As we all know, winding zero is a human being

"Huh? Is this still called brother?"

The whore Taro, who neither knew the Son of God nor the first string, just squinted after hearing this.

"It's still twins." Ling Zhensheng added, "They had a good relationship when they were young, and they always went to fly kites together when the weather was fine."

Speaking of which, it is also death from drought and death from flood. I have seen Ji Guo brothers get along with each other when they were young, and he was also sent by these two brothers.

"Kite, what is that?"

"It's just a toy made of wood and cloth that will fly into the sky in the wind?" Zero helplessly explained to him, and found that some teenagers who followed suit and were led astray by him could easily misunderstand the point.

And there seems to be someone listening to the conversation, and Xiaomei, who is also curious about the things that can't be seen in Yoshiwara, also moves, and finally pulls the Nadao shoji door open. Seam:

"I want!"

Halfway through the talk, she realized that she should still be angry, but the novelty prevailed, Xiaomei's beautiful golden pupils flickered, and she said like a step: "If you get it for me, I will forgive you !"

Zero: "... OK, OK."

Then the wobbly girl kicked the prostitute Taro again: "Hey, can you fly a kite?"

The boy who didn't even know what it was, of course couldn't, and Taro the whore, of course, couldn't say anything even if he looked at his sister's expectant look.

Ling Youran told them: "Find a windy day, grab the spool and run, and leave the rest to the wind."

What kind of overnight feud could the two brothers and sisters have? Seeing this, Xiaomei also heard what the prostitute Taro said to him. She struggled for a while and didn't mention Mr. Date. She probably hasn't figured out how to say it yet.

"It's annoying you, of course we know how to fly a kite!"

It was not difficult to make a kite. That night, I found materials and pasted one for them, and twisted several strands of cotton thread.

The boy carried the girl on his back and started running on the deserted avenue in the afternoon. At first, he didn't grasp the essentials very well, and then a strong wind came for some reason, and the kite wobbled and flew into the sky.

Xiaomei raised the spool with one hand, and tightly bound the prostitute Taro's neck with the other. She ran and was strangled until she couldn't breathe, but the prostitute Taro's hand was also tightly hugging Xiaomei's restless leg , kept raising his eyes for fear that she would fall.

In many cases, kites are often unable to withstand the strong wind in the sky, and it is normal for the soft cotton thread to break.

It's just that Ling watched them for a long time, so long that he couldn't take it anymore and ran to the bamboo shed to enjoy the shade, and the kite was still hanging in the sky.

That thread has never been broken.

I woke up early the next morning and left Yoshiwara.

Familiarly, he went to the castle town to pick up the previously ordered clothes, and he was quite satisfied with the quality after checking the quality.

Xiaomei's eyes are picky and vicious, and it took her a long time to decide on the patterns and colors of the clothes.

And the prostitute Taro and her are completely two extremes, and they can agree on anything.

After paying the money and picking up the goods, he walked out of the shop and looked at the revived street outside. He hesitated for a while, and instead of going to Shiodome, who was supposed to inquire about the news, he stayed in the castle town and continued walking.

From Xiaomei, he knew the kid's origin, and most of the vassal lord daimyos who came from the Sendai vassal were settled in the town called Shiodome.

It was also a coincidence that the place was not far from the mansion he had lived in before, and it was a remote corner where the upper-class nobles of Edo gathered.

Fishermen walking on the street dragged heavy nets, and the smell of summer tide was strong. Even in cloudy weather, the fishy smell mixed in the damp air was a bit unpleasant.

The life in the castle town is still the same as before.

"Which one? Oh, you mean the group of entertainers who showed up here at night, right?"

Standing at the door sorting out some goods, the person he asked didn't lift his head, as if he was used to this kind of thing: "I haven't been here for more than half a year, I don't know if it was moved or what to say, anyway, no one has seen it." .”

Zero listened to the person give a date that was not so exact after he asked many times, and he counted the time with his fingers stiffly.

Then he eagerly raised his head and asked, "Then have you ever seen Ah Xiang? It's about this tall, the one in the pink dress—"

"Axiang? Of course I know the little girl Axiang you mentioned, even she doesn't know where she went!"

After hearing the news, Ling didn't know how he responded, the man looked at him twice, and then went about his own business.

The little girl did not go home, or she was buried in the snowy night with those things when she returned home.

No one found out.

Ling wandered on that street for a long time with the package in his arms, before he stepped onto the road he had traveled countless times before.

The fortified mansion has also changed its owner now, and the newly repaired house does not see the shadow of the former owner at all.

The unburned cage fire from last night was still burning in the lantern during the day, but when he turned around, Ling heard the laughter of someone sitting in the cage still chatting and laughing with others behind him.

The voice was very familiar, and he subconsciously avoided it.

The one who can sit in the cage is of course Mr. Date, and besides the two porters in the cage, he is accompanied by two or three women, with red lips and bright teeth, so happy.

...He just said that there is really no good thing for a man who can come to Yoshiwara! ! !

He hated not being able to take a photo of this scene as evidence. After Mr. Date and his party passed by, he walked towards an attendant nearby who was also watching the show, and asked curiously, "Do you know who that person is? What's going on around you?" Follow so many women?"

