Ogata and his companions returned to the carpenter shop run by Senbei around dusk.
When they just returned to the carpenter shop, Fengma had just finished chatting with this old subordinate whom he hadn't seen for a while.
Senbei tried his best to keep Fuma and let Fuma, Ogata and others live in their house.
Senbei's home and his carpentry shop are integrated. The first floor is the shop and the second floor is their home. Their home is not spacious. After Senbei and his whole family live in it, there is basically not much space left in the whole house.
If we forcibly move into Xianbingwei and his family's home, it will probably bring a lot of inconvenience to the lives of Xianbingwei and his entire family.
So in order not to cause too much inconvenience and trouble to Senbei and his family, Ogata and his family declined Senbei's invitation to stay directly at their house, and instead paid to stay in an ordinary hotel.
Ogata and his friends spent their first night since arriving in Osaka peacefully and calmly in this ordinary hotel.
…
…
The next day——
It is now mid-April, the time of year when the temperature is the most pleasant. It is not so hot that people want to sleep naked, nor so cold that people do not want to leave bed.
Just after the sun rose from the horizon, Oufang woke up due to his biological clock, let go of the naked Ating in his arms, climbed out of bed, and put on his clothes.
A-Machi and A-Tsuku always wake up later than Ogata.
Thinking of going out to buy some breakfast, Ogata put on his clothes and left the room where he and Atachi lived.
As soon as he left the room and came to the corridor outside the room, Ogata happened to see Fuma coming out of the next room at the same time.
It was naturally impossible for the four of Ogata to live in the same room, so they booked three rooms in total, Ogata and A-machi had one, Fuma had one by himself, and A-tsuku had one by himself. The three rooms happened to be in a row.
After seeing Ogata who just walked out of their respective rooms at the same time as him, Fuma took the initiative to greet Ogata: "Good morning, brother!"
"Good morning to you too." At this time, Ogata noticed that Fuma had dark circles under his eyes, and his eyeballs were filled with red bloodshot, as if he had not slept well.
"Lord Feng, did you not sleep well last night?" After all, the corridor where Ogata and Fuma were standing was not a private place, so Ogata only called him "Lord Feng" instead of "Lord Fuma".
"I was too excited last night because I met my old subordinates whom I hadn't seen for a long time. I barely fell asleep until around 8 pm (2 am)." Fengmo smiled with a bit of naivety.
Fengma's eyes have been shining with excitement since he saw Senbei yesterday.
Ogata could empathize with Fuma's feeling of reuniting with his old subordinates who were like family to him after a long absence.
Ogata thought: The feeling he had when he met Atachi again in Kyoto last summer was probably similar to the feeling Fuma was feeling right now.
Seeing Fuma's happy look, Ogata couldn't help but smile.
"Since you didn't sleep well yesterday, do you want to catch up on some sleep now?"
“No need, no need.” Feng Mo waved his hand. “Although I didn’t sleep for long last night, I’m in good spirits now.”
"Even if you need to catch up on some sleep, wait until you've finished your work before doing so."
At this point, Feng Mo laughed a few times, and then continued:
"After Komachi and Kozuki wake up, I will take you to meet the 'Osaka Know-It-All' who is an old acquaintance of mine. I will try to help you find the Master Yoji as soon as possible."
"Are you going to see your old friend today?" Ogata raised his eyebrows. "Master Feng, why don't you go spend more time with Mr. Senbei first?"
Feng Mo waved his hand: "Accompanying Senbei or something, there is no rush."
"Anyway, I've already met him and greeted him yesterday. After I help you find Master Yu Er, it won't be too late to slowly chat with Senbei and reminisce about the past."
Since Fengma said so, Ogata didn't say anything else. He bowed to Fengma and said, "Thank you very much, Master Feng."
Fengma waved his hand again, indicating that Ogata didn't need to thank him, and then showed a strange expression:
"Before you go meet my old friend later, let me give you a reminder - the place where my old friend is... is quite special, so you must be mentally prepared."
"Special?" Ogata asked doubtfully.
Feng Mo's expression became even weirder at this time.
"My friend... lives in Shinmachi, the place of debauchery that all the men in Osaka dream of. He is the owner of a prostitute house called 'Nanagusa-ya' in Shinmachi."
"Compared to Yoshiwara in Edo and Shimabara in Kyoto... the people in Shinmachi are..."
Feng Mo suddenly fell silent at this time, as if he was thinking about what to say next.
After a while, he spoke quietly:
"Much more...passionate."
"So you...especially you, my dear brother, must be fully prepared mentally."
…
…
About half an hour later——
Osaka, Shinmachi——
"My two guests! Are you interested in coming to our Three-Leaf House?"
"Sir! What type of girls do you like?"
"My two guests..."
…
After Atachi and Azuki woke up, Fuma led the three of them to Shinmachi where his old friend was as he said.
As soon as he stepped into Shinmachi, Ogata, who had worked in Yoshiwara before, immediately smelled the same scent as the air in Yoshiwara: a faint scent of woman's powder.
