to interact with Shirou and the others.
One side is paying time to exchange for money for survival, while the other side is using brains, resources, and technology to collect the public's money into their own pockets. Both sides have made efforts and are striving; as long as it is legal, there can be no complaints.
But one will still think: why is the gap so large when both are human? The things they enjoy are so vastly different, even though they are all human. It is inevitable to feel resentment, but all of this is maintained in balance by rules and laws that are considered constants in the current era.
According to the rules of this era, the grain grown by peasants is used to feed the samurai and nobles. Samurai receive stipends and fight for a higher-level lord to capture castles.
But even if these lords fight to the end and gain the submission of all the daimyō (feudal lords), it is only by the suppression of force. Once this hegemonic power weakens, local lords will become restless again. Even if it doesn't weaken, various problems like division and loss of control will eventually arise.
Once it collapses, chaotic warfare will start again. In fact, even during stable periods, even without the trouble of war, only a portion of people could live happily and securely.
The owner of the body Shirou is possessing constantly ponders a question:
"What exactly should be done to save everyone from this fate...?"
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