[Comprehensive] Comb girl

When Ah Ding was about to walk to his room, Yamato Shou'an's voice came from behind him.

"My lord, you can't stay here anymore."

Ah Ding turned sideways, a little surprised.

At some point, Yamato Mamoru quietly left Okita, which he had been guarding, and appeared in front of Ah Ding.The long-haired boy showed a slightly puzzled expression, his fingers tightly clutching the knife at his waist.

Seeing Ah Ding looking at himself, Yamato Mamoru said again: "Mr. Okita's state of mind has changed because of you. If you continue to stay here, I'm afraid he will be farther and farther away from my long-cherished wish..."

Ah Ding didn't quite understand what the "state of mind" and "long-cherished wish" Yamato Mori said, but she understood that Yamato Mori wanted to drive her away.

Being ordered to be expelled is always uncomfortable. She asked Yamato Mori cautiously and somewhat disappointed: "Master Yamato Mori, can you go with me?"

"Sorry." Yamato Mori said, "I still want to protect Mr. Okita."

"However, Mr. California said that if you stay here, you will disappear in the end." A Ding's tone was slightly anxious, "In that case, Mr. California will be very sad, right?"

Yamato Mori shook his head and said, "It's okay." After a while, he lowered his eyes and whispered, "Even if it disappears or changes, it doesn't matter. I can't think of anyone other than Okita-sama... who would... Love me as much as he does."

Ah Ding wanted to speak, but closed his mouth cautiously.

She wanted to say that she could try to replace Okita as the master of Yamato Mori.But she also understands that she is just a country maid with nothing to do.Compared with Okita Souji, she is in the sky and on earth, she is not qualified to say "replace the Souji" at all.

——That was just a delusion.

Yamato Mori turned his head sideways, as if he was about to leave.A Ding didn't care about the distinction between superiority and inferiority, and repeatedly pulled his cuffs, and whispered: "...Master Yamato...I don't want you to disappear into the world."

Yamato Shou glanced at her, slowly pulled off his cuffs, and left.

Ah Ding's finger was empty, and he felt slightly uncomfortable.

Because of this unexplainable discomfort, she looked down all night, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that she seemed to be injured.It was precisely because of this that she didn't have the heart to refuse Suzuki Yoshitaro's request, and honestly went to deliver meals to the director, Isamu Kondo.

Kondo was in the room at night, polishing his Kotoru with a knife powder.Seeing Ah Ding come to deliver the meal, he was slightly surprised and let her in.

Ah Ding's thoughts kept spinning on Yamato Mori, and when she came back to her senses, she found that she was already in front of Kondo.She glanced at Kondo in a daze, and immediately lowered her head and lowered her body in shock at his majesty.

She couldn't think of any adjectives to describe Kondo, so she could only say from the bottom of her heart: As expected of the person who commands the entire Shinsengumi, his momentum and majesty are much more powerful than the inferior samurai like the young master.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Seeing her hanging her head, Kondo asked, "You look sad. Did the team bully you?"

"No." Ah Ding quickly shook his head and whispered, "I'm just a little homesick."

"I see." Kondo nodded.Seeing the part of Ah Ding's neck exposed, he couldn't help taking another look, "Suzuki hasn't introduced you to a job yet, right? Why don't you stay in the camp first. I'll ask someone to go to Gion to ask, where The entertainers must hire hair combers."

Ah Ding never expected that Kondo would be so kind, and looked up in surprise.Immediately, she bent over and thanked Kondo gratefully.

She has always been very grateful to kind and warm-hearted people.

Seeing her honest and humble appearance, Kondo laughed in a good mood.Immediately, he said, "If you're too homesick, go to the Bensaiten Shrine in Lake Biwa with others. It seems to be very popular in Kyoto recently."

Ah Ding agreed.

Kondo usually eats with big mouthfuls, as quickly as a tiger eating meat.When you are with another samurai, you will deliberately eat more food in one bite.But when Ah Ding was here, Kondo didn't want to be so rude, so he learned to behave politely.

After Kondo finished his meal, Ah Ding packed up the dishes and returned them to the kitchen.

Suzuki Yoshitaro had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Ah Ding come back, he hurriedly asked, "Did the director say anything?"

"He told me to stay in the village first, and then ask about work for me, and also told me to go to the shrine of Ben Caitian." A Ding said, "The director is a good man."

Suzuki laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes unfolded.He looked satisfied, and said to A Ding: "The director has said so, then you go. I heard that Amei and Xiaojing, who are helpers in the kitchen, are also going to the Bencai Ten Shrine, so you follow them let's go."

Ah Ding nodded.

The next day was a rainy day, which was not suitable for traveling.But Amei and Xiaojing both said that things like "fulfilling a wish" cannot be changed, let alone rain, even if there is a knife in the sky, they have to go to the eloquent lady.So the three women cleaned themselves up and planned to move forward with umbrellas.

Ah Ding thought about Yamato Mori, didn't sleep well all night, and was in a bad mood.Yaoken persuaded her: "Since you have agreed to go to Benzai Ten Shrine, let's take this opportunity to relax. Master, you have never visited such a place, have you?"

Yaoyan's words made Ah Ding sadder: After I came to Kyoto, I couldn't do anything, but I was playing around, and the adults in California would definitely be angry.I'm really useless.

Yao Yan was silent for a while, and said, "California Qingguang definitely hopes that you will be happy."

To tell the truth, California Qingguang deliberately approached Yaoyan before going out to battle, and told Yaoyan to protect this idiot lord. "When Yamato is stubborn, she is very stubborn. If she really can't do it, she can't force it." California said, "In short, the master comes first."

