Chapter 49: A peaceful and joyful life like a little rich man
The next day, as the morning sun began to rise.
On the second-hand donkey cart at the village entrance of Hibitsu Village, grain, medicinal material jars, books, money bags, and other sundries were already securely bundled. Yuan Ye’s foolish son was also placed among the piled-up goods for shelter from the wind, signifying that Yuan Ye was preparing to move to Takeuchi Manor.
After his personal safety was guaranteed and he had initially adapted to this chaotic era, he wanted to start pursuing a better quality of life. Hibitsu Village was no longer suitable for him. Even though it was the closest to his transmigration point, he ultimately decided to leave. He had been here for so long without any hope of returning, and he couldn’t foolishly endure hardship in this barren village for his entire life.
This was a difficult decision, akin to choosing between “I’ll definitely win 5 million if I keep buying lottery tickets, and then I’ll eat and drink well every day” and “I feel the hope of winning 5 million is a bit slim, so I should earn some money to eat and drink first.” After much thought, he ultimately chose the latter.
In a sense, this was a relatively rational choice, a choice made after discarding wishful thinking. Otherwise, if the lottery only drew once every thousand years, his life would become a joke.
Of course, he had to keep a sliver of hope. Lotteries could also be bought by proxy. He temporarily entrusted the second item of the 【 Daily Task 】 to Yayoi’s father, Jikuro, asking him to look at the mountain ridge at sunrise every day. If he spotted any unusual phenomena, he was to immediately sprint to Takeuchi Manor to inform him, so that he could quickly grab his foolish son and run back to gamble on luck.
At the very least, he could summarize the time patterns and prepare for the next dense mountain fog.
For now, this was all he could do. When he had money later, he would get a few horses and find someone dedicated to stationing them in Hibitsu Village to handle this matter.
“Everyone, go back!” Yuan Ye waved to the villagers of Hibitsu Village who had gathered to see him off, indicating that they didn’t need to be so formal. He then turned to Jikuro, his landlord, and thanked him, “Thank you for your hospitality during this time. I am very grateful. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to come to Takeuchi Manor to find me.”
“You are too kind, Lord! I wish you a safe journey!” Jikuro’s expression was very serious. He didn’t feel that Yuan Ye had caused him much trouble, especially since he hadn’t yet repaid the life-saving favor. The villagers of Hibitsu Village also chimed in with their farewells, expressing their reluctance to part.
After all, Yuan Ye had indeed done many good deeds in Hibitsu Village, curing many people’s illnesses. Even though his original intention was to save his own life, fearing that the villagers would conduct a “Samurai Hunt” and poke him with manure forks, it wasn’t exactly kindness, but he had indeed done some good deeds. These simple working people were very grateful. Otherwise, the entire village wouldn’t have come out so early to see him off. Usually, even when someone in the village died and was buried, people wouldn’t gather so neatly. It was truly rare.
Yayoi stood beside Yuan Ye, carrying a small bundle. Leaving home for the first time made her feel very uneasy, but she forced herself to remain calm. Seeing that the time for departure was approaching, she immediately knelt down to pay her respects to Jikuro and Aping, and said softly, “Father, Mother, I’m leaving. Please take care of yourselves.”
Jikuro glanced at her and sighed, nodding. Aping’s eyes reddened. She reached out to help her up and, with a slight choke in her voice, admonished her. Even though she had repeated many things many times the previous night, she still had to say them again: “Follow Lord Yuan Ye and work hard, don’t be lazy. Take care of yourself, and if something happens, just endure it. Don’t argue with others. Remember…”
She couldn’t continue speaking, her eyes reddening further with reluctance. However, letting her daughter leave with Yuan Ye was her decision. She firmly believed that her daughter had no future in Hibitsu Village and was likely to starve her entire life. Even though she was reluctant, she steeled herself and pleaded with Yuan Ye to secure a “position” for her daughter. From now on, Yayoi would be Yuan Ye’s family retainer, similar in nature to the Momoi Brothers, sharing in Yuan Ye’s fortune and misfortune.
Of course, Yuan Ye didn’t see it that way. He didn’t place much importance on feudal personal dependency and chains of loyalty. People like him wouldn’t believe in loyalty without reason. He viewed these three individuals more as “employees.” Yayoi would probably be equivalent to a “little nanny + life secretary.” If she wanted to resign someday, he wouldn’t stop her, nor would he consider it betrayal. Instead, he would offer a good parting.
