C007 You Can't Expect The MC To Wear Like A Beggar, Right?
2163 Words
After the meal, I cleared away the bento boxes and set it aside. “What do you think Harune-kun, if we just order food for these 2 weeks, lunch and dinner and we just could just make ourselves breakfast and supper in the evening if you wished to?”
Hiko-sama sama raised a question at me regarding the meals. It seems it would rather be convenient for him to order take out rather than to cook, which I think the price would be slightly comparable than to toil over the kitchen to cook.
“As you wish Hiko-sama since I would not know much about what to cook for lunch and dinner in the next couple of days. It would be a daily thing if we were to go to the market almost every day to get our supply of fresh vegetables, meat and fish and grains. I mean your kitchenette for cooking light meals such as gruel or noodles.
“Hmm, that’s right. It’s quite a hassle to cook in the small kitchen. How about this, we can have bread or noodles for breakfast, then we order for lunch and dinner, we can cook something light again? If we have bread for breakfast, we can have noodles for Dinner. If we have noodles for breakfast, we could have bread or mochi for dinner.”
I was pondering how to whip up meals in the kitchenette when Hiko-sama proposed just ordering take out for lunch." Phew...! Just thinking about our daily meals worked up a headache" I thought to myself as I rubbed my forehead to get rid of the non-existent headache.
“Stand up and let me look at you. Turn around a bit... Hmm, well since we are done with our lunch, how about we go out towards the trading district and look for some clothes for you?”
I stood up in front of him and smoothed down my clothes that had been worn for some days already and already had sweaty stains and smells in it.
“You’ve only got the only clothes on your back, so let me reward you some for your hard work today. I appreciate what you had done to the house. Keep it up!”
“But Hiko-sama, would the clothes be expensive? If repay you once I had found some work here, ok?”
“For a child’s clothes, I don’t think it’s as expensive as an adult. You are wearing a plain teenager’s blue kimono of cheap, worn cloth with a white umanori hakama, white tabi and blue obi. It doesn’t cost so much so come, let’s go then! Don’t forget the bento boxes, we bring it back to the Inn I had bought from.”
I took the washed bento boxes and placed them back in the cloth carrier and walked out of the house. Since I do not own a pair of zori yet, I put on my leather sandal and wound the straps around my ankles. I closed the sliding door and walked alongside Hiko-sama towards the trading district.
We made small chat as we walked and discovered that Hiko-sama was just 24 years old but he seemed to have matured well beyond his age.
He doesn’t know his birthday and told me that his birthday was every day in October. “Haa...! Haa...! Haa...! So every day is your birthday in October so you could receive presents every day for 30 days!”
I laughed at his revelation because he was just like me, an orphan that was brought in as a character in affiliation with mine. He smiled at me and tapped my forehead slightly.
When we had reached the trading district, I was told that this was where all the trading for local produce takes place and true there were rows of double-storey shop houses that lined the street and each was painted vibrantly and of different bright colours.
They strung mini triangular flags of different colours across their shop front and huge banners and signs we hung on above their main entrances. For fresh produce, there was no need to hang that they were selling as they hung their names instead.
Each of the banners and signs was colourful and eye-catching, and not only were they vibrant, but the human traffic milling around the shops added to the atmosphere. There were a lot of chatters of bargaining and paying for their purchases.
Even though it was high in the midday, but there were still people making purchases such as loaves of bread and cakes while some shops were closing for the day such as those selling fish and meat and poultry. It was a sight to behold at this moment.
Hiko-sama and I approached the confectionery, and he picked 2 loaves of bread and some cakes. The shopkeeper wrapped the bread and cakes with banana leaves and held it with twine for easy carrying. He paid for it and I carried it for him. He then moved to a shop that sells eggs and chose a dozen.
“These bread and eggs we can cook for breakfast tomorrow, the eggs should be enough to last a few days. Just wash them with a bit of salt water and place them in a cool place in the kitchenette.”
I nodded my head and carried the eggs he had bought. I placed the eggs in a kind of straw woven basket with a small folding handle and lined with a bit of hay. This way it prevents accidental breakages if I knocked the basket into something else.
I looked around for any sign of ‘help wanted’ on their shop fronts but had seen none so far. From the marketplace, we walked to another cluster where the shop fronts displayed pottery, farming tools, Weapons, kitchenware and clothes.
Some signs showed that the shops were having a clearance sales and Hiko-sama entered one. An elderly lady was behind the counter while a young man, presumably her Grandson was helping observe the customers. The moment Hiko-sama open the door to enter, a small tinkle sounded alerting the duo that a customer had entered.
“Irasshaimase! Good afternoon, Samurai-San. How may I help you? Are you looking for something for yourself or your brother here?”
“Eh... Brother? No... No... He’s just my apprentice, and I wanted to get 2 pairs of plain cloth red and burgundy coloured kimonos, 2 pairs of white Umanori Hakama and 1 pair of zori of his size. The sizes should be 1 or 2 sizes bigger except for his Zori. 1 piece of black yakata if you do have one. That would be all, thank you.”
“Give us some time to look for the right sizes, so please take a seat and we will get back to you in a short while.”
The young man disappeared into the store and we both sat down on a long bench that was meant for waiting customers. The young man was taller than I am so most probably he would measure the clothes with his own body. After a short while, he emerged with a pile of clothes.