The layout of Shinmachi is the same as Yoshiwara... No, it should be said that the architectural layout and architectural style of Yoshiwara, Shimabara and Shinmachi are basically the same.
The first floor of every prostitute house is equipped with a display window that is only blocked by a wooden fence. When night falls, the prostitutes sit behind the window and pose coquettishly to attract customers and allow them to choose.
Because it is morning now, it is the time for the prostitutes to rest after working hard all night, so there are few prostitutes on the streets of Shinmachi or in the windows of prostitutes' houses.
However... although from the outside, Shinmachi is simply a smaller version of Yoshiwara, after entering Shinmachi, Ogata quickly and keenly realized that Shinmachi is completely different from Yoshiwara.
First of all, like Shimabara in Kyoto, Shinmachi does not have an organization like the Shirobei Kaiso to specifically manage them, as Yoshiwara does.
Secondly… the people in Yoshiwara are not as… welcoming as the people in Shinmachi.
As soon as I stepped into Shinmachi, 2 or 3 kenseban (people who are responsible for setting up a platform near the main entrance of the yujoya to attract customers) immediately surrounded me and advertised the yujoya they belonged to.
Although the Miseiban in Yoshiwara would also take the initiative to solicit customers, they were not as enthusiastic as the Miseiban in Shinmachi.
Maybe it’s because the enthusiasm of Osaka people is so enthusiastic and unrestrained.
As women, Amachi and Azuku were naturally ignored by the Kenseiban, and because Fuma was too old, he was also ignored by almost all of the Kenseiban. Almost all of the Kenseiban who gathered around were coming for Ogata.
Although Ogata was wearing a bamboo hat and a face scarf, one could still tell from his exposed palms and other skin that he was very young.
These yuuseiban gathered around Ogata and introduced the advantages of their respective yujoyas to him.
Now happens to be the time when Shinmachi has the least traffic, so there are a lot of Jianzeban gathering around.
In response to these world-famous stories, Ogata could only give an awkward but polite smile.
He didn't dare show any interest in Jianshiban's advertisement - after all, A-Machi was standing next to him.
He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ating beside him had been secretly observing his face with a scrutinizing look.
This made Ogata's forehead break out in cold sweat.
If he showed a strong interest in the "advertising slogan" of a certain Mishiban... Ogata couldn't imagine how Atachi would react to him...
Ogata maintained a polite smile as he dismissed the crowds of strangers who gathered around him.
"Master Feng." After sending away , Ogata couldn't help but ask the Fengma in front of him, "Haven't you reached the place where your old friend lives yet?"
"We're here," said Fuma. "Look, that Nanakusa House in front is the prostitute house run by my friend."
Ogata hurriedly looked forward.
At the intersection ahead, there was a brothel that looked infinitely more luxurious than any of the other brothels around it.
On the door of this extremely luxurious prostitute house, there is a plaque with the words "Nanakusa House" inscribed on it.
Fuma led Ogata and the others and strode towards the Nanakusa House.
As soon as he stood in front of the gate of Nanakusa House, Fuma said loudly to the two young men who were cleaning the ground in front of Nanakusa House:
"Please show this to your boss and inform him: an old friend is visiting."
After saying that, Fengmo took out a small fan from his arms and handed it to the two young men.
Suddenly, an old man who had never been seen before came. As soon as he appeared, he said directly, "Go and inform your boss," and stuffed a fan into their hands - this made the two young men look confused and they looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Go and inform your boss. I'm not a suspicious person. I'm an old friend of your boss." Feng Mo changed his tone to a half-joking one. "If I'm slow to pass the message, your boss might get angry if he finds out later."
Feng Mo's confident look successfully frightened the two young men.
The two thought, "If this old man is really the boss's friend, we can't delay any longer." So one of them stayed at the gate, while the other took the fan handed to him by Fengmo and quickly went to find their boss.
After a while, the young man who went to see their boss came back.
"Please follow me." The returning young man handed the fan that Fengma had just handed to him back to Fengma, then saluted Fengma respectfully, using the highest level of honorifics, "Our boss is waiting for you upstairs."
Nanakusa House has three floors in total.
The young man took Ogata and the others directly to a room on the top floor.
"Sir!" the young man shouted into the house, "I'm here with the guests!"
"Well." As soon as the young man finished speaking, an old but strong voice rang out in the room, "Bring them in."
"yes!"
The young man opened the door.
As the door opened, the scene inside the room came into Ogata's sight.
Behind the door was a rather simple-looking room.
The only furniture was a desk, a cabinet and a bookcase full of books.
An old man who seemed to be about 70 years old, about the same age as Feng Mo, sat behind the only desk in the room, flipping through a book on the desk.
This old man...the first impression that Ogata had was that of a "graceful old gentleman".
He didn't have an ugly topknot, nor was he bald like Fuma. He had extremely thick silver hair combed back into a slicked-back style that would not be out of fashion even in modern times.