He watched them say goodbye, not rushing them, being very patient. The times were different. A journey of over three hours, and the road was not entirely safe. In this era, it was already a long distance, let alone for Yayoi, a young girl. In the future, no one would escort her, and she might not be able to return home for several years. It was fine to say a few more words.
Yayoi soon noticed this and stopped talking to her mother. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, gently pulled away from her mother’s hand, and her small face became resolute. Under Yuan Ye’s arrangement, she climbed onto the donkey cart.
The farewells ended here. Parting is always inevitable in life. With a command from Yuan Ye, their group set off towards their new home.
If nothing unexpected happened, such as a resurgence of dense mountain fog, he might never return.
After they had gone a considerable distance, he looked back and saw that the villagers of Hibitsu Village were still watching them. He waved again, then his gaze turned towards Mount Ise.
He had arrived in this unfamiliar era from there, and now he was beginning to move away. In the future, he might even go further and further until he was completely rooted in this era, leaving his mark. However, he didn’t know what the future held.
But one thing remained unchanged: no matter how bad or harsh the environment, he would strive to live, and live well, happily, and freely.
Yes, no matter what, he would do his utmost to survive and live well, to pursue the meaning of his life!
“I say, do you really like this little broken village that much?” A Man said beside him. Seeing him look back with clear eyes but a complex expression, she was quite puzzled and couldn’t help but start chattering again. “What’s so good about this little broken village that you’re so reluctant to leave? Are you going to have dung beetles carry the chamber pot and recite poetry?”
Yuan Ye was silent for a moment. He didn’t recite poetry; he didn’t have that level of literary skill. His emotions of parting and his reflections on the future were completely ruined by her. His mood became even more complex. “Can you please stop bringing up poop and pee all the time? Is this the time to talk about poop and pee?”
His gaze slowly shifted to her, and he said with deep regret, “I really shouldn’t have taught you to read…”
People don’t have eyes in the back of their heads. Ever since this wild child learned to read, her language skills have become increasingly strong. She has developed many vulgar jokes about poop and pee, and she says them whenever she can, finding great joy in it, which is very annoying.
A Man cackled with laughter, unbothered by his complaint. She said with great anticipation, “When we get to the new house, I’ll look for wild ducks and catch a few to roast for dinner, how about it?”
“Fine!”
“How about letting your two idiot followers catch some fish? The fish in the lake are fatter than those in the river, so they should be tastier!”
“Fine!”
“I’m also craving bamboo shoots and some greens. How about we have A Qing go dig some?”
“Fine!”
“Have you thought about how you’re going to renovate the house? It must be uncomfortable to live in now.”
Yuan Ye could no longer stand it. “Just shut up already! Do you have to talk so much while walking? Can’t you let me quietly think about something?”
A Man was in a cheerful mood. She loved running around, and moving was a novelty, her first time ever. She really wanted to talk now and was a bit displeased. “I just wanted to discuss it with you. I’m also concerned about your future life. Your brain isn’t that good!”
“I don’t need your concern, and I don’t want to discuss it with you. Just shut up, and my brain works perfectly fine!”
“Your attitude is so bad. You really don’t respect me like you used to…”
“Then you need to do something worthy of respect!”
Yuan Ye wished he could put a muzzle on A Man to silence her incessant chatter, but he couldn’t. He was forced to argue with her continuously. However, after arguing with her for a while, and then looking at her, who was carrying a matchlock gun and chattering noisily, A Qing, who was holding a stick with a small monkey, maintaining vigilance with a cold and clear expression, Momorokuro, who was leading the donkey and humming a song, Ichishiro, who was carrying a bow and a bamboo spear, silent and reserved, and Yayoi, who was sitting at the back of the donkey cart, dangling her legs and curiously watching the scenery, along with the donkey cart full of supplies, his feelings of departure vanished, and he began to look forward to the new life.
This was already so much better than when he first arrived. Back then, he only had a foolish son, the conditions were extremely harsh, he was constantly anxious, even startled multiple times a day, and the psychological pressure was immense. Now, it was so much better. He had manpower, a vehicle, and supplies. Life in Takeuchi Manor would surely get better and better!
Yes, it would definitely be a peaceful, stable, high-quality life where he would get rich. He would live like a small landlord, safe and happy. He firmly believed this!