“Samurai-San, would your apprentice like to try the clothes? They are 1 size bigger so it would be like the clothes I am wearing right now.”
“It is alright, young man. I’d pay for all these since we have another place to go.”
Hiko-sama stood up from the bench and approached the young man that had placed the new pile of clothes on a display.
“Oh, okay Samurai-San, come this way for payment please.”
Hiko-sama sama took out some silvers and paid for the clothes. The material was better than the one I was wearing, and since the kimono was of plain design, the price was incomparably cheap. If there was a motif design, then the price would likely be triple the ones paid by Hiko-sama.
The young man quickly rolled the clothes in a kind of parchment paper and tied twine around it and knotted the end. It was for the ease of carrying and Hiko-sama sama took it in his hands and carried it off.
My hands were already full with the empty bento boxes, the bread and cakes and a basketful of eggs.
We walked gingerly outside, and by this time the crowd had already begun thinning out. We then headed to the Inn that Hiko-sama had purchased the bento boxes. Upon entering, I placed the empty bento boxes in the hands of a guard and he quickly returned it and handed the deposit to Hiko-sama.
“I would like to order lunch from tomorrow onwards and I would like to order different menus for each day, would that be OK?”
A lady who was taking the orders nodded her head and presented a menu of dishes that could be picked and ready for delivery for the next few days. Hiko-sama sat on a bench and took the order slip from the lady and filled up the following orders of assorted menus, each one different for each day.
The menus he had picked was 2 onigiris for a bento, a miso soup of different flavours every day, alternating main dish between grilled fish, grilled meat and chicken and a portion of alternating orders for vegetables. He made for 2 identical bento meals daily for the next 14 days.
The lady who took the orders went to the manager and presented the order slip and need not ask for the address since Hiko-sama was already a known figure in Kitakata Village. The lady came back and informed Hiko-sama that it would send the orders tomorrow onwards before midday. There will be no deposit for the bento boxes and the innkeeper was kind enough to give a discount for such a long-term order.
After paying for an order of lunch for 14 days, the Innkeeper gave 6 hot buns that contained minced sweet pork for free as a sign of appreciation for the patronage of this off-line takeout business.
These hot buns were placed in a thin cloth and then tied at the top. I handed the package to me to carry.
“Not bad... Not bad... The innkeeper gave us free hot buns and a discount. Earlier I paid for 1 silver and 5 coppers and they gave us a discount of 2 coppers per day. So instead of paying 21 silvers or 2 gold and 1 silver altogether, I only need to pay them 18 silvers and 2 coppers. Cheap... Very cheap... And very convenient too.”
Hiko-sama sama was pleased with his purchases he had made for the whole 2 weeks ahead and considering it was for 2 bento meals, it was rather affordable. With the exchange rate for the current era, people would be easily confused if they don’t calculate well. Luckily the rate was just 10:1 for each denomination.
“Alright, its time to head back home. We have done shopping for basic needs. I am sure you would like to have a shower later since you are still in the clothes I last found you. Haa... Haa...”
Hiko-sama let out a laugh that made other passer bys looked at him and he gently slapped my shoulders as we head back to our home. He explained to me that the current exchange rate for these coins had been set by the Emperor and no outside influences will affect its rate.
“The exchange rate in my village was lower in returns. The rate for copper was the same, but as the denomination gets higher, its 15 coppers for silver and 15 silvers for a gold.”
“That’s expensive over there... Do you miss your village?”
“Just a little though, but it’s time to move on and it’s not good to dwindle too long in the past. It’s unhealthy...”
I replied and Hiko-sama guffawed at my words. He claimed that I had spoken like a matured person rather than an 11-year-old kid.
“Hiko-sama, the innkeeper had a strategy that became a milestone for all future food and beverages industries. The way he had these little orders for taking out over a while and providing a delivery service to the neighbourhood, his business would sky rocket!”
“Well, I’ve been to places and I’ve seen many things and as for the marketplace, I am sure someone had already had a head start. Believe me, one-day Kitakata would be like a proper town.”
“Haa... Haa... You have an eye for all these certain minor details, kid. Yes, one day I wished to see Kitakata Village be one of the prosperous Town around. Do you know there are other villages around us besides the one you came from?”
“I am not sure but I would soon find out from you I can’t wait to clean up these clothes and have a shower.
These buns sure smell enticing to eat.”
“You can eat one on the way back... take one and eat.”
“No, it is alright. Its kind of rude to eat while walking now and I have many things on my hands too. Wait until we get home, I will prepare some hot drinks for dinner.”
“Alright, Harune-kun. It is my first day being a common man, and I’d be adjusting my lifestyle.”
We walked until we reach a place where the shop houses were selling all kinds of liquor. He stepped inside and asked me to wait awhile at the sides of the shop house after a while; he brought out 2 large jars of sake which he hugged around him and was holding the bundle of my clothes in the other.
“Wah... Eh... You bought so much sake. You will not drink all these by yourselves right?”
“Nope... I just buy one for myself and the other if we have some uninvited guests over, especially my comrades from the Samurai clan.”
I nodded at him acknowledging as we walked back to the house. I wonder if the bicycle exists in this part of the era.
- Writer
