Chapter 9

When the inspection of the annual tribute was over, the atmosphere in Ohara village was enveloped in a sense of relief. It was understandable, as every year, some farmers were troubled by the tribute collection. This year, two farmers were accused by the officials of mixing in a large amount of inferior rice, and about four others were scolded for the insufficient quantity. These unfortunate six were dragged to the magistrate's office and judged like criminals. They were reportedly beaten severely with split bamboo and then released.

In reality, it was difficult to say that the officials' accusations were entirely unjust. The rice collected as tribute was for the government, and it was rice that would never enter their own mouths. If they could get away with it, they would naturally want to keep the good rice for themselves. Some even mixed in last year's seed rice, while others added husks without anyone noticing. It was a matter of degree, and the mischief was subtle enough that it couldn't be detected at a glance.

There were undoubtedly many more who did similar things. It was just bad luck to be caught.

Once the tribute rice was collected at the magistrate's office in Kihon village, it was taken away by the merchants who arrived a few days later in exchange for a certificate. The villagers of Ohara, who had seen the cargo pass by, finally began to prepare for the festival with a sense of relief.

The Autumn Festival.

It was, in other words, a harvest festival. For those who worked continuously throughout the year in farming and manual labor, the festival was a precious outlet for stress.

The Hayashi family, being the village head of Ohara, had to bear much of the burden of providing food and drink for the festival. To console the villagers, the magistrate's office in Kihon village sent five grains and tamagushi for the shrine, as well as a measure of rice. The Hayashi family also needed to provide something decent to maintain their reputation.

"Use this to buy something."

The gold coin that Seisho-sama took out from the kimono chest was a one-fifth gold piece. It was a small gold coin worth one-fourth of a koban (1 ryō), which was not something one would see easily in a rural village like Ohara. Jirō, who was given the gold, would have to go to a merchant in Tajimi, specifically to a developed area along the lower road, such as Ichidamachi. Seisho-sama probably chose Jirō because of his experience living in Ichidamachi.

But that was a bit naive.

Kōta, looking at Jirō's side profile as he examined the one-fifth gold piece in his hand, concluded that Jirō didn't think much of it. In a rural area, it might be a large sum, but in a bustling area along the road, its value would be relatively diminished. Jirō was looking at the gold piece as if it were a copper coin, finding it unimpressive.

(We shouldn't entrust this shopping to someone who thinks it's a trivial amount.)

Kōta imagined Jirō returning with a grin, having bought a whole sea bream because he liked it. Even if he managed to buy something, he might end up not paying for it and pretending he didn't know. Jirō, unaware that a five-year-old was worrying about him, took the gold piece with a sigh and said something dangerous like, "What can I buy with such a paltry amount?"

Someone with a solid economic sense should go with him. Kōta looked around, but Seisho-sama and Ooku-sama, who would normally be the most reliable, were out of the question. The eldest son, Tarō, called "Wakudanna," was in a similar situation to Seisho-sama, as he couldn't be a shopping assistant.

If a reasonable choice were to be made, it would be better to send a servant like Gen, but there was no reason for Seisho-sama not to know this.

(...Maybe he wants to give Jirō some experience. But Jirō has already branched off, and there's no point in giving him more experience now. Even if he's better than Saburō, I still can't quite accept it.)

Kōta was muttering to himself when he was called by Seisho-sama and given an errand.

"You're going with him, Kōta."

Eh?!

What, are you trying to make me babysit this idiot?

His dissatisfaction must have shown on his face. Jirō, noticing this, said,

"Father! Why do I have to bring this brat along? It's already a hassle enough as it is..."

That's what I was going to say.

Kōta wanted to kick him, but upon reflection, Jirō's words were quite reasonable. Objectively, it was indeed a hassle to bring a troublesome five-year-old on such an important shopping trip. Jirō's obvious annoyance was understandable.

Kōta looked at Jirō's clearly annoyed face and then at Seisho-sama, who had given such a meaningless instruction. Seisho-sama, noticing his gaze, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to him.

...Ah, I see.

If that's the case, there's no choice.

(But that was a bit careless...)

The paper in Seisho-sama's hand was a simple checklist he had made while tallying the tribute rice. Normally, in the Edo period, the names of the contributors and the number of rice bags they provided would be written in a long, verbose text. However, he had created a simple table with columns for the contributors, the quantity, and a remarks section for the officials to write notes, all written horizontally.

Using a fine brush, he wrote the names of about fifty villagers in a column and added the number of rice bags they had contributed next to each name. The numbers could be tallied at any time if they were listed vertically. More importantly, the simplicity and clarity of the table made it easy to see the overall picture. The traditional method of embedding numbers in the text was highly inefficient for him.

When this simple checklist was confiscated by Seisho-sama, the memory was still fresh.

I see.

This wasn't a test for Jirō, but a test for me.

If that's the case, it's fine. Kōta ran out of the Hayashi residence to catch up with Jirō, who had already left. He had never been to Ichidamachi.

Tajimi was divided into several domains due to various reasons. The Hayashi domain included Ohara and Kihon, the Bamba domain included the Takada area, and the area south of Ichidamachi was part of the Owari domain, with the rest being under direct control of the shogunate.

Going to Ichidamachi (later known as Ichidamachi, Tajimi) meant stepping into the territory of another domain, the Owari domain.

"Don't slow me down."

Jirō said this bluntly, looking at Kōta. Despite his words, he adjusted his pace to ensure Kōta didn't fall behind. He was a bit of a scoundrel but not a bad person.

Kōta had assumed they would use the road along the Ohara River, which was under the shogunate's control, but Jirō marched straight over the hills of Ohara village, taking the shortest route to Ichidamachi. It wasn't as if they were going where there was no path. Where people lived, paths could be found, and this route was indeed a shortcut.

"Kōta... Can you tell what that smoke is?"

Jirō asked. Looking in the direction he pointed, Kōta saw gray smoke rising vigorously from the opposite side of the eastern Takane Mountain. To the right, in what seemed to be the center of the Tajimi basin, recently harvested rice fields spread out, and the Tōkigawa River, reflecting the autumn sunlight, shimmered. This area would later become the city of Tajimi, but now it was sparsely populated.

Kōta thought it might be charcoal being burned on Takane Mountain, but Jirō, looking pleased with himself for stumping Kōta, corrected him.

"No matter how clever you think you are, you're just a frog in a well. That's the smoke from the kilns of Mino ware... "

"Kilns...?"

"Yes, that area has many hills, which are apparently good for building kilns."

The "Pottery Capital of Tajimi"...

The sure signs of Mino ware, which were barely visible in Ohara village, were now filling the air with white smoke.

The smoke seemed to be coming from a considerable distance, not from the foothills of Takane Mountain.

"Whose kiln is that?"

Kōta asked, adopting a respectful tone. Jirō, feeling good about being asked by the Hayashi family's favorite, puffed out his chest and answered proudly.

"That's the 'Takada kiln,' which produces a lot of sake bottles."

Kōta gazed at the rising smoke for a while, lost in thought.