Although her cheeks are covered with wrinkles due to age and there are age spots on her temples, her skin is quite shiny and rosy.
He wore a pair of rare thin-framed glasses on his nose, and his slender eyes behind the lenses sparkled with the light that is unique to a well-read person.
After Ogata and others entered, the old man waved to the young man who led them in, signaling him to leave first.
After the young man left and closed the door, Feng Mo sat down opposite the old man and smiled at him:
"Long time no see, Sotaemon. Your hair... is still so long..."
For some reason, Feng Mo, who was smiling and greeting the old man at the beginning, suddenly changed his expression from smiling to serious after he finished the second half of his sentence.
"Yeah, it's been a long time indeed."
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the old man called "Soudaemon" by Fuma raised his hand and pushed back his thick silver hair while speaking.
"I don't know what I should call you now?"
"You can just call me 'Wind'."
"Feng, huh... Then - Feng-kun, who are the three people behind you?"
"It's my friend."
"Oh? I didn't expect that you can still make such young friends at your age."
After saying that, Sotadaemon stood up and bowed gracefully to Ogata and the others.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Sodaemon."
Sodaemon's bow was so graceful that the three of Ogata couldn't help but wonder if he was a child of the nobility who had received a strict education since childhood.
"Nice to meet you." Ogata returned the greeting, "My name is Majima Goro."
"I'm Majima-cho."
"I'm Azuki."
"Sodaemon." Fuma suddenly said, "I'll get straight to the point - I need your help, the 'Osaka know-it-all'."
Fengmo is very direct and gets straight to the point.
"Go ahead."
As for Fuma's directness, Soedaemon sat back on the tatami and smiled slightly, looking as if he was used to it.
"But before I listen to your request, let me correct your mistake just now. The title of 'Osaka Know-it-all' really makes me feel embarrassed."
Sotadaemon smiled bitterly.
"If I really had the ability to know everything about Osaka, I wouldn't need to open a brothel."
"So I can't guarantee that I can fulfill all your requests."
"It's okay." Feng Mo said, "Just do the best you can."
…
…
Fuma told Sodaemon everything about their search for the swordsmith Yoji .
After Fuma finished speaking, Sotadaemon nodded:
"I see... Are you looking for Yuji..."
"How?" Feng Mo asked, "Do you know where Yu Er is?"
"...You're lucky." Sotadaemon smiled. "I just happen to know where Yoji lives. I know a friend who happens to be a good friend of Yoji. With the introduction of my friend, Yoji and I are old acquaintances."
"That's great." Fuma slapped his thigh, "Then tell us where Yoji lives in Osaka."
"...Feng-kun." Sotadaemon suddenly fell silent for a moment, tapping the desk in front of him with his fingers at a very rhythmic frequency. "If you want me to tell you where Yuji lives... that's fine, but you... no, you have to do me a favor."
"Hey." Feng Mo's brows suddenly frowned, "Does this little favor also require an equal exchange?"
"Under normal circumstances, I would definitely help you for free without hesitation." Sotadaemon said with a wry smile, "But I happen to be in a little trouble right now. I need your help."
"Don't worry, the help I need from you is not a big deal."
At this moment, Sotadaemon suddenly shifted his gaze to Ogata and Atachi.
"You two are Majima Goro and Majima Machi, right? I wonder what your relationship is?"
"Husband and wife." Ogata answered honestly.
"A couple?" Sotada nodded gently, a thoughtful look on his face. "...Mashima-kun, may I ask you a question? How good are your skills?"
For no apparent reason, Sodaemon came to ask about his skills - this made Ogata raise his eyebrows.
Although he didn't know why Sotadaemon asked this suddenly, it wasn't a question that he couldn't answer directly, so Ogata pondered for a moment, thought of the appropriate words, and then said in a quiet and euphemistic tone:
"I can't say I'm very good at hand-to-hand combat and horsemanship, but when it comes to using a sword, I have many times more experience than an average person."
“Okay then.” This time it was Soedaemon’s turn to pat his thigh. “Well then – Mr. Majima, Ms. Majima, I’d like to ask you two to do me a small favor.”
"It's easy to help."
"Tonight, a distinguished guest has spent a large sum of money to invite our Nanakusa-ya's ace artist, Hatsumitsu, to perform."
"I hope Ms. Majima can be Hatsumitsu's assistant tonight." Sotadaemon fixed his eyes on Atachi. "The job is simple. Before Hatsumitsu enters the stage, help her hold her shamisen. After she enters the stage, hand her the shamisen. Then you just need to sit next to Hatsumitsu and wait for her performance to end."
"Mashima-san will be the guard of Hatsumitsu." Sotadaemon turned his attention to Ogata. "Your task will be even simpler. You only need to cooperate with another guard of Hatsumitsu and stay by his side to prevent anyone from coming forward to hurt Hatsumitsu."
"As long as you are willing to do me this favor, I will tell you where Yuji lives right away."