——California Qingguang like this must hope that the master can live a happier life.

It was raining lightly in the gray sky, Ah Ding held up an umbrella, and Xiaobu followed Amei and Xiaojing.Because fulfilling the wish is an important thing, both Amei and Xiaojing dug out the only set of kimonos, carefully tied the apron and sleeves, so as not to stain the expensive clothes that are not easy to clean.

Ah Ding didn't have such decent Kyoto clothes, so he could only look at the two of them with a little envy.

When the three women were about to go out, Okita Souji just came back from outside.Seeing Ah Ding looking like he was about to go out, he asked, "Where are you going?"

Okita has a good reputation among the team members for being cheerful and talkative. Amei and Xiaojing scrambled to squeeze past, and said to Okita, "I'm going to fulfill my wish in front of the eloquent lady. That can bless the family with wealth and a good marriage. Shrine Oh."

"A good marriage?" Okita was stunned for a moment.

"Yes." Amei blushed slightly.She recently fell in love with a townsman's son, and it was time to talk about marriage.

Chong Tian glanced at Ah Ding, and found that she was standing behind the two women, grinding the gravel on the ground with clogs.The hair around the ear is dangling, which looks very cute.So Okita took out something from his cuff and handed it over: "Ah Ding, take this and eat it on the boat."

It's a small bag of Kopei candy.

Ah Ding took the candy and thanked him in a daze.Chong Tian smiled and braved the rain to enter the village.

"Don't look, let's go." Ah Mei said to Ah Ding, "Captain Chong Tian has gone a long way."

The shrine of Benzai Tennyo is in the center of Lake Biwa, and you have to go there by boat.Because the departure time of the boat is slow, the passengers on each boat are crowded together, and everyone has to squeeze together.When getting off the boat, Ah Ding was almost washed into the water by the flow of people.

"What does Ah Ding want?" Amei held an umbrella and followed closely beside Ah Ding so as not to get lost. "If you write your wish on the wish book in front of the eloquent lady, it will definitely come true."

Hearing "write a wish", the strings in Ah Ding's mind suddenly tensed.

"I...I'm not very good at writing..." Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's whisper, "I don't even know a few words."

The only historical knowledge she has is what Sanriyue told her like a storyteller.

Amei and Xiaojing both had strange expressions on their faces.The daughter of a family in Kyoto, in order to help the family do business and make money, who would not work hard to learn more words since childhood?But when they thought that Ah Ding came from the countryside, they also figured it out.

"It's okay, we'll just write it for you." Amei said enthusiastically.

After a while, the three of them came to the tent of the eloquent goddess.Ah Mui asked, "What is Ah Ding going to write?"

"May my brother be safe...?" Ah Ding said hesitantly.

"Ah Ding, this is an eloquent lady who seeks marriage." Amei looked like she hated iron and steel, "I must ask for something related to marriage, right?"

Ah Ding was in trouble.

She is not from this era, and she will definitely not marry here.If he asked for marriage in front of Biancaitian, and then sneaked away, would he provoke the wrath of Biancaitian?

Ah Ding thought for a while and said, "I can't come here for nothing, let Bian Caitian bless Captain Chong Tian with a good marriage."

Think of it as repaying this bag of Jinpingtang.

She doesn't charge Mr. Okita for running errands, so she must be very kind, right?

— Ah, no.Those big men, if they want to send someone to make a wish in front of the Bian Cai Tiannv, they don't need to pay at all, right?

Amei and Xiaojing looked at each other, and saw a tacit understanding and a smile in each other's eyes.Then, Amei picked up the pen and quickly wrote on the wish book - "Wish to marry Mrs. Okita".The inscription is determined by the fate of the Okita family.

After finishing writing, Ah Mei generously let Ah Ding read her handwriting.Ah Ding doesn't know many characters, only the words "冲田" and "婚田". After reading it, he didn't think it was wrong. He even praised Ah Mui and said: "Amei's characters are so beautiful, this '冲田' It's so beautifully written."

Amei heard this and said, "So you are still literate, and you still have to humble yourself in front of us."

Ah Ding was a little guilty, and a little bit of vanity - of course she could read some words, it was taught to her by Sanriyue.

The three of them stopped for a while in front of the debating goddess, and then went back to Nishi Hongan Temple.When I went back, the rain had stopped, Kyoto was washed clean, and the leaves on the trees were green and tender.

Back in the village, the three women separated.Amei and Xiaojing met Okita by the well, and they sneaked up to him and said something in his ear.

Okita Souji froze for a moment, looking a little nervous.Amei and Xiaojing didn't say much, and walked away with a smile on their own.

Okita lingered by the well for a while, looking uncertain.Then, he laughed.

***

Ah Ding put his umbrella under the eaves and wiped the rain off his head.Suzuki Yoshitaro called her: "Ah Ding, you are back? Come to my room."

As soon as Ah Ding returned to the village, he was thinking about Yamato Shou.Hearing Fangtaro's call, she entered Fangtaro's room absent-mindedly.

Suzuki Yoshitaro closed the door carefully, and let Ah Ding sit down on his knees.After confirming that there was no one in the corridor or around, he approached Ah Ding on his knees, and asked in her ear, "Our chief, what do you think?"

"What...how?" Ah Ding didn't understand.

"The director's salary is five hundred shi a year." Yoshitaro lowered his voice and said to Ah Ding, "If you marry him, you don't have to earn any more money. The two women who married the director before had their own houses. .”

Ah Ding was dumbfounded.

Suzuki Yoshitaro said solemnly: "The director said that he met you a few days ago and wanted to marry you. Would you like to? If you marry the director, maybe your brother will be able to rise to the top, and the family will not be so big. burden."