Of course, the attendant at the door is free and willing to gossip with someone: "Hey, that young master is the fourth son of the Date family of the Sendai domain. He came to Edo at the end of last year and will stay for a long time."

"As for those girls... People call this young master the Guangyuan family of our Edo, do you understand now?"

Oh, he doesn't understand, he hasn't read any Genji Tale.

It is difficult for Zero to describe his current mood.

All he heard was bad news one after another, could it make him feel better? !

After returning to Yoshiwara, when the night fell, he couldn't explain it when he saw that Prince Date, who had just met in Edo Castle in the afternoon after changing his clothes, was sitting relaxedly in the downstairs hall listening to the shamisen.

The small fan shook and shook, and there was a stack of wine jugs beside her.

Zero looked around but couldn't see Xiaomei, so he didn't know if it was good or bad.

Even if Xiaomei is still reluctant to part with him, she won't bring Mr. Date here to drink flower wine, then there is only one truth, this kid has teased so many girls inside and out, but he still wants to come to Yoshiwara to find him unsatisfied. fun

With a bang, he put the tray holding the wine cups and jugs on his desk, and he didn't feel guilty about stealing other Jianshiban's job, so he just sat down opposite that kid.

Mr. Date blinked innocently: "What a coincidence, Uncle... Are you coming to this store to listen to the music?"

"What song are you listening to?" Zero didn't want to circle around with him, so he went straight to the topic, "To be honest, I saw you in Edo this afternoon."

He didn't seem panicked: "That's really rude, I didn't notice you and couldn't say hello to you..."

"What about those girls around you?"

Mr. Date's smile faltered, and a trace of embarrassment naturally appeared on his good-looking face, which well covered the deep eyes: "They... are a marriage arranged by my lord father."

Zero felt even more horrified: "All of them?"

Mr. Date pursed his lips and nodded: "Yes... I can't make a choice, and I can't refuse."

So... just choose to have them all?

Good guy, you don't look very old, but it's an adult's choice you made? !

Turning around these zeros became even more furious, and he slapped the table without making any noise: "Then you still provoke Xiaomei?"

Mr. Date was silent for a while, with the paper fan on the table.

He suddenly said, "Actually, I don't want to do that either."

Pulling down the bamboo curtain of the compartment, he didn't know why he was able to confide his thoughts in front of a stranger like Zero, maybe it was because of the empty jugs on the table, maybe it was because Ling was close to Xiaomei. people.

"If I choose one of them to marry, neither she nor I will be able to leave Edo again."

Even though he was still drunk, the young aristocrat seemed to be trying to stay sober, and it was clear what he could and couldn't say.

After hearing this, Zero suppressed his bad mood for a day, and his thoughts gradually became complicated.

Even powerful families have things they can't help themselves. For example, the shogunate's policy of bringing relatives of daimyos from all over the country into Edo Castle for the sake of local stability and rule is something that the young man in front of him cannot resist.

I have to say that the identity of Mr. Date is really embarrassing. It's okay to have a few older brothers who are several years older than him without the right to inherit the feudal lord. Even marriage and life freedom are restricted, but it is for him. All kinds of behaviors have a layer of tragic color.

However, Ling pointed out the problem calmly: "What does this have to do with Xiaomei? Our Xiaomei doesn't want to climb up on such a wealthy family."

After finally getting out of Yoshihara's cage, he was about to be locked in another cage, rich and powerful, whatever.

But after hearing what he said, Mr. Date gradually breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been persuaded, as if someone had made a resolution for him that he couldn't make up.

Mr. Date handed the bat fan in his hand to Zero, he took it for no apparent reason, and after shaking it away in a decent manner, he saw a black circle with a white background and a cross engraved on it. family pattern.

"Just tell Miss Mei, stop thinking about me."

He also smiled and said, "Fortunately, fortunately, I haven't cut off my little finger yet..."

Zero who didn't know what expression to make: "...?"

"Hey, don't you know?" Seeing his puzzled look, Mr. Date straightened his clothes, "In Yoshiwara, giving your sweetheart your little finger is a promise for life."

"Of course the other party has the right to refuse, but each person has only one little finger on his right hand. It would be embarrassing if he didn't accept it."

He said it with a smile on his face, and it was hard to feel insincere.

Zero Heart says it's a terrible tradition.

The young man who was able to drink well and maintain a good family education left the Matsui house in a daze, and without an attendant, he held up an umbrella and walked into the rain.

Zero fell asleep in the sound of raindrops falling on the bluestone, and the warm light of the lantern shone up and down in the pooled puddles.

In the middle of the night, the wind suddenly changed, and he who was leaning against the door was blown by the entrained rain, and woke up a little abruptly.

But it doesn't seem that out of the ordinary.

Wu Mi walked back from the rain with a paper umbrella, two strands of black hair like crow feathers hanging on his forehead.

He tilted the paper umbrella slightly, looked at Ling and frowned as usual: "Go in."

Speaking of concern so awkwardly, this is the only family that has no semicolon.

Zero yawned and did not refuse, after he entered the room, he chased after him and walked back.

The wind is coming from behind.

Thinking about it later, it would be great if I walked side by side with him at that time.